the WESTERN WRITERS of AMERICA COOKBOOK

Western Writers of America publishes a bi-monthly magazine called Roundup^TM, so we thought it would be fun to name this chapter after the magazine. The magazine includes something for everyone in each issue—a letter from our president, book reviews, articles on technology, movies, history, research, upcoming events, and more. We also have unique features in each publication. See? There is a little of everything. Like the magazine, this chapter includes a little bit of everything, so we thought we’d give a shout-out to Roundup^TM by using its name.

In writing, it’s often the little things that are memorable—weird details about a historical event or odd personality quirks of a character. The same is true with food. The extras often provide the standout moments of your day. So sip a hot toddy, dip some chips in a spicy salsa, or munch on sweetened carrot sticks. And don’t forget the oat cakes for your horse!

I grew up in a cold northeastern region, and this drink has always been a family favorite. After long hours of playing in the snow, there is nothing any better than coming inside to warm up with a delicious-smelling cup of hot butterale tea. This recipe also creates warm holiday memories when enjoyed on Christmas Eve while reading Clement Clarke Moore’s ’Twas the Night before Christmas. Not able to get your little buckaroos to drink liquids when they have a cold? Try this recipe to offer them the yummiest natural remedy for a cold—they’ll enjoy its apple pie flavor.

Pour the ginger ale into a 2-cup microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave on high until the soda is hot but not boiling, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently stir in the butter to melt, then stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey. Be sure to stir gently to avoid the soda fizzing up. Pour the drink into mugs, and serve. You can adjust the butter, sugar, and honey amounts to suit your own taste.

I can’t drink caffeinated coffee anymore. Something about my heart, they say . . . or maybe it was my cholesterol. But think about it: In the Old West, the water was sometimes unsafe. The only liquid a cowboy might intake was this stuff: hard as horseshoes, rough as cactus going down your throat, cup after cup, all day. No wonder these cowboys sometimes did shots of whiskey for recreation!

Put the coffee and water in a large enameled coffeepot or in a large saucepan. Place the pot near the coals in a campfire or on the stove. Let the coffee and water simmer a minimum of 30 minutes. Add more water as the cowboys come in. Using a strainer (or coffee filter), pour the coffee into cups. Add 4 teaspoons of brown sugar to each cup.

Optional: In cold weather or other adverse conditions, add 2 shots of Old Overholt rye whiskey—a cowboy favorite.

I don’t drink coffee, which is horrific in my husband’s opinion, and probably not the Western way to do things. Coffee gives me the shakes. But my stepdaughter, Becky, got me hooked on a name-brand frappucino. I’m too cheap to spend the $$$, though, unless I’m with Becky. I found this sorta recipe in a magazine, but I had to change it around. I dropped the sugar (why bother?) and added way more chocolate syrup than the recipe called for. Way more . . . If it’s gonna be chocolate, then it has to scream CHOCOLATE! I’ve been known to count up to 40, or as low as 26, as I’m pouring in the syrup. That part is up to you. This drink is a great pick-me-up in the afternoon. Now I like it better than any store-bought drink, and I don’t have to drive to town to buy it.

Put the coffee and milk in a blender that can crush ice. Add the chocolate syrup. Don’t bother measuring, but just count to 30 as the chocolate swirls from the container into the blender. Add the ice cubes. Blend until the ice is crushed, then pour the drink into a glass and eat it with a spoon. Toward the bottom of the glass, the drink will be more like a mixture of cold coffee, milk, and chocolate, but it is still refreshing.

With technical writing: Write from the perspective of someone who can’t learn from a how-to book. It helps if you’re one of those people.

These drink recipes are from my mystery novel Rode to Death, set in the gritty yet glamorous world of quarter horse breeding. All are featured in the book’s neighborhood bar, the Surf & Stirrup, and were drunk by real characters! This fictional watering hole is on the beach in north San Diego County and caters to the surf crowd, wealthy Western horse-owners, barn workers, racetrack patrons, and everyone in between.

Rattlesnake Cider is the perfect mix of sugar and spice. This mug of everything nice will warm you up after an evening of grunion hunting on the beach or a chilly desert night spent stargazing. Cowboy Cool-Aid allows you to chill out after a run on the beach or a hot day in the saddle. Nothing beats an ice-cold beer—especially one with a “kick” to it.

Saddle up for a wild time with a Mustang Mai-Tai. This tasty combination of sweet and sour brings to mind the islands, with a Western twist. My Tequila Sunset will prove that sunsets are better in the West. Take off your boots and hit the porch. Feeling stubborn? Need a little pick-me-up? Try my Mule Kick!

Pour the tequila into a glass with ice. Fill it with orange or pineapple juice and stir well. Add the brandy. Top with the cherry.

1 cup Pacifico or Corona (It doesn’t have to be Mexican—any light-style brew will do.)

Shake the ingredients with crushed ice. Pour the drink into a highball glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Pour the coffee into a mug. Add the Bailey’s and vodka. Stir lightly and top with a mint leaf.

My dad would make these, using his special brandy, when folks came over to our house in the winter months. Even we kids got our “toddy” (without the added spirits, of course) and we felt very grown-up! This makes a yummy, warm-your-tummy drink. Add a jigger or so of your favorite rum or brandy and . . . yahoooo, a great hot toddy for cold winter evenings around the fire.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or large mixing bowl. Blend or stir until everything is well mixed and smooth. Pour the mixture into a tight-lidded container and freeze it until firm.

Fill a large coffee cup ¾ full with boiling water. Add 2 tablespoons of the hot toddy mix to the cup and stir.

I spent years perfecting this recipe from an original salsa recipe I picked up a few years ago in Mazatlán, Mexico. You can make it hotter or milder by altering the amount of jalapeños, cumin, and cayenne pepper, and you can adjust all the ingredients in this recipe to your preference. What I like about it is that it’s authentic Mexican and not all watery or sloppy, so it doesn’t easily drip down your keyboard. It allows me to have a pause for thought at the writing desk instead of stopping to fix lunch. Oftentimes I forego the chips and just eat it with a spoon.

Combine the diced tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño peppers in a large bowl. Throw in the chopped garlic, along with the cilantro. Add the cumin, cayenne pepper, ground pepper, salt, and lime juice. Stir it all up with a big spoon, then place it in a refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Overnight chilling would be even better.

Sprinkling this with a little fine trail dust is authentic but optional, because we’re not talkin’ New York City here. Don’t forget to have a big bowl of tortilla chips on the side or your favorite spoon!

This is a versatile hot and sweet sauce that can be used as a topping or marinade for meats. It is similar to a Jezebel sauce but does not contain mustard or horseradish. I serve it alongside spicy meat pies. I actually use a little more hot sauce than the recipe calls for, but then I’m originally from Louisiana!

Place all the ingredients in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and blend with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. If necessary, microwave for an additional 30 seconds and blend again. It can also be heated on the stove in a saucepan over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

This sauce is excellent with meats (fried or grilled). The hot sauce amount may be adjusted to suit your palate.

Maybe it’s my songwriting background, but I pay a lot of attention to first lines that put readers right in the middle of the story, and last lines that leave them with a smile or an ache (or both). Also, the story needs rhythm . . . crescendos and ebbs in action and tension level. “Picture” words are important to me. I labor over just the right verb or noun. (Yes, I’m a slow writer.)

I love to cook and write My passions of food, history, and writing (OK, wine, too!) have led me to create my nonfiction books about food, wine, and daily life in the American West. What better way to share history with people than through food and drink? Tasting history is so much better than just reading about it. While this recipe is not historic, it reminds me of the West whenever I make it. OK, it’s historic in the fact that I don’t measure and had to stop and think about it to share this recipe. Now, make a margarita or pour your favorite glass of red wine (mine is Zin or Petite Sirah) and enjoy.

Combine all the ingredients, except for the chips, in a bowl and taste for heat and seasoning. The more lime juice you add, the more intense the pepper heat will become. It’s always better to add salt and peppers in small increments. As my husband says, “You can always add more, but once it’s in, you can’t take it out!”

Serve with corn tortilla chips.

Join a local or national writers’ organization, like Western Writers of America, to network.

I have not measured my ingredients in years, knowing them by heart. You too can vary your amounts, but this is a good starting point. I despise sweet barbeque sauce, so I never add sugar or anything like it. Ketchup has some sugar, but you won’t taste it in the sauce. I have no trouble drawing in the larger family when they know Denzel is cooking brisket.

Mix the above ingredients together, then boil gently for 1 hour. Apply the sauce to the meat before cooking, once during cooking, and once more after the meat is taken up. I prefer charcoal cooking, allowing about 1¼ hours per pound of meat (slow cooking). My specialty is beef brisket. This recipe will more than baste a single brisket that serves 10 people.

The basting sauce converts to a tasty barbeque sauce by taking what is left over from basting.

Stir in the ketchup with a whisk to break up the clumps. Boil the sauce for a few minutes to blend the ingredients. More of the original ingredients can be added in smaller quantities to build back to the volume you desire.

After reading this recipe, you’ll see I like hot salsa. I find that modern farm-grown jalapeño peppers are often as mild as bell peppers; therefore I add habaneros. The citric acid was a recent discovery, and it adds a bit of tanginess. As presented, this salsa is great on breakfast eggs in any form and will not give you breath that will drop a bull buffalo at twenty paces. Of course, you can build on the recipe with onions, garlic, oregano, etc. Look out, buffalo!

Gently boil the jalapeño peppers for 10 minutes over medium heat. Wearing a vinyl glove on the hand handling the peppers, split, deseed, and destem them. Blend them briefly in a food processor.

Thoroughly drain the diced tomatoes and the Ro-Tel tomatoes and add them to the processor. Toss in the onion salt. Add habaneros and citric acid if using. Blend the mixture for only a few seconds, in short bursts. You’re done.

This recipe makes enough to fill two 16-ounce plastic screw-on-top plastic containers. Freeze one and keep the other in the fridge.

Never use the same noun or verb twice in a paragraph. Same rule applies to most other words.

Green chile sauce is our family’s go-to comfort food. My husband, my son, my step-kids, their kids, all crave this sauce. The amount of heat, which we call picante, depends on the chile itself. Chile grown in hot, dry years is spicier. If we end up with some that’s too warm for our palates, we temper it with a touch of sour cream. You can turn this sauce into a stew with the addition of stew meat instead of the ground meat, and by adding potatoes, celery, and carrots to taste and more liquid.

Feel free to improvise with this recipe to get the flavor and sauciness you prefer. I’ve added chicken or beef stock. The only rule is that the natural flavor of the green chile must come through. You can also make this without meat; sauté the other ingredients first in olive or vegetable oil in that case before adding the green chiles.

28 ounces frozen, fresh, or canned green chiles, chopped (Use fresh roasted if you can find them.)

Using a small Dutch oven or deep cast-iron skillet, brown the meat and add the onion and garlic when the meat is nearly done.

Add all the other ingredients. If using canned chiles, include the liquid. If using frozen, there’s no need to defrost.

Simmer slowly until the potato is soft, adding broth to reach your own desired consistency for the sauce. Adjust the seasoning.

This sauce is great for huevos rancheros, enchiladas, burritos, or in a bowl with a few pinto beans and a fresh tortilla on the side.

Quentin Hulse’s Surefire Red Hot Canyon Creek Red Chile Sauce, contributed by Nancy Coggeshall

This is typically prepared in large batches for freezing. Quantities are determined by the size of the bag of chiles. Quentin Hulse was a renowned rancher/hunter/outfitter and guide in Catron County, New Mexico. He started cooking for hands at the age of twelve. His signature dishes reflected the cowboy cuisine of New Mexico’s ranching Southwest: fried potatoes, beans with salt pork, red chile, beef brisket, sourdough biscuits, posole with hominy and pork, and menudo with pigs’ feet. He is the subject of Gila County Legend: The Life and Times of Quentin Hulse and the song “Light on the Mountain,” written and recorded by Wyoming’s Dave Munsick.

Split and remove the pod cap, veins, and seeds from the chile pods. Crumble the pods, place them in a pressure cooker, cover them with water, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to touch your eyes if you don’t wear gloves.

Remove the pods from the heat and blend in batches of the raw garlic, to taste. After mixing, place the blended pods in a large stew pot, adding the cumin, coriander, oregano, and shortening. (Quentin suggested a “good handful” of cilantro as well.)

Bring the mixture to a low boil and simmer until everything is incorporated, taking care not to simmer too long, about 30 minutes. An extended cooking time lessens the flavor. To thicken the sauce, add the flour.

Many years ago, when my husband was in the military, we lived for four years in Zaragoza, Spain. The first two years off base were in a tiny Spanish village called Garrapinillos. I got this recipe from a neighbor. I’ve tweaked it a bit because I don’t like really spicy food. I don’t put in the hot sausage, and I use garlic powder instead of garlic salt. Sometimes I still add pepperoni in the last half hour, if I have it on hand. It’s been over thirty years, and I still use this recipe.

Add the beef, onion, and green pepper to a stockpot and cook at medium-high until the meat is done and the onions and peppers are soft. Drain.

Add the tomato paste, tomatoes with liquid, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.

Add the apple cider vinegar and brown sugar. Cover the pot and simmer 30 minutes more.

When I was growing up, my mother used to make this original Italian sauce for us. Her own mother, my grandmother, had learned how to make it from my great-grandmother, Annunziata Caruso, who hailed from Naples, Italy. Annunziata had taught my grandmother to make this sauce so that she’d be able to feed her son, my grandfather, properly when serving spaghetti. When I got married, my mother taught me how to make it. Now my husband begs me to make this sauce, and the recipe is so delicious that I am always asked how it’s done, but of course I’ve left that a fair secret—until now. Enjoy!

Meatballs, pork, or sausage (preferably sweet sausage), singly or in combination, to add flavor

In a large Crock-Pot/slow cooker, or a regular large pot, pour in the crushed tomatoes. Add to the pot the tomato paste and water. Add the bay leaf (which you will remove after the sauce is cooked) and the rest of the ingredients, except the meat. Be sure to brown the meat, then add it to the sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer for 2 hours at low heat. Taste and add ingredients, if desired.

Note: If you use a Crock-Pot/slow cooker, you will not have to stir. If you use a regular large cooking pot, stir frequently.

I’ve always disliked spaghetti sauce so watery it ran on the plate. So I set out to make a sauce that wouldn’t run, thus the reason behind this thick and chunky spaghetti sauce, with its diced tomatoes squeezed dry. And being a carnivore at heart, I wanted a lot of meat. This recipe is the result of those efforts. It’s become an often-requested family favorite and stars at our family’s traditional spaghetti dinner the night before Thanksgiving. It stars also when we have guests. Or just because. This recipe makes a large amount, but it freezes well. We often send sauce-filled containers home with family and friends.

1 (1-pound, 3-ounce) package sweet sausage links, casings removed and cut into bite-size pieces

1 (1-pound, 3-ounce) package hot or spicy sausage links, casings removed and cut into bite-size pieces

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the Italian seasoning and salt, then add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Sauté until the onions are transparent and the mushrooms are softened.

Add the sausage links and ground beef. Cook the meat/onion mixture, stirring occasionally, until the meat is well browned, with no pink remaining. Drain well.

As the meat/onion mixture is browning, put the drained diced tomatoes in a piece of cheesecloth and ring from them the remaining liquid. They should be as juice-free as possible, with only the pulp remaining.

Transfer the meat/onion mixture to a large pot over low heat. Add the spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and black olives.

Cook on low heat for several hours, stirring occasionally. The longer the sauce cooks, the more the flavors meld. Adjust the spices as needed. This is great as spaghetti sauce or for dipping with bread.

I love rich sauces (and don’t my hips show it!). This mustard cream dipping sauce is great on ham and other meats as well. Once you try it, you’ll never have ham again without it!

Mix all the ingredients and simmer over water in a double boiler (you don’t want to burn it). Stir the sauce until it thickens, then take it off the heat, and it’s done.

—Julia Child, W.C. Fields, Rocky Gibbons, Sherry Monahan, and who-knows-who-else-has-used-this-quote!

Begin this recipe by making the juice and then the syrup. You cannot count on a new batch of chokecherry syrup every year because sometimes the weather does not cooperate and there are not many cherries; other years the birds beat you to them! One of my favorite things about chokecherry syrup is the smell that fills the house when the cherries are cooking. As far as the proportions, well . . . I use a bucket anywhere from the size of a coffee can to 5 gallons—depending on how good the berries are during the year. So I might have 3 cups of juice or maybe a couple gallons of juice. The key is to mix juice and sugar in the proportions in the recipe.

I suppose a 1-gallon ice cream bucket or 3-pound coffee can might yield about 3 or 4 cups of juice. And 3 cups of juice will yield 2 or 3 pints of syrup. Honestly . . . I don’t keep track of that stuff. I just mix whatever juice I have with sugar in proper proportion and then put it in the hot jars and seal them. Whatever is left over goes in the syrup pitcher for pancakes the next day, or maybe for supper.

For the juice: Pick a bucket of chokecherries (they grow wild along streams in the West and ripen in mid to late August). Wash them to remove any leaves (it is OK to leave the stems on, though I usually don’t). Put the chokecherries in a big pot of water and boil. Drain and hold the juice in a separate container. You can add more water and boil a second time to get more juice, if desired.

Throw the spent berries out for the birds because they love chokecherries. I suppose if you live in a city, you might want to put them in a mulch bed.

For the syrup: To make the syrup, start with a large pot. Mix 3 cups of chokecherry juice with 2½ cups of sugar. Boil this hard for 5 minutes, or until it is slightly thickened. Pour the hot syrup into clean, hot mason jars. Seal the jars with new lids.

Note: The syrup when at full boil will fill a large pot, and when I first started making this syrup, I always boiled it over and made a big mess on the stove. Then my mom and Aunt Jeanette told me the simple trick of dropping in a half-teaspoon of butter when it’s at full boil. This will settle the syrup and eliminate cleanup challenges!

My kids and I love ice cream and enjoy making this special sauce together. This is an old family recipe of my Grandma Olive’s, of whom I have so many special memories helping her in the kitchen and eating her delicious homemade food. I think of her every time we make this sauce, which makes it extra sweet. She was a lovely and caring grandma who baked and cooked for anyone visiting her home on a Minnesota lake, where the record player turned cowboy tunes and my grandpa sang along and danced. My grandparents’ favorite places were “out West,” where they traveled to their entire lives.

Combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla. Stir to combine. Serve warm over ice cream.

My friend Wally, the (mostly) quarter horse and paint that ain’t, gets a batch of these in his Christmas stocking every year. He enjoys this original recipe, created especially for him. From what I’ve read, the ingredients are wholesome for horses, but feel free to do your own checking.

Thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

By rounded tablespoon, drop the mixture onto the cookie sheet and gently flatten the drops. Place the cookie sheet in the oven, reduce the heat to 300ºF, and bake the cakes for 20 minutes or until they feel firm to the touch. Remove the oat cakes to a rack to cool.

Roundup (Sauces, Salsas, and Other Extras)