Easy Steak

I love steak- most any type, as long as it's cooked medium and not over-cooked! When we got our first freezer of meat last fall, I had only ever cooked steak on the grill and I knew that there were other ways to prepare it. So, I did what I do all the time when I want to learn something new, I looked it up on Pinterest. And I found it! The perfect way to make the perfect steak- in my cast iron skillet!

It's not a difficult technique nor does it take long to prepare, in fact, if you have a cast iron skillet, you can make it too. 

An Hour Before Dinner

• Ahead of time, I make a Herbed Compound Butter. There is no real recipe that I follow for this but rather it is dictated by the contents of my refrigerator. It starts with a stick of softened butter in a bowl, add some basil, scallions, garlic and some parmesan cheese. Combine and then finish with a little salt (if the butter was unsalted) and pepper. Give it a final mix and dump out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form a log of butter and place into the fridge for a while to harden. 

45 Minutes before Dinner

• About 45 minutes before dinner, pull the meat out of the fridge so that it comes to room temperature. While it's warming up, salt and pepper each side of the meat. 

15 Minutes before Dinner 

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• When the steak is at room temperature, heat the cast iron skillet on high and melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan.
• When the butter is melted and the skillet is really hot, place your steak in it. Sear it for about 2 minutes on each side.



from mccormick.com

• Put the whole skillet in the oven until the steak reaches your desired temperature of doneness.

Dinner Time!

• Pull out of oven and let rest for 5 minutes (pull the rest of the meal together or set the table, something... Just do not cut or serve until it's rested).
• Slice the compound butter and place a slice on each steak.
• ENJOY!

The making of a boot and a legacy

 Today we started the journey back to Wyoming from Arkansas. This week, Vic and I learned much more  than just how to build a pair of cowboy boots... we learned about a craft, about a legacy and about a trade that has been largely replaced by machines. 

We met Floyd who is a multigenerational shoe maker (I can't remember how many generations back). He has tools from his grandfather and more knowledge than I will ever hope to learn. He starts his day around 4 am and completes more before we wake up than most people accomplish all day! 

 

By the time we joined him in the shop in the morning, Floyd already had been at work for hours! He is a great teacher and has lots of stories about the boots he has made (and a few of their wearers), his family and dreams that he has for the new shop up with us in Wyoming. 

Did I mention that? Oh yes- that was the purpose of our trip to learn this craft. We are in the process of adding a boot shop to the guest ranch this summer! Our friends Jarrod and Floyd (Broke Dog Custom Boots) are setting up a new shop (Diamond Livery) up north- in just a few months. In fact, the building has started and should be done soon. 

Back to our little trip, I couldn't believe how much work goes into a pair of these custom boots! Vic probably put close to 25 hours into this simple pair of boots. Floyd said that he has ever put 200 hours into one pair. That would explain the cost but everyone I talked to assured me that once you wear custom shoes, you don't want to wear any other off-the-rack shoe. 

 

Lydia came with us and she took to Floyd quickly! It was fun to watch their little relationship develop over the week. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a pair of boots before I do...

 

I'm excited for all the possibilities that will come to fruition through this new shop. But I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to get some of those boots for myself! 

Adventure and Aspens

A week ago, we embarked on an adventure that made me feel apprehensive, excited, nervous and thrilled. We packed up our bags, dropped our girls off at Granny’s house and set off for the Diamond 7 Bar Ranch Staff Retreat/Getaway. There are many reasons I was anxious and nervous, the first being that Lydia (22 months old) had never spent the night away from us and then there is the baggage that I carry from so many other “staff retreats” that I have attended (I would love to just leave those bags in the past… but they still try to come with me from time to time).

We arrived at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge on Friday morning, dressed with brave faces and covered like eskimos. We were going on an adventure! After some paperwork, I climbed behind my husband and onto a snowmobile that was ours for the day. The helmet I had to wear felt confining at first but I was so glad to have it as we went zipping down the trails. Isn’t it funny that sometimes the things that feel the most restrictive might actually be the things that we are grateful for in the future?

As we were going along the trails, Vic and I both noticed the friendliness of all the other travelers, waving as we passed by. It was only after our first pit stop that our fellow staffers let us know that those friendly gestures were hand signals to let you know how many vehicles were in their party (we had 3 snowmobiles in our group and we were second in line with one couple behind us, so Vic’s job was to hold up one finger to those we passed). Smart, huh? Not only for their protection to know to stay on their side of the trail but also for our safety, just in case someone had an accident, they could be on the lookout for them.

My favorite thing about this adventure was that I was riding along and didn’t have to pay too much attention to where we were heading (I did have to pay a little attention to when Vic took some sharp corners, I could lean to shift the momentum so we didn’t slide off the trail). This gave me time to take in all the beautiful scenery and enjoy moments with only my thoughts and the Lord. And, let me tell you, it was gorgeous!

One of the most memorable stops we made was in a grove of Aspen trees. It was breathtaking and I wish I would’ve taken a panoramic picture of all the trees! But instead I took a little picture and then as we were zipping off, I spent the next hour enjoying that memory. All those trees made me think of how many trees there were and then I noticed that there was never just one Aspen tree by itself. They grow in groves and they share a common root system. So even though there are hundreds of trees, they are all connected.

As I reflected about that, I realized that’s the way I want to live, connected at the roots with the people I love and those around me… A few months ago, I did a Sip n Paint class with my new friend Kendra (who also happened to be with us on this snowmobiling adventure) and we painted a fall landscape with Aspen trees in the foreground. I have it hanging in my bathroom and I look at it everyday. It now brings to mind the memory of standing in that grove of Aspens. May my life reflect the connectedness of those trees.

The rest of the weekend was really fun (minus the sad side trip to attend Vic’s uncle’s funeral). We ate amazing food and had some fun planning meetings as we looked forward to a new year on the ranch. There was no grading ourselves or setting unachievable goals that we would then be graded for the following year. We left the getaway with great memories and clear vision for the new season we are starting.

I love this life we are building in Wyoming!