Food Adventures of a Comfort Cook

Brunswick Stew

Written historical “facts” can be highly debated due to the old saying of, “history is written by the victors”. The “winners” of a war write out their history to depict, not only how strong their troops and strategy were, but how weak and disorganized the losers were. But another factor that makes...

The historic facade at Parley Redd Mercantile, a reminder of the retail history in Blanding, and currently home of Redd’s Ace Hardware. Courtesy photo

A Mercantile, by any other name, would still be Redd’s in Blanding

After the settling of pioneers in Bluff in 1880, by 1882 one cabin had been set up as a co-op where goods and supplies were sold to the people in the Fort and/or traded with the Navajo. The pioneers bought Navajo wool, pelts, and blankets which were taken to Durango, CO for sale. Returning from...

Plate showing the variety of berries in the area. Mary Cokenour photo

Choke cherrying the berries blue

“White and yellow, kill a fellow. Purple and blue, good for you. Red… could be good, could be dead.” – Survival expert Mykel Hawke’s mnemonic for remembering which berries are safe to eat in the wild. Now when it comes to berries in the wild, I am one to admit that I am clueless as to the species,...

Pioneer Beef and Noodle Skillet. Mary Cokemour photo

Butchering Monticello

Imagine, if you can, living during the 1880s. Pioneers had traveled over desolate landscapes, losing many a wagon wheel, but not one life, not even one of the oxen pulling those wagons. Settling in Bluff, alongside the San Juan River, the pioneers still endured hardships. There was the lack of...

Tea time with Agatha Christie. Courtesy photo

Mysterious Tea Time

A common complaint of book readers, when the movie version comes out is, “Hollywood’s butchered the book!”. Being a huge fan of British detective/mystery novels, I can say for certain that movie studios do the same blasphemy. Take, for example, Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, in which he...

Though your family probably has its own Easter traditions, consider going back in time this year to prepare what might have been served during the early Resurrection celebrations. This Cholent originates from Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine and features lamb in a slow-cooked, rich, comforting stew. Mary Cokenour photo

The movable feast of the Resurrection

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon (the “Paschal Full Moon”) that occurs on or after March 21 (the fixed spring equinox). This date is determined by lunar and solar cycles rather than a fixed calendar date, so Easter Sunday always falls between...

Hard Twisted and the Red Onion. Mary Cokenour photo

Hard Twisted at the Red Onion

Round the corner from Blue Mountain Foods, corner of 100 South and 100 West, there is a small building used by the EMTs, next to the fire station. Originally the cabin here was called the “Red Onion” and the owner would rent it out. One day, in January 1935, he rented it out to a man and a young...

Beef Roulade, also known as Stuffed Steak Rolls, is a great winter season meal. Mary Cokenour photo

Rolling with the beef

This week, we will be visiting the countries of Germany, France and Italy, and the technique of rolling beef. Now if beef is not on your household menu, yes, you can use pork or chicken. As to “plant based” or “fake” meat, sorry, we don’t use it, don’t eat it, and can’t help with adjusting any...

New Year do overs

The end of January is almost here, and I bet you’re wondering where did the first month of the new year go. Well, depending on what country you live in, you might just have the opportunity to do a “Happy New Year!” do over. This is also your chance to become more open-minded, and learn about new...

Fried Catfish, sauce and potatoes. Mary Cokenour photo

Make fish the new holiday tradition

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and right around the corner is Happy New Year. After running yourselves ragged buying the most perfect gifts, decorating the home inside and out, and making sure that every card sent had a personal message written, bet you forgot something? What? Forgot what? No...