This cookbook was assembled to share the culture of ranch cooking. We hope it appeals to everyone, from someone in New York City to the ranch cook in the middle of nowhere, from the accomplished chef to the beginning cook. Cowboy cuisine or cooking has come a long way from what most folks perceived as bacon, beef, beans, and biscuits. Chefs like Grady Spears and others brought the western table to levels equal to that of fine American and European dining. Like the ranches and cattle people from which the dishes come, it is honest, natural, and real food.
About the AuthorMcCall, Deanna Dickinson: - Deanna Dickinson McCall writes about the West with settings in both the past and current day. Deanna has cows, horses, and a love of the land bred into her, coming from a family that began ranching in Texas in the 1840s. She has ranched in several western states, including twenty-two years raising her family on a remote Nevada ranch without phones or electricity. She now ranches with her husband in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. She has previously published four books. Her stories and poetry have also been included in numerous anthologies and magazines. She also performs her poetry throughout the West and has recorded several poetry CDs. Her writing and performances have won numerous awards: The Will Rogers Medallion Awards, the Georgie Sicking Award, NM/AZ Book Awards, Women Writing the West, Western Music Assoc, The Academy of Western Artists, the Texas Poets Gathering Heritage Award, The Della Johns Scholarship, and The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Wrangler Award. www.deannadickinsonmccall.com
Gardella, Gay: - Gay Gardella has spent most of her life promoting agriculture. From ranches in Nevada, to a life and career in California, to her present home in New Mexico, Gay shares her love of family, cows, and cooking. She earned her B.S. degree in Animal Science from California State University-Fresno, and M.S. degree in Agriculture Education from California Polytechnic-San Luis Obispo. In 1993 she joined the staff at Bakersfield College as Professor of Animal Science and Agriculture Leadership. Her background includes raising Registered Hampshire Sheep, Registered Red Angus Cattle, and commercial cow/calf operations. A longtime member of American National Cattlewomen's Assn., California Cattlewomen's Assn., and Kern County Cattlemen and Cattlewomen's Assns., it was her great honor to be chosen as the 2016 Kern County Cattlewoman of the Year. For many years, she also proudly served as a 4-H leader for both Boys Cooking and Girls Cooking projects. Today she continues to raise cattle, be an advocate for agriculture through her Beef Education and It's About Food social media pages (FB), and share her love of cooking with friends and family.