COWGIRL dinner par-TAY!

Here she come….Ree is on her way. Scurry, scuttle, look busy. Like we haven’t been waiting or anticipating our first meal/cooking experience with Ree for months. We weren’t excited or anything.

The Lodge sits on a bluff, up high, so you can look out over the Drummond land. We could see Ree’s house off in the distance and the roads from there to the Lodge so when she left her house we could watch her truck and the dust trail it left inch closer to us. “Is it, her?” “No, maybe it’s Cowboy Josh” “Oh-ma-gosh it is her”. “Sheeesss coming” a holler went out.

She came with bags, and pots and meat. It was wonderful.

After we settled in and went through all the bags….we got busy. Us ladies were ready to cook, and talk, and have a cocktail, and cook some more. Ree gave us a tiny demonstration in trimming the beef tenderloin….

Looking exceptionally lovey as she worked I might add. Ree you would be the pretties butcher this side of the Mason Dixon, I do declare! And Hyacinth was right by her side. Hyacinth we love you….

Now for the smell test. Did you know your meat should not stink. If it does rinse it well, if it still stinks TAKE IT BACK! One of the tenderloins did not smell like the others….so well, um, well, let’s just say Charlie was eatin high on the hog…. I do have to add just in case anyone is worried about the care and keeping of Charlie, that he is treated like a prince. He is in the best of care. Like no other dog. He actually told me (which I will share with you later in my interview with Charlie post) that he is the happiest dog alive. And I believe it.

Ree also smelled…. the tenderloin. In fact I think we all smelled the tenderloin.

My sweet seestor, loving every minute of this experience, can you see the twinkle in her eye? It’s there, on the right…twinkle…

Laura and Dee prepping. I’m telling you it was a group effort. It was awesome. We loved every minute of it. This is what we came here to do. Cook WITH Ree. She asked us what we would like to have for dinner while we were at the ranch and we put in our order….and she delivered 110%! It was a BLAST!

We had the honor of meeting Ree oldest daughter…..on her birthday!!!!!!

Look at all that cream……for the creme brulee. MARVELOUS, simply marvelous.

Carla, workin on the “cram brulett” as my seven year old calls it.

Creme Brulee was our task, my seestor and I. I flubbed it up a little by putting half and half in instead of the whipping cream. I was a little nervous….cooking in front of Ree and all. Why? I am not sure…because she is the most down to earth sweetest person ever. And she makes mistakes in the kitchen too….she said she did, maybe she was just trying to make me feel better. Oh, no matter…….

The Burgundy Mushrooms. The STAR of the show. These things take hours and hours to cook, but they are worth every second. They are fantas-teesh!

Big D, giving us a peak at the tenderloin, in that lovely abode of a stove.

Big D getting a preview taste of the mushrooms. Ree was so sweet she walked around with a fork feeding us all. True mom, and lover of food. It just feels good to make something yummy and then feed it to people. I get that!

Now we get to EAT! YAHOOO!

Olive Bread…this stuff is what dreams are made of. WHAT? you don’t like olives. The be gone with you. Blasphemer! This bread has been truly life changing for me. And pant size changing too….

And then there was a knock at the door…..we had a guest…

“Hey Ladies, wait for me!”. Charlie got the biggest welcome ever. But I will tell you more about Charlie-poo later.

There we are the P-Doobs. (that’s what the airline attendant called us….did I tell you that already???)

Eating together, smiling alot, laughing constantly. It was the beast!

Did I tell you about my friend Dee’s connection with Hyacinth? No?! Well, isn’t it a small world. Wouldn’t you know Dee, the Redletterwords Lady, husband had a printing company, Color Inc., and they just so happened to be the ones that printed out the “angry calf” picture for Hyacinths redecorating project, that is in Ree’s Home and Garden section.

So, Color Inc. had it shipped to Hyacinth just in time for us to get there and see it up close and personal. And for Dee and Hy to have a photo shoot with “the” pic. It was AWESOME. I want one…(whine).

So then later, Ree whipped up a chocolate sheet cake for her daughters birfday. And we got to sing Happy Birthday to her, with the “are ya 1, are ya 2, are ya 3…..” Apparently they don’t sing that version in Oklahoma. Cause we got the wide eyes and the mouth dropping open by Ree and her girls. I think they liked our version…I think they will switch.

I think Ree could make this cake in her sleep. She whipped it up so fast. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it.

OK this is just too much for me….. THE Pioneer Woman, food blogger extraordinaire taking a picture of me cooking. She got right in my armpit, and we giggled, I hope I didn’t drip on her, cause ya know I have that problem. That dripping armpit problem.

What a blast! Wished this night could have gone on and on and on and on and…well you get the idea.

Oh that Charlie, such a spoil sport. But we love him. More than our luggage, for sure.

Well that’s it for now. I have other things to tell ya…but I will have to regurgitate them over the next few weeks. One more dinner to tell ya about, calf nuts, cowboys, interview with Charlie, Kitchen envy, ummmm relaxing in the Lodge…what we did when Ree was not with us. Oh goodness….it could get boring. I just feel like I need to write about every bit of it sooner or later. I do have Strawberry CAKE to think about…recipes to write, and more giveaways in the works…I have to stay focused.

Happy Independence Day to you! Light a sparkler and twirl around and think of me!

LuvYa,