Ranch Wife's Slant

Cowboys, kids, and ranch life

Category: Home Sweet Home

  • The Best Cookies Ever

      The best cookies I have ever eaten have always been the uncooked ones. Usually when I bake cookies it isn’t because I feel like baking or want to have a gooey warm cookie from the oven with a glass of ice cold milk. It’s because I’m having an intense craving for cookie dough that…

  • A Perfect Church for the Wedding of a Couple Named “Kirk”

      When my husband and I got engaged he wanted to have our wedding at his family’s barn. His great-grandfather who homesteaded on the place built the barn. It has been the family’s pride and joy. I liked the idea of having an outdoor wedding anyway, and since kirk is Scottish name for church, the…

  • Biscuit Eaters

      A few years ago I decided to stop buying bread at the store and bake bread for my family instead. I liked the idea of saving money because I felt store-bought bread was getting ridiculously high-priced and thought homemade bread would be better for my family anyway. At least I would know what ingredients…

  • A Very Taxing Job

    Being a bookkeeper for our ranch is not one of my strong points. I would rather spend my time outside dealing with cow-related problems but the IRS won’t let me use that as an excuse. Much to my relief, my husband and I recently got our taxes done and it will likely be another year…

  • A Book Race

    At the beginning of each new year, I set up goals in different areas of my life that I want to achieve over the course of 365 days. I’ve found that New Year’s Resolutions are a sure curse of doomed failure for me so I don’t do resolutions. Setting goals works better for me. This…

  • Losing My Coffee Innocence

    I used to be totally content drinking coffee made with coffee grounds from a can. It satisfied my morning coffee craving just fine, but it wasn’t extraordinary and didn’t catapult me into my day or anything. It was on a bright sunny morning several years ago that I lost my coffee innocence. I met some…

  • Disadvantaged Ranch Family

    Life can be tough out on a ranch. Some think we’re disadvantaged because we miss out on so much due to our lifestyle. Some people act apologetic when I tell them how far I am from the conveniences of the nearest town (Custer Pringle’s conveniences are few) or city (Rapid City). Living so far away…

  • Journaling Part IV

    This post concludes my series on journaling. I hope it inspires you to record something regarding your life. It can be a great way to organize your life or share with future generations what life was like during your lifetime.   In picking out a journal, choose a style that fits your personality. I like…

  • Wintertime Ranch-Style Shish Kebabs

    Kebabs are one of my favorite ways to eat steak, especially using the tenderized round steak or rib steaks we get from the beef we have processed. Rib steaks aren’t my preferred cut but are perfect for kebabs. Kebabs made with rib steak meat  come out tender. I love to make shish kebabs year-round for…

  • Master Mix Must Haves on the Kirk Ranch

    Some of my favorite cooking staples are homemade seasoning mixes. I prefer making my own taco, spaghetti, Cajun and seasoning salt mixes instead of buying them. I make up several different kinds mixes in bulk that will last me for a long time. It’s a great way to save money versus buying the one-time use…