Saturday, April 6, 2013

Chuck Wagon Delight with Dawn Luedecke and a Giveaway for the Brave





Chuck Wagon Delight
One of the most interesting things I found while researching for my western romance, ‘To Tame a Montana Heart’, is a list of recipes straight from the chuck wagon. While this sounds intriguing, I can honestly say sometimes I was downright grossed out by what those men and women ate in the good ol’ days. Here are a few recipes from the chuck wagon cook himself. Some worth trying and other’s…not so much.

Son of a Bitch Stew (not for the faint of heart or vegetarians!)
2 pounds lean beef
half a calf heart
1 1/2 pounds calf liver
1 set sweetbreads
1 set brains
1 set marrow gut
Salt, pepper
Louisiana hot sauce

Kill off a young steer. Cut up beef, liver and heart into 1-inch cubes; slice the marrow gut into small rings. Place in a Dutch oven or deep casserole. Cover meat with water and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Take sweetbreads and brains and cut in small pieces. Add to stew. Simmer another hour, never boiling.


Cowboy Beans (Not my grandmother’s recipe!)
2 pounds pinto beans
2 pounds ham hock (or salt pork)
2 onions, chopped
4 tablespoons sugar
2 green chilies (or to taste)
1 can tomato paste

Wash the beans and soak overnight. Drain, place in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until tender. Sample the beans while cooking. Add salt to taste and water as needed.


Sourdough Biscuits
1-cup sourdough starter
1 teaspoon each of salt, sugar and soda
1 tablespoon shortening
3 to 4 cups sifted flour
Place flour in a bowl, make a well in the center and add sourdough starter (previous note). Stir in salt, soda and sugar, and add shortening. Gradually mix in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Pinch off dough for one biscuit at a time; form a ball and roll it in melted shortening. Crowd the biscuits in a round 8-inch cake pan and allow to rise in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 425 degrees until done.

If you’re brave enough to try one of these, please feel free to email me at d_luedecke@yahoo.com. I may just have a signed copy of my book for one brave soul, just to congratulate you on your grit!  Thanks for stopping by!!



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April 6 Guest blog
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Regina May Ross's Blog

April 8 Review
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April 9 Guest blog
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April 10 Spotlight
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April 11 Review
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April 12 Interview
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April 15 Guest blog and review
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April 15 Interview
Bewitching Book Tours Magazine

April 16 Guest blog
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April 17 Review
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April 22 Interview
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April 23 Spotlight and review
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April 26 review
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April 29 Spotlight
Socrates' Book Review Blog

April 30 Spotlight
Hywela Lyn (Romance 'That's Out Of This World')

May 1 Spotlight
Cover Reveals 

May 2 Guest blog
Simply Infatuated

May 3 Roxanne’s Realm
Tour Wrap Up Spotlight




To Tame a Montana Heart
Montana Girl Series, Book One
Dawn Luedecke

Genre: Western Historical

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

ISBN-10: 1612172016
ISBN-13: 978-1612172019
ASIN: B008MZR7DS

Number of pages: 308
Word Count: 87,193

Cover Artist: Tina Lynn





Book Description:

Running from a past of privilege, deceit, and danger, Travis Simms is ready to settle down. What better place to forget all he left behind than the quiet little Montana town of Lolo Hot Springs? His goal is clear — build a hotel and his own destiny without complications —until one of the town’s most troublesome women captures his attention.

Dusty Larson is hell bent on independence, helping her sister run the Triple D Ranch. She can do anything a man can, and do it better, so she certainly doesn’t need one in her life. The only problem is she seems to attract bad luck and danger...and Travis. Can he tame her wild ways and keep his bachelor status intact — or does he risk losing his heart?


About the Author:

A country girl born and bred, Dawn Luedecke has spent most of her life surrounded by horses, country folk, and the wild terrain of Nevada, Idaho and Montana. As a child she would spend many afternoons reading books, watching western classics, and Rogers and Hammerstein movies.

When she grew up she decided to leave the quiet country life for a chance to find adventure by serving a successful tour in the United States Coast Guard. During that time she found her soul mate (and alpha male) and started a family and writing career. She enjoys writing historical and paranormal romance and spends as much time as she can working on her current manuscript.

For more information visit www.dawnluedecke.com

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1 comment:

dluedecke said...

I thought I had posted on this yesterday, but it may have ended up somewhere else. Sorry. Thank you so much for having me! This was a fun blog to write.