Went Back to the Branding Iron and Loved It.

Susie's Branding Iron

2971 South Highway 191 (across from Shell Station)
Moab, Utah, 84535

Phone: (435) 259-6275

Website: http://www.susiesbrandingiron.com/

Hours of Operation: Monday - Sunday, 11am to 10pm

On July 22, 1989, Karl Tangren opened up The Branding Iron; a place where locals could get good food, and play music.  Now we had visited this place about four years ago, and truthfully, we weren't that impressed.  It was only open for dinner and it didn't seem worth the travel, so wrote it off as a to-go place.  After being closed for a little while, and undergoing major renovation, it reopened on September 3, 2012 with new management of sorts, Karl's daughter, Susie Taylor.  The name was slightly changed to Susie's Branding Iron, now open for lunch and dinner.  We kept remembering our first experience there, so didn't rush to try it out; that was a major loss on our parts.

We finally went there on a Saturday night and it was an amazing experience.  After being warmly greeted and seated, our waitress, Melena, took our drink orders.  Melena is a doll, very efficient, attentive and makes sure you are enjoying your meal.  More and more diners kept coming in, some greeted by name; talking and laughter filled the air.  The restaurant is more open now, southwestern/cowboy décor; there is a bar that opens at 4pm every day, and a beautiful patio area.

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights is the Prime Rib special; 16 ounce slab (about 1 to 1 and 1/2 inches thick) of the most delicious beef we've tasted.  This Prime Rib was tender, juicy, perfectly cooked, and I swear it did melt in the mouth...chewing was optional.  It came with choice of potato (mashed potatoes are two scoops and homemade!), gravy and Navajo Fry Bread.  It also came with a generous side salad; the salad dressings, as well as the gravies, are house made; no bottled stuff.


I decided to try out the Country Fried Steak; a meal that no restaurant should mess up, and Susie's does a most excellent job.  The breading on the steak is one I've not tasted before, lightly seasoned, yet hearty; crispy, yet combines with the meat to create a wonderful mouth feel.  I too had the mashed potatoes, and corn for my vegetable; the gravy was peppery, but didn't take flavor away from the meat or potatoes.  Honey is a basic condiment on the table, so we saved our fry bread for dessert...it was a perfect finish to a perfect meal.

The atmosphere and staff are both welcoming and friendly; the food is top notch; whether for lunch or dinner, you must try out Susie's Branding Iron when in the Moab area...and they do take out service too.

Mary Cokenour

Fill Yourself Up at Wild Coffee.

 

 

Wild Coffee

434 US-491 (next to Frosty Liquors)

Dove Creek, Colorado, 81324

Phone: (970) 677-3000

Hours: Mon thru Fri, 6am-2pm; closed Sat and Sun

 

 

 

 

 

For nine years, Greg and Francie Wild have provided Dove Creek residents, and visitors, with outstanding coffees, breakfasts, lunches, breads, yogurt and cakes.   Their current location, next to Frosty’s Liquors, is the third incarnation of Wild Coffee; the third time being the true charm for this charming couple.  While there is seating outside, the interior is cozy with the walls lined with paintings or photographs from local artists.  The bread, yogurt, croissants and cakes are made daily; orders are cooked up fresh and quickly; nothing sits under a heat lamp.

 

 

 Breakfast choices are Burrito or Bowl; Sandwiches made with Croissant, Bagel or English Muffin (meat choice is ham or sausage); French Toast (sticks or sandwich), Waffle Wedges, Yogurt, even a Veggie Burrito.  My personal favorite for breakfast is the croissant sandwich; again, the croissants are baked fresh daily, soft, flaky and deliciously buttery.  Two fried eggs and a thick slice of ham (none of that thin cold cut nonsense) tucked inside a large croissant; so yummy!  My will power was surely tested, as I really wanted to eat another one.  Drink choices include coffee (hot and cold varieties), teas, smoothies, even blackberry lemonade.  A piping hot 16 ounce cup of fresh brewed coffee plus hearty sandwich; what a way to begin the day!  

 

 

Wild Coffee’s lunch specialty is the Panini; meats, cheeses, vegetables and condiments layered between four, not two, but four slices of homemade bread; perfectly browned and served with two little cookies for dessert.  Depending on your appetite, you might just have a Panini for snack later on.  Names of the sandwiches all relate to areas in and around Dove Creek; you can also order a “Choose Your Own” (cold or Panini style) to create your own grand concoction.  Orders can be made to eat in or take out, in case you need a packed lunch for your hiking, climbing or ATVing adventure.  By the way, if you’re addicted to lemon bars, like myself, Francie makes ones to simply die for…sweet, tart and so lemony.  They are an extremely popular item at Wild Coffee. 

 

Pines Panini

Pumps Panini

 

 

Greg and Francie will do catering for any special event; breakfast or lunch orders can also be called in and ready for pickup, often a choice for many staff members at San Juan Hospital.  The atmosphere is relaxing; owners are the friendliest of folks; food is simple and delicious.  When you dine in at, or take out from, Wild Coffee, you have hit the trifecta!

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

When Fish is too Thin to Stuff.

One of the most popular recipes on this food blog is my copycat recipe of Salmon Stuffed with Crabmeat; well, it's using imitation crabmeat, but the main product is found in most warehouse markets such as BJ's, Costco and Sam's Club.  As I've often written before, my husband and I enjoy eating seafood, so when I was able to find fresh halibut and lump crabmeat at Smith's Market in Price, Utah; I took advantage.  Actually, Smith's has a large selection of fresh seafood, so we filled up a small cooler with halibut, cod, catfish, crabmeat and salmon.  I keep emailing the corporate offices and ask them to open up a store in Monticello, Utah; but nothing so far and this area certainly needs a bigger supermarket with more to offer.

Anyway, I was going to try and stuff the halibut with a crabmeat stuffing, but the pieces of fish were just too thin.  I didn't give up the idea though, just altered it a bit with delicious results.

Crab Topped Halibut

 Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 and ½ cups lump crab meat
½ cup diced mushrooms
¼ cup plain bread crumbs
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. dried dill
¼ tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ cup mayonnaise
5-6 (4 oz.) portions skinless, boneless halibut (or firm white fish, like cod or scrod)

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F; brush bottom and sides of 2 quart baking dish with olive oil.

 

 

 

 

In a medium bowl, mix together crab meat, mushrooms, bread crumbs, herbs, spices and mayonnaise gently to not break up the crab meat.

 

 

 

 

 

Lay fish (skin side up) in baking dish; spread mixture from bowl over fish, covering all portions and extending out to sides of baking dish.

 

 

 

Bake for 15-20 minutes; until fish is flaky.  Use spatula to “cut” topping around each portion before putting onto a plate.

Makes 5-6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Kind of a Copy Cat Pork Recipe.

One of my coworkers decided to give me a sample of a crock pot pork stew his wife had made.  It was pretty good and I asked for the recipe, so I could give it a try; didn't get it though.  Anyway, I was trying to decide what to make for dinner one day and boneless pork loin chops were in the freezer.  Now the question was, how to prepare them?  I remembered the stew, so figured I'd attempt to recreate it by thinking about the ingredients I'd seen and tasted.  While my coworker's wife had used a pork roast, I was using the pork chops instead.

I thought it came out pretty well, but my husband was going to be the real taste tester as he is not a real fan of pork.  He loved it!  So here's my sort of copy cat version of the stew; working off memory instead of a real recipe.

Pork Chop Stew

Ingredients:

6 (2 lbs.) boneless pork loin chops

5 small potatoes, peeled, cubed and parboiled
1 medium onion, chopped
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 cups red kidney beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
5 plum (Roma) tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups beef broth

Preparation:

Spray a 4 quart crock pot dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Begin placing layers of ingredients inside:  pork chops; potatoes and onion mixed together; sprinkle spices evenly; kidney beans; tomatoes.

 

 

In a small bowl, whisk flour into the beef broth to create a slurry; pour over all ingredients in the crock pot dish.  Cover, set on low and cook for 6-8 hours; potatoes, beans and pork should be fork tender.

Makes six servings.

Mary Cokenour

Bugs Bunny was Right, Eat Your Carrots.

Any of us who grew up watching Warner Brothers cartoons noticed that Bugs Bunny was always munching on carrots.  Now I’ve done loads of gardening in my time, harvested many a carrot, and the bunnies in my yard never touched a one of them.  So, what did Bugs know that my white tailed friends did not?  Nutrition wise, carrots contain beta-carotenes, falcarinol, vitamin A, minerals and anti-oxidants in ample amounts; usually orange in color, there are purple, red, white, and yellow varieties.  Bugs was one healthy rabbit!

As a snack, they’re crunchy and this is a satisfying texture; but they’re sweet, and this makes them perfect for other uses.  When making pasta sauce, for example, adding a little carrot puree will cut the bitterness of tomatoes, sweetening the sauce.  Love caramelized carrots, add butter, heat and let carrots’ natural sweetness do the rest of the work.  In baking though, use of carrot sugar is nothing new; in fact, it dates back to medieval times and a nice bit of steamed carrot pudding.  During the Middle Ages, sugar was a scarce and expensive commodity, so substitutes were found in carrots and sugar beets. 

Now where am I going with all this information on carrots?  Cake, of course!  The word “cake” has a long history; the origin is Viking, the Old Norse term, “Kaka”; no snickering.   A baked confection of flour, eggs, honey, milk, perhaps another type of sweetener, usually a vegetable sugar, and fat; rising up during baking to give a porous texture.  Now while many Americans believe that cake was “invented” here first, it was actually brought over by the British.  Historically, the Vikings did invade the British Isles, so…  Now cream cheese frosting, that’s an American culinary invention from the 1930s; and so perfect on carrot cake (pumpkin and spice cakes too).

The recipe I’m giving you is from, once again, “The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook” by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers; this carrot cake was served with Christmas meals.  One of the spices included is cardamom; a combination of plant seed pods from India and Malaysia.  Cardamom has a unique, distinctive flavor and aroma; sort of a cross between ginger and mint, and a little goes a long way.  While cardamom was seen in cookbooks throughout the 1930s to 1960s; its use faded, but reemerged during the 1990s and 2000s; thanks to the Food Network Channel I bet.  This recipe makes one cake; I doubled the recipe and created 24 muffins; much easier for giving out to my favorite guinea pigs.  Thank you everyone, you’re the best!!!

 

 

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

 

½ cup butter or margarine

1 and ¼ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 and ¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda (if doubling, only use the ½ tsp., not 1 full tsp.)
½ tsp. salt
½  tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
1 and ¼ cups grated raw carrots
1 cup raisins (I used half white/half black raisins)
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans; walnuts are good too.)

 

Preparation:

Cream together butter or margarine and sugar; beat in eggs.  Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices; mix well.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Turn into a greased 9-inch tube pan.  Bake in a 350F oven 1 hour.

Note:  I lined the muffin tins with paper cups; the baking time only took 30 minutes at 350F.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

Cream Butter with Brown Sugar

Creamed butter and Brown Sugar

Add Eggs

Liquid Mixture

Add Dry Ingredients

Batter

Add Grated Carrot, Raisins and Nuts

Final Batter



Use a Scoop to Portion Out

Batter in Paper Cups

Two Dozen Ready for Baking

20 Minutes, Not Ready Yet

30 Minutes, Just Right!