Holiday Fruitcakes

1 1/2 cups butter                                         1 to 1 1/2 cups rasins or crasions or a mix of the 2
1       cup granulated sugar                          3   cups chopped walnuts or pecans
1       cup packed brown sugar                    1/2 tsp baking soda
6       eggs                                                    1 tsp salt
1/4    cup milk                                             1 tsp ground cinnamon
1       cup sourdough                                    1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1       tsp lemon extract                                1/2 tsp ground all spice
3 1/2 flour                                                    1/2 tsp ground cloves
3       cups mixed dry fruit                            1/2 to 1 cup brandy
I use Apricots, Cherry, Plums, Blue Berries and Strawberries from Cosco chopped into 1/2 " pieces, use 1/2 cup flour as you chop so fruit don't stick togeather or to your knife.

Grease and flour 2- 9x5 or 6- 3 1/2x5" pans. Preheat oven to 300F.
In a large bowl cream butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, stir in milk, sourdough and lemon extract. Stir fruit, nuts and rasins togeather in a bowl. In a medium bowl stir togeather 3 cups flour,baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Stir in sourdough mixture and fold in fruit and nuts. Put in pans, bake small loves about 1 1/2 hrs and large loves about 2 1/2 hrs. Cool 5 min and turn out on cooling rack. When cool soak cheescloth in brandy and wrap the loves up, then wrap in cling wrap. Resoak in 3 weeks. Let season 4 to 8 weeks before cutting.

ENJOY

Well here goes again, We spent the winter at Sabinal TX. We were at the Hondo Cook-off in Feb. as onlookers. We headed home the end of March.
This summer has been very busy starting with the Pig-Nik on Memorial Day where we got snowed on. Then on to Fort Sisseton SD for their Cook-off where we got a full-house, 2 Deuces and 3 Treys.We met some great people and had a great time in a nice area.
We hurried home and cooked for a wedding the next weekend, then on to Stevensville for their Cook- off the tail end of June. We did alright there as we won the wagon and overall with a couple of 1st and 2nds with a 3rd and 4th thrown in. Again we had a great time with some wonderful people in a nice area. The next stop was Mule Mania in Dayton WA. for their 2nd year where we won the wagon, it is a fun cook=off with old friends. Then it was a mad dash to CFD in WY where we got skunked, but had a fun time with old and new friends. Then on to Helena Mt for there 1st cook-off  the middle of August where we won the wagon and overall again, great time with old friends. Next stop was Othello WA for there 1st cook-off the middle of Sept, there wasn't a comp. but we had a great time with old and new friends. Then to Bighorn WY the end of the month for their 130th BD, we were the only wagon there but what a time we had, they are going to try and get a cook-off going the Sat. of Labor Day Weekend.
Other than that it was a pretty slow summer.
We are going to spend the Holidays up North this year, probably head south around the 1st of the year.

An Update

Wells here a update for the week past. Sunday was hot here in South TX 102 in the shade. The wind felt like it was coming out of a large hair dryer. We ran both A/C's and stayed indoors. A couple of high 80's days. Not too busy yet, hauled 230 loads of road rock though our gate on Thur. and Friday, kept pretty busy checking trucks in and out. Rig is suppose to be on the 11th,will get busy then I bet.
The Brush is starting to green up again after getting froze back in that cold snap the 1st of Feb.
February broke records on both ends this year with a 19 in the first week and 102 last Sunday

Well yesterday 2/25 started out kinda exciting, while setting at the table I looked out the window which face's west where Hyw 83 run's about 100 yd's away from where we are parked on this gate halfway between Laredo and Carrizo Springs TX. And low and behold what do I spy but 2 illeagles trying to flag down a ride, course I didn't have any phone #s to report them yet so I called Teresa our Daughter who works for the BP in Eagle Pass and told her, she then reported to her station who called the Laredo station and they finally arrived and loaded them up. Then I went up the road about 13 miles to mail some letters and on the way back the dear wife called and said there were 2 more over there, so I hurried home an sure enough they were there, so I went on down the road about 9 miles to a BP check station and turned them in and got a couple of phone #s. Any way I got back and the BP came and loaded them up. The rest of the day was pretty dull.
Been really warm here, lows high 60's and high's up to the mid 90's

I'm Back

Well here's a run down of the last year.
After the Quad ride we went back to Lewistown to visit and got caught in a 3 day blizzard.
Memorial Day weekend was a busy one, we had to be in Rapid City SD for a memorial for the wife's Grandmother and on Sunday we had a graduation in Gillette WY, then back to Musselshell Mt for the Pig-Nic a fund raiser for the Musselshell School which is now the Comunity Center. We barbecue up some pork and baked beans for lunch on Sunday and Monday. From there we went back to Lewistown and cooked for the Mountain Rendevue which was held at the East fork Res. campground. Had the Wagon there for 5 days. We were at the Quigly Shoot in Forsyth Mt for the 3rd week of June. Spent the 4th of July in Roundup Mt and built a new Chuckbox at my brother in laws. We spent the rest of July in Manhattan Mt harassing grand kids. Set the Wagon up in front of the Yogo Inn in Lewistown for the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in August. The last week of August we met some friends from Or. in Hungry Horse Mt.. It was their 1st time in western Mt. so we showed them the sights. Set up the Wagon in Lewistown for the Chockcherry Festival in mid September, then cooked for a wedding the following weekend. Then it was time to head for Kipp Park on the Missouri River to watch the elk at Sipparyann Game Range the week of the 1st of Oct. After everything was stowed away for the winter in Lewistown it was on to Gillette WY. with a short stop in Shepherd Mt. After our visit in Gillette we headed slowly south to Texas. On the way we spent a few days at Mitchell SD and made day trips to Wessington Springs to research some of my wife's family history. Found a cemetary with several family graves & history in the community. Accidently was able to meet a distant cousin that was a very good friend of my wife's mother when they were children. From there we headed to Vermillion SD and visited with the wife's grandson Michael going to school there. Had a good time with him, his wife Christen, and our new great-granddaugthter Nevaeh. She was just a month old and was so tiny & cute. Then went on down to Kansas and stayed a few nights at a Casino and went over into Missouri to visit the Precious Moments Chapel. Bought a Brick for the walkway in front of the Chapel in memory of my late wife "Rae". She enjoyed the Chapel when she was there. It was my Christmas gift to my 6 girls. From there we went on down to Coffeyville KS where we spen several days researching McCaffree history. Found the Cemetary where Issac McCaffree is buried & 1 of his grandsons. Their Tombstones were tipped over so we cleaned them up and fixed them. From there we headed on down to Nowata OK and spent a week there researching more McCaffree history. Found serveral cemetaries and graves. But I am afraid I found more questions than anwers. Was able to get an old Cement street marker with the McCaffree name on it. It was named for the family. From there we went on into Texas. Was able to spend some time visiting with Barlow Dunbar, one of my cousins that lives near Loving TX. Then we spent some time in the Fort Worth area and found my great-grandmothers grave in Irving TX. Spent a day at the Stockyards and went to Billy Bob's, the largest Honkey-Tonk in Texas. Stopped in Dublin TX and visited the original Dr Pepper plant. Had an original Dr Pepper which they still bottle there. Had lunch there it was all good and very interesting. Then on down to New Braunfels for our 3rd year to manage a "Holiday Hills" Christmas tree lot. Spent about 7 weeks there. Lots of work. Then to Eagle Pass for a couple of weeks to visited Teresa & the grand kids. Now we are over by Laredo setting on an oil field gate as a "Gateguard". Boring but pays good.

Some friends, the Wife and I went on a 40 mile Quad ride yesterday West of Twin Bridges MT, there is an mining district dating back to 1863, there was a town named Rochester, nothing left but some rock walls and foundations. Guess there were around 5000 hardy soles in the area, none now though that you can see anyway. Saw lots of interesting old mines and prospect holes, lots of great views, on one ridge you can see the Mountains of the Yellowstone Park and the Grand Tetons of Wy from one spot. Saw 3 Bighorn Rams, got some good pics and tried to get them on here in a slide show, but didn't get that figured out yet. Still working on it. Tomorrow we're leaving Belgrade, going to spend 1 night in Livingston and then going to Lewistown to get the Wagon out and ready for the summer.

Nice sunny day in Montana, was thinking about washing the Rig but we're on the road again Tue and Wed and guess what,RAIN, so whats the use,just get dirty again.Guess we're going over to Butte tomorrow to get some skins for the Quad,needs them bad. Going on a ride Sunday with Rose and Ron over south of Butte. While in Butte will hit the junk shops to see what we can use on the Wagon, don't need much, looking for 1 or 2 16" or 20" Dutch Ovens.