COWBOY DAY COOK-ALONG 2

Cowboy Day Cook-Along is here again!

The 4th Saturday of July is designated  National Day of the Cowboy.  This year that date is July 22nd, 2017.

  Gee whiz, seems like last years event wasn’t so very long ago…but I’m totally excited it’s here again! 

We had such exuberant and creative participants in the 1st Cowboy Day Cook-Along…many who expressed they’d like to do this again! 

There are a few changes this year.  So saddle-up, here we go…

 

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Joining in on the Cowboy Day Cook-Along 2 is fun and easy!  There are several ways to participate…

1. Cook a cowboy-themed dish.  That’s it.  Take a picture and send it to me ( greg@recipes4rebels.com ).  A few notes about what you made and how it came out would be good too.
2. If you’re a blogger/vlogger/podcaster, you might write about it on your blog or YouTube channel and then send me the link.
3. If you’re posting pics to Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, send me the link so I can share them (you can use #cowboydaycookalong and #cowboyday and tag me @Recipes4Rebels).
4. Throw a Cowboy Day party.  Invite friends and serve cowboy-themed food and cocktails.  Encourage everyone to come dressed in their “cowboy finest.”  Don’t forget to take photos and send them to me.  This can be as small or big a party as you want.
5. Deadline to have your pics/postings back to me is 1 week later, July 29th.

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THE MENU

last years menu…

One of the biggest changes for 2017 is that there is NO set or suggested menu.  I really enjoyed the diversity of recipes of those that strayed from the suggested menu last year.  (Sorry Sherri.  I know you really love  a preset menu.  We’ll work something out.  🙂  )  You can find LAST YEARS MENU here if you’d like ideas for your party this  year (there’s some pretty darn good recipes there…some that I still make all year ’round, just ’cause we really like them!).  The Chocolate Martini was a big hit last year!  Rancho California Rice was a surprise winner and the Enchiladas Montadas are about as authentic cowboy fare as you’ll find.  Jane Wither’s Chocolate Roll got mixed reviews, but it’s a personal favorite and a sure crowd pleaser.

Recipes4Rebels is all about celebrating Hollywood, film, and of course James Dean… so I tend to lean towards celebrating the “Hollywood Cowboys” (most of whom were actual cowboys before moving to the silver screen)…but if you prefer to rustle up some real  “out-on-the-lonesome-range” cowboy grub, then go for it!

Here’s a link to last years Cowboy Day bloggers/vloggers…there’s some great ideas to be found there! Google is also great for starting your hunt for celebrity cowboy recipes, the Recipes for Rebels cookbook, or try Jenny at Silver Screen Suppers …she has thousands of recipes just waiting for you to peruse.

The only hard and fast rule is to HAVE FUN WITH IT!

The other change this year is that there are NO 1st, 2nd, or otherwise Place winners.  The competition was IMPOSSIBLE to judge last year…they were ALL amazing entries, each with their own spin on Cowboy Day!  From Midnight Cowboys to yodeling while making a John Wayne casserole…it was like comparing apples to oranges (or pomegranates to prickly pears)…they were ALL winners.  So this year it’s a big global party!  Do your own thing…anywhere you are in the world…and we’ll all join together in one GIANT cowboy celebration!  (Watch the Recipes4Rebels Facebook page as postings start trickling in!)

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HERE’S A TEASER VIDEO FOR COWBOY DAY COOK-ALONG 2

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My  COWBOY DAY plans for 2017

If you’re in Greece on the 4th Saturday of July…come to our party!

Last year Alex and I hosted a small party of 4 adults and 1 kid…(here’s the link to that party).  This year I decided to approach the owners (Thanos and Annette are personal friends) of a local Western-themed bar on our island called Amigo’s, and asked if they wanted to co-host the event with me.  They happily agreed!  So that’s my plan.  Amigo’s Rock and Booze, is located in the tourist area known as Laganas.  It’s a relatively small venue that offers live music nightly, proper cocktails at fair prices, and some of the best people you’ll ever meet…I think we might expect around 75-100 people throughout the course of the evening.

The invites for social media and handbills are ready… Annette and I are planning special activities and games for the night.  The musician scheduled for that night already has a broad repertoire of country and country rock songs.  There’ll be cookbook giveaways, t-shirt giveaways, and free shots for contest winners (I’m thinking Elizabeth Taylor’s Chocolate Martinis…premixed and chilled).

I cobbled together this cowboy trivia quiz for the evening (bear in mind that a lot of Amigo’s patrons are British, so cowboy history isn’t as easy for them).  You’re welcome to print this out and use it at YOUR  party or make your own and send ME  a copy that we can share with other Cowboy Day partiers.

The Quiz

(The Answers)

Food-wise, I’m thinking Sammy Davis Jr’s Chili Cocktail Cups (recipe below)…  There’s a couple of hurdles to clear first though.  Sammy’s Best “Just Right” Chili Seasoning Mix doesn’t exist anymore… I might use Monte Hale’s Hale and Hearty Chili recipe…and maybe make 2 kinds, 1 with meat and no beans (as Sammy suggests in his  recipe) and a veggie version with beans but no meat.  My other big obstacle with this recipe is the mini muffin pans…I don’t have one and can’t get one here.  But I have an idea for that…there’ll be some experimentation going on here in the next few weeks.

Sammy Davis Jr. and Chuck Connors on The Rifleman (1962)

Sammy (just in case you were scratching your head in confusion) played a number of cowboy roles throughout his career.  He was a master gun slinger, and good friend to James Dean.  Perfect for MY  Cowboy Day party (and please feel free to recreate this recipe for YOUR  party if you want)!  More about all this as we get closer to the event and I actually cook and blog about this recipe.  I still would like to find a second recipe for that evening…I’ll let you know when I decide.

So dust off those hats and polish up those boots… Have a good time planning for your  party!

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