EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ....

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Even though it was our anniversary... we stayed pretty busy building corrals and preparing for the Birthday in the Barn Celebration. There were still some pretty special moments on the ranch, however. Our family made us a wonderful meal of sirloin, sweet potatoes, green beans with bacon, garlic toast and for dessert... Homemade Strawberry Pie and Homemade Pear Custard Pie. A small slice each please. And then Kiersten presented me with a special gift... a hand crafted mohair cinch custom designed and "warped" by her. Very special indeed.

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KOLACHES FOR THE RACEHORSES

When Robin and I were married...the Reinhold Family added a little "Bohemian" genetics. Czechs are known for kolaches and other fine food. I love kolaches. And today Robin "fed the racehorses" a special treat. Prune and Raspberry... Oh they were so fine. Thank you dear Robin.

KITCHEN IS A BUSY PLACE

The kitchen is a pretty busy place tonight as well as the shop and the back room and ... well you get the picture. All sorts of activity going on as the final preparation takes place for the Reinhold's Christmas Eve celebration. The overflow and what some may even call clutter pleases me as husband and dad. This is our dining room table. Homemade bread with our lutefisk and all other sort of good food. I love the fact that the bread Robin baked is near her open Bible. However, I am not surprised to see this setting. God's Word is a daily part of her agenda.

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Thank you Robin, Rachel, Danny, Caleb, Julia and Kiersten for making this a fine evening... And thank you Jesus... You have blessed us so much.

And yes... Molly and Jacob... you have a special place in our hearts as well.... and Little Emanuel... Spending Christmas in Heaven. "God with Us".

SUNDAY AFTERNOON FAMILY MEAL

Oh my... So good... Danny grilled the steak... Kiersten and Robin made the Swedish Rice Pudding for dessert. A nice Sunday Afternoon Family Meal.

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Good Black "Ranch" Coffee to enjoy after the meal... A real treat.

"THE WEST WASN'T WON ON A SALAD"

EEF IT'S WHATS FOR SUPPER AND REMEMBER THE WEST WAS NOT WON ON A SALAD.

Alright... We have a special birthday in the family tomorrow. A little change of plans since we are also celebrating Family Christmas (Paulton-Chord-Reinhold) tomorrow. Thus, we had birthday dinner tonight for the special someone...(I will fill you in on that tomorrow). We had Lonetree Ranch Tri-Tip Roast. It was prepared on the grill after being marinated my own recipe which includes Oregano White Balsamic Vinegar from Vita Sana in Rapid City. We prepared it to around medium rare and then let it rest. One of the roasts was grilled to a little more done. Our crew prefers less cooked. Rachel made some dandy potatoes to go with it and Julia prepare a chocolate mousse for dessert.

A little trick that we have learned when grilling quantities of meat is to have Dutch oven near the grill. As the meat is done. you just put it in the cast iron oven... The resting time will help the meat to retain the juices and the meat will continue to heat to an even temp for all the pieces being grilled. It is handy to have a digital meat thermometer on hand as well. Takes some of the guess work out of grilling over fire.

SPRINTZ

Came home from Whitewood (A&J Supply) and Sturgis (Cambells Supply) after doing some "just for fun" Christmas shopping... And found Caleb baking and decorating Spritz Cookies. He had been out most of the day making presents. Robin said he did a good job...I gave the old taste test (several of them to be sure)... They were excellent.