Step Up to the Chuckwagon!

Laura Jones at the Fort Wallace Museum, Photo by J. Denise Coalson

Each year at the Fort Wallace Museum, Doc and Laura Jones set up their chuckwagon and feed the multitudes with delicious country-fried steak, mashed potatoes, and freshly baked bread. It is one of the biggest attractions of our fall living history event (held this year on September 8 & 9). The novelty of the chuckwagon, developed by Charles Goodnight to feed cowboys on the long drives, is such a draw to old and young alike.

There is a lot of interest in chuckwagon cooking as evidenced by my friend, Natalie Bright. A rancher and a writer, Natalie authored Keep 'Em Full and Keep 'Em Rolling: The All-American Chuckwagon Cookbook.

Natalie's book deservedly won the 2022 Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Western Cookbook. As a fellow member of Western Writers of America, I am thrilled to share Natalie's work with you. Far beyond simple recipes, the volume truly is a slice of ranching life. 

 

 

For the BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup

My friend and accomplished living history presenter, Marla Matkin, often meet at the Tropical Mexican Restaurant at Wakeeney (Exit 122 off I-70). Sometimes I have a margarita, sometimes I behave. But I always order the chicken tortilla soup (pictured above--I should have taken a photo before I dived it but I couldn't wait). It is simply the best--packed with flavor and just the right amount of EVERYTHING! It has gotten to the point where I have stopped trying it at other restaurants because it always falls short. The guacamole is consistently good and it is hard not to eat too much before the soup arrives but that just means I have some to take home!

Let's plan to rendezvous there sometime!

Marla performing a skit at the Fort Wallace Museum. She has authored a children's book. A Dragon's Tale, which is based on the discovery of a plesiosaur fossil by officers at Fort Wallace. It is available at the museum or contact me directly.

 

Not sure if this is Kansas or Iowa . . .