IN THIS MONTH: 1854

  On April 26, 1854, the U.S. War Department ordered a survey of land for Indian reservations in unsettled territory, “preferably on timbered land of good soil adjacent to navigable water.” Four leagues of land on the Brazos River below Fort Belknap were selected for use by the Caddos, Wacos and other tribes, and another tract of the same size 40 miles away for the Comanches. A third tract on the Brazos was designated for the Mescalero and Lipan Apaches. The reservations reverted to the state when the tribes were removed to the Indian Territory in 1859.

RECIPE: GRAMMIES DROP COOKIES

  Pflugerville resident Lydia Harris sends this month’s “historic recipe for brown sugar cookies that my grandmother got from her grandmother when Texas was still mostly open land. She baked them for all of her children, and grand- and great-grandbabies as they grew up.”

 

Makes: 12-15 cookies

 

Ingredients

·       1 1/2 cups flour

·       2/3 cup brown sugar

·       1 egg

·       1/4 cup melted butter

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Directions

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a big mixing bowl beat together the brown sugar, egg, butter and vanilla until its thoroughly mixed.

  In a smaller bowl mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add that to the brown sugar mixture and stir it all together.

  Scoop about one tablespoon of batter per cookie and drop onto cookie sheet about two inches apart.

  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. “Don’t burn the cookies because they’ll be too hard to eat unless you dip them in milk.

  Enjoy these cookies at the table with a glass of milk or in a shady spot outdoors with lemonade, and think about how you’re living some yummy Texas history.”

IN THIS MONTH: 1836

  On March 11, when Texas Army General Sam Houston arrived in Gonzales, he learned of the fall of the Alamo and decided to begin the mass evacuation of tens of thousands of Texans in what became known as the Runaway Scrape. As much of Texas fled eastward, Houston and the Texas Army tracked and captured Mexican Army General Santa Anna near LaPorte after a surprise attack and battle that lasted only 18 minutes. The victory won independence from Mexico for Texas. 

RECIPE: GARDEN CHICKEN STEW

  Austin resident Elle Harper sent this recipe for a “delicious stew worthy of the pioneers.”

 

Makes: 6 servings

 

Ingredients

·       4 Tbsp. olive oil

·       1 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into chunks

·       2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

·       1 medium sweet onion, cut into 8 wedges

·       8 oz. baby carrots sliced into 1-inch chunks

·       6 garlic cloves, chopped

·       1/2 cup white wine

·       1 lbs. baby potatoes, quartered

·       2 bay leaves

·       4 cups chicken broth

·       1 cup water

·       1/2 cup pearl couscous

·       1 cup frozen peas

·       Few small handfuls of baby spinach

·       Fresh chopped parsley

·       Salt and fresh black pepper

 

Directions

  Dust the chicken with flour, salt, and pepper, to taste. Set aside. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, when oil is hot, add chicken, and cook until brown, about 6-8 minutes.  Add onions, carrots, and garlic. Pour wine while stirring and scraping to loosen browned bits from the bottom of the dutch oven. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add potatoes, bay leaf, chicken broth, and water. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add couscous, increase heat to medium, and cook uncovered until the couscous is tender, about 15 minutes. The liquid will slightly reduce.

  Stir in spinach and peas. Discard bay leaves and stir in parsley. Serve immediately or cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for 3-4 days.

IN THIS MONTH: 1846

  On Feb. 15 in Austin, the Republic of Texas officially relinquished its control to the First Legislature of the new State of Texas. The flag of the Republic of Texas was lowered, and the flag of the United States was raised. The Lone Star Republic had become the Lone Star State. Proclaimed iconic Texas General Sam Houston, a former president of the Republic who would soon become the new state’s first U.S. senator: "Texas will again lift its head and stand among the nations. It ought to do so, for no country upon the globe can compare with it in natural advantages."

HOMESTEADING: FELLING A TREE

  Cutting trees to clear land should follow these steps to avoid injuries and damage: Select a sharpened broadaxe and hatchet, identify the tree height, its lean and any hazards, plan an escape route for when the tree falls, trim away underbrush with the hatchet, cut a notch on one side, make the bore or back cut and then use the escape route for when the tree begins to fall.

RECIPE: CAMPFIRE RIBEYE

  Austin resident Jay Sanchez sent this recipe for a “Real Texas main course.”

 

Makes: 4 servings

 

Ingredients

·       24 oz Ribeye Steak (2 bone-in steaks)

·       2 tsp salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

  Trim fat from the steaks and cover each side with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the steaks by searing each side, then cooking each to the state of doneness required. Remove from the grill and let sit for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with potatoes or vegetables of your choice.

 

IN THIS MONTH: 1839

  On Jan. 19, the riverside hamlet of Waterloo was approved as the new capital of the Republic of Texas. After President Sam Houston vetoed a site near LaGrange, his successor, Mirabeau B. Lamar, endorsed a site he had visited on the Colorado River. The commission purchased 7,735 surrounding acres that was renamed Austin.

HOMESTEADING: HANDIWORK

  Escaping frosty temperatures by staying indoors during January is a good time to complete handiwork projects — and to learn sewing, embroidery, knitting and crocheting. If you’ve been wanting to explore those traditional homesteading skills, you can enroll in a textile-arts class at Pioneer Farms or watch how-to videos on YouTube or other online sources.

RECIPE: FIRESIDE COCOA

  Austin resident Jaw Smith sent this recipe for the perfect warm-up for cold January nights.

 

Makes: 1 serving

 

Ingredients

·       2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

·       1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

·       Pinch of salt

·       1 cup milk or any combination of milk or cream

·       ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions 

  Stir together the cocoa, sugar, salt, and approximately 2 tablespoons milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until cocoa and sugar are dissolved. Add the rest of the milk and heat it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is hot. Mix in the vanilla and serve.

IN THIS MONTH: 1870

  On Dec. 5, Black rodeo cowboy Bill Pickett was born in the Jenks-Branch community in Williamson County (now Leander). After observing dogs subduing huge steers by biting their upper lips, the young Pickett found he could do the same thing. In 1888 he performed at the first fair in Taylor, his family's new hometown. As the "Dusky Deamon," Pickett performed at rodeos and fairs throughout Texas and the West. Capitalizing on his fame, by 1907 he was working as a cowboy and performer with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show in Oklahoma. He entertained millions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and England, and was featured in several motion pictures, the first black cowboy star. Pickett died in 1932 after being kicked in the head by a horse. In 1972 Pickett became the first Black honoree in the National Rodeo Hall of Fame.

RECIPE: CHRISTMAS STEW

  Austin resident Mandy Smith sent this recipe from his mother who she said served it every year at Christmas as a Good Luck Omen.

 

Makes: 4 servings

 

Ingredients

·       1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

·       5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

·       2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

·       ¼ cup all-purpose flour

·       ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

·       1 pound beef stew meat, cut into cubes

·       5 teaspoons vegetable oil

·       2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

·       1 cup red wine

·       3½ cups beef broth

·       2 bay leaves

·       2 teaspoons salt

 

Directions

  Combine the flour and pepper in a bowl, add the beef and toss to coat well. Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large pot. Add the beef a few pieces at a time. Cook until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch.

  Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar and wine. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.

  Cover and cook, skimming broth, until the beef is tender — about 1½ hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, cover for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.   Add broth or water if the stew is dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in four bowls with bread.

IN THIS MONTH: 1884

  On Nov. 17, a plan was first proposed calling upon Congress, "in the interest of cheaper food," to build and maintain a National Trail from the Red River north to the Canadian border. It was much less expensive for Texas cattlemen to trail their herds to northern railheads and ranges and then ship them by rail rather than ship directly from Texas, and most Texans saw increasing northern quarantines that had increasingly restricted drives — in the years after diminishing open range had ended the Chisholm Trail and others — as a threat to their economic well-being. Legislation to create the National Trail proposed by Texas congressman James Francis Miller failed to pass, and that defeat and the advent of barbed wire sounded the death knell of trailing.