“On a ten dollar horse and a forty dollar saddle; Ridin' and a punchin' them Texas cattle,
“We left old Texas October twenty-third; Drivin' up the trail with a U-2 herd,
“I jumped in the saddle an' I grabbed a-hold the horn, The best darned cowpuncher ever was born.
“I was on my best horse, and a going on the run; The quickest shootin' cowboy that ever pulled a gun,” — John Lomax, author of “Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads.”
HOME REMEDY: GNATS
From Household Remedies & Cures, 1899: “Mix apple cider, sugar, water and bar soap in a cup, placed in an area of infestation.”
RECIPE: TRAIL ROAST CHICKEN
Austin resident Gail Garcia sends this recipe that she got several years ago at a historical reenactment: “Meals on the trail were simple affairs, and this delicious roast chicken recipe is so simple .”
Makes: 2-4 servings
Ingredients
· One 2-3 pound chicken
· Salt
· Ground black pepper
· 2 teaspoons. finely chopped thyme
· Unsalted butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse chicken and dry. Season chicken cavity with salt and pepper, then tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.
Salt the chicken so that it is covered evenly and season with the black pepper. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and roast it for about an hour. Then add the chopped thyme
And baste the chicken with pan juices and thyme. Let chicken set for 15 minutes before removing string and serve. Liberally brush the chicken with the butter.
IN THIS MONTH: 1839
On Oct. 17, Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas, and his cabinet arrived in the new capital city of Austin. Lamar had appointed Edwin Waller to lay out the new capital at the site of the community of Waterloo, on what was then the frontier, as the first step in a grand scheme to extend the republic all the way to the Pacific Ocean. He made the decision on a bluff overlooking Walnut Creek, on property adjacent to Pioneer Farms. Fearing an invasion from Mexico, Sam Houston, who replaced Lamar, moved the capital from Austin in 1841, but it was returned in 1844.
WORDS TO LIVE BY: 1839
“A cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy.” — Mirabeau B. Lamar, president of the Republic of Texas.
HOME REMEDY: DOG BITE
From Household Remedies & Cures, 1899: “Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water, then apply lemon juice once every two hours, three times.”
RECIPE: PUMPKIN COOKIES
Austin resident Geri Ward sends this recipe with this note: “Pumpkin cookies every year at Halloween were an official sign of fall in my family for years.”
Makes: 36 servings
Ingredients
· 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
· 1 stick butter, softened
· 1 cup of pure pumpkin (from can)
· 1 large egg
· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
· 2 cups powdered sugar
· 3 tablespoons milk
· 1 tablespoon butter, softened
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and stick of butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Combine sifted powdered sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon butter and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.
IN THIS MONTH: 1829
On Sept. 15, just four years and a day after Mexican Independence Day was declared, the Guerrero Decree abolishing slavery throughout the Republic of Mexico was issued by President Vicente R. Guerrero. The decree reached Texas on Oct. 16. News of the decree alarmed Texans, who petitioned Guerrero to exempt Texas from the law. While Mexican officials announced in December that the status of slavery in Texas would remain unchanged, the incident convinced many Texans that their interests were not safe under Mexican rule — an opinion that helped fuel the Texas revolution.
WORDS TO LIVE BY: 1810
“There is no time to be lost; we shall yet see the oppressors' yoke broken and the fragments scattered on the ground.” — Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, calling for an end to Spanish rule in Mexico in his famous Cry of Delores speech.
HOME REMEDY: INGROWN TOENAIL
From Household Medicinal Guides, 1897: “Soak the infected foot in a basin of warm water, containing half a cup of cider vinegar, for 30 minutes once a day until infection clears.”
RECIPE: TEXAS TRAIL BRISKET
Austin resident Dack Green says this recipe dates back years in his family “and is a fall home run. It’s your basic Texas trail brisket, just like they used to serve on the cattle drives.”
Makes: 18 servings
Ingredients
· 12-pound whole brisket (packer)
· 2 Tablespoons coarse salt
· 2 Tablespoons coarse ground pepper
· 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
Directions
Trim excessive or loose meat and fat from the brisket. In a bowl, mix the salt, pepper, and garlic. Spread the mixture evenly on all sides.
Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees. Place the brisket on the smoker with the point end facing your main heat source. Close the lid and smoke until an internal thermometer reads 165 degrees (usually around 8 hours).
On a large work surface, roll out a big piece of foil and wrap the brisket by folding it tightly. Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker, so the weight from the brisket crimps the edges of the foil..
Continue cooking at 225 until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 202 degrees in the thickest part of the meat (takes 5-8 hours).
Remove the brisket to a large cutting board and let it sit about an hour before slicing. Serve immediately.
IN THIS MONTH: 1866
On August 20, On this day in 1866, President Andrew Johnson officially ended the Civil War with a proclamation that "the insurrection in the State of Texas has been completely and everywhere suppressed and ended." Texas was the last state of the Confederacy to agree to such a declaration. Johnson had declared a state of peace between the U.S. and the other ten Confederate states on April 2, 1866. The last land battle of the Civil War took place at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville on May 13, 1865, more than a month after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.
WORDS TO LIVE BY:1868
“If you always support the correct principles then you will never get the wrong results.” — President Andrew Johnson, after the Civil War ended.
HOME REMEDY: HIVES
From Household Medicinal Guides, 1899: “Combine (baking) soda with warm water into a thick paste and apply as a poultice to the affected area. Let stand for 15 minutes, rinse and repeat daily as necessary until irritation disappears.”
RECIPE: TEXAS TATER SALAD
Austin resident Deva Martinez offers this month’s recipe, which she said has been handed down through her family for years — and is a staple for summer barbeques.
Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients
· 3 lb. potatoes, cut into half-inch pieces (Yukon Gold are the best)
· 1 small red onion, finely chopped
· 1 ½ cup mayonnaise
· ¼ cup chopped dill pickles
· 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
· 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
· ½ tsp. paprika
· 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
· ¼ cup finely sliced chives
· Freshly ground black pepper
· Salt to taste
Directions
In a large pot, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and cook for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and let cool for 30-45 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, chopped onion and pickles, mustard, paprika and lemon juice until well combined. Fold in potatoes, chopped eggs and sliced chives until thoroughly mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
IN THIS MONTH: 1873
On July 5, Margaret Borland of Victoria died of "trail fever" in Wichita, Kan., after successfully becoming the first and only woman to lead a trail drive from Texas. Thrice widowed, the mother of seven had assisted one husband in his cattle business and, after his death, assumed full responsibility for the estate. Buying and selling livestock, by 1873 she owned a herd of more than 10,000 cattle. She left Victoria that spring with 2,500 cattle, and a crew that included two dozen trail hands along with two sons under fifteen, a seven-year-old daughter, an even younger granddaughter. Due to Texas poor economy after the Civil War, the trail drives offered new opportunities for women, formerly enslaved and Hispanic Texans.
WORDS TO LIVE BY: 1883
“Educated in the school of adversity, and an intimate acquaintance of trials, Mrs. Borland was a woman of resolute will and self-reliance, yet she was one of the kindest mothers.” — Victor Rose, Mrs. Borland’s son in law.
HOME REMEDY: OVERHEATING
From Book of Household Remedies, 1886: “Immersion in a bath of cold water will lower the body’s temperature and relieve discomfort.”
RECIPE: WATERMELON PIE
From Austin resident Kate Harrison, who says her grandmother used to make this pie every summer when the first melons ripened — thought she has improved it to make prep time faster. Says Kate: “People look at me funny when I say watermelon pie, but it’s really a sure hit in the summer.”
Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients
· 3 ounces condensed watermelon juice (use 1 package of watermelon gelatin)
· ¼ cup boiling water
· 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed (or use handmade
· 2 cups cubed seeded watermelon
· 1 9-inch graham cracker crust (can substitute a regular pie crust, but the graham cracker crust is lighter and better)
· Several fresh mint leaves.
Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water, then cool to room temperature. Whisk in whipped topping, fold in watermelon cubes.
Spoon the mixture into the crust, and refrigerate for two hours. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on each slice, topped with a mint leaf.
IN THIS MONTH: 1876
On June 21, George Armstrong Custer and 265 men of the Seventh U.S. Cavalry were annihilated on the Little Big Horn River. After a notable career in the Union Army during the Civil War, he was assigned to duty in Texas as part of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan's effort to prevent Confederate retrenchment in Mexico under the emperor Maximilian. During five months in Hempstead and Austin, he alienated many in his command by strict enforcement of regulations prohibiting foraging and other army predations, while winning the gratitude of many Texans. Custer's headquarters building in Austin, the Blind Asylum, located on the "Little Campus" at the University of Texas, has been restored.