Cultured Cowgirl

If you’re a Western Horseman reader (and I assume you are or you wouldn’t know about this blog), you know I’m the staff “foodie.” I’m always seeking and creating new recipes with Western flavors, and sharing them each month in the “Recipe File” section of the magazine. I see preparing a home-cooked meal as a good excuse to not only gather around the table with family and friends, but also to share a piece of yourself and your home.

This week, Western Horseman’s Book Publishing Director and longtime magazine employee Fran Smith, presented me with a rather relevant–not to mention extremely thoughtful–Christmas gift that I had to share with those of you looking for a simple, inexpensive, heartfelt gift from your kitchen. She got the idea from her mother, who used to give jars of homemade spaghetti sauce with pasta and a loaf of French bread to friends during the holidays. She also had received from her sister a book of recipes and mixes that make great gifts.

I enjoy cooking, but my busy schedule and long commute to and from work requires quick, simple meals with minimal ingredients. Recognizing all of that, Fran graciously put together a “Meal in a Bag.” Inside the beautifully packaged gift she presented me were all the fixings to make a steaming pot of tortilla soup: a jar filled with convection rice, a plastic bag of seasoning mix, a can of white chicken breast, a can of Ro-Tel with green chilis and a bag of tortilla chips.

There’s something sentimental about a hand-printed recipe card, like the ones my mother and grandmother have handed down to me, and Fran had neatly printed on a recipe card the instructions to make the soup.

In my daily life, we’re surrounded by material excess, commercial and peer pressure to buy the latest and greatest, and the struggle to stick to a tight budget. Fran’s gift is a reminder of how something as simple as soup can be the best gift all this holiday season.

Tip: If you follow the “green” scene, consider wrapping your “Meal in a Bag” in a reusable tote the person can take to the grocery or office.

–Jennifer Denison