Fourth Feast at Rancho Winslow

So yesterday for the Fourth we got together at Rancho Winslow to strap on the feedbag and chiilax. Plus everybody's favorite Kiwi, George Carter, was in town visiting on his annual trip to the States, and he looked a little peckish.

I made some queso, using Velveeta, Asadero Mexican Cheese, and Queso Fresco Mexican cheese. I added some fresh garlic and garden onions sauteed in butter, some half and half, and a big wad of chipotles in adobo. The chips used are the wonderfully crunchy and flavorful totopos from Tortilleria Rio Grande II. Love those chips.

Queso, pre-melt:

Queso, post-melt, with CBoy hand holding a dipped chip from Tortilleria Rio Grande II.



To snack on, I opened a couple of cans of San Marcos brand Zanahorias Escabeche. That's right folks, you can get JUST the carrots (although it does include some quarters of pickled serranos, onion, and garlic). I also opened a can of San Marcos Chipotle Salsa, a tasty little dipping salsa.



La Morena Chipotles en Adobo....the BEST and most flavorful brand of chipotles.



So Princess Di had made a big old batch of the sweet-spicy dill pickles and jalapeños we love so much, and we had some sweet-sour-spicy homemade BBQ sauce.CBoy insisted on using that salad dressing that the Salt Lick calls BBQ sauce on his 'cue...

.

CBoy cooked up a brisket, and some nice beef sausage.



There were some fineass ribs that CBoy smoked and glazed.



Di had made some baked beans, and some spud salad (paprika sprinkled) with hard boiled egg.





There were ears of super-sweet Silver Queen corn on the cob (and one bicolor), with some lime-chile butter to slather on top.



There was a nice green salad with garden tomatoes and cukes, and Di's homemade croutons.

.

Jules made some excellent cheese biscuits.



Shown here slathering the top of same with garlic butter prior to browning-off a batch.



For dessert there was a lemon meringue pie courtesy of George, and Nancy made a cake with apples, pineapple, and pecans (spectacular with some Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla).



It was a little humid and hot, but when is it ever cool and dry on July 4th? GREAT FOOD, GREAT FRIENDS. We were all as full as a tick!...and even better, the miscreants out by me managed to NOT burn down Rolling Oaks with their barrage of fireworks.

Mick Vann ©