Crazy colors

So when you add red (cherry pie filling) to white (melted cream cheese and sour cream......folks, I'm here to tell you, the cheese cake turns out pink.  Amazingly pink actually.
Hunters like pink, right?
Cause pink it is.

This photo does the color no justice at all.  

Well, I should not sound so cheeky quite yet.  It is my first attempt at not following a recipe for a dessert (if I had, it might have mentioned "Incredibly PINK Color"), so it may not work out at all.  I've kept aside a small tasting for the Guide Outfitter to assess.  He is far too intelligent to actually be negative about anything I cook (he who complains, cooks!) but I can usually tell by his eyes how he really feels.  Who knew all these years of 'reading' horses would come in so handy?!

So yeah, I'm still cooking but very nearly done.  Only a few more batches of lunch cookies to make and then all is well.  I've done a few 'firsts' during the process (pink cheese cake) but generally I've tried to stick to good solid food that I know works.  The homemade garlic bread was hard to give up!  I only made as much as I thought I needed for the hunts (what was I thinking!) and there were some sad faces all around when it got wrapped up and put away.  "Not even ONE piece mom?!"
Don't worry, the boys are hardly suffering and have spent plenty of time taste testing the mocha cheese cake, many varieties of cookies, apple muffins, bbq ribs etc etc  Nice to have the 'school snack' corner of the freezer filled as well..... 

  
I am also working through getting the hunting horses re-shod and moving the odd cow around.  The colors are so amazing right now.  I guess because it was so dry and then our cool fall weather came on so quickly, but wow, it is truly impressive.  Sometimes I feel like I'm riding through a dramatic painting.  I've taken a few photos but it really don't even do justice.  Maybe with the outstanding cooking wages I'm going to get (HA!), I'll buy myself a good camera.  I think I should have done a bit more negotiating in this department earlier!  Next year I'll be better prepared.....    

 The Five Mile Ranch transition has certainly not been easy and unfortunately,we are still working through that.  The previous owner should be here this Wednesday to pick up his last load of stuff.  Yes, I did mention the takeover date was August 1st.  Apparently that agreed on date means different things to different people. Sigh.  

And their cattle should all be leaving on trucks the 5th of October.  (I'm booked that day, no time for cowgirling. And busy the day before.  And don't have time to gather cattle the day before that.  I think my horse might be lame the day before that, or maybe I will be.  :)  Snarky, snarky......I know, haha.  I'm trying to stay to the high road here, but it has been a long, stressful ordeal.)  I will be very happy on October 6th.  I know a person should never base happiness on a specific date or event, but on that day we can really 'take over' the ranch fully, and start incorporating it into our lives.  It is going to take some time to really fit it in to our operation to the best advantage, but I will say that the hay situation there is wonderful.  Although the ground is terribly rough and full of holes, it does produce plenty of hay.  (About 880 ton this year.)  And when drought has hit the rest of the country and hay prices are at an all time high, this really is something to be thankful for!  
   

Stop, drop and sleep!  

(Photo credit to Magalie)

Remember that tiny little sorrel baby that Nikky and I helped back in the spring?  Look at him now!!  :)  

Cheers and all the best!

Punky