COWBOY WEEKEND in ALPINE, TEXAS . . . and my best PANCAKES!

Every year, Alpine hosts a Cowboy Gathering. Performers who actually live and work on ranches present songs and poems and stories about how those came to be written.

Our weekend was journaled by Bryan:

Day One:  Thursday, February 23, 2017

We reached Alpine about 5 pm and drove straight to the Sul Ross State University campus to buy tickets for the weekend events.  They went on sale at noon and it was first-come first-served so the Friday night show was already sold out!  Then, we walked around to check out the locations of the next day’s venues.  It is an impressive campus situated on a hill.

There’s a cactus garden, and I never realized that there were so many different kinds.   Note the names . . . especially of this fella below!

Our next stop was to book into the Value Lodge which lived up to its name.

If you would prefer something fancier, the HOLLAND HOTEL's the place to be.

At THE SADDLE CLUB, 

we snagged a window seat and enjoyed a plate of spicy “Epic Fries”;  

beer-battered and loaded with homemade queso, BBQ brisket, bacon, aioli,  green chile sauce, and more!

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Of course, a Chuckwagon Breakfast was offered each morning, but it was chilly out so the first morning we headed to Magoo's Restaurant instead. 

Bryan had a splendid breakfast burrito 

 while I tried the pancakes.  

Not as good as my pancakes . . . Just sayin'.

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MY BEST BUTTERMILK PANCAKES  (makes 10 to 12 pancakes)

Buttermilk is a magic ingredient.  There is NO substitute. It makes pancakes so fluffy!

1 ½ cups flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 egg

2 cups buttermilk

1 tbsp vegetable oil

*Stir together dry ingredients in a small bowl.

*Beat egg in medium-sized bowl.  Stir in buttermilk and oil.

*Stir in dry ingredients but don’t beat.  Batter will be lumpy.

*Butter hot frying pan and bake pancakes.

          Fluffy and fantastic!