Favorite Things

I thought it would be fun to put together a list of my favorite things.  Sort of Oprah-ish, except these are things that "normal" people can afford and some are things that are more specific to my horsey lifestyle.  As I sat down to think about the things that I really enjoy, I realized that recipes/food are what kept coming to mind, not surprising for those of you who really know me.  I have been working on getting in show shape.  Hey if Lou can do it, I can.  I don't lope very pretty circles though.

#1     Every morning after feeding the animals, I sit down to watch the news and enjoy my breakfast and a cup of coffee.  I usually only drink one cup a day so I've never needed to brew a whole pot and don't like stale coffee anyway. 

This the Keurig model that I use.

My mom bought me a Keurig coffee pot for my birthday and the mud it brews is like a little slice of cozy, warm heaven.  You purchase single serving k-cups of coffee and they come in all different brews and flavors.  One of my favorites is Wild Mountain Blueberry.  I buy the k-cups at Great Office Coffee. 

#2     The second thing to hit my favorite things list is also an appliance, and also a gift from my mom, its my KitchenAid mixer. 

Mine is red, just like this one.

This mixer never seems to get bogged down and scrapes every bit off the sides of the bowl.  It comes with three different mixing attachments and most importantly, comes in different colors to match your kitchen.  My kitchen is red and I love the retro sort of look that the mixer has sitting on the counter.  I use it to make my famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I'll have to give you the recipe sometime.

#3     Another of my favorite things may not be accessible to everyone but I just knew my list would not be complete without including this most important item.

This is Lou.  He's my "hairy pardner".  JD said, "quit leaning".

I am most at home and relaxed sitting on a horse and have been since...

Riding is my own personal form of meditation.  It has also given me so many important things that I hold dear in my life: confidence, a sense of satisfaction, empathy, patience, work ethic, problem solving and courage.  Or will hold dear should I actually accomplish any of these.

#4    We'll stay in the horse world for my next couple of selections.  I really like a fat ringed smooth mouth snaffle bit.  I tried one for the first time last fall and have used it almost exclusively on our young horses since.  Its a little heavier than a regular ring snaffle and has a little more feel at the sides of the mouth.  I feel like the added ring weight also gives just a little more poll pressure, for developing a good headset in our colts.

Bob Avila Signature Snaffle Professional's Choice Horse Bit

I should mention that the one I tried last fall was the one I bought for JD.  He bought me my own for Mother's Day.  Maybe he's trying to tell me something....  The going joke around here is that JD never has any of his own stuff.  I guess its only a joke if it isn't true...we all steal his stuff, horses, tack, clothes, pickups.  If you don't want us to steal it, quit buying cool stuff.  What do you expect in this family?  Wiley says, "we all share".  But I don't think that applies to him.


#5     Our family loves G-G saddles!  They are made by Dennis & Randy George right here in Riverton.  He is most well known for building bronc and steer wrestling saddles and his clientele include many NFR qualifiers and World Champions.  He also builds stock saddles, roping saddles, barrel saddles and just last year, he built his first cutting saddle.

This is my G-G cutting saddle.

JD's G-G ranch saddle.

Abby's G-G kids saddle.

We are up to five of these saddles now and love every one of them.  They are really well made and Dennis really cares about improving his product over the years.  Before making his first cutting saddle, he went  to Texas to spend time talking with and watching some world class cutters.

#6     We were introduced to Platinum Performance about three years ago.  We have a 34 year old mare (hardly a performance horse, even in her glory days) that needed a little something extra in her diet.  She has almost no teeth left and we were being told that she would need to be put on a diet of exclusively Equine Senior.  That's expensive!  It also made it hard because she would need her own pen for her special feeding needs.  I was first alarmed about her dietary needs in the spring when she shed out to bald in some spots.  Her body couldn't process vitamins and minerals well enough to replace her coat right away.  Our vet had us try Platinum Performance and the rest is history.

Boyd Rice, Team Platinum

The supplement can be given in your horses grain and they really like it.  Its a little pricey but the results are real.  Our horses shed out nicely and always feel their best even after some hard weeks around here.  And Lady?  She's still kicking and looks as good as ever.  Wiley rode her on Sunday.

#7     Alrighty, back to food.  That's where I really wanted to be the whole time anyway.  Bob's Red Mill makes my favorite oatmeal.  I eat oatmeal almost every morning because I love a hot breakfast and it seems to stick with me.  Bob's offers 18 different kinds of oatmeals and granolas. 

My favorite cereal, so far.

Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods produces more than 400 products, including a full line of certified gluten free products and an extensive line of certified organic products. With a wide variety of whole grain products, from flours and hot cereals to baking mixes and grains, Bob’s Red Mill has “whole grain foods for every meal of the day.”


Bob's is going to help me get into show shape!  Grain and Platinum for Lou, grain and vitamins for me.  Incidentally, Platinum does make human products but I haven't tried them yet.  Please let me know if you have.

#8     I may be gloating a little here but I think I make some pretty good pico de gallo.  I love pico!  Its fat free and delicious on so many things.

Of course you can eat it on chips.  Its also good thrown into a wrap, on eggs, over fish, in a tuna sandwich and anywhere else you want added flavor.  I make it different each time because I don't follow a recipe.  I think I've mentioned this before but I don't like rules. 

Here are the basics:

About....
6 roma tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
a good handful of cilantro, diced
a couple of cloves of garlic, minced
4 jalapenos, seeded and diced
a couple of Tablespoons of lime juice, to taste
a dash or two of sea salt, to taste

Mix it all up and refrigerate for a couple of hours.  I have also added baby shrimp, cabbage and other things per my whims.

In the comment section, I would love to have your favorite recipes.  Healthy if you have them, or your guilty pleasures are fine too.


#9     This is my last selection.  I just found this product in the last couple of weeks, ordered it, used it, and am already its biggest fan.  Maggie's Muck.

I have dermatitis and am allergic to most soaps and especially lotions.  Basically if it smells good, it eats my skin off.  I love lotions and it kills me that I can't wear them, especially since I have such skin hydration issues already.  Until now! 

Maggie says:

"Most of my products are made with olive oil, shea butter and vitamin E, I try to stay away from colors and dyes. Packaging is simple to provide a great quality product for a lower cost.  Presentation sells, however I want customers to use my product not only display it. Living in a dry climate, I focus on ingredients that moisturize, condition and heal the skin.  I do use a preservative in my water base products called Opthiphen ND. It is a paraben and formaldehyde free. I want to make sure that no bacteria, fungus or viruses are present."

 I would love to hear your comments about your favorite things.  I really believe there are wonderful products out there that don't always have a huge advertising budget.  I want to know what you can't live without!

Oh, JD wanted me to add this:

#10     Lincoln Welders.  "Without them, there wouldn't be any other favorite things around here." 

Uh, yeah, well then, Lincoln Welders!  115 Years of Excellence!!