Family reunion boasts talent show, fabulous food, renewed relationships

Comings and goings at High Chaparral in the Northern Rockies:
 another fabulous family reunion features talent galore. 

Some had to leave the night before, but these cousins and close family said farewell until next time on the last morning.

RAINY DAY GIVES FORUM TO GARAGE BAND, WITH FAMILY TALENT SHOW OFF THE CHARTS

Great nephew James, above, practices
his whistle, and great-niece Elliana,
in green hat with Nora, previews her
 costume while cuddling our Yorkie.

 STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

THE FORECAST was for intermittent rain, and that was indeed what transpired.
Wet though our weekend was from time to time, nothing could dampen our spirits.

Emcee Kenji Otokawa with his second-cousin
James Brian Ganner, strolling High Chap.

We had fabulous food, we'd flown and driven to be together from several states, and we had a talent contest to perform.
MY NEPHEW Kenji Christopher, named after me, was recruited to host the roast, which included affectionate stories about my travel mishaps and a few yarns I'd spun through the years. Kenji had 30 Cosgriffes laughing and crying as he tossed off bon mots between witty introductions of the performers. (He also brought his lovely lady friend, Lauren, with him from Atlanta, to introduce her to his family.)

At keyboard, Larry Giles, adopted Cosgriffe, & nephew James Hayes on guitar.

BETWEEN thunder storms and downright downpours, the Cosgriffe Family Reunion, Feast and Talent Spectacular unfolded partly outdoors and partly inside our garage-cum-auditorium. We'd converted Keller's work table to a picnic table as saws, hammers and projects in progress went on shelves to make way for a keyboard, electric base, drums, tables and chairs.

OPENING the show, Kenji welcomed people to the "unbirthday party," a la "Alice in Wonderland." We'd decided the occasion merited more than a mere birthday fete.

Pretty in pink:  Sister Olivia donned her sun hat to sing a song
with sister Misha: "Heaven's Radio" was a huge hit.

Cookie read from her paperback,
"Lilian's Last Dance" and played piano. 

Elliana gives her uncle Keller a hug.

Paying homage to me, ("Who but my auntie would serve me a martini when I was three?"), Kenji kept the action going, as
his cousins, aunties, uncles, mother and others came front and center to sing, dance, read vintage letters and original poetry, plus a poem by William Blake (this writer's favorite). Musicians rocked out with Mother Maybelle Carter favorites, Gershwin, Cole Porter and the Andrews Sisters. "In the Mood" one moment then Willie Nelson. Then Kenji, a gifted pianist, honored us with a classical performance. Janice Joplin's little known sister, Janie Joplin, made a guest appearance, singing a Cosgriffe version of "Mercedes Benz," with my brother Rick accompanying her (really Jane Milder, my sister-in-law) while doing a headstand.

Jim Hayes focuses on a photo
while his sister-in-law Misha looks on.

Kira Cosgriffe, right, gives her sister Aurora expert eyebrows. 

MY NIECES took time off to give one another facials, implementing the salon's latest techniques for removal of unwanted facial hair! (Never a dull moment with the Cosgriffes.)
I played keyboard, spelled off by the talents of adopted Cosgriffe Clan Georgian, Larry Giles, who with his beautiful and funny wife, Mary, are welcome members of the clan. We had drums and guitar, with the talents of my nephew, James, whose father, my brother-in-law Jim Hayes produced a spectacular slide show, "The Cosgriffes in California."

Gil's Goods by the Murray Hotel is a fine find in lively Livingston, Montana.

IT TAKES A couple years to plan and execute a proper family reunion. "Save the Date" notices went out months ago, then invitations in May, heralding the August gathering at High Chaparral, north of Nye, Montana.

UP NEXT: While we're in a party mood, come to Livingston, the Murray Hotel and Gil's Goods, a fabulous next-door eatery. There's always a celebration in this lively western town, where Yellowstone Park buses take tourists in the park's first entrance! Remember: explore, learn, live and catch us Wednesdays and weekends at www.whereiscookie.com

Family reunion features foodie fest, favorite recipes, kitchen frolics***

"Food, glorious food," as the lyric from "Oliver!" goes.  The appetizers are being devoured as the main course is prepared. FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD AS CLEVER KITCHEN CAPERS PROMOTE QUALITY FAMILY TIME STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS The family gathers to nosh and talk and play -- here niece Aurora with her daughter, Elliana, and at right, James, chasing Yorkie Nora. PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER WHEN ONE MENTIONS food and music, our family "comes big." That's the expression my grandfather used: "Come big or stay home." Everyone contributes a special dish or theatrical presentation when a family reunion is in the offing. We grew up with violins, violas, trumpets, trombones, pianos, flutes, saxophones, clarinets, musical theater. We sang every Broadway score, from "The Sound of Music" to "The King and I," "Gypsy," "Guys and Dolls" and "South Pacific." Breakfast time for Christena, in front, and her second-cousin, James. Sister Misha's "Famous Lemon Bars"  are always a hit. We were also raised -- like many families -- with the kitchen as the center of the good times, the "first course" before the tunes.

Cookie's Famous Turkey Breast is a family tradition, too. FOOD AND MUSIC ARE the twin focus for all family fun. My sister Misha's lemon bars are part of every family reunion. Sometimes she sings when she serves them. (Usually the "Good Morning" song made famous in the movies by Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor.) Whether she's staying in a hotel, in a rented cottage or in one of our homes, she shops for the ingredients as soon as she and my brother-in-law David pick up her rental car. Then she prepares her delicious treats. here are never left-overs -- just crumbs. My specialty is roast turkey -- a favorite of our late mother's and grandmum's and something no family fete is complete without. Olivia makes a fantastic avocado pie and both sisters make superb green salads -- with berries, nuts, feta and raspberry vinaigrette. Niece Amarylla prepares the dough for her "Famous  Bacon-maple Donuts." I'D THOUGHT AHEAD -- arranging the paper stuff in pretty picnic baskets -- cups, glasses, silverware, napkins, plates -- again, to save time and keep our focus on visiting and enjoying one another. Keller and I hung balloons and put cloths on the tables.      We'd also prepared several dishes ahead of time:  a huge tray of lasagna, a double-recipe of scalloped potatoes, dishes of baked beans, three jello salads, a fruit salad and a pan of brownies.We put out large coolers of iced beverages -- wine, beer, tea, sodas, lemonade, water -- ready and waiting for guests. Great-nephew Connor readies the deep-fryer for the donuts.  NIECE AURORA is famous for her lavish birthday cakes.  The vanilla lemon confection she made to celebrate all the Leos in the clan, was so heavy with thick Amish cream and filling that it toppled over in the frig! (We uprighted and relished it, to the last crumbs.)  COOKING for four days for 30-plus people might have been daunting. It wasn't, because of all the help we had and because of prepping. Everyone provided goodies -- fresh fruit, veggie trays, cheeses, appetizers, breads, cookies, "extras" -- lagniappes as they say in New Orleans. We set up the barbecue before hand, and placed borrowed tables and chairs. While the barbecue cranks up, cousins pass paper plates and arrange tables and chairs for the family reunion's finale.   We provided main courses: that made-ahead lasagna, chicken, turkey, brats, hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey burgers and trout caught the morning of the first day of the reunion, by Keller and a neighbor. (Fishing license: expensive for out-of-staters.) Two of our party don't eat meat, but love fish.  Handy to have the Stillwater River near, although Keller paid nearly $80 for the license to catching a couple rainbows. We'd put all the paper stuff in picnic baskets -- cups, glasses, silverware, napkins, plates -- again, to save time and keep our focus on visiting and enjoying one another. We hung balloons and had cloths on the tables. Grand finale:  Famous Donuts laced with bacon bits  and sprinkled with maple glaze, are a last,  farewell hit at the family reunion.       I"D MADE several dishes ahead: a huge tray of lasagna, a double-recipe of scalloped potatoes, baked beans, three jello salads, fruit salad and a pan of brownies.We'd also prepared large coolers of iced beverages -- wine, beer, tea, sodas, lemonade, water. Those were ready and waiting for guests.                                                  WE ENJOYED several meals together, the last a morning brunch featuring my niece Amarylla's decadent donuts.  Deep-fried, they were a huge, fast disappearing hit. (We procured a deep-fryer for the occasion.  After frying, Amarylla sprinkled them with bacon bits (bacon, fried crispy and broken up) and maple syrup glaze. Talk about gilding the lily. Or as Oliver Twist asked, "Please, sir, could I have some more?" Rain forced the talent show inside the garage, but didn't dampen spirits. The family reunion featured nephew James on base guitar. NEXT UP: Now, the entertainment. What happens when the family reunion invitation requests a talent contribution as part of admission?  Music, music, music.  A swing trio, a roast, a toast, a bittersweet farewell. Country songs, show tunes, jazz, classics and more. Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us Wednesdays and weekends at: www.whereiscookie.com

Lilac's fresh from the farm produce pairs with inventive chef for delectable fare

LOCAL VEGGIES, MEATS, POULTRY AND HOMEMADE GNOCCHI GIVE UNIQUE APPEAL TO HISTORIC DISTRICT EATERY

From its proud place in the Billings Historic District, Lilac serves fresh, tasty fare kicked up a Lilac notch.

Lilac's blue cheese lamb ribs are a favorite of this writer.

 

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS 
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

THE RESTAURANT'S chief cook, bottle washer and bookkeeper are one in the same person.  That's probably why Lilac is celebrating its third successful year in downtown Billings

Dinner at the Lilac with, from left,
Bruce Keller, Christene Meyers
and at right, Corby Skinner.

The restaurant, named for those fragrant first blooms of spring, bills its repertoire as “modern American cooking” and is doing well in Montana Avenue’s historic strip of shops, eateries and galleries. Lilac owner and chef, Jeremy Engebretson, is hands-on all the way.

Dessert at Lilac is cause for celebration.

We've sampled his ginger flavored octopus fritti, blue cheese cured lamb ribs and fragrant beef tongue tacos recently, in a menu that changes every few days.

ENGEBRETSON prides himself on freshness. "The menu changes depending on what’s available and what we think our clientele will like," he says.

Engebretson was a boy when he knew he wanted to be a chef.

Lilac's unpretentious decor puts the
focus on the tasty, fresh food. 

Growing up in Billings, he graduated from Billings West High School, then University of Montana, working in Missoula restaurants, learning the trade.

“I experimented, observed,” he says.  As sous chef at Missoula’s popular Ranch Club, he prepared “simple, fresh, fairly priced offerings.”

The décor at Lilac complements the menu.  It is open and unpretentious, focusing on food, not surroundings.

Appetizers, entrees and desserts carry out his wish for freshness and aesthetics -- from roasted cauliflower, to chicken fried sweetbreads and an enticing grilled asparagus dish with shrimp, sesame and poached egg dressing. If you want exotic, order the succulent pigeon. Play it safe with a cheese burger, jazzed up with a tangy sweet and savory garnish of cheddar and bacon jam. 

Beef from area ranches provides the meat at Lilac. 

"I try for the simple, satisfied feeling I had in our kitchen growing up,” Engebretson says. Both parents were “good, basic cooks” and Engebretson’s favorite food was his mom’s green bean dish, “a wonderful, satisfying dish, with garden beans and a simple white sauce.” 

Desserts range from luscious sponge cake with berries to an unusual, rich rosemary and honey ice cream, pistachio crumble and sticky pudding with toffee sauce, raspberries and ice cream -- all cause for a celebration.

Sunday brunch at Lilac is a treat, too, with a filling pork burrito or colorful tacos, turnovers, blintzes and other pretty comfort foods, served with Lilac style enhancements.Everything is prepared in Lilac's small, efficient kitchen -- from fresh daily breads and pastries to Lilac's signature gnocchi, those succulent, savory little dumplings.

Donuts get kicked up a notch at a family reunion -- with bits of bacon and
maple drizzle complementing the deep fried delights. (It's only once a year.)

NEXT UP: While we're in a "food mood," come with us to a family reunion laced with food, fun, music and nostalgia. The menu ranged from roast turkey to homemade bacon-maple donuts. (Don't hold the cholesterol.) Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us Wednesdays and weekends at: www.whereiscookie.com

Hollyhocks: homage paid to wonderful biennial

Hollyhocks are in full flower here in the northern Rockies, as autumn approaches.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES  OF FAVORITE FLOWER REMIND OF GRANDMOTHER, DOLL MAKING

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

Hollyhocks against the Beartooth Mountains -- a glorious sight.

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

MY GRANDMOTHER Olive loved hollyhocks. She was my mother's mum, and lived next door. She taught me to separate and save flower seeds each fall. Revered among her many flowers were the faithful hollyhocks. Dad's mother, Grannie Annie, loved her lilacs, too.
I remember a large crystal bowl filled with those soft, circular blossoms -- sometimes a clutch of all-whites, other times a profusion of pinks, purples, reds.
Sometimes we'd make dollies -- using upside down blooms for skirts and fashioning heads from buds yet to fully open. Add a few toothpicks and a felt marker to "glue" them together and craft faces.

Moisten and warm hollyhock leaves and you'll have a
poultice to help heal cuts or sooth arthritis.

THEY REMAIN my favorites of the old-fashioned plants I've raised here in the northern Rockies, to remind me of my Montana childhood.
Hollyhocks -- with their lofty spires --  are my definitive old-fashioned garden plant. These tall, stately flowers used to tower over me in  both grandmothers' gardens.
I'd look up at them and see faces.
"HOW DO you do, little Cookie?" Gran Olive would throw her voice behind the splendid array by the fence.

This pollen covered bee is having a field day in a single hollyhock blossom.

A bit of hollyhock homework tells me the graceful plant is from Eurasia. Its Middle Eastern heritage makes it versatile as well as pretty.
Taken internally, Hollyhock is soothing to the gastrointestinal, respiratory and urinary tracts in the human body. It promotes urination, soothes ulcers and relieves a dry cough. When you have a sore throat, try a cold infusion of hollyhock.
To make, simply gather a handful of fresh flowers or leaves (you can use dried) and fill the center of a square of cheesecloth. Wrap the sides up to form a crude tea bag, tie with string or dental floss and drop in a jar of water. Drape the string over the edge and use the lid to hold your "bag" in place. Keep your "bag" submerged, leave out overnight then refrigerate. Use infusion within a day or so.

Hollyhock dolls are a family tradition. 

I'VE SEEN hollyhocks in fancy wedding bouquets and neglected hedges. Cultivated from Egypt to the southern U.S. and elsewhere, the plant with the large showy flowers is usually a biennial.  They grow only foliage the first year and flower the next.
You can also make a hollyhock doll with a little imagination and a few toothpicks.

Look deeply into the hollyhock blossom and see a face.

I've been scavenging hollyhock seeds worldwide for decades.There are many varieties of blossoms and several different leaves. Turkish Wild is a rare hollyhock species with elegant, soft orchid, saucer-shaped flowers from May to September. If you allow these gorgeous biennials to clump and seeds to fall, you'll have years of enjoyment.
Today, the lofty spires on our Hollyhock plants are covered with large frilled flowers in beautiful colors.  Bees love them. So do I. Thanks, Gran.

UP NEXT:  From hollyhocks, to "Lilac."  No, not the plant, but the restaurant in downtown Billings. Farm fresh produce and locally sourced meats pair with homemade breads and gnocchi for fabulous fare.  We talk with the inventive Montana born chef and sample the ever changing menu.  Remember to explore, learn and live, and check us out Wednesdays and weekends at www.whereiscookie.com

Bird bonanza in the Beartooths as feathered friends flock to High Chaparral

Variety of summer visitors flies off the charts in glorious Montana summer of 2015 

A ruby throated hummingbird visits our feeder each morning, enjoying nectar we make twice weekly. Soon, he'll head south.

Raptors out our door near the river enjoy a partly dead cottonwood perch.

Grosbeaks are frequent visitors at the feeder, passing through. 

 







STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

EVEN IF YOU don't know a finch from a flicker, you would be impressed by the abundant bird life at High Chaparral, here in our hide-out high in the Beartooth Mountains of the Northern Rockies of south-central Montana.
In a lifetime of summers in Montana, I've never seen such a proliferation of birds. Remember this when days grow short.
Bluebirds, buntings, flickers, finches, chickadees, grosbeaks, towhees, wrens, many kinds of sparrows and more hawks than we have ever seen have graced us with their presence from early spring to late summer.
We're told by experts that the bonanza has to do, logically, with both food and water.
A mild winter meant that more birds survived. Migratory birds stopped here and stayed longer. Food was plentiful and water didn't freeze for as long as usual.
WE'RE HOPING for fantastic bird watching into late autumn, like last year -- a month longer than usual, almost to November.
There are so many birds in our yard and gardens this summer that we are hard pressed do get our writing and carpentry done. More fun to grab the cameras, binocs and bird books!

The lazuli bunting: sure sign of summer at High Chap.

We keep seven feeders filled -- with thistle, mixed seed, sunflower seeds -- plus suet rectangles along with three hummingbird feeders. Orange and apple if the raccoons don't devour. Both orioles and catbirds have visited, with redwing blackbirds, siskins and even jays in the spruce.
Mockingbirds, cardinals, woodpeckers and morning doves are abundant, along with grosbeaks, song sparrows and tree swallows doing their ariel shows - ballet like dips and dives below the cliffs out back. 
THE SAME titmouse I fed in Arizona is up here in the northern Rockies -- the bridled titmouse.

Watching the wrens feed their young, then observing the fledglings is a joy.

Blue grouse have finished off the berries in the berm, soon to move high in the mountains to feed on conifer needles.
From our living room picture windows, we've seen an abundance of little birds -- two types of chickadees, red-topped and yellow finches, nuthatches and many warblers, plus lazuli buntings with their striking blue and copper colors.

AS IN past summers, we enjoy watching the peripatetic house wrens raising their young. With their industry, beautiful singing and warnings to keep our distance, they studiously tend the wee ones until all safely fledge. Ah, glorious!

Making hollyhock dolls is a tradition in my family.

UP NEXT: Hollyhocks, those stately spires in country gardens, evoke memories of childhood, grandmothers, doll making and more.  We even find medicinal uses for this uncommonly beautiful "common" garden plant. Remember to explore, learn and live and check us out Wednesdays and weekends at: www.whereiscookie.com

Mountain majesty, cozy rooms await in Mystic View Cabins

The view from Mystic View Cabins near Fishtail is spectacular, with the beautiful Beartooths right out the door.

QUIET, QUAINT CABINS INVITE RELAXATION, EXPLORATION IN SECLUDED RURAL MONTANA

A rustic motif awaits guests at Mystic View Cabins, with books and games
to entertain visitors of all ages.  Owners Jerry and Sheri Cross are your hosts.

Each cabin includes a welcome with
brochures, suggestions and contacts. 

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

WE HAD an overflow of about 15 people at the weekend's family reunion when the RSVPs came in.
So a couple months ago, I started researching vacation rentals in our area in the remote Beartooth Mountains.
We found an idyllic place in Mystic View Cabins, where part of the Cosgriffe Clan stayed for two peaceful, nature-nudged nights.
Owners Jerry and Sheri Cross have poured lots of love, toil and tenderness into the four cabins near Fishtail.

A full kitchen and plenty of sleeping await in the large A-frame.

Artist and originator of the Day Time Planner, Rick Cosgriffe,
right, visits with owner Sheri Cross at Mystic View Cabins.

Named for the elk, moose and deer that inhabit the countryside, the artfully decorated cabins have a rustic, comforting appeal.
The price is reasonable -- about $125 for the large A-frame cabin for four people, plus $10 per each additional person.
Each cabin has a full kitchen, comfy beds and pretty views.
From the cabins, you can walk or ride a horse, enjoy the vistas of the gorgeous Beartooth Mountains, rest, read, soak up the quiet.
"We've tried to make people welcome," says Sheri, who comes from Illinois. (Jerry is a native New Yorker.) The couple has had the cabins for three years, working full-time to create the enterprise and get the word out.
LOCATED on Jules Way, about 12 miles out of Fishtail on the West Rosebud Road, if you approach from the West, you'll come via Fiddler Creek. (The two roads intersect.)
The cabins accommodate from two to 10 guests. Check Mystic View out on Facebook, or call 406 321-3103.
E-mail: crossj@hotmail.com

A hummingbird pauses at High Chaparral to enjoy a drink of sugar water.

COMING UP:  
 Birds of a feather.  Never have we seen such fantastic bird life in our little nook of the Northern Rockies.  Come with us to enjoy the bounty, from raptors to hummingbirds. And buntings, flickers, grosbeaks and much more. Remember to explore, learn and live, and catch us Wednesdays and weekends at www.whereiscookie.com