Too Busy to Blog?? Say It Ain't So!!

Whoa!!! This whole spice business is cutting into my blogging time ;). Haha....kidding, kidding! But seriously - I'm one busy woman! I miss blogging my wry, smart ass opinions each day. I'm sad that my mouth and fingers have been put on temporary lockdown by Sheriff Gary. I mean, I can't even be passive aggressive right now. Damnit!! But I digress!

Needing some Ft. Worth Light?!?! Come and get it!! Mild Bill's now sells Stockyard Special. Available in 4, 8, and 16 oz quantities - it'll be posted on the website soon. Im also ordering sausage/klobase seasoning as well. Ive got a large hunting community in Ennis and since we're one weekend away from opening weekend, people are looking for spices. Hell yeah!!

I can't say enough about all of the awesome Mild Bill's customers I've been talking to and meeting for the first time. Everyone has been so kind and patient with me while I learn and adjust and I'm so thankful for everyone's support. I've held spices hostage on accident and no one is ugly about it. They just call or email and nicely ask if I may have forgotten to put something in their shipment ;). Really, people have been great. The best part is learning even more about the spices and talking to people about chili. I'm having a blast!

Tomorrow is Paige's spooky Halloween party!! She's so excited! I'm making a big batch of Gunpowder chili, Mummy dogs and Queso Blanco. Yum! She's soooo excited ;)

We leave Monday for TICC. We are going to use red spray paint and write Viva Terlingua on the side of my trailer. I'll post pics ;)

Have a great weekend. I hope to blog from Terlingua.

Keep it real....and remain calm while I serve out my oath of silence. Soon I'll be able to blog about all of the ignorance that takes place outside of Ellis Co!!

The Cadillac Cowgirl

Viva Terlingua!

Mild Bill's will close Thursday, October 27th to travel to TICC. We will reopen November 7th. Any orders placed during that time will be shipped November 7th and 8th. If you are a Tolbert or CASI cook and need spices brought to you, please call or email me so that I can bring your spice order. I'll head over to Behind the Store on Thursday, November 3rd and deliver any Tolbert orders then. I'll also have spices with me if you realize you've forgotten something and need it for your chili! Safe travels to everyone heading to Terlingua!

Just want to keep everyone, (including my stalker) informed of where Mild Bill's will be!!! Come see us Friday November 4th for the Customer Appreciation Party - it will be held from 2-4pm at the Mild Bill's camp to the right of the Old 320 Cooking Area. Hope to see everyone there!

Busy, Busy!

I'll have chili results from the weekend posted tomorrow. We had a fantastic weekend cooking chili and enjoying our MommyBaby camping trip. Today has been crazy! I've got a ton of orders and TICC is ALMOST HERE. SHIT!!!!! I guess I need to go home now...hopefully Lord B has DVR'd Castle for me. The Rangers and Cardinals are tied and apparantly the Ravens are getting the shit beat out of them.

Have a blissful evening - I'm going to go home and enjoy my family - if they're still awake!

Cadillac Cowgirl thought for the day: People in glass houses shouldn't chunk stones...there is always someone there to catch them and throw them right back.....

Spreading my own special brand of kindess and joy.....

K

Thank God It's Friday!!!

Wow...what an incredibly wonderful, busy week! I am certainly counting my blessings! I was packaging orders, listening to a little 7 Year Bitch and just humming away, all blissed out in my happy world. This sure beats the hell out of the previous place of employment! Thank you Jesus for Mild Bill's Spice Company, Inc.!!! No offense, Jeannie...you know I love you :0)

Oh - Go Rangers!!!!

Paige and I will be embarking on our MommyBaby camping trip tonight. This will be Pussywillow Rose's first trip. It has a full bed and considering how long my child has gotten, we need it. I don't know how much longer we were going to be able to share the twin bed in the Cowgirl Cadillac. PWR still needs an outside paint job, but who cares?!?! It's in great shape on the inside and as long as I've got a comfy bed and a potty, I'm golden! We'll be in Cleburne this weekend cooking chili and having a grand ol' time. She's got Nightmare Before Christmas packed...I've got the hot chocolate...life is GOOD for the Juicy of Love and Deliciousness!

I hope to be cooking at home Sunday. Still not sure what to make for Sunday supper, so I'll be kicking ideas around tomorrow. Maybe a pot pie....or a roast....or maybe roast chicken? Roast chicken sounds delicious, actually. A lot of lemon, a little rosemary, and a lot of butter smeared on that bad boy. Hell Yeah - that's what I'm talkin about! I've also got an idea for a sweet potato/butternut squash soup that I've been wanting to try out. I think a little Mild Bill's Smoked Spanish Paprika would be a wonderful counter to the sweetness of the potatoes and squash. Maybe a little smoked cheddar or gouda grated over the soup? Mmmmm....I think I've got a good start to that one!

I'm going to finish up a few things and head home. Paige is ready for our weekend to start and I'm looking forward to private time with my Peapod. I feel like we've been going 90 miles an hour for the past month...it will be nice to just chill out with her. I'm sure we'll have a few memorable "conversations"!

Spreading my own special brand of kindness and joy....

The Cadillac Cowgirl

Jalapeno Ranch Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Parsley

Hello Tuesday!! Yesterday was very busy - I was here until 8 pm. I didn't think it would be a good idea to stop filling orders to blog :) I've got a few spare moments this morning, so my fingers are flying!!!

Cadillac Cowgirl Jalapeno Ranch Chicken

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 1/4 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
3 Tbsp Mild Bill's Jalapeno Ranch Dip Mix
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 2 oz log Goat Cheese, sliced into 6 pieces
Handful of fresh Parsley, chopped
Olive Oil for browning chicken
Mayonnaise for coating chicken

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large dish, combine the bread crumbs, ranch dip mix and salt; set aside. Using a large knife, cut a pocket in each chicken breast and stuff with one slice of goat cheese and 1 tsp of parsley. Close the pocket by pressing it firmly. Using a spoon, pastry brush or knife, spread about a teaspoon of mayonnaise over the top of the chicken breast. Using tongs, dredge each chicken breast in the breadcrumb/ranch dip mix dish and using a large skillet, brown in olive oil on each side. I started out with about 1/4 cup of olive oil and added more as needed. Place the chicken breasts in a large baking dish, sprinkle with any remaining parsley and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside. I served the chicken with couscous and sauteed garlic spinach. It was DELICIOUS!!!

Sunday night, I made Mild Bil''s Taco Soup. There was none left!! Gary and the kids (even Picky Eater Paige ate it!!) ate all of it. It is easy to make and so good!

Mild Bill's Taco Soup

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes (or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can Rotel)
3 cans beans (any combo or all the same...I used pinto, cannellini and great northern)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 Tbsp Mild Bill's Jalapeno Ranch Dip Mix
1 Tbsp Mild Bill's Taco Seasoning Mix

Brown meat with onion until the onion is tender and meat is no longer pink; drain well. Add to a large soup pot with all other ingredients including juice from canned corn and beans. Simmer until warmed through; check for seasonings and adjust to taste. Serves 8-9 (or the entire Brignon family!!)

I can't believe it is almost time for TICC. I can't believe it's almost time for Paige's Halloween Party. Shit!!! Where did time go??? This year has flown by.

I will be cooking in Cleburne this weekend. I don't plan to carry spices with me because Paige and I will be in one of my small trailers. However, if you have an order you would like me to bring to Cleburne, I can certainly do that!

I'm going to get to work. Another busy day at Mild Bill's.....love it!!!

Spreading my own special brand of everything.....

Kelly

Good Sunday Morning!

The Brignon family is headed to the State Fair this morning! It is a beautiful morning ;)

I finally got around to making my Jalapeño Ranch chicken with goat cheese last night. It was awesome! I'll post the recipe tonight. I'm Aldo going to make Mild Bills Taco Soup for dinner tonight. I sold so many taco seasonings yesterday. That and the Jalapeño Ranch Dip mix sold really well. So did my Gunpowder Chili mix. Yesterday was great. I met a lot of new people and had tons of customers. For once, the Habanero Peach Preserves outsold the Jalapeño Jelly.

I hope everyone has a fantastic day. Counting my blessings this morning ;)

Keep it real folks,

The Cadillac Cowgirl

Hello Monday!

I just now got home!! Man - what a wonderful, busy day! Thank God Tamara came today to help me stay caught up on orders. And no - I am NOT complaining! I've had so much fun the past two weeks for damn sure! I'm so glad I'm finally full time at Mild Bill's :)

Thank you to everyone who came to Thousand Trails Lake Whitney last weekend. As usual, it was a great cook off and it was good to see everyone back on the chili trail. We had 30 chilis and 9 beans on Saturday and 22 chilis on Sunday - even with the pouring rain that we have all been praying for! The weather really was wonderful - rain included! Thank you also to all of the cooks who pitch in to help make this cook off such a success year after year. If it weren't for the knowledge and butt busting of so many people, we wouldn't be able to have such a great time at Lake Whitney each year. On to the results:

Saturday Lake Whitney CCO Benefiting Christmas for Kids
30 Chilis

1. Gary Brignon
2. Angie Duke
3. Kelly Brignon
4. Gerald Casey
5. Dru Stewart
6. Blue Kriska
7. David Manske
8. Babs Johnson (Got a point on her birthday!)
9. Randy Duke
10. Danny Strunc

9 Beans

1. David Manske
2. Frances Sullivan
3. Delores Sanders

Sunday TTLW Pod CCO
22 Chilis

1. Jason Goains
2. Vicki Sanders
3. David Manske
4. Delores Sanders
5. Jim Trietsch
6. Tommy Kriska
7. Ramonda Casey
8. Mark Sanders
9. Angie Duke
10. Blue Kriska

Thank you also to everyone for contributing to the potluck dinner Saturday night. Drucilla made her famous dumplings and they were out of this world. I pulled my usual Lake Whitney drunk and drank a box of wine. Not my finest moment, I'm sure...but at least I didn't hurt myself when I fell down on my ass on the slick ramp. Hey - we all have our moments. My pancreas isn't too happy with me and it let me know but other than that, I survived.

We were excited to come home yesterday and not have to go to the store and do anything - especially Gary! What kind of sucked was that I haven't bought groceries in almost three weeks, so dinner pickings were slim around here last night. Thank God for bread, eggs, potatoes and microwave bacon. Shit....we ate like kings!!

Mild Bill's will be open for the Ennis Fall Festival this weekend. Gary is cooking in Kerens and I'm going to work at the store. My mom and Kary are coming out tomorrow to get the front of the store finished and ready for this weekend. Tamara and I are going to finish up on orders, organizing and bagging spices. I've had a fair amount of foot traffic since we opened and I'm looking forward to this weekend.

I've got some updates I'm going to be making to the website, so please be patient as I make a few changes. Something I want to share with everyone before it goes on the website is that I will be carrying FW Light. You'll know it when you see it - I promise :) I've got more pictures to add and things like that, but I want to get all of the information on the website so that when I'm ready to produce a catalog after the first of the year, someone a hell of a lot smarter than me will have all of the info they need in a digital form and will be able to crank them out!

Thank you again to everyone who has been so kind and supportive of our move into the spice business. The only difference is where they're coming from....the service and quality won't change one bit!

Have a great night everyone...mama's tired!

Spreading joy, kindness and the unmistakable aroma of cumin....

Kelly

Whew!!!

Hey there - this is a super quick post :) I just got back from College Station where I've been since Monday morning taking my processed foods class. I am now legal to can..you know...make relishes, salsas and pickled items! I was good to go with the jellies, just had to take the acidified foods course so no one gets sick. Woo hoo!

I'm busy, busy, busy right now between orders, setting up the store, website stuff, email stuff, you name it. Fortunately, I've got my ansswering service working in case I miss a call! I'll be at Thousand Trails Lake Whitney this weekend, so if you have a spice order that you'd like me to bring, let me know. I'll also have spices with me to sell.

Gary and I also want to thank everyone for their support and kind words and for coming to our grand opening (if you could) or sending well wishes if you couldn't. We can't wait for everyone to see the store - we are so proud of it!!

Well, I'm off....I gotta box orders and get my butt in gear. Have a wonderful day....I'll post as I can!!!


Keep it real, folks!

K

Mission Accomplished!!

Good Morning! Mild Bill's has landed at 113 W. Knox Street. What was going to be a quick nap outside of Waco turned onto a 3 hour snooze, but here we are! Spices are unloaded and resting comfortably in their new home - a roomy walk in cooler and everything else can wait a few hours. We've got to get home and let the babies out, clean up, go get kids and run errands. We've still got some minor things to do around the store, but we are good to go!

Good luck if you're cooking chili today and please stop by and see us tomorrow from 3-5 as we celebrate our grand opening!

Spreading kindness, joy and spices ;)

K