Chilly and Cornbread

There’s nothing like Oklahoma allergies to remind me I’m not in Montana anymore. Living in different states for years has made me appreciate different climates, but I really can’t choose a favorite. They all have their highs and lows. I like Charleston, SC's culture, beaches, and architecture, but I could do without the Palmetto bugs, spring allergies, and humidity. I like Colorado and Montana’s mountains, snow and dry air, but I’d like the snow from December through February. That’s not always the case with fall and springtime snow occuring often. I like Oklahoma and Arkansas’s fall and spring weather, but allergies are too much. That’s where I am now - in the middle of Oklahoma allergy season, which is getting worse every year due to climate change, according to the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Currently, I am going through a box of tissues and thinking I need to change my air filter myself because my apartment management won’t do it soon enough. I am also thinking back to Montana - skiing, snow, and an almost non-existent allergy season since winter lasts so long.

I have never downhill skied but have had the opportunity to cross-country ski. I tried it once in Russia while on a Sister City trip, and in Montana, I went skiing all three winters I was there. South of Livingston in Paradise Valley, on the way to Yellowstone National Park, is a ranch called B Bar.

One of many cabins that can be rented on the property, this one was where my friends stayed for the birthday weekend.

They raise grass-fed cattle on over 20,000 acres of grasslands, hills, and mountain meadows, but they also have a retreat center and lodging with groomed cross-country ski trails for winter recreation. B Bar often partners with a local nonprofit for a cross-country ski fundraiser to benefit the organization.

Yurts can be rented all year for both corporate meetings and yoga retreats!

In the winter of 2020, I went with friends to the ski fundraiser benefit for Park County Environmental Council. My close friend Michelle Uberuaga is the Executive Director of the organization.

Me skiing with friends much more experienced than I!

Their mission is to “work with [their] community to safeguard the land, water, wildlife, and people of Yellowstone’s Northern gateway through grassroots organizing and community advocacy.” (Check out this interview Michelle did recently for the University of Montana College of Business podcast, A New Angle, highlighting PCEC’s recent work in the Yellowstone River flood recovery effort in 2022.) Then in 2021, I went skiing for a birthday weekend with family and friends. Lastly, in 2022 I was at the ranch all day working/ skiing since they hosted Farm to School of Park County as their partnering fundraiser organization.

There is no better place in Montana than Paradise Valley - the Yellowstone River valley south of Livingston between the Absaroka and Gallatin mountain ranges. There are breathtaking views all around, and B Bar Ranch is magical because of them. During the winter, one expects Montana to be covered with snow, but in 2022, I remember some trails at B Bar were closed because the valley did not get as much snow as it usually did. Snow may seem like a nuisance to those that do not enjoy the wet stuff, but it is much needed. Since Montana’s summers are dry, the land relies on the moisture from the snowmelt to prevent wildfires. According to the Montana Free Press, thousands, sometimes millions, of acres across Montana are destroyed by wildfires each year. These are precipitated and accelerated by high winds, low moisture, and errant sparks. Animals have to contend with the loss of habitat, people with the loss of homes and businesses, and all affected areas have poor air quality while firefighters battle the blazes. All that to say, snow and the moisture it brings are vital.

B Bar Ranch views are great as long as the clouds aren't too low!

I like snow well enough. I like it more when it’s appropriate to the season (eh-hem, Colorado and Montana - not in May or June). And when I know I will be out in the snow all day, whether skiing or hiking, I try to dress accordingly. I still get frozen toes and fingers (no matter my gloves/ mittens or boots and socks), and the wind still bites at one’s face. So if I’m doing something enjoyable, the cold is more bearable. Since my cross-country skiing experience is limited, every year I had to relearn, and my muscles had to get used to the sliding movement again.

I fell often, but I did get better throughout the day. If you have never skied in either form, you should know that cross-country skis are different from downhill skis. Cross-country skis are generally longer and more narrow, and the boot is only connected by the toe. Downhill ski boots latch to the ski at the toe and heel. (If you want to know more about all the types of skiing, check out this article, and additional types of cross-country skis are detailed here.) I think I borrowed both classic track skis (40-50 mm) and light touring skis (50-70 mm). I was happy to borrow instead of rent, but the narrow platform on slippery snow definitely made it easy to lose my balance a few times!

While I set out with groups on all three visits, I rarely stayed with them. This was due to me falling behind, both literally and because I was taking pictures, or I skied ahead if I was with kids who were a bit slower. (Don’t get me wrong, I was passed by kids, plenty, too). I didn’t mind my solitary moments. It’s fun to stay with a group, but I appreciate my surroundings more when I’m alone. My senses heighten because I’m not hearing others talk, just listening to the wind or swish of my skis as I watch the snow fall and scan my surroundings. I am grateful for hibernation since B Bar is grizzly country, but I kept looking for moose, which many saw on the same trails. (Sadly, I left Montana without ever seeing a moose in the wild besides my backyard. While I would have been scared/ nervous, I did want to see one from a distance hiking or skiing.) I may have been freezing as I slid along the snow, but I was enjoying nature at the same time, seeing things through Lewis and Clark’s eyes or putting myself in a Robert Frost poem. I always wanted to live somewhere beautiful. Paradise Valley 100% met that goal.

Pancho looking out over one of my favorite views of Paradise Valley

Any time I am outside for any length of time in the cold, I always look forward to something hot when I come inside. The last time skiing at B Bar, attendees were treated to chili and cornbread from Chef Carole with Farm to School. This March I made Ken’s Roasted Bell Pepper Buttermilk Cornbread and Stuffed Pepper Soup from Two Peas and Their Pod. Ken has another cornbread recipe, Corn-off-the-Cob Sour Cream Cornbread, that would go equally well. I loved the use of roasted bell peppers in the former, and I liked that the latter gave another way to use fresh corn from the summer. I may or may not have had some corn cut off a cob stored away in my freezer that was used for this purpose. Also, the stuffed pepper soup is a delicious alternative to chili. I love nutrient-dense, filling soups, and this one is permanently added to my soup rotation! Try the Roasted Bell Pepper Buttermilk Cornbread for yourself.

Roasted Bell Pepper Buttermilk Cornbread

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal

• ⅓ cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 (8-ounce) can cream-style corn

• ¼ cup finely chopped pickled jalapeño peppers (or fresh jalapeños, to taste)

• 2 green or red bell peppers, roasted and chopped

• 1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). On the stovetop very gently melt the stick of butter over low heat in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (if you don’t have one, see the note below). When it’s melted, turn off the heat.

2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, then whisk in the buttermilk, creamed corn, jalapeño peppers, and melted butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture. Stir briefly, just until everything is dampened. Add the chopped roasted peppers and the cheese, folding them in until the batter is evenly mixed. Scrape the batter into the skillet - the one you melted the butter in - and smooth the top.

4. Bake on the middle oven rack for 30 to 35 minutes, until the surface is brown. A tester inserted into the center of the bread should come out clean. Transfer the skillet to a cooling rack. Slice and serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat leftovers, wrapped in foil, in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Note: If you do not have a cast-iron skillet, substitute a buttered 9- by 9-inch cake pan. Don’t melt the butter in it on the stovetop, as you would for the skillet; melt the butter separately and pour it into the pan.

The Harvest Baker (c) by Ken Haedrich, recipe excerpted with permission from Storey Publishing.

Roasted Bell Pepper Buttermilk Cornbread

Stuffed Pepper Soup