YeeeeeHa!

Desert blue and silver in the pale moonlight
Coyotes yappin' lazy on the hill
Sleepy winks of light along the far skyline
Time for millin' cattle to be still...

So now the lightnin' s far away
The coyotes nothin' skeery...just a singin' to his dearee
So settle down you cattle...'til the mornin'

A cowboy's lullabye song, getting the cattle to sleep while on the cattle drive.

This was a song that I learned from a former Girl Scout leader when I was a girl. She was the wonderful, formidable, talented and independent woman whom I named my daughter after. She was 65 to my 12, but we became fast friends. So I'm inviting her to the latest Blog Party#22, hosted by Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness. Welcome to the party Mrs. Pat !

For the cowboy themed party, I'm bringing some Chuckwagon Meatballs, some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and some Cowboy Cookies...but of course. The meatballs are coated with a barbeque sauce made even better with garlic and the bite of mustard. The cookies are mini versions of the big fat cowboy cookies that take a 1/4 cup batter and fill the fist. Still tasty as little cookies and still with the great cowboy cookies flavors, especially the oatmeal.

Chuckwagon Meatballs

18 frozen meatballs...I used Foster Farms turkey meatballs
1/2 cup barbeque sauce - your favorite brand
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Thaw the meatballs on half power in the microwave or overnight in the fridge.
In a glass measuring cup combine the barbeque sauce, mustard, garlic, and pepper. Microwave on high one minute. Stir, microwave on half power one minute.
Gently stir the meatballs into the sauce, coating the meaballs with the sauce.
Microwave on half power a minute at a time, checking after each minute, until heated through. Serve with toothpicks, one for each meatball.

Cowboy Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped toasted pecans

On a sheet of waxed paper, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars, white and brown, until well mixed. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until light and well mixed. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips, cranberries and walnuts.
Cover dough and chill 1 hour.

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Form dough into balls, using a melon scoop of dough for each. Place on greased baking sheets, spacing cookies 1 inch apart. These will make appetizer size cookies. (For larger cookies, make balls from teaspoons of batter up to 1/4 cup of dough for super sized ones.) Bake 8-10 minutes for small cookies or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. (For larger sized cookies, cook longer, up to 15 minutes.)