 One of my fondest memories as a child was when my parents would load my two brothers and I in the back of our station wagon and take us on a road trip to my great-grandparent’s house during the holidays. There were two things I could always count on when we arrived. First, as soon as I would walk through the front door, my “Gompy” would be sitting in his recliner, our eyes would meet and he would very dramatically sing “Here comes Miss America!” as I would do a little twirl and curtsy ended with a shared giggle between us. Once our jackets were hung up and all of the hugs were exchanged, Gompy would lead us into the kitchen and, with some sweet talking my mom into approving, feed us a large amount of sugar in every form one could conceive of. There were the soft peppermint candies in a bowl, the chocolate truffles on the coffee table, cake, the box of holiday cookies and then of course…Eggnog! When the time came to wash down the mound of sweets he fed us, I distinctly remember him insisting on us drinking our eggnog out of his very special crystal wine glasses. We would politely tell him that paper cups were fine and he would respond with an, “Absolutely not! You must drink out of these special glasses. It makes it taste better!” And I have to admit, in my 30+ years on this earth, I have never had a glass of eggnog that would even compare.  Come to find out, a professor at Oxford University by the name of Charles Spencer has spent many years studying this very topic! He and his cohort go by the title “gastro-physicists” and have studied in minute detail how we experience food and drink. They even wrote a book about it called, “The Perfect Meal”.
They are known for enjoying dishes that would make most of us cringe- for example; ice cream made out of grubs. Can you imagine?! But because they have learned how to soothe and excite all the senses during a culinary experience, they can genuinely enjoy many rather unique or originally unexciting dishes. They found that who we eat with, how food is arranged and described, the background noises and yes…even the texture and weight of plates and cutlery all distinctly affect the flavor of the dish or drink. When you sit down to eat with dishes made from clay, the tactile experience creates a feeling of home and nourishment. Perhaps it’s because we are indirectly connecting to nature; triggering a more say, “primal” response in our brains. There are many questions around what is actually being conveyed to the brain in these moments but some suggest that our biological history and makeup have a large part to play in our reaction to specific environments that remind us of our more indigenous times. However deep you want to go into this topic is entirely up to you, but isn’t it fun to know that with just a little extra thought and intention, we could possibly make a frozen lasagna taste like a comforting home-cooked meal? It just goes to prove that life’s joys really are made up of all the little things. ~Kayla Marie Marketing and Retail Store Manager  SEVEN LAYER BARS
1 Cup Butter ( 2 sticks) 3 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs 2 Cups Butterscotch Chips 2 Cups Chocolate Chips 2 Cups Coconut 2 Cups Pecans 2 14 oz Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk Spray 9”X13” cake pan with pan release. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl, add graham cracker crumbs and press evenly & firmly into the bottom of the pan without going up the side. Mix together chips, coconut, and pecans, then spread over top of crust. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake in a 325 degree pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.  We often get questions about Morris the Buffalo who watches over The Coffee Pot from his perch on the South Wall. As with most things pertaining to the Lockie family, Morris has a story, and here it is... My Grandma was one of 13 siblings and her parents moved to Miles City Montana before the turn of 1900. Her dad painted pin striping on wagons and later cars. Bert Clark, (my grandma's closest brother) started a small museum in Red Lodge, Montana. As he reached retirement age, he started parting with things offering them up to family members. My dad who has always loved buffalos ended up with Morris the buffalo. Morris was named by me and my siblings back when my dad brought him home; we named him "Morris" after both a friend of ours from our church and a favorite children's book of ours called "Morris the Moose" (Yup, we know that he's not a moose). Morris hung out in our house in Bozeman until my parents opened up the retail store on 191. They felt that Morris would fit nicely in the store keeping an eye on all of the pottery (in the early days there was no cafe, just the pottery retail store). At the time, I was living in Colorado, but I came up to help remodel the retail store, and put Morris in his rightful place. Kathy & I are thrilled that Morris gets to be a part of our story going forward. Josh
  Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Serves 10 1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 cup sour cream 2 1⁄2 cups bread flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract 1⁄4 tsp salt Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and sour cream, mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Cinnamon Filling 3⁄4 cups butter, melted 1⁄2 cup cinnamon 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour 3⁄4 cups sugar Add half of the batter into a well greased large cake pan, or parchment lined cake pan. Put cinnamon filling into the center, gently spread the filling. Top with remaining batter and spread to cover completely. Top with streusel . Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hr 30 minutes. After one hour check with a toothpick and keep checking until toothpick comes out clean Streusel 2 cups flour 1 3⁄4 cups sugar 3⁄4 cup oatmeal 1⁄2 cup butter, slightly soft Mix all streusel ingredients together with a mixer until mixture becomes fine  Whisk together: Coconut Cream Pie 1 1⁄2 cups sugar 3 heaping Tbsp cornstarch 1⁄3 tsp salt 3 cups milk Microwave 6 minutes on high. Stir, then microwave in one minute increments. Watch carefully to be sure it does not run over. Temper with: 5 egg yolks Microwave again for 2 minutes 20 seconds on high. Whisk in: 3 Tbsp butter 1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla 1 1⁄2 cups toasted coconut Add mixture into a baked pie shell. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and solid (not runny). Top with whipped cream: 1 2/4 cups heavy whipping cream 2 Tbsp sugar 1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla Sprinkle whipped cream with more toasted coconut to decorate topping "Cut my pie into four pieces. I don't think I could eat eight." - Yogi Berra  "We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie."
-David Mamett "There's no diet list I'll follow that would rule out cherry pie." -Edgar Guest "If you wish to bake a pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." -Carl Sagan  QUICHE LORRAINE Makes 1 Quiche in an 11”-12” Deep Dish Pie Tin 2 Egg Yolks 4 Whole Eggs 1 Cup Milk 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream Whisk eggs and egg yolks, add milk and whipping cream. Set aside. Use an unbaked pie crust, and add: 1⁄2 Cup Swiss Cheese Shredded 1⁄4 Cup Diced Ham 1 Tbsp Onion small diced 2 Tbsp Bacon crispy cooked Dash of Pepper Pour Egg Mixture over the top Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1⁄2 Hrs.  Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Makes: 15 cookies (5 oz) 3 cups butter 2 cups sugar 2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp almond flavoring 1⁄2 tsp salt 6 cups flour 3 cups pecans, chopped Cream butter & sugar, then add dry ingredients. Roll the dough into a 4 inch round log. Chill in refrigerator, then slice into 5 oz cookies. Place cookies on parchment lined sheet pan, or non-stick sprayed pan. Bake in a 325 degree pre-heated oven for 15-17 minutes until light brown. Yesterday, Josh and I walked into The Coffee Pot and the whole place was quiet and dark, except for one sound: the happy, positive voices of our team. The power was out. All the lights were dark, the music gone, the steady hum of the refrigerators and ovens curiously silent. And in the face of a situation that could easily be quite stressful, our team was calm, content, competent. They moved forward with a wonderful steadiness and grace. Everything became exponentially simpler, and was boiled down to the basics. One pot of hot coffee. Freshly baked pastries and pies. Offline, cash payments. Our café team continued to visit with each other and chat happily with our customers, just like normal. It made me realize even more what a special place this is. The focus is on real relationships and old-fashioned, person to person interactions, whether power is on or off. You can expect to walk into the café and see people engaged in conversations. Visiting, and enjoying each others’ company over tasty, homemade meals and pastries made completely from scratch. It is authentic and tangible, real, fulfilling. Reminders like this make me grateful to be a part of this team, and excited for the future of The Coffee Pot. May it always be a place to gather, visit, and engage in the meaningful relationships of life. And a healthy slice of pie doesn’t hurt either! Cheers, Kathy P.S. Thank to our wonderful customers, who handled the power outage with grace and flexibility, we are grateful!  Salmon Burgers:
Makes 4 patties or 8 slider patties 2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley 1 small shallot, finely diced 2 large eggs ½ cup panko breadcrumbs or bread crumbs of your choice ½ teaspoon cracked or coarse ground pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 lemon zested 4 tablespoons Dill Mayonnaise, recipe below 13 ounces canned Alaska boneless, skinless pink salmon, drained well 2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil 2 dashes of Tabasco sauce Dill Mayonnaise: ½ cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt ½ fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons fresh-diced dill leaves 1 small pinch of cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cracked or coarse ground pepper Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl; combine, parsley, breadcrumbs, shallots, eggs, breadcrumbs or panko break crumbs, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and Dill Mayonnaise. Add drained, canned salmon & mix thoroughly. Make into desired sized patties or slider sized patties, and then set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, over medium heat, then place burgers in skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned on both sides. Finish heating through, by baking in a 400-degree oven or 10-15 minutes, or until 160 degrees in the center. Add a dollop of Dill Mayo on top of salmon patty then serve on your choice of; a bun, slider bun, coleslaw, or mixed greens. Cabbage Cole Slaw: (optional) Salmon Patties may be served on top of slaw, or serve slaw on top on Salmon, inside a bun 1 head green cabbage, finely shredded 1 cup Greek yogurt 3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon granulated garlic ½ cup fresh herbs chopped; chives, parsley, cilantro (or a combination of all) 1 drizzle of olive oil |
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