This author is the founder of RAMM Fence and Stalls. She shares her thoughts from the daily life of over 32 years at RAMM.
This time of the year, the smell of burning leaves is strong in the Ohio evening air. Our sweaters are being pulled out from a summer’s rest.
At RAMM, the cool winds make us pretty hungry after being outside for extended times. And we have some traditional dishes and foods that really hit the spot after loading and unloading trucks and cleaning stalls on the property. Weekends give us more time for creating inspired and involved recipes, and we want to share some go-to foods that get us all warmed up and happy on the inside.
Breakfast
As we say, we have to get up and get ‘crack’n – daylight is burning – so our favorite breakfasts can be rather simple. Many of us like our coffee strong and black. Some of us have chickens and the old time bacon and eggs never tasted better. Some of us like Barry Bagels and cream cheese, a local favorite, or a Protein smoothie, to get us off to a strong start.
Below is Debbie’s secret Smoothie recipe (never before published):
Debbie’s Get crack’n, – Daylight is Burning Smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ c. unsweetened coconut milk
- 7-10 strawberries (more or less depending on your preference)
- ½ c. blueberries (more or less depending on your preference)
1 scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder. (I like Biopharma’s Nanopro Protein Powder, Nano greens) - 1 scoop Collagen
- 1 tsp. Tumeric
- 1 tsp. Flaxseed
- A pinch of bee pollen
- About ¼ c ice
Directions
Add all together in blender (Bullet or Vitamix)
After mixing…
I add raw honey, from my bees.
You can use any fruit you like to personalize it to your taste. You can remove any ingredient that isn’t your taste and your Smoothie will be just as good! This one gives you good things for the day. The turmeric helps sore joints from riding and other ingredients will carry you with good energy.
Lunch Favorites
Cranberry Bread, Turkey Sandwich
We love turkey and chicken –
- Find the nicest Cranberry-nut bread you can
- Add thin sliced turkey and stack it!
- Blue cheese crumbles
- One piece of lettuce
This is a simple sandwich, but really fulfilling. Use cranberry sauce, mayo or olive oil for a condiment. Substitute sharp cheddar or swiss if desired. Change it up with Argula instead of plain lettuce. You can make this tasty sandwich into whatever your hearts desire. Pair it with kettle chips or popcorn to finish off your meal.
Hot Panini
- Your favorite bread
- Your choice of stacked lunch meat
- Sharp cheddar cheese.
Pre-Heat your Panini press*. Be sure it’s hot, but not so not to burn your sandwich. Place the sandwich in the press and close the lid. Wait for the desired number of minutes – and plate it! Use your favorite condiment on the side to dip your sandwich into. Try marinara, aioli, sriracha – or some of us like Hatch salsa.
* If you don’t have a panini press, you can use any heat-safe weighted pan to press your sandwich down into a cast iron skillet or pan. Even a foil covered brick works! Flip to get even browning.
Supper
Supper can get tricky when you are working and tired from a long day. But here are a few of our simple favorites that can be made earlier or quickly put together.
White chicken chili – Our favorite on a cold day
- PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
- 2 cans (15 oz each) Great Northern beans
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- Sour cream and lime wedges, optional
Directions
- Step one
Spray inside of 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place 1 can undrained beans in slow cooker; mash with potato masher or spoon until smooth. Drain second can of beans. Place beans, chicken, undrained tomatoes, broth, onion, cumin and oregano in slow cooker; stir to combine. - Step two
Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours. - Step three
Remove chicken and pull into shreds with 2 forks. Return chicken to slow cooker; stir to combine. Serve chili with sour cream and lime wedges, if desired.
Hot Dogs and Baked Potatoes
We all like the Kirkland Signature all Beef dogs that Costo has in the food court. We put about 50 of them hot in a roaster when we do our office lunches. But you can put yours in a pan with a lid. Soft buns and 
all the toppings you may like. Tony Packo’s hot dog sauce is our favorite. Tony Packo’s originated in downtown Toledo. I remember my parents taking me to the original restaurant. Try onions and condiments. And we like the Hatch salsa for these too.
We make baked potatoes ahead of time too.. In the roaster. We serve cheese, chives, onions, chili sauce, peppers, sour cream.. It sounds so simple, but all of us at RAMM say it’s one of our favorite meals!
Plan a ride and make your food ahead, go out on the trail or invite friends over for some simple, stomach filling food!
