Drawn from the author's ongoing column in TrueWest Magazine, this cookbook combines myths, nostalgia, and legends with usable, delicious, and fun recipes for use at home or on the trail--all with a western theme. Readers will be surprised to learn the stories behind some of their favorite recipes, and they'll find inspiration from the days of cooking along the trail or in the old iron cook stove in these dishes interpreted for a modern cook's kitchen.

America’s chefs and cooks have been serving meals to their customers since this country’s early beginnings. Many created their own recipes based on available ingredients, creativity, or at the request of others. Some also took humble home recipes and made them their signature specialties. Many of those culinary treasures have become synonymous with certain hotels and restaurants in America. Many have become household names, but their origin has slipped back into history. Signature Dishes of America captures nearly 100 of these well-known dishes and their origins. Some, like Eggs Benedict, Prime Rib, and Key Lime pie were created decades ago and are mainstays in our culinary world today. There’s also dishes like Los Angeles’ Brown Derby’s Chiffon Cake whose recipe was created by mistake or how Tucson’s El Charro’s Tia Monica Flin accidentally invented the chimichanga. How many people have eaten one of these historic foods and wished they knew more about them or be able to make them at home? This collection of recipes and their background is a tasty way to share some amazing American food history and culture.

While a few people called the area we know as Cary home in the 1700s, it was not until 1854 that signs of a village began to appear. The enterprising businessman Allison Francis "Frank" Page bought 300 acres on which he operated a sawmill and did some farming. The railroad soon reached Cary, and in 1868, Frank saw the opportunity to start a new venture and built a hotel, which served meals and provided accommodations to train passengers. Cary was incorporated in 1871. By 1880, there were nearly 300 residents, and by 1930, that number had tripled. The timber industry kept Cary alive, as well as cotton gins and other manufacturing businesses. Cary had a private boarding school by 1870, and in 1907, it became the first publicly funded school and attracted students from around the state. Doctors, lawyers, merchants, churches, and many other businesses sprang up. However, it was the creation of Research Triangle Park that caused Cary's explosive growth.

Filled with more than 150 recipes, anecdotes, and stories from some of America's most popular writers and personalities, this collaborative effort has a writerly sensibility and a Western point of view. Including recipes for drinks, appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and fun extras-as well as stories from and profiles of the contributors, this is both a Western book and a cookbook that moves beyond the genre.

When most people hear the name Earp, they think of Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan, and sometimes the lesser known James and Warren. They also had a half-brother named Newton, who lived a fairly quiet, uneventful life. While it's true these men made history on their own, they all had a Mrs. Earp behind them--some more than one. The Earp men, starting with the patriarch of the Earp clan, Nicholas Porter Earp, did not like being alone. Nicholas Earp was married three times, with his last marriage being at the age of 80 his bride being 53. Three of his sons would follow their father's lead and marry more than once. It's also possible these Earp brothers had additional brides or lovers that have yet to be discovered One could argue some of these women helped shape the future of the Earp brothers and may have even been the fuel behind some of the fires they encountered. This book collectively traces the lives of the women who shared the title of Mrs. Earp either by name or relationship. The name Earp has stirred up many a historical controversy over the years, from false photos to false accounts and so much more. With any history, there is bound to be controversy simply because it can be a jigsaw puzzle.