Siblings Claire and Wiley Kelley of Potomac pose with Cowboy Claus, Nov. 23 at Ovando's Old West Christmas Fest.
M&M the donkey was very vocal throughout the Old West Christmas event filling downtown Ovando with his hee-haw. M&M belongs to Cindy Meiler from the Jacobsen Ranch. He's being held in this photo by Susie Gehring of Lincoln.
More than a dozen vendors filled the Ovando School for the annual craft show. Instead of fighting the crowds to do their Christmas shopping, attendees bought Montana-made items and supported local businesses.
The gingerbread house making sold out this year with creations including 41 houses, one lean-to and an A-frame. With more than 20 different items to decorate the graham-cracker houses, it became a creative adventure with no two houses the same. Siblings Nic, Isabel and Xander Kesterke from Seeley Lake came to Ovando's Old West Christmas for the first time this year. They loved making the gingerbread houses.
Cyd Kats helping three-year-old Peiton Bisom of Big Timber, Mont. make an icicle ornament. Bisom is granddaughter to Karalee Slaght of Ovando.
Ruth Weis moved out of the Sheep Wagon into a large wall tent and continued to offer her infamous burritos.
Spanish cross meat goats Shep and Blueberry from the Baldy Mountain Ranch in Lincoln were quite the attraction in the petting zoo. Susie Gehring said she bottle fed the two goats and they are great with children. This was the first year for the petting zoo.
Blackfoot Commercial Company owner Fred Valiton and organizers Eloise McNally and Norma Bauer presented Breakfast Casserole Cook Off winner Margaret Bauer a $25 gift certificate to the Blackfoot Commercial Company. Margaret encourages anyone who enjoys cooking to enter next year's contest. "It's not just for people from Ovando." Every year the competition changes so watch next year in early November for the featured dish.
OVANDO - Ovando's Old West Christmas Fest returned to the Friday after Thanksgiving drawing many families from all over the western part of the state. Signs leading up to and throughout town exclaimed "Fun." The smiles and laughter were contagious as everyone participated in all the different activities offered.
There were three entries this year in the Breakfast Casserole Cook Off. Despite voters saying how hard it was to choose, Margaret Bauer's Breakfast Casserole, labeled #1 for taste testers, received the most votes. She beat out Karalee Slaght's Sausage and Gravy Breakfast Casserole (labeled #2) and Angela Williams' Apple Fritter Breakfast Casserole (labeled #3) for the $25 gift certificate to Ovando's Blackfoot Commercial Company and eternal bragging rights.
Margaret said it was a "tried and true recipe" she got from her mother Norma Bauer. Since Margaret said her mother "made me do it," it was very fitting that she won.
Taste testers commented they liked the little spice in Margaret's casserole which Margaret attributed to the sausage she used.
This year there was a petting zoo with M&M the donkey and goats Shep and Blueberry. The craft fair at the school offered ample opportunity for everyone to get started on their Christmas shopping and support local businesses
And true to tradition, Jean Pocha led the gingerbread house making, Cyd Kats offered ornament making at the Blackfoot Community Church and B & C Outfitters from Lincoln gave horse-drawn wagon rides.
It was truly "fun" for the whole family.
The Taste of Ovando Breakfast Casserole Cook Off Recipes
Margaret Bauer's Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
8 slices of bread
2 cups shredded cheese
2 pounds link sausage
4 eggs
2 ¼ cups milk
¾ tsp. dry mustard
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup milk
Cooking instructions:
Cut sausages into 1/3 and brown. Cool.
Tear bread into pieces and put in bottom of buttered 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle cheese on top. Put cooled sausage over cheese.
Beet eggs slightly with 2 ¼ cups milk and dry mustard. Pour into pan. Refrigerate overnight.
The next morning – mix the cream of mushroom soup with ½ cup milk and pour into pan.
Bake at 300 for 1 ¾ hours. When done, the casserole will begin to pull away from the edges and the soup won't wiggle.
Karalee Slaght's Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
12 ounce of buttermilk biscuit dough
6 eggs
1 (2 ¾ ounce) package peppered gravy mix (makes 2 cups)
1 pound sausage, any flavor
1 cup cheese, shredded
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 pan.
Brown sausage in skillet and drain thoroughly.
Cut the biscuit dough into 1 inch pieces and line the bottom of the pan.
Layer cooked sausage over the biscuit pieces, layer shredded cheese over sausage. Whisk eggs and milk, add salt and pepper and pour over biscuit/layers.
Make gravy according to instructions, and pour over everything. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until eggs and biscuits are cooked through. Serve warm - leftovers are excellent too! Serves 8.
Angela Williams' Apple Fritter Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
5 granny smith apples peeled, cored & diced
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
6 large pre-made croissants chopped into chunks
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup cinnamon apple sauce or apple butter
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/8 tsp cinnamon
¾ cup powdered sugar
4 Tbsp heavy cream
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375
In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir until incorporated. Add cinnamon and nutmeg, mix well.
Add diced apples and stir to coat. Simmer mixture for 5 minutes or until apples are soft and desired texture.
In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and water. Mix well then add to the apple mixture and stir well. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a 9x13 casserole dish, lay out croissant pieces, spreading out so they cover the bottom of the pan. Top croissants with apple mixture, spreading evenly over croissants.
In a separate bowl combine heavy cream, apple sauce, eggs and cinnamon. Mix well. Pour mixture over the apples and croissants.
Bake for 25 minutes.
When removed from oven, allow to sit for 5 minutes.
While casserole is cooking mix heavy cream and powdered sugar. Drizzle casserole with icing and serve.
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