What is a Cosie?

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

Sometimes spelled Coosie, the word Cosie comes from Cosinero or the Spanish "Cocinero." The Portugese spell it "cozinheiro," but it all means one thing:

The cook.


The ONE person no one dared to anger. We've got a lot of cooks here in CAS City, most of them are irritable, moody, wonderful, and fun. We never know what they'll come up with next, all we can do is hope the newest batch of whatever does not contain castor oil!

So, by request, Marshal Halloway has created this area for them and us.

Thanks, Marshal!



AnnieLee

[Russ T Chambers]

Sometimes spelled Coosie, the word Cosie comes from Cosinero or the Spanish "Cocinero." The Portugese spell it "cozinheiro," but it all means one thing:

The cook.


The ONE person no one dared to anger. We've got a lot of cooks here in CAS City, most of them are irritable, moody, wonderful, and fun. We never know what they'll come up with next, all we can do is hope the newest batch of whatever does not contain castor oil!

So, by request, Marshal Halloway has created this area for them and us.

Thanks, Marshal!



AnnieLee

Just remember if the recipe is posted by Del, check the ingredients.  They may have some archaic name for castor oil. 

[Delmonico]

Nope, as far as I know they just called it castor oil.   Now if you all look sickly I'll have to give you "Cod Liver Oil."

Thanks Marshall I'll be back in a day or too and add some interesting stuff, or at least I hope it's will be interesting. 

I found a paper in the drawer at work the other day that I forgot I'd wrote, I'll post it, it's on the history of Chili acording to what I understand.

I hope I don't run into one of the irratable cosie's, but I know the truth as to why folks got the idea they were.

[Advertising]

[Trinity]

Unless you discover some sort of alternate existance, you will never be able to run into yourself. 

[Silver Creek Slim]

Thanks fer this place, Marshal.
Thanks fer agreeing to head it up, Cuz.

Slim

[Singing Bear]

Haven't checked in in awhile.  Good to see something new.  Always like the recipes the others post and look forward to Del's bits of food history. 

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

Howdy, Singing Bear, it's good to see you again!

I'm still out here and still singing the praises of the combined fruit cake of you and Forty Rod.



AnnieLee

[Delmonico]

Two weeks ago I had that paper in hand, then I had a few hours to prepare for my hospital trip, in a fog of pain meds I put some stuff away for safe keepin', I know it's safe where ever it is.

[gophergrease]

Cosie's at work

[Tensleep]

There is a song by Utah Phillips that talks of ol' coosie... also called "the old woman" on a trail drive.

The Goodnight-Loving Trail

Too old to wrangle or ride on the swing,
You beat the triangle and curse everything,
And if the dirt was a kingdom, you'd be the king;

Chorus: On the Goodnight Trail, on the Loving Trail,
Our old woman's lonesome tonight.
Your French harp blows like a lone bawling calf;
It's a wonder the wind don't tear off your skin,
Get in there and blow out the light.

With your snake oil and herbs and your liniment too,
You can do anything that a doctor can do
Except find a cure for your own goddamn stew; (Cho.)

The cookfire's out and the coffee's all gone,
The boys are up and we're raising the dawn;
You're still sifting there all lost in a song, (Cho.)

I know that someday I'll be just the same
Wearing an apron instead of a name,
And no one can change it and no one's to blame;

The desert's a book wrote in lizards and sage,
It's easy to look like an old torn-out page,
All faded and cracked with the colors of age; (Cho.)

[Silver Creek Slim]

That's great, Sleep. 

Slim

[Uncle Eph]

Ten, that really blows me away.  I was going to suggest that old Utah Phillips song as a theme for all the Cosies that lurk around here and not 5 minutes ago I looked up a site to copy the lyrics and I came here and found your post from a few weeks ago, you did good.

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Ole Slick an' Greasy cooked for the Bar U
He made dough-gods too tough to chew
His frijoles rattled in the pot
His chili sauce was too damned hot
His coffee was bitter as alkali
Mean as hell, he'd spit in your eye
Sixshooter slung low on his hip
No cowboy gave him any lip
We ate his grub sweet as pie
Better do that than to die.

Caint hep but think a ol Del ever time I read that.

[Delmonico]

I never carry my six'gun when cookin' but I got an awful mean lid lifter.

[Silver Creek Slim]

I never carry my six'gun when cookin' but I got an awful mean lid lifter.

Runnin' iron ya mean. 

Slim

[Delmonico]

Does double duty, loked for the Sherriff of Keith County (Oglalla Nebrassky) at the state fair to see if I was still banned from his county, but he wern't gonna be there till late afternoon.

Yep I'm banned from two counties in Newbrassky fer carrin' a runnin' iron.

[Delmonico]

Ya'll ain't got enough sense to not pick on a Cosie, well there is the other side of things ya know.

Cookin' ain't an easy life, if anyone should ask,
But cookin' for a cowboy crew, is a down right thankless task.

The eggs get broke, the biscuits burn, the griddle won't get hot,
Try bakin' apple pie some time, when apples you ain't got.

I fixed the boys all French cusine, with fancy wine and such,
The alll held the guts and moaned, they didn't like it much.

The boss he held his plate aloft, as if he fished it from a sewer,
And they all said my meal tasted like somethin' that means manure.

They hurt my feelings they did, I almost walked away,
Then I remembered revenge is sweet, they'll be another day.

The idea it came to me in the middle of a drunk,
I'd fix those ignorant cowboys, I'd feed them all a skunk.

One day I found a polecat layin' in the road,
I boiled him up that afternoon, along with a horny toad.

That night I piled their tin plates high, just for a joke,
Them heathens ate it all and stretched out for a smoke.

Cookie they said, you finally learnt to cook,
Can I have the recipe, did you get it from a book.

They never found out and I ain't tolt them yet,
'Bout the night the feasted on critters, tha ought not be et.

Cookin' is a thankless task, it's not an easy life,
But be thankful that I ain't yer wife.

BTW this is called The Cooks Revenge and I can do it by memory

Plus one more by memory

Carnation Milk, the best in the lan',
Comes to you in a tin can.

No teats to pull, no hay to pitch,
Just punch a hole in the son-a-b......

[El Peludo]

Some purty good stuff, here.  Now I'm gonna poke the bear - all in fun, mind.

When I first saw this thread, I said to meself: "Self, ain't a "cosie" one o' them quilty things that wimmens wraps theirselfs up in to keep comfy?  Or, maybe it's one o'them covers fer Granny's tea pot?  But, then I realized that this was spelled different.  To compare to a modern equivalent, a "Cosie" is sort of like a "den mother" for a bunch of Cow Punchers; he takes care of them, from feedin' 'em, to doctorin' their owies, to truckin' their gear from day-to-day.  He's an absolute necessity to the cow drive, old time, or modern. 

When I used to help work the yearlings and calves, we had a Mexican gent who the rancher hired to feed us; we called him "Cookie".  Since we were working in a fixed area, we didn't have to have our gear carried along, and his field kitchen was set up in one place, and used some modern equipment, but for the rest of the setup, it was probably a lot like the old days.  He did cook in iron over an open fire, as well as using a big three burner propane stove, and a big smoker barbecue, and there was a "fridge" built into the back of the truck, and run by a dedicated generator.  He put on a really good feed.  If there were enogh hands to take care of the work in the corral and pens, I'd volunteer to help "Cookie", rather than beat myself up fightin' them "COWS", with all of the dirt, blood, and "stink" that went with the job.  This was something that I did "recreationally", one time a year; sort of a break from the life of building stuff.

When I was a kid, my folks had a friend they called Cosie, or maybe it should be Cozy.  He raised rabbits for market, and a couple of times a year, we'd go to his place, and he'd butcher a mess of rabbits, and there would be fried rabbit dinner; mmm-mmm-good.  So, I suppose he was a sort of "Cosie" after all.

Just a bit of ramblin', there, folks.  Thanks for lettin' me carry on like that.

[Delmonico]

I'm plannin' on goin' out and cookin' at a roundup or two in the next year or so.  Just because.  Now I've cooked fer a lot of livin' history folks, but a ranch roundup or two needs done.

[Delmonico]

Was listenin' to the news a bit ago, heard sumthin' that made me think not only is it not wise ta mess with a cosie, but ya might want to be careful on board a ship.


The poor cook he caught the fits,
Threw away all my grits,
Then he took and ate up all of my corn.

From "The sloop Johm B.