Spotlight and Giveaway: Beau: Cowboy Protector by Marin Thomas

The Number 1 Diner

In Beau: Cowboy Protector, the heroine, Sierra Byrne, owns and runs the town's diner.  Here's the back story behind the Number 1 Diner in Roundup, Montana.

The city of Roundup, MT was incorporated in 1908 and was built, owned and operated by the Republic Coal Company—aka the St. Paul-Milwaukee-Chicago Railroad. The first mine opened was known as Number 1, which was found at the base of the town, later moved south of the Musselshell River (the river was named by Lewis and Clark). A total of seven mines went into operation, but of those only four were good producers. The coal was shipped to South Dakota once mined, to power the railroad’s ventures.

When the book opens….Sierra's parents had died in plane crash five years prior and Sierra had used her inheritance to relocate to Roundup and open a diner.  Up until then, Sierra had run a catering business in Chicago—she's a graduate of the famous Le Cordon Bleu Program in Chicago also known as CHIC.  Sierra's mother had been born and raised in Roundup and Sierra had spent her summers growing up at their family cabin along the Musselshell River.  Since her great-grandfather had been a miner at the Number 1 Mine for years and had died when one of the mine shafts flooded, Sierra decided to name the diner in honor of her great-grandfather and the other miners who'd perished in the flood. 

When Sierra began her search for the perfect property to open a diner it turned out that the old newspaper building in town was for sale.  (The building had been used by A.W. Eiselein who began publishing the Roundup Record-Tribune in 1908.  The tribune has since become the oldest newspaper in Montana published by one family.)   Sierra got a great deal on the property and used the lower level of the building for the diner and the upper level as an apartment for herself. 

Here's a photo of downtown Roundup from years gone by, which helped me visualize the area while writing my book.

Photo Credit 

The sign above the diner door is a larger-than life coal bucket with chunks of coal spilling out…at night the coal chunks glow red. 

Photo Credit

 The inside of the diner is decorated with old mining artifacts from the Number 1 Mine and several framed photographs of the deceased miners. 

Photo Credit

Decorating the lunch counter and tables are miniature coals buckets, which hold condiments.  The booth tables are sparkly red Formica with black leather seats…same for the lunch counter and the floor is black and white tiled linoleum squares and of course the diner has a jukebox!  

Photo Credit

  

Weekly Specials at the Number 1 Diner

Sunday: Roast Tip Sirloin of Beef Au Jus

Monday: Club Steak Sandwich

Tuesday: Meatloaf

Wednesday: Beef Stroganoff

Thursday Stuffed Peppers

Friday Chopped Steak Sandwich

Saturday: Homemade Beef Potpie

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Beau's favorite meal….Roast Tip Sirloin

  

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds sirloin tip roast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Trim excess fat from beef. Mix salt, mustard, garlic powder and pepper on waxed paper. Pat evenly over beef. Preheat a heavy skillet over high heat. Spray bottom of skillet with cooking spray; immediately add beef. Sear approximately 2 minutes per side. Be sure there's a nice crust before turning over.  Place beef in a roasting pan.
Blend ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine; pour over beef. Place in oven. Roast for 11/2 to 2 hours or until very tender. Remove beef from oven and let stand for several minutes. Cut into slices.

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Beau's favorite dessert…Peach Cobbler

 Ingredients

8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges, 1/4 cup white sugar,1/4 cup brown sugar,1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon,1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg,1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice,2 teaspoons cornstarch,1 cup all-purpose flour,1/4 cup white sugar,1/4 cup brown sugar,1 teaspoon baking powder,1/2 teaspoon salt,6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces,1/4 cup boiling water, MIX TOGETHER: 3 tablespoons white sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined. Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

Giveaway: I will be giving away a copy of my Harts book Beau: Cowboy Protector and John Wayne Playing Cards to one lucky Winner. 

To Enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter Form Below and post a comment:

Have you ever eaten at an  old-fashioned diner?  If you did, what was the décor like? 

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***** HARTS Blog Giveaway Alert : There will be a new giveaway posted here every week, where I will be giving away a copy of Beau: Cowboy Protector + Texas Gift to one lucky winner.

PLUS a GRAND PRIZE of $25 GC and a copy of Beau: Cowboy Protector to one lucky winner. ****

(To be eligible to win grand prize - you must have posted a comment on the weekly blog post)

About the Author

Marin Thomas Best-selling Harlequin author Marin Thomas grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. She left the Midwest to attend college at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she played basketball for the Lady Wildcats and earned a B.A. in Radio-TV.  Following graduation she married her college sweetheart in a five-minute ceremony at the historical Little Chapel of the West in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the years she and her husband and two children have lived in seven different states but have now come full circle and returned to Arizona where the rugged desert and breathtaking sunsets provide plenty of inspiration for Marin's cowboy books.  Beau: Cowboy Protector is Marin’s 22nd book for the American Romance line. For more information on Marin’s books visit www.marinthomas.com and stop by her blog, All My Heroes are Cowboys, www.marinthomas.blogspot.com where Marin chats about the men who wear Stetsons and Wranglers