Do you want to build a snowman? Game Day Chili recipe.

By Joan Ruskamp, CommonGround volunteer 

We recently got hit by the fourth snow event in two weeks and I just had to take advantage of the wet snow by building a snowman.    I don’t remember the last time I made a snowman because when it snows here my time is spent moving the snow out of the way.    My husband is especially sensitive to songs like “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”  and “Let it snow” because snow means more work. 

When we get a snow event there are several jobs that have to be done.  First the roads must be cleared so that the feedtruck and vehicles can get around.   The next job is getting the bunks clean.  We have a very nice piece of equipment that makes this job much easier than when we had to scoop them all with a shovel.  The bunk blower works well unless you get really wet snow.  Really wet snow usually melts or it has to be scooped.

After the cattle are fed and cared for we get to work removing the snow or piling the snow that is in their pens.   The snow eventually gets hauled out so that the pens can stay dry.  When we get wet snow we keep the cement areas cleaned off and put some type of bedding material down so they have a dry place to lie down.

I have always been amazed at how quickly cattle adjust to weather changes.  They seem to adjust the quickest to cold weather.  Cattle are often seen running around in the snow, kicking up their heels and playing like children.   My favorite sight to see is when they are laying down soaking up the warm sun on a cold day.

One of our favorite meals to enjoy on a cold day is chili soup.  I have a recipe that has gone over very well with our family and when used at large gatherings.  Here is my recipe: 

Game Day Chili 

2-pounds ground beef
1-46 ounce can tomato juice
1-27 ounce can Bush’s Chili Beans
1-tablespoon chili powder
1-tablespoon onion flakes

Brown the ground beef with onion flakes. Turn crock pot on high and pour in tomato juice and beans.  Drain hamburger and add to crock pot. Sprinkle chili powder on top and stir mixture.  Leave on high for 1 hour or low for several hours. Toppings that go well are shredded cheddar cheese with crackers or corn chips.  It is a tradition in our community to serve cinnamon rolls with chili soup.

Cheeseburger Quesadillas - Harvest Meal On-The-Go

Harvest has started for many farm families in Nebraska. Most farm wives have many jobs on the farm and especially many jobs during harvest. Sometimes that is driving the combine or the grain cart, taking the semi full of grain to the co-op or bringing a meal out to the hard-working harvesters. 

A simply, yet hearty meal that works on-the-go is great to take to the crew. Sandwiches will do, but its fun to get creative and make the guys happy to take a break from bringing in the harvest. And sometimes something warm seems to keep them fuller for longer.  

Enjoy this Cheeseburger Quesadilla recipe - fast to make and easy to put in foil to take out to the crew in the field. Or just for a great family meal at home - kids love it!

**Featured on Her View From Home thanks to CommonGround Nebraska.**

Cheeseburger Quesadillas

A hearty meal that is a family (and kid!) favorite!

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped

1 pound Ground Beef

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

¼ cups Ketchup

¼ cups Real Bacon Bits

Salt And Pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

2 teaspoons Onion Powder

4 whole Large Flour Tortillas

2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 tomato, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

Vegetable Oil For Brushing

Red Crushed Pepper Flakes For Sprinkling

Directions

In a large skillet on medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and allow them to cook for about 5-7 minutes until they become translucent. Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon or chopper. Cook the beef and onions together for about 10 minutes or until the beef is thoroughly cooked.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Once the beef is cooked add the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, bacon bits, salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder and stir until all is incorporated. Allow the mixture to simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes.

On a large baking sheet, lay out 2 tortillas. Take half of the burger mixture and spread it evenly on each tortilla. Top it with as much cheese as you like and add the chopped tomatoes and peppers. Put the other half on top of the burger mixture. Brush the top with oil and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the tortilla shell becomes nice and crisp and the cheese is bubbly. Remove it from the oven and place pan on a rack. Let quesadillas sit for about 5 minutes to cool down then use a really sharp knife or pizza cutter and cut into triangles. You should get 4 large pieces out of both of them.

Where's the Beef?

By Joan Ruskamp, CommonGround Nebraska volunteer

Some of you might remember the slogan Wendy's used in 1984 with Clara Peller exclaiming "Where's the beef?" As a woman that loves to eat beef I am asking that question in regards to the new recommendations to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines .  The new recommendations are not recognizing that beef can play an important role in a healthy diet.

I have to admit I have not always appreciated the nutrient dense food that beef is.  When I was taking aerobic dance classes in the early 1980's I was eating salads and avoided eating meat.  I had the misperception that meat made people fat.   I struggled to be satisfied with the foods I was eating which meant I usually reached for sugar loaded snacks to get me by thus sabotaging any attempt at weight loss.  I gradually came to appreciate the nutrients in calories and how important that is when maintaining or trying to lose weight.

Ironically, no pun intended, beef is quite loaded with nutrients important to good health.   If you are concerned about building muscles, maintaining brain function, having a strong immune system, utilizing oxygen more effectively, increasing your energy, protecting cells, supporting your nervous system, maintain strong bones and teeth and help in converting food to energy than you would benefit from keeping beef in your diet.

If you compare beef to other foods you will see how much you would have to eat to get the same amount of just one nutrient versus the big ten in beef.  A 3-4 ounce serving of beef is about the size of your iPhone and that will give you those top ten nutrients including HALF your daily recommended amount of protein needed.  A four ounce burger at around 170 calories paired with tomatoes, lettuce and cheese is a great alternative to a sugar cookie that has the same amount of calories and very little nutritional value.

As a mom on a farm that raises cattle I was fortunate that our children were able to enjoy beef as part of their diet.  Our children were active, healthy and have become successful in a variety of career paths.  I am also active in the care of our cattle on our farm and have come to appreciate the role beef plays in agriculture.   


Where's the beef?  It's here and I hope it's on your plate tonight! And here is a great recipe to make it easy to love beef….BBQ style. As May is Beef Month, we have a lot to celebrate with beef production being so important to Nebraska, and it being healthy for your family and you!

{BBQ Beef Sandwiches}
Ingredients

• 3-5 lb beef eye of round roast
• Mike’s Own Seasoning (made in West Point, Nebraska but found at numerous locations)
• -- Or combine Lowry’s seasoning salt, Accent seasoning, Lowry’s garlic salt with parsley
• BBQ Sauce
• Buns

Directions

1. Generously rub the seasoning onto the beef eye of round.
2. Preheat your grill around 300 degrees. Do not put the beef on direct heat (read how to indirect grill here).
3. Keep on the grill until the internal temperature is just to 140 degrees. This usually takes around 2-3 hours.
4. Check often and turn the round if needed. Make sure beef is not overcooked. (Works great on a Traeger or wood pellet grill – but works on a gas/coal grill as well).
5. Take off the grill as soon as it reaches 140 degrees. Let sit five minutes before slicing.
6. Slice and serve immediately with your favorite BBQ sauce and on a bun or without.

Happy Beef Month!

Meaty-Friday: Meat prices + recipe

It’s no secret that Americans love their meat. In fact, a recent study by the NPD Group-Chicago, found that more than 60 percent of Americans eat animal protein in a typical day.

Recently, however, many meat-loving Americans have experienced sticker shock when they visit the meat counter. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts beef and veal prices to increase by 8-9 percent by the end of 2014, compared with 2013. Pork prices could rise by between 7.5 and 8.5 percent.

So, what’s behind the increase? There are several contributing factors, including:

• Effects of drought on cattle herds in the plains and western United States. When drought hit many major cattle-producing states in 2011, the grazing space for cattle greatly decreased. This forced many farmers to sell their animals to be processed. The high cost of feed for cattle further contributed to smaller herds. This decreased the supply of beef available, while demand has remained high. Herd sizes have been slow to rebound and are currently at historic lows, similar to those in the 1950s. That’s because it can take 18 months for a calf to reach market weight.
• Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv). This pig virus is responsible for millions of piglet deaths in the past year. Hog farms in more than 40 states were affected by the illness that is most fatal to newborn pigs. Farmers tried to compensate by raising their animals to heavier weights, but only partially compensated for the losses. Hog supplies are now back on the rise, but pork prices will continue to be higher until supplies get closer to meeting demand. PEDv poses no risk to other animals, humans or food safety.
• Rising demand for protein from U.S. consumers. The protein power movement is gaining traction here in the U.S. which means greater demand. This can be seen in reports from companies like BB& Capital Markets and NPD Group and in the menus at Taco Bell, McDonald’s, KFC and Panera.
• Rising middle classes in Asia, Africa and South America. A growing number of people around the world are eating more meat today than in years past. As the global population and individual incomes rise, so, too, does meat demand.

Over on the CommonGround Nebraska blog today is a great, meat-filled recipe that is budget friendly, easy to make and kids love it. Enjoy your weekend and whip up these Kid-Friendly Beefy Spaghetti Cups!

Have additional questions about how meat gets from the farm to your table? Click here to learn more about the farmers who raise beef, pork and turkey.

Corn Bake Recipe

CommonGround volunteer and farm mom from Waco, Nebraska, Lana Hoffschneider, was recently featured on a Nebraska food blog, Stirlist.com with her Corn Bake recipe. She shared how she would feel if somebody called her farm a “factory farm”.

“I don’t want people to see us as monsters. It bothers me when people say that. What makes a farm a factory farm? Using large equipment? We use equipment to be more efficient, which reduces waste. Why in the world would we want to return back to what we did 100 years ago? We can’t produce enough food without the advantage of economy of size. It’s not bad to question where your food comes from, but you should base your food choices on fact, not fear.”

Why are people making food choices based on fear instead of fact?

“People fear what they don’t know or understand,” said Lana. She then described that because of activists turning to blogs and social media, it has caused terms like GMO (genetically modified organisms) or words like “hormones” and “antibiotics” to become buzzwords that stir up fear.  ”They are buzzwords that create fear of the unknown, but facts will dispel those fears if people are willing to look for the facts.” Perhaps you’ve heard about GMOs and have been led to think they are harmful? Did you know over 1700 studies have confirmed the safety of GMOs?

Lana also said that her confidence in grocery stores has greatly increased since she started volunteering for CommonGround Nebraska. She actually buys all of their food from the grocery store (except the meat that comes form their own cattle in the feedlot) because she’s confident that the grocery store provides safe, healthy, and nutritious food.

Enjoy Lana’s Corn Bake!

Lana’s Corn Bake

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small white onion (diced)
• 1 small red bell pepper (diced)
• 1 small green pepper (diced)
• 1 stick butter
• 1 package jiffy corn muffin mix
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 4 oz light cream cheese
• 2 cans no salt added corn (drained)
• 3 eggs

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Melt 2 Tb butter over medium heat and then sauté onions and peppers. Cook and set aside to cool.
3. In a mixing bowl combine leftover butter (6 TB), corn muffin mix, cheese, light sour cream, light cream cheese, the 2 cans of drained corn, and eggs. Add sautéed onions and peppers.
4. Pour mixture into greased casserole dish, 9 x 13 pan.
5. Bake 50-55 minutes.