A January to Remember As A Family

January over the last thirty years was just one of those dreary, dull months.  Honestly the only thing I looked forward to used to be snow.  I'm an outdoor, sunshine kind of person who rarely sits down.  So January, and all the cold and wintry weather, never suited me. Then we started showing our Hereford cattle, our girls got involved in the FFA and January changed dramatically.  January is now one of my favorite months and this last one will be one I will always cherish and remember forever.

Show season at our ranch involves a lot of time spent in the barn and prepping our cattle for the Fort Worth Junior Hereford Show and the National Hereford Show there as well.  For two weekends in a row we make the treck up I-20 to Cowtown and live there almost two weeks out of the month of January.  It's an intensive month full of Scott, Audrey and Steve washing, blowing, walking and packing show supplies up for both shows.  Bethany and I pack and bake sweets!  For the junior show Audrey can only take one heifer to show because there are so many juniors and breeds across the state of Texas showing.  For the second, following weekend of National Hereford Show, breeders from across the US bring both their bulls and heifers to compete in this highly prestigious show.  We try to stay well and not come down with the 'Fort Worth crud' from the constant changes in temperatures and being around so many people.  The flu has hit our nation hard this year and I've tried to keep our family both well and loaded with vitamins in anticipation of these shows.

Audrey's first Fort Worth Stock show and still one of my very favorite photos taken by a friend

Since our oldest daughter Ilissa started showing over 19 years ago, our first large show was the Fort Worth Stock Show. In those days we traveled with our local school's FFA team which numbered over thirty one head of cattle and kids.  Add in two to three family members in there and it was one of the largest groups in the state.  In those days we used to cook meals in the barn to feed our crowd at lunch each day.  Mr. Thomas' stew was always something everyone loved and then there was that one year that everyone made spaghetti...  He blended it all together in large one pot!  That recipe is one that will go down in history for our juniors!  The kids secretly went and bought baked potatoes, hid and ate that year.  They still talk about it to this day! Fun memories!

During those humbling years and the process of building our Hereford herd Ilissa and later our middle daughter Bethany showed with many last places, second to last and mid-class showings with their show heifers.  Each year we'd excitedly come back to Fort Worth ready to show their newest heifer once again or one that was still old enough to show from the previous year.  We were always excited to see old friend and inevitably made new ones.  Just the hard work and perseverance it took and taught our girls still amazes me to this day. Our two older girls learned a lot during those years with both showing on how to lose graciously. Gradually, step by step, our cattle after seven years started to build into a herd that was competitive on the state and national level.  You can buy your cattle all day long and I promise you we did that early on to build our herd. But a home-grown win is the best of them all!

Audrey showing NH North her heifer in the junior show at Fort Worth Stock Show

This past month while at the Fort Worth Junior Hereford Stock Show our Audrey earned an honor that as a family our ranch has never achieved. When the final handshake was given, Audrey and her heifer NH North were awarded Grand Champion heifer of the horned breed!  To say we were thrilled is an understatement and to say we are still reeling from it is even truer.  This win was the result of years and years of Scott's and our girls breeding program on our ranch.  Most special of all was that this win was the product of both the sire (father) and the dam (mother) also being bred on our place.  As a breeder the best feeling of all is when the win is with the lineage of cattle totally off your place.  For Audrey and our entire family that day, this moment was even more special because we shared it as well with our great FFA chapter who had helped haul our girls all over the state and country for many, many years.  I honestly don't think our older two daughters could have been more excited even if it had happened to them.  Both in their own rights have won Grand Champion at The State Fair of Texas (Ilissa) and Houston Livestock Shows (Bethany), but Fort Worth had always been something that had eluded us. We'd hit all around the grand championship with a few division winners and been in the hunt at this show, but never achieved what for us seemed the hardest nut to crack - Fort Worth Grand Champion.

Fort Worth Grand Champion Jr. Hereford NH North with Audrey, family and Ag. Advisors Sue Witt and Kyle Keahey along with Texas Hereford royalty. 

The smile on my husbands face said it all as you'll see in the pictures above and below.  He later mentioned that as he haltered Audry's calf as she left the ring and asked her, "Do you realize what you just won?", she grew a few inches taller and could also not take the smile off her face and was in total shock.  Her sisters later told me that they mentioned to Audrey she could just 'enjoy' coming to Fort Worth after this year - no pressure- because she'd just won the pinnacle in their eyes!

I love the quiet, intensity on her face in this shot

For me as the mom, what meant the most was having our entire family there with all our daughters and Scott to watch as Audrey won.  Along with our Ag advisers Sue Witt and Kyle Keahey there,  and family friend Taylor Shackleford too, was huge to Audrey.  And to our friends and family who texted, messaged and came by to congratulate us, thank you as well. Your support and genuine smiles and words of congratulations meant the world as well to Scott, Audrey and the girls and I.

Kyle Keahey, our Ag Adivisor with our family!  So proud he is in Gilmer and as Scott said,
got to clip the Grand Champion! A rare, full face Scott smile!

Audrey with Gilmer FFA Ag. Advisor Sue Witt and Kyle Keahey

The following weekend we came home, washed some laundry, tried to rest and then Scott and Steve left for Fort Worth again on the following Thursday after arriving home on Monday.  It was time for the National Hereford Show and the Texas Hereford Association weekend of socials, meetings and show on Monday.  My favorite weekend in January was finally here where we could relax a little, visit with friends from across the state and nation and most of all be with all our girls again.

This year was even more special as Scott and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary!  On my Facebook post when I mentioned our anniversary, I told him that I wouldn't have it any other way than celebrating at a cattle show as we had for the last 20 and said here's to the next 30....he then commented, "I sure hope we can still go to a cow show when we are 83!"  It's become a tradition to celebrate our anniversary with a family dinner at least one night while there bringing along friends that have come in to town for to come to the events of the weekend.  This weekend as in many past, we enjoyed having our cousin Jennifer and husband Andy join us at one of our favorite restaurants the Silver Fox.  Thirty years have come and gone by so fast, but I could not imagine being more lucky to have Scott and our girls.  We married young as everyone did in those days. Looking back he's been my rock, best friend, supporter and biggest encourager all wrapped in one rough and tough package. I love you Scott and here's to another 30 or more years!

Anniversary dinner at Silver Fox

Throughout the entire weekend and anticipation of the National Show on Monday, our families thoughts and prayers were gearing up for another big event in our Audrey's life, her district officer election that she would compete in that Monday immediately following the show in Fort Worth.  For a period of eight years as soon as the two oldest girls showed their heifers and bulls in the National Hereford Show, we jumped in the car and headed east to the Daingerfield District FFA Convention  in just enought time for our our girls to run for district officer. Praying all the way, the girls try to take a quick nap, then gear up for their speech and thought quesions on the stage that follow while I just seriously pray that we arrive safely.  I know I make our Ag advisor Sue a nervous wreck!

Audrey with all our Gilmer FFA Ag Advisors.
Selfless, dedicated and love all our in Gilmer like their own!

A huge part of our girls lives are and will always be the FFA and a tradition for them is running for leadership positions in our chapter and then district, area and state levels.  This weekend it was finally our Audrey's turn and we all could not have been more excited for her or anxious.

Candidate #5 Audrey Nolan from Gilmer FFA!

With our first two girls, the practice for their speeches and competitions were always a part of our nightly routine where they'd get up and say them during commercials or with anyone that would hear them.  Audrey is different however and prefers to practice in her own way, quietly and more intensive with a great deal of self reflection.  More like her dad in many, many ways, her style works for her, but makes her mom a little nervous!  However, by the end of the night and a stellar speech performance and question response, Audrey was name our Daingerfield District officer from over 15 neighboring chapter FFA kids!  Our goal was to just be an officer.  When her name was called out last, I've never seen our sweet girl more confident and proud of herself than that night.  

Audrey as Daingerfield District President performing closing ceremonies.

As she closed the convention as the new president, all the years of watching our two older girls came flooding back with a great sense of pride.  Audrey was following in her sister's footsteps, but making on her own place in the world, one step at a time.

All smiles and a huge thumbs up for our Audrey!

As I reflect on the last two weeks, I give credit to God first of all for holding us safe and allowing us to do what we do as a family.  The life we live is fast paced and full of love, laughter and lots of hard work.  Agriculture, our beloved Hereford cattle, their people, associations and the FFA have left indelible marks in our hearts and soul.  Each of these, without a doubt have shaped our daughters in to the young women they are and have become.  We could not feel more blessed and thankful.

For a month that used to be dull, January is anything but but that now.  This past January was one for the record books in our little family's lives and we realize more than anything the events of it were years in the making.

Alise Nolan
The Ranch Kitchen 

The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

Click here for the recipe for Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy

Every once in a while, we love our chicken fried steak.  It's southern comfort food at it's best and when served along side some mashed potatoes and gravy you have the perfect meal.  

On our ranch we of course use our Hereford beef raised on our place.  The flavor always shines through and it's great knowing we raised it ourselves.  

The trick to chicken fried steak is letting it fry at an even heat and not handling your meat too much once it is placed in the pan with the hot oil.  I use either water or milk in my batter as two different methods for battering your steak.  Both turn out great everytime.  Cast iron skillets are some of the best, even skillets or pans to use for chicken fried steak also.

To begin, first take the egg(s) and milk and best them together making a batter with a dash or two of hot sauce.  This is 'red' hot sauce like Tabasco Sauce that will give your egg batter a bit of flavor and add to the overall taste of your meat. We love anything spicy and since I use the hot sauce with my fried chicken tenders, I thought why not with my steak.  If you are measuring the dash of hot sauce it would be around 2 teaspoons or adjust to your heat index.  I've also used Chili Sauce some and it is just as good.  If you are out of milk, must use water and it's just as good.

Whisk the two together and and 'bread' the steaks in this order.  First dip the steak in the flour that has been seasoned with 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and 1 teaspoon of any brand of All Seasoning Spice like Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning or an all purpose steak spice covering fully (mix the seasonings well with the flour) and then placing in the egg and milk, then back in the flour.  Place immediately in the hot vegetable or Canola oil that has been heated to around 350 degrees Farenheit or a medium heat. The steak should sizzle when you place it in the skillet and not smoke. If the oil smokes, then turn it down and allow it to cool before you place your battered steak in it.

My rule of thumb on frying steak is to allow each side to side to fry for one minute, then gently turning with tongs.  Don't stab at the meat as you turn it or you will cause the crust to tear off the sides of your steak.  After you've turned the steak once, you then allow the steak to fry for 3 - 4 minutes per side until the crust is a light or darker caramel color (that is light brown).  

Take out steaks immediately allowing the excess grease to drip back into the fying pan before placing on two paper towels to drain excess oil.  Season with an additional - light sprinkle of extra garlic salt and allow to cool. 

Continue to fry all steaks until they are finished.  You may have to add more oil to the frying pan as you go. If you do this allow the oil to heat to the correct temperature before frying the rest of you steaks.  You can also keep them warm in your oven on a heat proof dish on the warming element of your settings.

Click here for the recipe for Chicken Fried Marinated Deer Steak - 

another way to fry up a family favorite! 

For the gravy:

Once all steaks are fried, carefully pour all but 1/4 cup of oil out of the frying pan in a heat proof dish and heat oil to just smoking.  You'll want the small left over cooked bits of steak batter to stay in the pan with the oil to help 'season' your gravy.  Add to the hot oil your water or milk that has had 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour added to it and whisked together until smooth.  Pour this milk/water and flour mixure into the hot oil and continue whisk to blend together.  Allow mixture to come to a light brown color (usually takes one minute) and bubble as it boils.  Then add 2 more cups of water and continue to cook on a medium heat, whisking continously.  Season as you whisk the gravy with extra salt/sea salt or black pepper.  

Some people prefer milk to water in their gravy.  Either way, this gravy is so delicious and easy to make.  It just takes time and watching your gravy and not leaving the pan as it continues to cook.  You can add more or less water or milk to make to the desired consistency/amount of gravy you'd like to serve. 

Spoon the gravy over your steak and mashed potatoes for the perfect dipping sauce! 

You can use this chicken fried method or fying steak with chicken, pork, deer/venison, goose or dove.  It's great with any meat you chose to batter and fry up in this way.  

With this meal above is also my recipe for my Sure is the BEST Broccoli Rice Casserole that is my husband's favorite.  This side is usually what I prepare for his birthday dinner each fall or as a special side at the holidays.  

Hope you'll give my chicken fried steak and gravy a try.  In a world where we don't fry things near as much as we once did, it's a welcome treat every once in a while to enjoy a little chicken fried steak. Because after all, it's comfort food... and sometimes that is reason enough!

Happy frying!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen 

The Ranch Kitchen's Mojito Lime Fajitas with Spanish Rice Especial and Refied Beans

This week's been a whirl wind of state testing in Texas and continued rain storms with a tornado thrown in.  We've been blessed with tons of rain the last few months, but we are now officially saturated and trees from the winds these storms and tornadoes produce are making havoc on our power lines and century old oaks and hardwoods.

The Ranch Kitchen's Mojito Lime Fajitas

The other night before the power went out yet again from another spring storm, I quickly prepared these simple Mojito Lime Fajitas, my Spanish Rice and Refried Beans.  With our Certified Hereford Beef we raise off our ranch and the special skills of our meat packers the Barnes who cut my skirt steak into bites sized slices, my beef cooked in not time.  And the McCormick Mojito Lime seasoning isn't just a marinade!  These fajitas were the best I've ever had..and we eat Mexican food a lot in our little corner of Texas!




The rice and bean recipes are simply doctored up versions that we think make them taste even better.  I'm always about adding a pinch of this and that to spice up my cooking!





The Ranch Kitchen's Spanish Rice



 

The Ranch Kitchen's Refried Beans Especial

Hope you'll give these recipes a try. Also, please check out the the wonderful new Certified Hereford Beef site for more wonderful, healthy recipes! 

Remember...no one said cooking had to be hard!

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen

Fort Worth Stock Show, National Hereford Show Weekend & Sure Champ's 'Sweet Treats' Blog Post

Our January was full once again this year and we love it that way.  It's completely exhausting and we miss a little bit of school and work, but the memories we make will be priceless one day. 

It's all business in the ring for our girls and especially Audrey!

Starting out with with the Fort Worth Jr. Livestock Show, our Audrey showed her Hereford heifer NH Miss Anabelle to much success.  Fort Worth has never been the easiest show for us to even place well in.  We've had some last, second to last, and more fourths, thirds and fifth places than I'd like to remember.  But with those finishes are the learning curve and realization that we don't win them all and it's one judges opinion for one day in the ring.  I want to make a tshirt one day that simply states.... 'Different Judge...Different Day.  Today I was second, tomorrow Grand Champion!' 

Showing NH Miss Anabelle to a Division Championship!

That exact qoute pretty much sums up my middle daugther Bethany's freshmen year when a second place heifer in Fort Worth garnered a Grand Champion win in Houston. Different judge, different day for sure and we realize with each show that this is just how it is.  It's not about the ribbons, but how you got there with your family in tow.

So this year we were thrilled with our first Division Championship in the Senior Hereford Heifer with Audrey's heifer.  It'll be Anabelle's last show as she is heavy bred, but she has been the type of heifer we felt confident in Audrey showing win or lose because of her temperment. 

Audrey at the Fort Worth Jr. Hereford Livestock Show.

A bit weary and with the 'Fort Worth Crud' (that's the term for a cold from the show barn), we turned around the next weekend and returned to Cowtown for the National Hereford Show weekend with a full line up of our Texas Hereford & Polled Association, Texas Hereford Auxiliary, and Texas Pollette meetings.  Audrey serves this year as our Texas Hereford Sweetheart and got to assist with the Commercial Heifer Show, Replacement Heifer Sale, Cowtown Select Sale and our annual meetings all weekend long. 

I was extremley honored and humbled to be asked to be the speaker at my Texas Hereford Auxiliary Annual Meeting and tell about the process I went through beginning my The Ranch Kitchen Blog and adding my additional recipe site.  It was fun to get to tell about my recent Chobani Greek Yogurt  - #Delicious Bowl challenge for the Super Bowl and to also thank them all for their support over the years for my blog and site.  Special thanks goes to Tonya Perez and Nia Hill of Agtown for helping me created my additional recipe site to seamlessly merge with my blog.  These families, our events and their impact on my cooking is undeniable.  It's the truest compliment when a Hereford junior like Ryon Cox continually tries my recipes while off at Texas A&M and messages to let me know.  And to my daughter's added surprise when their friends tell them, 'Hey, I made your mom's recipe!' 

It's also fun each year to know that my Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd has become a favorite and expectation on Sunday for lunch.  It's certainly not the easiest thing to plan and cook to feed the mounds of people we do on this day, but it's filled hungry kids and dad's tummies and made memories we wouldn't trade for.

This batch of Chicken Spaghetti weighed seriously 60 pounds. Thank you Ryon for not dropping it!
As you said, you would have NEVER have lived it down!

 

This momma also enjoyed dolling up her newest teenager  Audrey in her new blazers, hat with crown and sash this weekend as Texas Hereford Sweetheart.  It's not always easy getting ready in a barn, but we've learned to adapt over the years and pull it off.  I'm so glad daddy doesn't mind all the 'hair and makeup' over these last 27 yeards of marriage and kuddos to him for being the most wonderful example of a husband, dad and friend. We celebrated 27 years the Thursday he left to go back up to the Open Show and I'm looking forward to many more ahead with God's will.

We loved having Ilissa's friend Stewart with us for the weekend! 

Hannah Schneider our Texas Hereford Queen and Audrey as our Texas Hereford Auxiliary Meeting. Hannah has been so great with Audrey!

Each Grand & Reserve winner this weekend
received this beautiful Henry rifle specially made for the
Texas Hereford Association.

All our Texas Hereford and Polled Queen's, Sweethearts and Princesses along with Katie Nolles our National Hereford Queen holding the National Hereford Women's Original Oil by Bud Snidow which
was auctioned off at the Cowtown Select Sale.

National Hereford Show Texas Hereford Royalty

 

Thanks for Jack Chastain for this family shot during the Texas Hereford Social.

Happily, we closed our weekend with a Reserve Division in the National Hereford Bull Show with our newest bull NH Bam Bam with half interest while there sold to Langford Hereford Ranch of Oklahoma.  Audrey loves her bull Bam Bam (can you tell she named him) and was not very happy with her father for the partnership until she realized she couldn't show him at our state and Jr. National Hereford Expo this summer. 

As a ranch we are very excited to have our bull show this next fall at the National Hereford Shows and are excited about our newest partnerships with Langford Herefords. 

NH Bam Bam recieves a first in class and Reserve Division at the National Hereford Show shown by Langford Herefords.

Had to snap this of my husband Scott.  Very rarely will you find him without
dirt or God knows what else on him. Hard working for sure and this picture
taken just after getting the cattle show ready!







Holding those Grand and Reserve banners.







Grand Champion Drive - with NH Bam Bam to your front far left.  Proud, proud moment!


This Monday, as soon as we arrived home and Audrey began to catch up on her homework and came down with the 'vicious virus' as I hate to call it, I sat down finally to finish my Sure Champ Blog for February.  I decided to share dessert recipes that we take to our stock shows each year that everyone seems to enjoy.  These are also recipes that I have made for Valentine's Day parties, and are easy to transport and keep well for the week in my big black 'meal' box on wheels.  Years ago my husband surprised me with my box for all my cooking aparatuses and home baked goods.  Because of it I'm more organized at shows and can do my part in serving our family and friends over a cookies or my Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd. 

My Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd with Bam Bam looking on. 

So now as I sit here blogging about my week, I realize yet again how very lucky we are to be a part of the agriculture and Herford family.  It's full of work, we spend probably way too many weeks and weekends away from home, but it's afforded our girls a work ethic and friendships that will carry them through their lives ahead. 

Friend Eric Debord, Scott and Steve our Ranch Manager
looking on as their kids show in the National Hereford Show.

Our next big show will be the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and I'm already planning toward it.  Warmer weather and spring break looks pretty good to this true southern girl who's a little tired of the cold winter we've experienced so far. 

Before the Grand Champion drive...one last moment to visit.



It was great having Katie Nolles back in Texas as our National Hereford Queen.  She did a wonderful job all weekend and always represents the Hereford breed so well!

 

So enjoy February and Valentines Day.  And if you are knee deep in stock show season like us, best of luck! 

And we hope you'll try some of the sweets on the Sure Champ blog Recipes from the Ranch post for this month entitled 'Sweet Treats for Your Sweetheart'.  None of these recipes are difficult to make and we promise you'll love them as much as we do.  It's been a lot of fun blogging for Sure Champ VitaFerm this last year! 

Click here for the Sure Champ's Recipes from the Ranch 'Sweet Treats for Your Sweetheart' February Blog post!

Happy Valentines Day from our ranch to yours!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

One of the very newest additions to our Hereford family is Bode, son of dear family friends Jason and Jaci at his first National Hereford Show in Fort Worth!  He was a trooper and slept through much of the show.