Recipe's from the Ranch' - Grillin' That's Better The Next Day on Sure Champ's Blog for March

As a rancher and advocate for agriculture, I know first hand how beef has helped shape our lives.  Raising our own Certified Hereford Beef on our ranch allows our family the benefit of taking part first hand in the daily process of knowing where our beef comes from.....aka 'ranching heritage'.  Knowing beef producers from across our nation affirms our pride in the US beef product because we've also witnessed how when it comes to feeding the world as they do, both safety and a great tasting and lean beef product are paramount for these ranchers, their associations, and on the state and national levels.  

This month for Sure Champ's Blog and my Recipes from the Ranch blog contribution I chose to showcase a few meals we prepare using left over CHB steak and brisket.  These recipes are quick and easy to make.  A little thinking ahead by grilling or smoking extra beef the weekend before makes these dinners come together in a snap allowing the cook (me) the ability to not spend all their time in the kitchen!

 Sure Champ's Brisket Stew

You can click here at Sure Champ's Recipes from the Ranch Grillin That's Better The Next Day's March Post for three recipes for Sure Champ's Brisket Stew above, and The Ranch Kitchens' Brisket Fajitas and Beef Stroganoff from both grilled steak and brisket below. 

  The Ranch Kitchen's Brisket Fajitas

                

The Ranch Kitchen's Beef Stroganoff

As the temperature warms finally here in Texas and spring begins to peak it's head out from behind the clouds, do your best to get out and grill!  Make enough extra beef to help plan your week aheads meals.  And all the while as you are planning ahead remembering that no one ever said cooking had to be hard!  It's just takes a little planning ahead that will result later in some great meals with minimal effort and overall savings of your hard earned cash in the process!

Enjoy!

And in closing from my favorite television commercial....Beef.  It's what's for dinner!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen




Tailgating Recipes from the Ranch on Sure Champs Blog today!

Our annual tailgating picture!

 

 

 And a fun weekend was had by all!  This past weekend we hosted our annual Nolan Family and Friends Tailgate in College Station, Texas at Texas A&M University!  This annual tradition is now going on 8 years strong and it's a favorite thing for us to do each fall while watch some Fighting Texas Aggie Football!

For this month's Sure Champ Blog submission of Recipes from the Ranch, I decided to share our weekend and foods with our readers!  Tailgating has become an institution in the south, be at a high school, college or even pro parking lot.  It's a time to feed the masses before, during and in our case again after the game.  More than anything for our family it's a way to connect with our daughters and their friends becoming a part of their college experience.  Tailgating at Texas A&M has brought us closer to our daughters, their friends, our friends and given us memories we will never forget.

Our first experience was probably the funniest when we smoked out a neighbors RV from our smoker's smoke....he woke up in the middle of the night thinking his camper was on fire, until he smelled the BBQ smell!  We made friends with him and his entire family by inviting them to tailgate with us and thankfully they forgave us! 

One of our favorite memories was our every other year Texas A&M vs. Texas Thanksgiving Tailgate when Scott and the girls.....shh.....slid down a certain 'mountain' there on campus....we don't have much snow in southern Texas, but a plastic tub and a little ingenuity made for a fun night and some soaked kids!

This past weekends tailgate was another winner and the men decided to go with the 'surprise' factor or what they probably thought was the 'wow' factor and serve along side my husband's famous catfish, some fried froglegs.  Not many of the women ate them, but the men tore them up! 


For dessert we had fried apple, pecan and peach pies that will now become a tradition!  Oh my...these were like the best thing ever and a great idea by our friend David.  We couldn't have put this tailgate on without his help, his wife Kelly's (their remoulade sauce and fried pie idea), Tim and Erin Lockhart and their Cattle in Motion TV's & fajita lunch, and Ken and Felicia Marks (her wonderful dips and dessert) and all these sweet couples foods they brought!  These men and their Cajun Cooker/fryer have definitely gotten their system down and fed over eighty hungry kids and parents with the ease of seasoned cooks! 
 

                       The cooking crew! We couldn't have done it without David and Ken!

 

The night was a cold one for Texas and for those who stayed behind to watch the game outside our RV, we all covered up in the blankets I had luckily stashed a year before.  A husband should never underestimate why a women packs as much as she does and always remember that her wisdom will eventually shine through!

 Our girls and their friends!

 

 

My cousin Krissy and I!

I hope you'll stop by the Sure Champ's Tailgating Recipes from the Ranch Post today and check out some of the best foods we shared this weekend while there in Aggieland!  These dishes aren't just for tailgating, but for anytime you feed a crowd or want something fun and different to serve at home!

Enjoy and have  fantastic start to your fall!


Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

Special thanks to Gayla and Kelly for their help! 

 Ryon was the first to rsvp and we are so glad he and his family came!

                                                             My dear friend Dena.

 The Lockharts - center - were awesome to help us host!

 Our Williams family friends who are faithful TRK followers! So proud Catherine is an Aggie ZTA now!

 

Our dear friend the Marks who helped so much!

 

Gig'em Aggies!

Sure Champ and The Ranch Kitchen's 'Recipes From The Ranch' August State Fair Post

It's up!  My newest 'Recipe from the Ranch' on Sure Champ VitaFerm with ideas to feed your hungry crews at state fairs across the USA! 

One of my very favorite times of the year is State Fair of Texas!  It just brings together all my favorite things that scream Texas like foremost showing our Hereford cattle and getting to see samplings of our state at it's best in our various exhibits and events at our state fair deep in the heart of Dallas, Texas! 

State Fairs across our USA are well underway as I write this blog post and most kids, moms and dads involved in agriculture in one way or another have worked long hours preparing their market animals, show heifers and market projects for this fun event.  It's a huge homecoming of sorts for families and a way to showcase their families farm, ranch and or homegrown produce.

In Texas it's a huge array of events like the Texas OU Football weekend where their football teams battle it out in the Cotton Bowl!  My favorite event each year is not the football game but when our beef heifer show falls on this weekend and we get to watch as the band from the two opposing teams 'battle it out' on the grounds by our barns!  How neat is that?  It's a memory I know my girls, husband and I enjoy each year. 

I also love getting to taste the newest fried food sensation like fried Twinkies, Oreo cookies and even fried bacon!  And my favorite thing to do each year is of course go by the Go Texas Pavilion and buy those 'Texas' made products to take home and enjoy with my family. 

The quilt shows, gardening displays and culinary exhibits are also some of my favorite places to visit as well and just being a part of the mass of people, smells and taste are a true thrill for me each year. 

State Fairs are a slice of Americana that each person should enjoy a few times in their life if not every year!

For this month's August post for Sure Champ VitaFerm's Recipes from the Ranch we chose to highlight foods that could feed the masses and crews that each family who shows or exhibits at state fairs could easily serve their families!  Thank God for electric crockpots and roasters as they help us take a partial kitchen to these shows.  With an army of helping hands and cooks in the forms of moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles we feed not just the animals each day but the hungry kids and adults as well!  The friendships I've made over a huge vat of chicken spaghettiand my Italian green beans are too many to tell by now and I wouldn't trade those times for anything! 

Today I share several recipes with you below that I hope you'll try at your state fair or your next show on the road or for your families at home.  These recipes are great for pot lucks or church gatherings and especially easy to make for a crowd when you double or triple these recipes! 

Please check out my newest post August Sure Champ VitaFerm Recipes from the Ranch Blog Post for these recipes below off my site The Ranch Kitchen.  Click on the links below each recipe to take you to them.

Sure Champion Crockpot Peach Cobbler

 

Slap Your Momma Pinto Beans

Virginia's Mexican Cornbread

 

 

Magic Cookie Bars

 

 

Have a great month and state fair season! And if you are in Texas...we'll see you at the State Fair of Texas!

 

 

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

July Sure Champ VitaFerm Recipes From The Ranch Blog Entry

We are home!  Home sweet, Texas home!  Another Jr. National Hereford Expo is behind us and we  made memories to last a lifetime again!!

Our Audrey thrilled us all with her Reserve Champion in Jr. Showmanship and loves her belt buckle prize and new halter!  Her heifer About Time helped her achieve this huge honor and we couldn't be more proud of her!  It's every showman's secret desire to place in showmanship on the national scale!

Our Audrey and her buckle she won for winning Reserve Jr. Showmanship.  Showmanship contest in cattle shows judge the showman and how they handle their heifer in the ring.

We are so proud of her! 

A special thank you to Live Auction TV for broadcasting this contest so our big sister at home could watch her win! Thank you also to Sullivan's Show Supply for once again sponsoring this great contest!

Also a HUGE than you to the American Hereford Association, National Jr. Hereford Association and Amy Cowan their Youth Director, and the National Hereford Women for once again putting together another great show. To the Delegations from the eastern states and especially Pennsylvania, the Howe and Firestine families, thank you from the bottom of our hearts and stomachs. The meal plans, barn facilities and your beautiful area of the country are forever etched in our memories as a Jr. Nationals and cowcation we will never forget!  And to Diane Johnson for manning our HYFA Club!  You all deserve a standing ovation!

And last and certainly not least a special thank you to the team at Sure Champ VitaFerm for once again helping sponsor the Jr. National Hereford Expo and therefore enabling our future generations as you do!  It's an honor and a privilege to say I get to share recipes on your site, but most importantly the you impact so many families in such a positive way!  Rest Team Sure Champ....your summer has been a busy one!

Check out my newest blog recipe entries for Sure Champ VitaFerm at Recipes From The Ranch!  You'll find my linked recipes here (just click on colored name link in this sentence) for Sure Champ Pico de Gallo, our new Sure Winner Peach Ice Cream and The Ranch Kitchen's Garden Squash and Zucchini all with a Sure Champ theme!

Enjoy your summer and for those of you now officially off the show road for a small break...rest, and remember the reason we do this show thing is that while spending the quality time and funds that it takes, ultimately raises hard working, self sufficient kids and allow us to continually advocate agriculture.

 Its takes a lot of time in the barn and time in the trim shoot to get our heifer 'NH About Time' ready for the show ring!  A special thank you to the crew at Rainbow Cattle Company, Mark, Jade, and Chad for their care of our cattle and working so well with especially our Audrey and our family on this long trip to Pennsylvania and our first time to let someone else haul our Hereford cattle!  This allowed for some much needed family time and sightseeing!  

This final shot was on our last day of showing thanks to my friend and supporter Stephanie Keahey of Texas! She captured a sweet, sweet moment between our daughter and her dad. 

A picture I like to think that puts what we do as a family all in perspective!

I will always cherish this photo! Thanks Stephanie!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

A Southwestern Meal for Sure Champ VitaFerm's Blog Collaboration with The Ranch Kitchen

 

 

Today is my first recipe post for Sure Champ VitaFerm!  I am really looking forward to posting on their blog once a month creating and sharing my favorite recipes with a Sure Champ VitaFerm twist! 
 

This weekend I created some new recipes that I hope their readers and mine will enjoy.  Please stop by and check out my post for them at http://blog.surechamp.com/ and their other great post they share almost daily. 

A special thank for their confidence and trust in me as we begin this fun journey together!   It's my hope that my recipes will inspire others to cook for their family and friends and enjoy how foods brings us all together!   

 

VitaFerm Ranch Enchilada’s
 

2 - 3 cups chicken, or (beef or turkey) cooked, shredded (can chicken was used for this recipe today)

2 cans Rotel Tomatoes with cilantro and lime juice, not drained (reserve 1/3 can) – you can substitute one can of Rotel Tomatoes for chopped tomatoes with bell peppers if you want to control the ‘heat’ of this recipe

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water or chicken broth

1 package of flour tortillas cut or torn in to 2 x 2 inch squares - I love Mission Tortillas

1 tbsp. Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cups shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese or Mexi-blend cheese by Kraft

In a large bowl blend one can Rotel Tomatoes, soups, water and seasonings together.  Add your chicken that has been shredded with a fork or by hand and blend well. 

In a greased 9 x 13 inch glass casserole dish place one can of Rotel Tomatoes and spread over entire casserole dish. 

Add one half of tortillas cut in 2 inch strips. 

Add to this 1/3 of soup and meat mixture. Sprinkle 1/3 of cheese over this and top with 1/2 torn flour tortillas. 

 

Layer 1/3 soup mixture once again, and then sprinkle with cheese and 1/2 of torn or sliced flour tortillas. 

Last place remainder of soup/chicken mixture on top of that last layer of flour tortillas and cook uncovered in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling in the center. 

The last five minutes place the remaining cheese and allow it to melt.  Cut in to squares and serve.

Servings:  12

***You can also play with the soups and substitute a can of cream of celery for the cream of mushroom for a different taste.  When you live in the country and run out of what you need for your favorite recipe, you have to improvise sometimes!! 

***Side note for parents who serve crowds food this summer at National, Regional or State Shows or for large gatherings.  VitaFerm Ranch Casserole is easily double or tripled for a crowd and can be cooked in large roasters at shows. We did just that at our Jr. National Hereford Expo in Tunica, Mississippi many years ago to rave reviews!  Just make sure that you spray your roaster well with cooking oil and add a little extra water or chicken broth. Do layer your casserole, but realize that you will have to occasionally stir the mixture so that it does not stick.  Do not add the cheese in this dish until the last thirty minutes as it will stick.  If you find the mixture starts to stick or get a little crusty (burn), just add more water or chicken stock and remember to turn down your roaster on low or warm heat.

 

Proven Winner Ranch Kitchen Salsa

1 can Roasted Tomatoes with garlic

1 onion, quartered (I prefer a sweet onion like a Vidalia or Texas A&M 1015)

½ bunch of cilantro, fresh

1 jalapeno seeded and cut in fourths (if you like your salsa hot, don’t take the seeds out)

1 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon garlic salt

black pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, place tomatoes, seasonings, onion, jalapeno, lime juice and seasonings. 

 I use a fork to get the juice out of my limes and lemons.  Just fork almost all the way thru and turn...it's that easy!

 

Pulse salsa to desired consistency in blender or food processor. We like our salsa a little on the chunky side, so we only pulse about five times in one second intervals. Serve with tortilla chips or on the side of fresh peas or southwestern dishes!  Enjoy!

Servings:  8 

 

The Sure Champ Rancharita!

2 parts Minute Maid Limeade Frozen Concentrate, prepared – about 2 ounces

1/1/2 ounce Tequila, (Jose Cuervo Silver is recommended)

1 ounce orange juice

1 ounce Shiner Bock Amber Beer (a great Texas beer)

3 slices of jalapenos, seeded or left with seeds depending on the degree of ‘heat’ you like

Sliced limes

Cayenne pepper

In a medium sized glass filled ¾ full with ice.  Place one slice of jalapeno, then pour limeade, tequila, orange juice, Shiner Bock Amber Beer, and finish off with one last slice of jalapeno.  Pour into a shaker and shake like crazy.  Top the rim of your glass with margarita salt or cayenne pepper like we did for an extra punch!  Pour back into your glass, garnish with a lime and enjoy!  The addition of beer makes this drink have a wonderful froth! 

The recipe above is for one drink. 

This is now my new favorite drink and was perfect with Tex-Mex or Southwestern flavored dishes I made this weekend!

Special thanks to Gerald Jones of Los Pinos Ranch Winery of Pittsburg, Texas and my daughter Ilissa for the inspiration for this great drink idea! 

If you've never been to their great winery in the midst of the East Texas Pine trees, then you are truly missing out!  Check out their site at  http://lospinosranchvineyards.com/ .  Our favorite wine of theirs is the Rodeo Red! 

Enjoy!