Houston for Spring Break and the Chicken Spaghetti Saga Continues....

March is here and with that is our annual trip south to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  Each spring our show season for the winter comes to an end with our cattle at one of the biggest shows in the nation in H-Town. Houston is the culmination of show season for many kids from our part of Texas as our county fairs are held in the fall of each year.  Houston with it's big city lights, world famous rodeo and livestock shows are always a great way to ring in our spring break even with a few hiccups here and there.

So thankful for sweet friends who capture the picture off the internet for me of the live show feed!

Pulling into first place in her class!

For more years than I can honestly count, our girls have shown in Houston with our Hereford cattle and competed in their Agricultural Speaking Contest.  With the show usually falling right smack middle of our spring break, it's always been a blessing that our girls did not have to miss school.  One side bar of competing at these events is making sure your first priority of your education is taken care of. Thankfully our little district and our great teachers understand whole- heartedly realize the premier growth and leadership opportunities that our kids get to experience from these contest. So, ultimately when school is missed as this week when spring break fell a week later than Houston for us, they are more than accommodating and supportive our our FFA students.  Not every school is that lucky and thank you to our administrators and our fantastic teachers!

These girls are just going in and coming out from speaking as I type this post!
Wishing them all the best at the largest speaking contest in the USA!

This past week our daughter Audrey and our Gilmer FFA show team traveled to Houston to compete in the Junior Beef Heifer Show with her Hereford female, NH She's A Treasure.  From the name you can tell we think a lot of this new little heifer and she was a substitution for the show due to her heifer she had previously won Grand Champion with at Fort Worth calving with her little bull calf.  She's A Treasure has been up in our barn since she was weaned and it a heifer we are all excited about.

Waiting to take backdrop photo.

Audrey's first inaugural show with her went surprisingly well and she garnered a Division Championship in the middle division. With three divisions chosen, this meant that Audrey and her calf were in the Grand Champion drive again for the year.  That in itself was very exciting for our Audrey and family to have happen twice in the same year and something we honestly do not take for granted. It's taken a lot of years to breed our cattle to what we hoped would stand well in the ring.  All those last placed, second to last and middle class placings built character, perseverance and helped build our cattle herd in the process.  Our girls have learned that the lessons you learn first in the barn are those that carry you forth in the ring and later on in life.  For all those times, we grew as a family and slowly, slowly built our herd to one that thankfully was more competitive and above all else docile enough that we knew our daughters could handle them in the ring.  Our Hereford breed has given us more than we could have ever imagined over the years.

Two Houston H's. One for 1st in class and then the second for Division Champion.

Family photo with another smiling shot of dad!

Audrey and Ag. Advisor Kyle

Audrey with Bethany

Audrey with Ilissa

Audrey and proud Scott

As always at these shows, it is a tradition of mine to cook one day. Each year I plan, purchase, prep and pack everything we need in my big, black, cooking box on wheels.  Years ago I remember how excited I was when my husband Scott came dragging in the barn my first black box on wheels proudly smiling and saying, "Here you go!  Your very own cooking box on wheels!"  Now, some women might not have been as thrilled as me with a cooking box to store their wares, but cooking is and will always be my way to share and give to others.  So this rolling cooking box was definitely one of my favorite gifts he has ever given me.  To date I have cooked my fair share of meals for our hungry show team and fellow Hereford friends with this year was no exception.  However, what we didn't realize initially was what was left at home...

Chicken spaghetti is on! This was on my Instagram story for Saturday.

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Unloading at any stock show is a big event.  Trailers line up the night before, sit through until the light of dawn and gradually begin to file into the barn as the rooster crows.  This year much to our delight, dear family friend Grant Bitner made sure he was on the Houston Livestock Show Volunteer Welcoming Committee and had not one, but three tractors to unload all our gear.

Wish you could see a larger, more expansive picture of trailers unloading...

Grant, Grant as we call him has been one of our oldest daughter Ilissa's dearest friends since they were Texas FFA State Officers together their freshmen year of college.  They just clicked, attended Texas A&M together and has remained a dear family friend ever since. Grant and the over 40,000 volunteers for the three weeks of this event, make the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo run like none other for no pay other than the thank you from participants and visitors.  I am always amazed at the time and effort this show puts in to making everyone feel welcome and the world class event anything associated with HLSR is.  Thank you from all of us!  You all make this show a pleasure to attend each year!

Our Grant, Grant - Grant Bitner! 

This year after everything was unloaded and Scott walked in to check our stalling location, he called me a little frantic as my Bethany and I drove down after my work at 8:30 p.m.  "You're not cooking chicken spaghetti this year if we can't find your roaster!", he boomed over the phone.  I was like surely we packed it and he said he thought he saw it unloaded and placed out back with our table and chairs.  Many years before sadly, my favorite portable rocking chair had been stolen.  In my heart of hearts, I hoped this was not the same thing happening again.  Scott continued looking and Bethany started Googling for a Walmart on our route.  I knew innately how hard it was to buy one of these large 'turkey' roasters out of season and knew if we found one, we'd be lucky.

You see the saga of the chicken spaghetti was striking again!  First it was Fort Worth and now it was like the Houston of a year ago all over again.  Chicken spaghetti lunch was becoming more of a hassle than a positive.

Click here for the recipe for
The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd" - jumbo version!

Several years back while at Fort Worth, they stopped letting us cook in the barns to allow more money to be spent with the food vendors on the site.  While we all understood that, it just made us get a little more creative in how we fed our hungry crews of kids and adults.  One year in an effort to get my chicken spaghetti cooked in and in the barn and cooking it in the rental house before, I may or may not have parked my car just outside our barn and left it for a few seconds to cart in my roaster...  Just as I rounded the corner to our stalls a very overzealous police officer told me to move my suburban now or go to jail.... I was like seriously, I'm going to jail over my darn chicken spaghetti, this can't be real. Anger, tears, a few words about power going to someones head came out of my mouth and thankfully when I looked behind me after a feverish prayer, the cop was gone.  For the next few days the barn superintendents were so apologetic to me and thankful they also got a few bowls of my chicken spaghetti!  They are more hardened criminals running the streets than a woman carting chicken spaghetti in to a barn I promise you!

At Houston thankfully they still allow us to cook for our students in the barns.  We now have been moved to the outer edges and loading dock walkways to set up our 'camping' areas as they call them, but I am not complaining.  Each year mom's rush to find the spot with electrical outlets to plug in Crock Pot after Crock Pot.  Just this past years as I was cutting up my chicken spaghetti's onions, out at of the corner of my eye here come the Fire Marshall.  I thought, "Oh, good Lord....why me"... and yep, they were coming just for me out of an entire row a football field long line of mom's with Crock Pots and roasters!  I guess I must look approachable, but after they told me I had to turn off my roaster because I needed a surge protector, I quickly went into Moma Bear mode and pointedly told me if I went down, every lovely lady on the entire block was going down! I had some seriously hungry kids from the barn and especially their dad's would be sadly disappointed if they did not let me continue to cook.

As the saga continues this year, finding a plug meant cooking on top of the cooler for a bit to find a hot electrical outlet!  And yes...Fire Marshall found me again and I had to move.  LOL! You have to laugh...because in the grand scope of things, it's all small stuff!

Audrey and her fellow district officer Anna eating my chicken spaghetti!

I think as women get older, we don't take as much off people as we used too.  That day, as I turned to face a group of several maintenance workers and Fire Marshall and started pointing my finger at them excitedly, I must have looked quite a sight with the onion knife in my other hand.  I remember vaguely my Bethany taking it out of my hand and saying, "Just let me have that...."  Oh my...the memories....but you don't mess with chicken spaghetti day at the stock show around me!  Needless to say, I got to continue cooking... ;o)

Well, the saga continued this year with the missing roaster.  What could have been a small hiccup and expensive lunch for all on the grounds, thankfully turned out alright.  A new Oyster Roaster was found last minute at a Walmart on the outskirts of Houston and my chicken spaghetti for lunch on Saturday was on again.

Click here to buy your own from Walmart

Add liquid 3/4th of the way up the pan and gradually add noodles on highest setting until soft.

Spices in and ready to add cheese!  Almost lunch!

Life will throw you curves.  Although my chicken spaghetti curves are minor in the grand scheme of life, they have brought humor to my life in many ways.  I've fed many a hungry kid and parent over the years and met some of the nicest people as we share recipes from our cooking setups.  To me, cooking has always been a way to bring people together. My The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd is that recipe I know I'll always be remembered by.

And yes, in regards to the chicken, we are ranchers that proudly raise beef cattle and cook far more beef than any other meat.  But, my a bowl of chicken spaghetti will probably be etched on my tombstone one day!

Click here for The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken Spaghetti - family portion recipe (smaller sized)

So, today as I sit here supporting our Audrey and friends Jaici and McKenzie with her Ag. Advisor Sue Witt in her sixth Houston Agricultural Public Speaking Contest as her father and the rest of our crew loads our cattle and leaves for the ranch, I'm so extremely thankful for the life we lead.  The sometimes funny, stressful ups and downs of the show road with shenanigans like my chicken spaghetti make me realize how lucky we are to be involved in an industry we hold near and dear to our hearts. 

Audrey with her Ag. Advisor Sue Witt and friends Jaici and McKenzie!
They have competed for years together in FFA speaking contest! 

We go fast and we go hard, spending as much time as we can with our daughters and doing what we love, all while teaching them all we can in the process. Life is meant to be lived and we are trying to live it as fast and hard as we can. In life it's the small things that you look back on that make you laugh, smile and think what a great life we live even in the midst of a chicken spaghetti fiasco or two, or three!

Alise Nolan
The Ranch Kitchen

P.S.... as always you can also follow me on my The Ranch Kitchen Facebook page and Twitter for my newest recipes!

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.