DYK Cows Can Upcycle?

Dexter is back this week with a new round of Did You Know with some Beef Month facts for you.  When I was in school they called it recycling, but now the cooler term is up-cycling trash into something more valuable.  -A Kansas Farm Mom

Did you know May is Beef Month?  For the beginning of the month I want to share why I like to think about how cows are the ultimate up-cyclers. 

Did you know that cows eat the corn leftovers from ethanol production called dried distillers grains that is high in protein? They can also eat the leftovers from beer and whiskey production called brewers dried grains. 

Soybean meal is the most widely used protein source in livestock feeds. Did you know most vegetable oil is soybean oil? I guess you can say that soybean meal is the leftovers from our fried food fascination.

Everyone likes to wear cotton t-shirts and a good pair of blue jeans. Cows like the leftovers of that too! The seed has to be removed from the cotton fiber. The seed is then pressed for the oil. The leftovers are made into cottonseed hulls and cottonseed meal for cows. The meal is high in protein and the cottonseed hulls can be fed for fiber or we can even feed the whole seed (mainly to dairy cows).  We feed several pounds of cottonseed hulls to our show heifers. Dairy farmers even feed while cottonseed for protein and energy.  Check out this post called Trash to Nutritional Treasure from the Arizona Beef Blog for more information.

Beet pulp can be fed to cows, too. Beet pulp is the leftovers of making sugar from sugar beets. Our heifers can eat beet pulp for fiber. The cows enjoy are sugar addiction, too.

Not only do they eat of our leftovers, but 85% of the ground that cows graze is not suitable for crop production. My friend Dairy Carrie has a great post on what they feed their dairy cows and links to other farms and ranches who share their upcycled feed even from oranges.  For even more information about Bovine Upcycling with lots of great statistics check out this post from Cow Country Blog.

Cows truly keep the earth cleaner for all of us and produce high quality protein that we can all enjoy. We have enjoyed this new casserole mom found this winter. 

Beefy Cheesy Cornbread Casserole

1 pound ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 (8.5 oz) Jiffy Cornbread mix

1 egg

1 can cream style corn

2 cups Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Butter the bottom and sides of 8x8 casserole dish.

Brown and drain beef and onion.  Add seasoning and stir well.  In a small bowl, combine cornbread mix, egg, milk and corn.  Stir well.  Pour half of cornbread mixture into dish.  Add beef and onion and spread evenly.  Add cheese and remaining cornbread mixture.  Bake 35-40 minutes.

 For more posts written by Dexter, check out the Mad Cattle Co. tab on this page.

Dexter's Did You Know? Genetics

About a month ago, I made an infographic on my Facebook page, MAD Cattle Company, stating that U.S. cattle producers produce 20 percent of the world’s beef with only seven percent of the world’s cattle. My first blog post also talked about this topic.

 

The next day in discussion with my biology teacher, we began to wonder how this could be and how our operations could help make the percent of beef produced by the U.S. even higher.  We came up with only one answer.  Genetics.  We can control what genetics our herds include.  We also looked at what types of cattle third world countries are raising and found that they are still picking for survivability and work while the US ranchers usually select from growth or carcass traits to improve your eating experience and to keep costs low for the consumer.

 

Next, we looked at how our own operations could influence the U.S. gene pool.  Now, some of you might be wondering how genetics from two extremely small operations could influence something so large.  Our answer would be simply to improve our cattle and help provide extremely good replacements to grow the U.S. beef supply.  

Did you know that genetic improvement in one herd is going to eventually affect everyone who buys cattle from them either for slaughter or replacements?  Genetics tend to spread like wildfire especially if they work.  Through artificial insemination, smaller producers can affect even those who buy their cattle for replacements and beyond.  

I assumed the U.S. cattle industry is emphasizing the importance of genetic improvement and selection.  How many more percent of the total beef supply could we control if more people improved their genetic bases and stopped buying and keeping the cheapest animals at the sale barn?  I was surprised at how few people utilized genetic technology such as A.I. (Artificial Insemination) to improve their herd’s genetics. I investigated how few people looked at Expected Progeny Differences (a selection tool that predicts how well an animal could perform) as a serious factor in bull selection and found not many do.  I have begun to wonder how much higher the U.S.’s beef supply would be if individual herds started using the technology already at their fingertips.

U.S. feedlots tend to use more specialized personnel than other countries such as nutritionists who formulate balanced rations based on what is locally available as well as supplements to improve feed efficiency.  I plan to talk more about feeds next time.-  Dexter

Enchilada Lasagna

1/2 cup onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 cup water
1 (10 oz) can tomato soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1.5 cups light cream
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
12 corn tortillas

Saute 1/2 cup onion in butter in skillet.  Add ground beef.  Cook until brown and crumbly.  Stir in flour and chili powder.  Cook five minutes longer.  Add water. Cook until thickened stirring constantly.  Combine soup, cheese, cream, 1/2 cup onion and salt in bowl; mix well.  Slice tortillas into strips.  Layer tortillas, ground beef mixture and soup mixture 1/2 at a time in buttered 9x13 baking dish.  Bake at 325*F for 30 minutes.  Yield:12 servings.

Dexter is my oldest son and is working on a new 4-H project this year.  He is a 16 year old sophomore in high school.  He talks about cattle way too much, enjoys wrestling, likes to eat A LOT and I am making him cook, too.  He is involved in 4-H, FFA, as well as the church and school choirs.  He manages a Facebook page called MAD Cattle Company (Maddix & Dexter...because I wouldn't let them name it DAM Cattle Company ;) )

Slow Cooker Breakfast

Last week, I posted a picture of the Breakfast Burritos I made in the CROCK-POT!  My friend Lesley sent me this recipe to help me with breakfast time.  I am thinking I can make it into a two time Crock-Pot recipe for the show barn.  Cook it ahead and freeze and then warm them back up in the crock pot for a quick, easy to grab and go breakfast after chores are done.  I will admit that I didn't follow the recipe very closely and used diced hashbrowns.  I use the tortillas from Dollar Tree that are a bit small, but just right for what I usually need for breakfast.

Lesley is active in the Kansas AgriWomen and is a recent graduate of the KARL leadership program here in Kansas.  I have tried to get her to start to her own blog, but she is still dragging her feet.  Maybe we can get her to share more recipes with us instead.-A Kansas Farm Mom

Slow Cooker Sausage Breakfast Casserole or Burrito Filling

1 pkg. (26-32 ounces) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes 

1 pkg. of Sausage (cooked) 

2 cup (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese 

½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese 

½ cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained or I cup chopped fresh tomatoes

6 green onions, sliced 

12 eggs 

½ cup of milk 

½ teaspoon of salt 

¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper 

1. Cook sausage. 

2. Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray and/or line with a liner bag. Layer ½ of the potatoes on the bottom of slow cooker. 

3. Top with half of the sausage, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes and green onion. Repeat layering of hash browns, sausage, cheese, tomatoes and onion. 

4. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper in large bowl with a wire whisk until well blended. 

5. Pour evenly over potato-sausage mixture. 

6. Cook on LOW setting for 8 hours or on HIGH setting for 4 hours or until eggs are set. 

Yield: 12 servings (about 1 cup each)

I use different meats, depending on what I have in my fridge (bacon, sausage, ham). You can also use regular tomatoes (about 1 cup) and any other vegetables, such as peppers and onions you'd like. We eat the casserole as casserole -- most of the time -- and I usually set out shells, salsa, sour cream, more cheese when we have company over, for those who would want to eat it as a breakfast burrito instead. If I have leftovers, I'll roll the casserole up in the shells and put them in aluminum foil in a ziploc bag and freeze them for a quick breakfast burrito later on. 

 I cook the casserole on low for 8 hours -- I turn it on right before bed -- and I don't stir it or anything during the process, just sleep, so when I get up in the morning and smell the goodness - it's just one less thing to do for breakfast!

W4DW- California Style Fish Tacos

I have asked several farm moms to share recipes for our What's For Dinner Wednesday specials.  The recipes look so good and I wish I had time to try them all!  Sara is a rancher’s daughter and has moved back recently to be a rancher with herself with her dad.  She and I met in February at the Women Managing the Farm Conference when her adorable daughter was tired of sitting in meetings.  Who knew that I had a magic touch with little girls, I thought only little boys like me.

Sara knows that we are trying to eat more fish on a weekly basis in our household, so she sent me her favorite recipe for Fish Tacos. -A Kansas Farm Mom

California Style Fish Tacos

Fish Taco Ingredients

-Tilapia, or other white fish – plan on using about 1 fillet per person or 2 if you have some hungry diners!  This recipe is based on about a pound of fish.

½ cup of flour

1 tsp pepper

½ tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp of kosher salt

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp of oil

Rinse fish and blot dry with a paper towel.  Mix all dry breading ingredients together.  Lightly cover fish filets with breading and shake off excess.  Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Once butter is melted, but not brown, add the fish to the pan.  The fish will cook about 5 min on each side.  You want a light brown exterior, but still light and flaky on the inside.  Once the fish are done, divide up the fillets into serving pieces.

Kickin’ cilantro lime sauce

¼ cup of mayo

¼ cup of plain yogurt we like to use Greek yogurt for a little extra tang

juice of 2 limes

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

½ tsp minced garlic

dash of cumin

If you like a little extra kick add 1 tsp cayenne pepper as well, mmmm.

Mix all the ingredients together, if it needs to be thinned out some, add a little bit of milk.  I often double the sauce recipe and use it as a dipping sauce for chips as well.

Once everything is ready, serve on flour tortillas with your favorite garnishes.  We love ours with cabbage, avocados, purple onions, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, limes, and cilantro.

This recipe could also be used with chicken or beef.  If using either of these, I would skip the flour in the breading and use the dry ingredients as seasoning to sauté with the meat.

Quick Breakfast Quiche- Guest Post

This week's What's For Dinner Wednesday is brought to you by another Kansas blogger.  Ashleigh Hett is a freelance writer and blogger for the site Prairie Gal Cookin' - A blog
about her life on a farm in Central Kansas, the food she creates there, and also the
scenes she captures through the lenses of her camera in their rural farming community.  I found her through the Kansas Women Bloggers Groups and I am so happy she is sharing a recipe with you today while I continue wheat harvest.

 

Quiches are basically savory, open-faced, cheese pies. They vary depending on what you like to put in them. Most quiches consist of at least eggs, milk, and cheese. The crust is optional and everything else is up to you! For this quiche, I used a combination of swiss and cheddar cheese, some celery and apple to give it both crunch and a bit of sweetness, then a half of a jalapeño and some onion for a bit of kick (I’m not a fan of bland foods!), and then the bacon topped the whole thing off. (Who doesn’t love bacon?)

The quiche was incredibly easy, it used several of the ingredients leftover in our fridge, and it was quick to whip together! Hopefully, you’ll enjoy it as much as my family did!  You’ll need:

Quick Breakfast Quiche

Pie Crust:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
Water

Quiche Filling:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup apple, sliced thinly
5 - 10 slices bacon, chopped coarsely

- Preheat the oven to 350* F.
- Start by making the crust. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large
bowl.
- Add the shortening and use a fork or pastry cutter to combine the flour mixture and
shortening.
- Crack the egg into a measuring cup and add cold water to it until it reaches the 1/4
cup mark. Stir together using a fork and add to the bowl. Knead with hands until just
combined.
Quick Breakfast Quiche
- Place in a lightly greased deep-dish pie plate and spread.
- Now, for the quiche filling. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and then stir in the milk. Add
the shredded Swiss and Cheddar cheese.
- Chop the celery, jalapeño, onion, and then slice the apple thinly. Stir all of these into
the egg/milk mixture.
- Coarsely chop the bacon and stir it into the mixture as well.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust.
- Bake for 30 - 45 minutes. You’ll want it fairly firm in the center and starting to turn
golden brown.
- Let sit for 10 minutes on the stove-top to finish cooking in the center.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Thanks again to Ashleigh for sharing a recipe this week.  We are super busy on the farm and it is great to have a few recipes from friends to share.  Be sure to find Prairie Gal Cookin' on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Google+.  Do you have a recipe you would like to share?  Let me know!

-A Kansas Farm Mom