Roast Beef and Colby-Jack Biscuits

by Amy on May 18, 2012

After our branding a couple of weeks ago, I had some leftover roast beef that I decided to make the next night’s supper out of instead of freezing like I do with a lot of the leftover meat and potatoes from our branding day dinner.

I am always on the hunt for unique and new ways to incorporate leftovers and especially roast beef. This recipe turned out to be a huge hit with the fam (even with my finicky eater) and I decided it was share-worthy since it’s so dang easy.

Mix the following in a medium-sized bowl:

  • 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 ¾ Tbs. baking powder
  • 2 Tbs. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ c. cold butter or margarine
  • 1 ¼ c. shredded cheese (I use Colby-jack but cheddar’s good too)
  • 1 ½ c. fork-tender roast beef cut in bite size chunks (tossed w/seasoning salt, optional)

  • 1 ½ c. milk

Mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter/margarine with a pastry blender till crumbly. Add shredded cheese

and roast beef

and mix well. Blend in milk just till moistened. Knead 3-4 times so all flour is mixed in. Roll out 1” thick and cut with large biscuit cutter.

Place on baking sheet

and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown or 12-15 minutes.

Serve with chunked potatoes (with skins on) coated in olive oil, seasoned and broiled or cream corn or green beans, tossed salad or coleslaw is great also. 

If there are any left, these make great lunchtime solutions that can be microwaved and eaten easily and quickly for busy ranchers. It’s quick. It’s easy. You just gotta try it.

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Kirk Branding Day 2012

by Amy on May 10, 2012

Last Saturday we had a great day to have our branding.

My son lives for brandings every weekend and usually gets a buddy or two to come down to help at ours.

We got a heavy rain about 4 a.m. prior so the branding corral was pretty muddy but the calf wrestlers didn’t seem to mind.

This is what I have to deal with when I wash clothes for the whole month of May:

 

There are different ways to catch calves for branding and it just depends on the outfit. Some use a calf table, some rely on ropers to catch a calf and drag it out of a pen for calf wrestlers to take over, and some like us, have calf wrestling teams that wrestle a small bunch of calves at a time inside a branding corral.

 

Around Pringle, most outfits brand similarly to the way we do or use a calf table, but not far from us at neighboring ranches that we help brand, they rope and drag the calves. Sometimes we’ll take horses sometimes we’ll just help wrestle calves. At ours, we use horses mainly to gather the herd and bring them into the corrals to sort the calves from the cows and to drive them back out to the pasture where they were at.

 

I do as much kitchen prep work ahead that I can, so I can spend some time up at the branding corral but I didn’t get outside in time to take pictures of our cows being brought in. I didn’t take any pictures of the branding meal either. By the time I’d spent 14 hours in the kitchen cooking, baking, and preparing food the day before, I was sick of looking at food but it was well received.

No matter which way a calf is caught, the important thing is to hold onto them once they’re on the ground so they don’t hurt themselves or other people while getting their vaccines and brand.

It’s literally a matter of seconds before they get everything they need and are then released into a separate area and another small bunch is brought in. With a lot of help, it goes pretty fast and the calves are back with their mother again.

With boys, there’s always a little rough housing in between getting the work done and lots of BSing.

Everyone that comes to help has a great time.

At 4 a.m. when my husband and I were both awake listening to the downpour of rain, we were discussing how we were looking forward to the day being done. We both usually stress over details the whole time until it’s all over with, but by 3 p.m. we were both amazed how fast the day went by.

The past couple of years we had miserably high winds, cold, and even snowflakes in the air. This year we were blessed with great weather, good help, and as always, good times.

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My Branding Day Checklists

by Amy on May 3, 2012

We’re gearing up for our branding and one of the things I do to prepare for it is make lists to organize my time. Cooking a meal for a large crowd is a lot of work and takes time. I organize my days prior by creating lists I can refer to.

I like to enjoy our branding day stress-free (if that’s possible!) and take in the atmosphere up at the branding corral, so I do as much food preparation ahead of time as I can. I especially like to saddle up and help gather everything horseback in the morning and take in some of the calf wrestling. It’s a mother-son thing (although this year I’ll probably get ditched since my son’s informed me he’s invited some of Hermosa, SD ranch kids buddies).

Doing kitchen stuff up ahead of time puts my mind at ease and I don’t have to worry so much about food being cooked through, ready on time, hot enough, or forgotten. I like the security of knowing everything’s done and I can enjoy our branding without having to think so hard about the food. I have a hard time concentrating on what I have to do when there are a lot of people around and asking me questions. Doing things up ahead of time makes it easy.

My main job on branding day is in the kitchen but I enjoy being outside more, listening to the conversations, watching my husband and son interact with the neighbors and watch them do their branding day job. Oh, and get a headcount; I usually linger to take in the crowd and find out exactly how many people I’m going to be feeding.

I create lists and oftentimes rewrite them as they need updating. My most important list is my grocery list. I generally go by the same menu every year, and people have come to expect some of the things I make that have gone over well, such as the BBQ short ribs, cream corn, and cinnamon rolls.

I have a notebook that I write out my “master lists” to make a list from to take to the store based on what I need and already have. I also make to-do lists for each day, beginning with two days before we brand. Not always, as is the case this year, I won’t have Thursday to start on the things that I can do far in advance.

Each day focuses on what needs done according to how close to branding day it should be done. My daughter prefers helping out in the kitchen versus wrestling calves, so she’s learning the trade so-to-speak and is a great help.

 

My lists help me out so that I don’t forget anything and they give me a plan for the day. By branding day morning, I only have details to take care of, meats and side dishes to warm up and be free to take in the day and not feel stressed out.

 

Today, I am doing all my grocery shopping and tomorrow I will spend cooking up as much as I can with the exception of the potatoes. After three consecutive years of blustery, miserable weather on branding day, I am hoping this year we can feed everybody outside in our front yard.

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Ask a Professional

by Amy on April 28, 2012

When you want accurate answers to questions about such things as your health, financial investments, or automotive problems for example, you go directly to the people who can answer your questions best with facts to back them up. It’s their job to know all there is to know about their profession and you rely on their knowledge.

Professionals are good at their job because they stay current on new information in their field that they can use to arm themselves to be more valueable in their industry. They have experience in their career and stay up-to-date on current research and issues regarding their job.

People get their information from a doctor, financial advisor, or auto mechanic because they want dependable, reliable, and knowledgeable professionals that they can trust to inform them, and why wouldn’t they? Experts know all there is to know about their work, so how is it any different with the farmers and ranchers who produce and grow food for people? They are the experts in an industry that serves other people just like financial advisors, medical professionals and auto mechanics. They pay special attention to and issues that are impacting their industry, consumers, and the environment they depend on to produce food in today’s world.

On Food Dialogues, people are encouraged to interact with real farmers and ranchers and to ask questions, and real farmers and ranchers answer them. The questions that other people have asked and the answers to them can also be viewed. The site features videos aired on Discovery Networks, agriculture in the news, and a twitter feed.

People go to the best source for reliable information, not someone who dabbles in that subject as hobby and does something else for their career.  Professionals such as financial advisors, doctors and mechanics welcome any questions they have because they want to help people understand their product or concerns. Farmers and ranchers are no different. Professionals who produce food are called farmers and ranchers, and they want to help consumers understand what and why they do what they do to produce food for a growing population.

One thing about farmers and ranchers is that they love to talk about, and are extremely proud of their work and the products they produce. They are perpetually trying to improve upon the systems they use to produce food and the quality of their product. Many love to show off their crops and the environment in which it is produced and enjoy sharing what they know about their work. Farmers and ranchers work with the consumer in mind.

When someone has a lot of money to invest in stocks or bonds, it isn’t wise to talk to or follow the advice of a person who doesn’t actually consult potential investors for a living. The best action to take for someone wanting to invest their money is to talk to someone whose profession is dealing with investments. The same is true with health issues. People should see a doctor to diagnose their problems and prescribe a treatment. Likewise with food production, it isn’t smart to assume people who don’t produce food for a living know all there is about food production.

The Hand That Feeds U.S. is an educational site for urban media, and shares information on agriculture in America and around the world has a “farm to fork” and “farm to fuel” section, profiles people in ag, and has spotlight videos.

Real Farmers Real Food is a site where farmers and ranchers open their doors (er gates) to their operation for consumers to visit with farm tour videos and pictures talking about their job. The site lists common myths and shares the facts, talks about our world’s growing food needs, interesting agriculture facts, and explains how every day is Food Day to farmers and ranchers, not just on October 24th. There’s also a place where people can sign a pledge to support agriculture.

Information about where the foods that consumers buy and eat, how it was produced, and farming and ranching practices, are available. The focus of what farming and ranching professionals do, the questions people want to ask, and the information and knowledge these professionals want to share can be viewed on these three great websites. Pass them along!

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The PVFD

by Amy on April 22, 2012

If I were to give you a drive by tour of Pringle, I would most definitely show you the Pringle Fire Hall. Our community might be small (pop. 125), but we do have a great fire department.

Like most rural fire departments, ours is volunteer, and they’re a great group of guys.

I’m sentimental about the Pringle Fire Hall because when my husband and I got married we had our wedding reception there, so I would probably talk a lot about that on the tour.

The fire hall is a LOT nicer now. Several years ago the interior was finally finished, the bathrooms got a major makeover, and the entrance was redone.

People used to enter from the north side of the building for community events but after remodeling, today’s main entrance is located on the west side; what used to be a garage door entrance. When my husband and I got married the interior of the building wasn’t insulated and there were bare stud walls, so we had to come up with a creative way to cover them and decorate the hall for our reception (we used lots and lots of quilts).

Most town events used to take place at the old Pringle Civic Hall but since the fire hall’s improvements, it has become the new hub of most Pringle community events: 50th birthday parties, baby showers, game feeds, dances, community wide garage sales, and is the chosen location for fellowship and food after funerals. As far as I know, there hasn’t been another wedding reception here since my husband and I got married.

The most recent addition to the Pringle Volunteer Fire Department’s property is the newly installed flagpoles, antique fire equipment and the old Pringle country school bell.

I’m proud of this project also, because of the work my husband (also a fire dept. volunteer) did on it. Since he’s a welder, he was asked to weld the framework together that the bell sits on.

 

I wished I would’ve gone with him the day he took his portable welder up to work on it and taken pictures because he said the project started out just a couple of guys until more and more people driving by stopped to help and watch until it became a crowd of locals. A Pringle logger used his logging truck loader to install the bell.

The PVFD’s buildings, equipment, and trucks have come a long way and I like that our residents have such a great place to gather. Our community may be small, but our town pride is huge.

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Family Reading

by Amy on April 17, 2012

Reading to my kids is something that I still haven’t outgrown, even though they have. As my kids got older and started school, I couldn’t give up the reading time I shared with them.

When they were small, I read a lot of illustrated children’s books to them. Once they learned to read and began reading books on their own, I graduated to reading them age-appropriate chapter books that interested them like the Laura Ingalls Wilder book series. I did a lot of family reading in the evenings when time allowed or Sunday nights but I also read to them in the mornings while they ate breakfast and got ready for school. Even though they could easily read the books themselves, I still enjoyed the excuse to have family time and reading to them.

I recently finished the book The Wild Country (formerly published as Little Britches) by Ralph Moody. Walt Disney made a movie in the 70’s based on the book also. The rest of my family had already read it on their own and I was the last one to read it and kept thinking what an ideal family reading book it was. The book is similar to the Laura Ingalls Wilder stories and takes place in that era but it’s about an 8 year old boy and his family trying to make a go of it on a Colorado ranch and all of the adventures he has.

If you enjoy reading to your kids or grandkids, I highly recommend this book for family reading but it’s also just a great feel-good book for one’s own reading pleasure about ranch life in the early days. If you have never read chapter books to your kids or grandkids, I recommend starting this wonderful family tradition. A good book like this one draws the whole family together and once you start reading, everyone looks forward to hearing what’s going to happen next. I generally read a chapter a sitting to them. Once when I was gone for a week, I even tape recorded reading a chapter because my daughter liked our reading routine.

Some other books I’ve read to my family and recommend for family reading in addition to the Laura Ingalls Wilder books are:

  • Any of the Illustrated Classics books—they’re a condensed and revised editions of classic stories with pictures and are suited for elementary-aged kids’ reading interest. I’ve read many of these to my kids and they’ve also read many of them on their own for their school reading programs.
  • The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
  • Baker’s Hawk by Jack M. Bickham
  • White Fang by Jack London
  • Hank the Cowdog series by John R. Erickson
  • The Golden Children’s Bible A Golden book of illustrated Bible stories. Written by Golden Books; edited by Joseph A. Grispino (it has wonderful illustrations).
  • The Story of Jesus retold by Lloyd Edwin Smith (our copy was published in 1941 by WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO. Racine, Wisconson.) I read this one during Lenten season up to Easter).

These are just a few suggestions but there are hundreds of other great stories that make excellent family reading. Electronic books are becoming hugely popular but I still find reading a good book to the family a worthwhile family tradition of quality family time.

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Ag United and South Dakota’s True Environmentalists

by Amy on April 14, 2012

Agriculture faces increasing scrutiny from people and organizations that are far-removed from the land and the sources of their food. Our food doesn’t come from a grocery store—they’re just the distributors of it.

Food comes from crops grown by hard working farming and ranching families. A lot of criticism is stemmed from lack of being accurately informed about what farmers and ranchers do and what their agricultural practices are.

If people take the time to get their information directly from reliable resources, as in the farmers and ranchers whose way of life IS agriculture every day, consumers will learn that there are many misconceptions and that taking care of their land, air, and water is crucial to survival in their livelihood. They’re dependent on quality practices. Otherwise they would be putting themselves out of their own job. One website that shares staggering statistics about the realities of what farmers are able to produce for the world is www.trueenvironmentalists.com.

It informs people about South Dakota’s true environmentalists, and what an amazing impact their job and farm practices have on the whole world. Some of the statistics the site shares on farming, I didn’t even know. My favorite fact: one acre of corn removes 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in a growing season. The site also interviews real South Dakota farmers about their role in the protection of and the importance of soil, water, wildlife, and air quality.

Another informative site is www.agunited.org. It shares the facts about South Dakota’s different kinds of farming. People need the truth and want the truth. These are places where they’ll find it. Agunited takes people right to the farm with videos of real farms and interviews with real farmers.

Agunited provides resources for getting on a farm tour, special farm tours for moms, other helpful and accurate agricultural links, videos of agricultural happenings, answers to commonly asked questions, and explanations of and information about groups with anti-ag agendas, which people also need to know the truth about.

Our world’s population is growing at an alarming rate (over 200,000 per day) which means that there’s an ever-growing demand for food. Today’s farmers are miraculously able to feed more people with fewer resources than in the past. I liken the ability for farmers to be able to achieve this to the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21).

This ever-increasing pressure to feed the world’s growing population is on the shoulders of farmers to produce food. It is essential that farmers protect and nurture the land in order to meet that demand. People whose livelihood is agriculture, take great care in protecting the soil, air, water, and wildlife.

Even though I know where my food comes from and live in a food-producing state and my family and I produce beef that feeds people, I still love watching videos of farms and interviews of farmers in different parts of South Dakota. Pass on to others what real environmentalists and farmers from South Dakota are doing to protect our resources and to feed people around the world.  

There are lots of references in the Bible about farming. Here’s some “food for thought” on farming: Genesis 1:29 I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat. Isaiah 58:10-11 If you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.

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He Is Risen!

by Amy on April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!

These three crosses are located in the northeast corner of the Pringle Cemetery.

I’ve always enjoyed their presence and seeing them whenever we drive by the cemetery on the back road into Pringle. They’re situated on a hill overlooking the rest of cemetery.

Pringle’s cemetery is small and tucked behind our town about a half mile to the west. The three crosses have only been there in the last five or ten years.

They’ve been good reminders of Jesus’ presence in our lives whenever we drive by them.

If you know the story of Jesus’ death but have never taken the time to read it in the Bible, there are four versions of what happened to Jesus according to the gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John, located in the New Testament. My suggestion is to read each one.

To read about the story of Jesus’ death, you can find each version in

  • Matthew chapters 26-28
  • Mark chapters 14-16
  • Luke chapter 22
  • John chapters 17-21

My family is hosting Easter dinner this year, so I’ve been busy preparing desserts and side dishes to go along with the ham I’m going to prepare. My mom sister-in-laws and one of my in-laws’ mom are all bringing a dish to pass as well. I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Easter Sunday!

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The Supper Table: Nourishing a Family Tradition

by Amy on April 3, 2012

The one thing I have fought hard to keep as a tradition in my household is having meals together as a family; most especially supper.

In today’s busy world, I am shocked that sitting down together as a family is not a priority with a lot of families. Many allow busy schedules to infringe on time that could be spent together. Even in my own rural community, I know of several families who don’t all sit down at the same time and same place to eat a meal.

After witnessing, hearing about, and even joining different families who didn’t eat their supper together, I made a personal commitment when my kids were small, that I would do whatever it took to ensure my family at least had supper together. It seemed like a small sacrifice on my part to instill such an important time for us.

Like every other active family with kids involved in extra-curricular activities, school work, chores, sporting events, and wanting to spend time with friends, outside demands have all contributed to the difficulty in finding a time when my whole family can sit down at the dinner table. Instead of allowing the outside world be in charge of our family life and keep us from sitting down together, I have had to plan ahead to make sure everyone could eat together. It mostly means timing meal preparation so supper can be ready to eat at a specific time.

I have also made a staunch effort to make meals from scratch as much as possible in order to make our mealtime a moment each day that we all look forward to: sitting down to food that smells and tastes good, and is meaningful and memorable to everyone.

It’s not always been easy but once I got in a routine of thinking ahead, I’ve been able to meet my own standards most of the time. Many nights we eat the same meal twice but it’s usually something I’ve made that I know we all really like anyway.

Family’s who don’t share their meals together are missing out on some easily attainable and valuable time together. Suppertime has been the most convenient time of day for my family to be together. It’s not only a time for nourishing our bodies but for nourishing time spent together. In a half hour’s time, we are able to find out how everyone’s day went, what each person’s schedule is like for the next day, share any news, and get in any pertinent family discussions taken care of that need to be addressed. Many of our family inside jokes have also been established at the supper table. Mealtime has proven to be the easiest way to find out what’s going on with each of our family members.

Giving up other things that want my time in order to eat a meal with my family has been the best sacrifice I’ve ever made. It’s become a tradition well worth the effort.

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Life’s Instruction Manual

by Amy on March 28, 2012

One of my grandmother's Bibles

It always irritates me whenever I come across quotations that say something about how life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Life and knowing how to live does come with an instruction manual: it’s called the BIBLE. It’s not only the only manual a human will ever need in order to know how to live but it’s also loaded with fascinating stories.

All my life I have referred to the Bible to help me get through life’s difficulties and worries. And with our lifestlyle, it seems like there’s always something to worry about.

My mantra has been, “If your troubles aren’t big enough to pray about, then they certainly aren’t big enough to worry about;” (author unknown) which I share with my kids frequently. Whenever I’m struggling with something, I’ve always been able to find verses in the Bible to help me get through. The Bible reminds me to be more forgiving of others as well as of myself.

I’ve gained a better understanding of the purpose of my life through scripture in the Bible and have referred to it regarding all of my relationships as well as when I’m grateful, satisfied, and content. I refer to it often regarding how to use my God-given talents and gifts. It’s helped me deal with my shortcomings, jealousies, attitude, anger, and frustrations. It’s also taught me how to worship and pray better, be of service to God and others.

Years ago I started underlining Bible verses that really helped me and guided me through a tough time, decision, or worry. Eventually, I started writing the verses down on blank pages of my most-read Bibles (I have two that I regularly refer to: one given to me as a Christmas gift when I was 8, and another one I received from my church in high school) so I wouldn’t forget where each one could be found in the Bible if I wanted to refer to them again. Writing them down has also been helpful in guiding and comforting my kids whenever they have struggles or worries. Sharing meaningful Bible verses with them has built stronger bonds with them and has taught them how to rely on scripture when they face challenges also.

When I come across a verse or verses that really speaks to me, I write them down along with a word that describes what it’s about. I also have many of my family members and closest girlfriends share with me their favorite Bible verses so I can add them in my Bibles with their names next to them. It’s been a cherished way to feel connected to them.

I have a few top favorite verses that I refer to the most and will share them with you. One of them I put on my cell phone’s screen so I am reminded of it every time I turn my phone on: I Peter 5:7

(I’m a worrier).

Whenever I want to look up what the Bible says about a specific topic, I have come to rely heavily on a great Bible reference book called, Where to Find it in the Bible: The Ultimate A to Z Resource by Ken Anderson. This has been very helpful in using my Bible. Here is my shortlist of meaningful Bible verses in addition to the one I mentioned above:

These first five are ones I’ve referred to the most.

  • Proverbs 3:5-6 Trusting God
  • Philippians 4:6-7 worrying
  • Matthew 6:34 worrying about tomorrow
  • Proverbs 29:25 worrying what others think
  • Psalm 55:22 Feeling troubled
  • Isaiah 41:10 & 13 being afraid
  • Deuteronomy 31:6 God is with you
  • Hebrews 13:6 do not be afraid
  • James 1:3 Enduring
  • Hebrews 12:3 not giving up
  • Hebrews 11:1 Faith
  • Proverbs 20:22 Revenge
  • Proverbs 19:8 Learning
  • Proverbs 16:32 Patience
  • Proverbs 17:9 Forgiving others
  • Proverbs 11:25 Helping others
  • Proverbs 11:18 Doing what’s right
  • Proverbs 11:2 Being modest
  • Proverbs 3:27 Do good to others
  • Colossians 3:23 Working for God
  • Proverbs 20:30 changing
  • Philippians 4:13 my son’s favorite
  • Proverbs 9:10 my husband’s favorite
  • Psalm 119:105 my daughter’s favorite
  • Romans 12 God’s will, my gifts, seeking revenge
  • Romans 12:9-21 treatment of others
  • Psalm 23 The Lord Our Shepard
  • Psalm 121 The Lord Our Protector; being afraid
  • Philippians 1:3 thanking God for those in your life
  • I John 4:19 on love
  • Philippians 2:5-6 your attitude; Jesus’ attitude
  • Hebrews 6:10-12 God remembers; helping others
  • Hebrews 10:35 courage; patience
  • Hebrews 12:3 Being discouraged; what Christ endured
  • Hebrews 13:5 avoid loving $; being satisfied
  • I Timothy 4:3 false teachers about eating certain foods/God created foods to be eaten
  • I Timothy 6:11 what to strive for in life
  • Colossians 2:16 no rules about what to eat/drink/holy days/Sabbath
  • Colossians 3:15 Christ’s peace; decision making
  • Colossians 3:23 doing work for God; not others
  • Philippians 4:6 worrying/praying
  • Philippians 4:8 filling your minds w/good things
  • Ephesians 5:15-17 on doing what God wants
  • Philippians 2:1-11 Christ’s humility & greatness
  • I Corinthians 7:17, 20 God’s call for you
  • I Corinthians 10:13 on being tested
  • I Corinthians 12:4-11 using our gifts
  • I Corinthians 16:13-14 be brave, strong in faith/do work in love
  • II Corinthians 1:4 helping others through our own troubles
  • II Corinthians 1:9 Rely on God
  • II Corinthians 5:10 we will all be judged
  • II Corinthians 6:4 enduring hardships
  • I Timothy 4:6-16 being a good servant of Jesus
  • Ephesians 2:5 saved by God’s grace
  • James 1:3, faith/endurance in trials
  • James 1:6 Pray without doubt
  • I Peter 1:7, 3:4 true beauty
  • I John 5:14-15 Reassurance that God hears us

A really good Bible for anyone trying to choose a good one that we’ve discovered is called the MacArthur Study Bible. A book that transformed my life and is an excellent companion to the Bible but also helps understand our life’s purpose is The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I hope some of these verses prove as helpful to you as they have to me.

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