Mini Taco Pies

Did you know that May is National Beef Month? Cinco de Mayo is also this week, so what better way to celebrate than with these Mini Taco Pies?

Indiana may not rank in the top five or ten in the nation in beef cattle, but it's an important part of our state's economy and agricultural landscape nonetheless. Not to mention beef is also good for you. For more about the various cuts of beef, click here.

As with any type of farming, there are lots of ways to do it correctly. Choice is a wonderful thing--for farmers and for consumers. We have beef cows on our farm and they primarily graze the pastures in the summertime. Hay season is a big deal at our place in the summer, so there's lots of hay for them in the winter. We don't have automatic water troughs that automatically refill, so we check on it several times a day, especially during the summer when it's warmer.

Beef cows are much lower maintenance (usually) than dairy cows. Maybe that's why my brother likes them so much better. And since he's the one at home running the farm, he gets the final say in that. It's true that dairy cows do take more work and attention. After all, they need to be milked twice or three times each day. They need to be fed (like the beef cows do). Calves and other youngstock need attention also. There's a lot to do.

It's a bit more relaxed with the beef cows. We don't have to milk them and since their purpose isn't to produce milk, they require a lower energy diet. Milk production takes A LOT of energy! A lot of people ask me about the differences between dairy and beef cows. They say dairy cows look too skinny and that the beef cows look more "normal." Dairy cows and beef cows are built differently and for different purposes. Beef cows are for meat (which is muscle), so you want them to be a bit stockier. Dairy cows, on the other hand, produce milk. If dairy cows have a lot of extra weight on them for a long period of time, their bodies are not being efficient with converting the energy in the feed they are eating into milk. This can be a problem over time. There are times during a dairy cow's lactation when she has more weight on her, such as the end of her lactation.

If you are looking for an easy taco recipe, you and your family will love these. I got the idea for the taco shells from my cousin Alex. Last time he was in town, he fitted tortillas into a container and baked them to create taco shells. I had some pie crusts in my freezer, so I decided to try that instead. What a great idea!

Mini Taco Pies

Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Taco seasoning
• Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Shredded cheese
• Thawed frozen pie crust (or you can make your own)
• Cupcake pans
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Lime vinegarette dressing

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Turn cupcake pans over and spray it with non-stick cooking spray
3. Cut the pie crust into four equal pieces and fit each over a different section of the cupcake pan to make cups 
4. Cook for 10 minutes at 350
5. In a skillet, brown ground beef until it's cooked all the way through
6. Add 3/4 cup water and a packet of taco seasoning and mix until evenly coated
7. Dice a few tomatoes
8. Chop lettuce into smaller pieces to add to the taco pies
9. After the taco meat is cooked, tomatoes and lettuce are chopped and the pie cups have cooled, add the ground beef, lettuce, tomato, lime vinegarette and shredded cheese to each cup
10. Enjoy!

Cascade Scramble

Are you looking for a new breakfast favorite? If so, you'll love my Cascade Scramble! It's inspired by one of my favorite dishes at my favorite hometown breakfast place back in Washington State.

Whenever people find out I didn't grow up in Indiana, the first thing they usually ask if how different Washington and Indiana are. Very different! I grew up with the best view of Mt. Rainier (it's only about 75ish miles away) and the Cascade Mountain range, about an hour from Seattle. It took me a while to get used to how flat most of Indiana is.

Baling hay at our place. Check out that view of Mt. Rainier!

Each state is different in agriculture, too. Washington's top agricultural commodities are apples, dairy and wheat. Indiana is a lot smaller, but is big in a lot of things, including leading the nation in duck production and being in the top five in pigs, laying hens/egg production, turkey production, ice cream production and popcorn production.

One thing that is the same in all six of the states I've lived in is farmers' passion for caring for their animals and the environment. Most of these farms have been in the family for generations and they'd like to keep it that way, so it's so important to preserve the natural resources and maintain good animal health so that they next generation will have the same opportunity.

As time goes on, there is more and more competition for land. No more land is being made and where do you think the land for that new housing development came from? It was probably a crop field (or even possibly a livestock farm) at some point.

With that in mind, farmers are doing more with less. Growing more crops on less land. Getting higher yields and increasing efficiency. Technology continues to help them do this. My Grandpa didn't have the same tools and technology to help him farm in the 1950s as we have today. We also have cows that produce more milk, crops with higher yields and much bigger equipment now.

A lot has changed in farming over the years. The values behind farming...they haven't changed one bit.

Let's get back to this recipe! It is amazing!! I always add a lot of cheese on top of it. It makes it even better.

Cascade Scramble

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 3 cups hash browns
• 3 cups diced potatoes
• 12 oz little smokies
• 2 cups diced peppers and onions
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add the eggs, hashbrowns, diced potatoes, little smokies, diced peppers and onions, olive oil, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, salt and pepper to a large skillet
2. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until done
3. Place onto four plates
4. Cover with shredded cheese (as much as you'd like)
5. Enjoy!!

Hannah's Strawberry Pie

Summertime is near, and that means strawberries will be coming soon enough. There is nothing better than strawberry picking, then enjoying a nice chilled piece of strawberry pie to make it feel just like summer.

Photo credit: www.overtiredmommy.com

Hi! I'm Hannah and I'm the education and outreach coordinator for Marion County Farm Bureau. I grew up in southern Indiana and work with farmers across Indiana as the education and training director for the Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana Corn Growers Association and Indiana Corn Marketing Council.

Growing up, my mom made the best recipe for gelatin strawberry pie. You may be thinking, “ok, sure…I’ve had gelatin strawberry pie before. What could be so good about this one?!” Well, let me tell you – IT’S THE CRUST! I guarantee this crust will be the best crust for gelatin strawberry pie that you ever did taste.

I enjoyed the recipe so much, that my husband and I served it at our wedding this past year. Friends from Indy baked the pies and brought them to the reception hall prior to wedding festivities. I heard rave reviews from guests who tried it!

So, here is the recipe you have been waiting for!

Margaret’s (that’s my mom) strawberry pie recipe 

(best strawberry pie you’ll ever eat!)

Strawberry Pie Crust:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs milk

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together, form into ball, and spread out into pie pan
2. Bake for 10-15 min at 375 degrees

Pie Filling:

Ingredients:

• 1 c. sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1 small box strawberry gelatin
• 4 c. strawberries (I like to cut them in 4 pieces and you can probably get by with 3 cups.)

Directions:

1. Mix sugar and cornstarch, add water and heat on medium until mixture thickens (usually about 5 min)
2. Remove from heat and mix in gelatin  
3. Cool for 20 minutes, then mix in strawberries
4. Add into pie crust and refrigerate until gelatin hardens

Photo credit: www.overtiredmommy.com

And that’s it! Get ready for some mouthwatering pie this summer.  

Kimmi's Sweet & Spicy BBQ Ribs

Are you looking for a delicious recipe for those beef or pork ribs you bought the other day? Then you'll definitely want to try my Sweet and Spicy BBQ ribs!

I made these for the family while I was home for Christmas and they were a big hit, especially with Granny. They were apparently also hungry farmer approved since my brother ate most of the leftovers.

Hi! I'm Kimmi and I'm the public relations coordinator for Marion County Farm Bureau. You will hear from many of our members on this blog and from me quite a bit, too.

I grew up on my family's farm in Washington State and moved to Indiana after college five years ago. Grandpa was a dairy farmer for a majority of his life and inspired my love of dairy cows. My brother and I grew up showing dairy cattle in   4-H and it was the best experience.

My brother making hay (and taking pictures of it for me) 

 Our beef cows in the field

My brother and I with our 4-H dairy calves in the early 2000s

Today, my brother runs the farm where we raise beef cows and hay. After graduating from Washington State University, I started working in the agriculture industry with farmers on various things ranging from public relations to milk quality.

Some of our members and board members at the Indiana Farm Bureau Convention in November 

Outside of work and Farm Bureau, I blog at www.KimmisDairyland.com about farm life, recipes and other random adventures.

Back to those ribs! You can use whatever barbecue sauce you like. I mixed a spicy honey version with a hawaiian barbecue sauce. I do a lot of canning in the summer, so I served it with some canned green beans and bacon. Perfect dinner.

Sweet & Spicy BBQ Ribs

Ingredients

• 4 lbs beef or pork ribs
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp BBQ seasoning
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground red pepper flakes
• 2 cups barbecue sauce (I mixed equal parts Sweet Baby Rays Hawaiian BBQ sauce and Kraft Spicy Honey BBQ sauce)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cut or peel membrane off the bony ride of the rack of ribs
3. Mix sugar and spices together
4. Rub mixture on both sides of ribs
5. Lay rack of ribs between two sheets of aluminum foil; crimp the edges
6. Place on baking sheet and bake for 2.5 hours
7. Remove from oven and heat broiler
8. Brush BBQ sauce on both sides
9. Broil for a few minutes on each side until the sauce is bubbly
10. Enjoy!