Chewing The Cud

I'm back from my month of studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was a great month of learning, exploring, and having fun with a great group of students eager to conquer another language and culture. Here is a picture of our group.

Now, that I'm home, I'm hitting the ground running. I really missed my blog, and chatting with all of you about some of the key issues facing agriculture today. Don't worry, there is plenty of time for that. I'm also really excited to share my adventures in South America with you.

For now, I'm trying to catch up on my freelance writing work, spend some time with my family and my cattle, and get ready to move to Minneapolis in a week where I will begin my internship with BEEF Magazine! :)

It's going to be a busy week, but stay tuned, because next week you're in for a treat here on Chewing The Cud. Here is a little taste of what I mean...

You'll come back to visit now, won't ya? Until then, let me know what you all have been up to! I would love to hear from you!

Love,
Amanda

I know I promised you something enticing last week, but don't worry...it's still on the way. Be ready for a six-course meal of delicious foods, of course including beef.

Before we get to the good stuff, I have to tell you about my past week. I left my country life to move to the big city of Minneapolis, and this has been my first real experience driving in city traffic. The first day I tried it, I got in a fight with my GPS System (her name is Lola by the way. The silly girl is always confused), and I cried because I couldn't find my way home from work.

Where do I work? At BEEF Magazine, the leading beef production magazine in the United States. Even though I have opted to move to the city for the summer, you didn't REALLY think I would forget about my passions for the beef cattle industry did you? Or didn't you know about my passions? If you don't, you should read about the time I opened up the floor to you readers to ask me questions all about me.

Anyway, I get to spend the whole summer traveling Minnesota, learning more about agriculture, improving my writing skills, and doing what I love best: talk about beef.

Stay tuned, your six-course meal is on the way, along with some major changes at Chewing The Cud!

Last week, I promised a delicious treat for my Chewing the Cud readership. As promised, I'm here to deliver a 6-course meal that you will never forget. Or, more accurately, one that I pleasantly enjoyed that I want to share with you. Here is my little taste of Argentina, made just for you.

We visited a vineyard, and after the tour and wine tasting, we were invited to an asado, or barbecue. This is famous in Argentina. The history of the asado traces back to the guachos. Guachos were nomadic herdsmen of cattle, living in the pastures as the cattle grazed in the prairies of Argentina. Because they didn't have any way to keep meats cold, they would heavily salt the meat and roast it over an open flame. This was the birth of the asado.

Still famous today, Argentines enjoy asados throughout the year. In fact, did you know Argentines eat 3 times more meat each year than Americans do? Have I mentioned I really enjoyed my time in Argentina? Truth is, nothing quite tastes like corn-fed American beef, but that is another topic for another day.

It's time for the 6-course meal. Here was my asado experience...

My empty plate. Didn't know what I was getting into. Being a poor college student, this meal looked A) expensive B) fine dining C) free for me to enjoy. In other words, I was beyond excited for the food to arrive.

Our first course was hot, homemade bread. The plate never ended. If you ate it, they filled your plate again and again. It was actually quite ridiculous.

This is a spread made of wine-base. It was bitter but good, and we used it on our bread along with the vineyard's homemade olive oil. Yummm...

This is called an empanada. It's like an Argentine hot pocket, and it's served in all restaurants. It's a bread pocket filled with spiced meat, eggs, onions, vegetables, cheese or ham. Empanadas are always a hit at any social gathering.

Of course, the salad was the next appropriate dish. I was seriously starting to get full at this point, and the main course hadn't even arrived yet!

First came the vegetables. Oh, how I loved these grilled veggies.

The first round of meat. Yes, I said the FIRST round. Notice the blood sausage? This beef was incredible. Later, I'll show the grill that created this masterpiece.

Round two of beef. I was seriously getting my servings of lean protein that day; although, I couldn't believe I was still eating at this point. But, hey, when in Argentina, do as the Argentines do! :)

And there was MORE meat! Here is a shout out to all my pork friends out there. This pork was incredible!

Despite my misery at being so full, there is always room for dessert (especially this one!)

I really, really liked this dessert. Chocolate brownie, strawberry icecream, pineapple sauce. Scrumptious!

Just when I thought that the train of food was over, our waiter brought us out these crumpets...

These crumpets were to accompany our coffee.

There you have it, a true taste of an Argentine asado. Isn't your mouth just watering over this fantastic meal? Do you feel my pain as I waddled out of this restaurant? All I can say is that any meal that includes beef, wine and chocolate is okay with me.

This is a picture of me out by the barbecue pit where asado creations are made for all to enjoy!

This past weekend, I got out of Minneapolis and headed to Minnesota Lake to experience rural Minnesota. I know I have only lived in the cities for one week, but when 5:00 p.m. Friday rolled around, I was ready to hit the trails and visit friends in the country.

I took a nature walk and no one was around. No cars honking, no construction signs to maneuver around, no skyscrapers, and no people. Just me and nature. The silence echoed.

I looked up, and I didn't even see any birds flying or hear any bugs buzzing. Just a lone tree, basking in the sunlight.

I checked out the water, and I didn't even see any fish swimming. Well all right, there is that boy on the right side of the picture. His name is Tyler. See that bridge? He built it. But, the boy and the purpose of the bridge are both a story for another day. Be patient, and let's not forget how utterly ALONE I was on this nature walk. K?

Anyway, back to the point...I started to wonder, am I really all by my lonesome out here?

Being out in the country gave me some great time to think about my life and my goals, but there is a little problem. You see, being alone out in the country reminded me of my blog. You guys are a mystery. People, I'm starting to feel like this lone calf out here. No one to play tag with. No one to hide in the hay bales with. So, what I'm getting out...the thing is...I guess what I want to ask...could you guys...pretty please...I hate to ask...but okay I will...

Let me know who you are! Leave some comments! Let me know what's going on out there! I write for you! Do you live on a farm or in the country? Do you work or go to school? What are your passions? What are your dreams? What do you live to do? Call me the curious cat or something, but a girls gotta know!

Tag, you're it. Fill me in friends! :)

Check out my favorite link for grilling tips.

In my opinion, beef is the most versatile food on the planet. You see, I grew up on a cattle ranch, and my family and I learned to eat our homegrown beef in countless ways. Have you seen the New Healthy Beef Cookbook?

It basically rocks my socks because there are so many fun and easy recipes to try that your family, your boyfriend, your husband, your wife, your friends, your co-workers will all enjoy. Be a party favorite and try one of the recipes out of this bad boy. No one will forget it.

Or maybe you aren't into purchasing a cookbook right now. Hey, that's fine. I'm on a poor college kid's budget. I TOTALLY understand. Why don't you check out Beef It's What's For Dinner? It's a really easy way to find recipes to prepare your favorite beef cuts. With summer in full swing, now is the perfect time to start working the grill.

Here are my recommendations...They won't disappoint.

Mojo Beef Kabobs

Beefy PB&J Wraps (Yes, you heard right! These are the real deal!)

Crazy Quesadillas (The names are as wild as the recipes are tasty. Trust)

Farmer's Market Beef and Brown Rice Salad

Try them all. Let me know which ones you like best okay? Luckily for all of us, beef is leaner now than ever before, with 29 lean cuts of beef to try and enjoy! For more info, check it out here!

During my first week and a half working at BEEF Magazine as a summer intern, I have learned so much about editorial work, research, design, advertising, interviewing, and more. I even got out on the road yesterday to attend the 2008 Minnesota State Cattlemen's Tour. Over 850 cattlemen were in attendance for a day of visiting local feedlots and cow/calf operations. To say the least, I'm thoroughly enjoying my time at the magazine. It looks to be a promising summer.

Anyway, I wanted to know if y'all have heard about the magazine's sister source for rural living? It's called American Cowman, and it's great. For anyone with a heart in agriculture, this is the place to check out for news, updates, tips, articles and features on the people and places in rural America. For anyone with 100 or less head of cattle, this is the place to check out additional resources to make your operation more efficient, profitable and successful.

The website has so much to offer and read, it's hard to know where to start. Check it out for yourself. See what ya think!

Amanda

P.S. Don't miss my updated recipes section on the right-hand side of the page. It's been a cold winter day since I've added anything new to the section. I've provided handy resources for grilling this summer. Pass the links onto your friends. They'll thank you for it.

It's no secret that I love showing cattle. I've been showing since I was eight years old through a variety of organizations such as the North American Junior Limousin Association, South Dakota Junior Limousin Association, 4-H, FFA and as an open exhibitor for my family's Limousin cattle operation at the South Dakota State Fair. Showing cattle taught me many life lessons over the years like responsibility, honesty, integrity and the value of hard work...not to mention it was tons of fun making new friends.

You might enjoy my past blog entries on this topic. Here is a blast from the past. Read about my favorite show heifer, Regina George. Or check out a past crowd pleaser, What's Your Favorite State Fair Memory?

Anyway, showing cattle is truly one of my favorite things to do, and I miss it dearly. But my passion for serving the beef industry is great and is the reason I have spent the last couple of summers in agricultural internships across the country.

So my random question for the day is: What is your favorite summer activity? Is it boating? Tanning? Working cattle? Fixing fence? Shopping? Swimming? I want to hear from YOU!
It's another one of my favorite things in life! :)

This is for all my dear girlfriends in agriculture. Bless their souls for living, working and breathing ranch life. A shout out goes to my mom...I think she is the best farm girl on the face of the planet, not that I'm biased or anything. Sorry to all the men and city folks out there, that might feel left out. Don't worry, I don't forget about you when I'm writing my blog entries. Forgive me, but I'm still posting these top 10 tips for women on ranches.

Oh, and while I'm thinking about women in agriculture, that reminds me...I will be a guest speaker this winter at the Women in Blue Jeans Conference held in Mitchell, SD on January 15-17. If you aren't signed up yet to attend, be sure to set aside time to make it this January. For more details click here.

Back to the good stuff...farm gals: here is your guide. Feel free to add other foolproof methods to farm survival. :) Have a great weekend everyone! TGIF!

Ranch wife 101 guidelines:

10. Know that when you step out of the house you move from the "wife" department to "hired hand" status. Although the word "hired" indicates there will be a paycheck that you will never see, rest assured you will have job security. The price is just right. And most of the time you will be "the best help he has" even if it is because you are the ONLY help he has.

It's summer time and that means it's wedding season. As couples across the nation tie the knot, I thought it only appropriate to debut an old beef commercial featuring a wedding menu. Hope this makes your Monday! Enjoy!

The All-American Beef Battalion (AABB) made fireworks over Independence Weekend, honoring troops with yet another steak feed.

On July 3, 2008, AABB hosted two steak feeds in Col., one in Denver and the other in Fort Carson. US Premium Beef and National Beef Packers donated the steaks for the events, and the PRCA Rodeo committee worked at the grill.

“It’s quite the humbling experience to serve the troops through these steak feeds,” said Broadie, who encourages cattlemen to donate for the cause. “It almost brings a man to tears to see the soldiers reunite with their families. Some have pregnant wives, others have new babies they have yet to see, but they all have done something great for this country.”

Troops at the Denver steak feed were given a personal speech of thanks from well-known agricultural activist and radio personality, Trent Loos. The Fort Carson Army Base hosted the entertainment of Craig Carlin and his patriotic, six-member, family band for the troops who had just returned from a year of service in the Middle East.

“These events are very touching events for all involved,” said AABB Chairman Jim Odle. “We plan to continue hosting these events, and we want to expand our organization into further helping the families left at home with beef gift cards. We work entirely from donations, and the beef industry has been great in giving support.”

For information on hosting a steak feed or giving a monetary donation, check out the AABB website at www.steaksfortroops.com, or contact Bill Broadie at 620-635-5870.

The AABB works to support the troops while promoting American beef. Vietnam War Veteran and Kansas cattleman, Bill Broadie, established AABB in Aug. 2007. In acts of patriotism, AABB strives to provide returning and deploying troops with the gift of steak feed events and donations are welcome to continue in their cause.

Courtesy of The New York Times: In Paris, Burgers Turn Chic (an exerpt)

Beginning a few years ago but picking up momentum in the past nine months, hamburgers and cheeseburgers have invaded the city. Anywhere tourists are likely to go this summer — in St.-Germain cafes, in fashion-world hangouts, even in restaurants run by three-star chefs — they are likely to find a juicy beef patty, almost invariably on a sesame seed bun.

“It has the taste of the forbidden, the illicit — the subversive, even,” said Hélène Samuel, a restaurant consultant here. “Eating with your hands, it’s pure regression. Naturally, everyone wants it.”

But as French chefs have embraced the quintessentially American food, they have also made it their own, incorporating Gallic flourishes like cornichons, fleur de sel and fresh thyme. These attempts to translate the burger, or maybe even improve it, strongly suggest that it is here to stay.

“It’s not just a fad,” said Frédérick Grasser-Hermé, who, as consulting chef at the Champs-Élysées boîte Black Calvados, developed a burger made with wagyu beef and seasoned with what she calls a black ketchup of blackberries and black currants. “It’s more than that. The burger has become gastronomic.”

“A hamburger is the architecture of taste par excellence,” she explained. “The meat needs to be a mix of fatty and lean. Not raw, not rare. It must be medium rare. At the same time the bread needs to be smooth, tepid, toasted on the sesame side. I like to brush the soft side with butter. There needs to be a crispy chiffonade of iceberg lettuce. Everything plays a role.”

I've been living in the city for 2 and a half weeks now. I'm getting used to all the people, the traffic, the noise, the crowds and the tall buildings. I've settled into a cozy routine with work, running by Lake Harriet, and coming home to my apartment and grilling beef for supper.

However, no matter how hard I try, I'm ALWAYS lost. Seriously. It doesn't matter if I'm trying to find a local grocery store, navigating the major highways, or attempting to leave the city to visit friends, I always manage to make a wrong turn, choose the wrong road, or go in the wrong direction.

To no avail, I'm lost all the time, and I've about had it. In an effort to help me from getting lost, my mom bought me a GPS System. My family named her Lola, and she had the promise of helping me get anywhere and everywhere. I always listen closely to her instructions, and yet, I'm still lost. Is it possible that she is lost too?

Of course, Lola doesn't always know the roads with construction, and she sometimes chooses a really round about route to getting where I'm going, but sometimes I choose not to listen. Anyway, I'm just looking for some advice. I know I'm directionally challenged and all, but is there hope for me? Will this country girl ever survive in the big city?

The Los Angeles Times printed a letter-to-the-editor by Susan Levin, staff dietitian for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, in response to a recent article reporting low-carb diets were most effective in assisting weight loss.

Levin wrote, As a dietitian, I'm concerned that the public is once again being misled about the safety and effectiveness of the Atkins diet. The recent weight-loss study, which was funded in part by the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation, compared a low-carbohydrate diet to a low-fat diet containing 30 percent of calories from fat. But a truly low-fat diet would contain less than 10 percent of calories from fat. Study participants on the so-called low-fat diet reduced their total fat intake by only 1.4 percent – hardly enough to make a difference. British Heart Foundation research from the University of Oxford shows that high-fat, low-carb diets directly affect the he art by depleting energy stores. In fact, no long-term study has ever supported a high-protein diet as a safe and effective solution to weight management. Instead of following fad diets, Americans can safeguard their health by consuming more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other healthy vegetarian foods.

While this is a very well written letter, consumers shouldn't be mislead by the words of Ms. Levin. Did you know the Physician's Committee For Responsible Medicine consists of only 5% doctors, and the owner is rumored to be a psychiatrist, not a dietician? For real.

Oh, and next week, try not to miss me too much. I'm headed to steamy Florida for Ag Media Summit. I should return with some strong ideas for the direction of the blog! Take care and have a great weekend! :)

I love your comments. I love the good ones, the bad ones, the funny ones and the mean ones. I know it sounds silly, but I just love to talk to people. So I got really excited when a reader, Holly, chimed in with a very great question about beef production. And I believe Holly must read another blogger, who his absolutely entertaining in everywhere, The Pioneer Woman. The reason I believe this is because Ree recently posted about F1 herds. Am I right Holly?

Well anyway, here is Holly's question, and I will provide an answer to the best of my abilities.

I'm just learning about the genetics linked up to beef breeding and am curious (about most everything, but today it's breeding genetics...grin) What is an F1 herd, and why do some breeders use a Brahma as the sire for the F1 herd? What would be the advantages of that breed to cross on?Purebred is no longer the goal?

An F1 heifer refers to the cross of two purebred lines to reproduce the first line of these genetics (F1 referring to first offspring). Now F1 heifers will be bred, perhaps to another F1 lineage, and their offspring are referred to as double cross hybrids. Make sense?

As for my family, we raise purebred Limousin, but we also cross to Angus to produce what is called Lim-Flex calves. There is still great value in purebred genetics to create hybrid vigor, which is to optimize the qualities of two different breeds.

Let me explain. Limousin are well known for their heavy muscling, feed efficiency, growth and terminal traits. Angus are known as the maternal breed, with good milking abilities as well as high marbling for the end product. A cross between a Limousin and an Angus creates a heavy muscled, high marbling calf that will grade well in the packing plant. Additionally, Lim-Flex calves are good mothers without sacrificing too much muscling that makes Limousin so great. Does that paint a good picture?

And finally, you asked about Brahman cattle. While I don't see too many of these cattle in my neck of the woods, the Brahman breed is known for its hardiness and heat tolerance. They are very popular in the southern states. So they would make an excellent cross to fit the needs of a cattlemen, say in Oklahoma?

Thanks again Holly for the Q and A session. Keep it coming. I dare you to try to stump ME! :)