Say Cheese!

I grew up watching sports on television. Back in the "olden days," we didn't have so many choices with our rural antenna, but if there was a game of any kind on TV, we were watching it.

Dad passed along his love of all things sports to his children. (If only my abilities had matched my fervor. I was, however, an excellent bench sitter on a couple of state championship basketball teams. And, as my Dad says, who did those girls practice against?)

We grew up going to high school games - home and away. And my love for K-State football developed early as we made the trek to Manhattan to watch our beloved Wildcats. 

So, I'm not one of the people who watches the Super Bowl for the commercials. Even though I don't have a favorite team in the line-up this year, I'll be just as attentive to the game between the Broncos and the Seahawks as I am to the outrageously-priced, 30-second spots advertising beer and chips. 

I'm also a fan of the Super Bowl spread. If you're looking for a winner in that department, you might want to try this cheeseball recipe. Before Christmas, the kids' piano teacher, Dorothy Trinkle, sent it via email, saying it was the "best cheeseball recipe I've ever found." She got it while cruising the Mississippi on a boat trip.

Dorothy usually halves the recipe when she makes it. However, since I was using it for three different holiday gatherings, I decided to make the full recipe. (The full recipe is below.)

You can make the cheeseballs as big or small as you'd like. For crisper almonds, roll the cheeseballs in the nuts just before serving, but leftovers are good, too. As Dorothy says, "It lasts well ... if people don't eat it!"

Gridley Cheese Ball
Recipe from Dorothy Trinkle

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
8 oz. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup milk
2 oz. dried beef, chopped finely
6-8 green onions, chopped
2 tsp. garlic salt (original recipe call for 3 teaspoons)
Toasted almonds

Combine all ingredients except almonds. (The original recipe said to do it with a heavy spoon, but I used my mixer, and it worked great.) Refrigerate at least 6 hours. Shape into balls and roll in toasted almonds, pressing lightly so they stick. You may make the balls as small or as large as you like. I made this at Christmastime and divided the cheese mixture into several  balls so that I could take them to different holiday gatherings. You can also freeze cheeseballs, minus the nuts. When you're ready to serve, thaw one out. Roll in almonds just before serving.

Serve with crackers, vegetables and/or fruit.

***

Looking for other recipes for your Super Bowl party? Try these from my kitchen:

Baked Ham Harvest Sandwiches

(aka Funeral Sandwiches)

Million Dollar Deli Slices

Baked Brie

 

Sweet Potato Beef Mash-Up

(The contest is over, but the recipe is still a winner!)

 

 ***

Today, I'm linked to Wake Up Wednesdays, a feature of Wichita blogger (and fellow K-State fan!) Ashley on her Kitchen Meets Girl blog. Click out the link to check out lots of other recipes for the game or for every day. 

Batting A Thousand

 

Today's version of Kim's County Line marks my 1,000th post. You'd have thought I'd have run out of things to say by now, right? Some of you probably think I have.

But, here I am at yet another milestone. I started the blog on January 24, 2010. So I guess it's fitting that the 1,000th post also corresponds with the week I celebrate my four-year anniversary of blogging.

Why Kim's County Line? As I wrote in my very first blog post four years ago, I live on the Stafford/Reno County line in Kansas. This blog certainly has had stories from my life on this country road and as a farm wife.

When considering this name, I looked up "line" in the dictionary. And County Line seemed even more appropriate when I looked at the myriad of definitions:

**A horizontal row of written or printed characters;
**A course of conduct, action or thought;
**A field of activity or interest;
**A succession of musical notes, especially considered in melodic phrases (I do love my music!);
**A glib, often persuasive, way of talking (probably not so much);
**The words making up a part in a drama (there ARE some dramatic moments around here on occasion).

When I started, I posted six days a week, so in 2010, I had 265 blog posts. In 2011, it was 261, and in 2012, my total was 250. Last year, I had my fewest number, 211, since I took a "blog-cation" or two along the way when we traveled to Kentucky, when Kinley came to the farm and during holidays. With this post, my 2014 total is at "lucky" 13.

Each quarter, I've published the blog posts and photos into hardcover books. I didn't want to lose all that work and the family history if the internet some day decided to eat Kim's County Line for lunch. The 16 books make a pile almost a foot high. I'm running out of room on the TV cabinet shelves.

These days, I usually say that my blog is a mix of farm, family, faith, food and photography. I am certainly no Pioneer Woman in terms of blog followers or page hits. It can be frustrating if I play the comparison game. Comparison is never healthy, though it's human (at least this version of human struggles mightily with it). Some days, I do question the time and effort I put into it. But, then I consider: What is gained?

I think writing has made me more aware. For some of the posts about farming, I've approached the task like the reporter I am. I've "interviewed" my farmer and written down his answers. I've asked the questions and listened carefully, instead of halfheartedly, so I could answer the "whys" and "wherefores" of a modern farming operation.

I've noticed the beauty all around me, and I've taken thousands of photographs to document the magnificence of simple things - of rainbows and ice on fences and sunflowers along ditches and baby calves nestled against their mamas. And I've come to realize how precious these little glimpses of time are.

I used this photo of a sunrise after a 2007 ice storm as my first blog header photo.

I look at Kim's County Line a little like a journal or diary. Maybe, someday, I'll have a great-grandchild or even a stranger know a little about life in the early 21st century on a Kansas farm. But instead of finding it written in cursive on a paper page, it will be documented in the photos and words captured in one little piece of the internet.

I do thank those of you who visit my little spot on the internet - whether it's every time I post or just on occasion. Thanks for joining me on the journey.

Good for What Ails You

Feeling a little blue?

Medicate with a couple of twinkling blue eyes and a sweet little voice. It's good for what ails you.

Contrary to what some hacker would like you to think, I am not in Kiev. I don't need you to send me money to get me out of Russia. (However, if you want to join one of Randy's golf buddies in kicking in 5 bucks to help us out, we'll add it to the piggy bank. Just kidding!)

Actually, I got to tag along to Kansas City with Randy last week for his Kanza Co-op board meeting and retreat. That's as close as we got to Russia. On Friday, we got up early in Kansas City and headed to McPherson for a funeral. As we watched the moon set in the west and the sun rose in the east, we got the first phone call.

"So, are you in Russia?" the caller asked.

"Uh, no, we're on I-70."

"Check your email.

We heard from 30 people or more via phone call, text or email. And there I was, stuck on I-70, with just my Iphone (and limited technological abilities with it). So, Jill helped me out and changed passwords on the old email account (one I use only for this blog).

The more phone calls we got, the more disconcerted I got. I hated that an email, allegedly from me, could infect a friend or colleague's computer. And, besides, it was cutting into my reading time.

But, then, I decided I needed to put it into perspective. We were on our way to celebrate a life of a wife, mom, grandma, great-grandma and friend. (Randy's sister's mother-in-law.) A family at Pratt was saying goodbye to their little boy after a short battle with cancer. These families were gathering to say goodbye. And I was complaining about an inconvenient email.

After the funeral, we headed to Manhattan for my sister's housewarming, before returning to Kansas City for the final day of meetings.

On Sunday, a visit with Miss Kinley was definitely what I needed to put life in perspective.

She has traded her purple cast for purple high heels and is getting along great.

Watching her play and listening to her expanding vocabulary was just the attitude adjustment I needed.

I'd much rather have a visit with Kinley instead of a trip to Russia anyway.

8,760 Hours

I get three daily email devotionals. If I'm honest, I sometimes click on them and just scan the message on my way to clicking the next email on the list. 

Other days, the message seems meant for me. 

Here's one from earlier this month:

A Time to Think

Eight thousand, seven hundred and sixty marvelous hours

are waiting for you this year. 

My prayer is that each one will bring you closer to God.
–Norman Vincent Peale, pastor and author

So, from sunrise ...

To sunset ...

And all the moments in between ...

In the big moments
And in the small
Let this be true for me
And for you, too. 

Spicy Sausage Pasta

 

The first time I got a recipe via email from my son, I had to go back and reconfirm that it was actually from Brent.

Since then, both Jill and I have been on the receiving end of recipes from his kitchen. It doesn't surprise me anymore unless I think back to those days when I suggested he add 4-H foods and nutrition to his list of projects.

It was always an unqualified, "No!"

However, necessity changes attitudes. As Randy points out, Brent didn't have to cook when he lived here. Both Jill and I enjoy cooking and baking, so Brent just reaped the benefits. But since he doesn't want to eat frozen pizza or takeout all the time, he has developed some kitchen skills.

And he occasionally shares a recipe with both Jill and me. We share them back. It's an amazing thing, really! This Spicy Sausage Pasta was one he recommended from his Kentucky kitchen and I repeated here on the County Line. He isn't one to peruse cookbooks. Rather, he finds his recipes online. This one was from a blog by Kevin & Amanda's Delicious Recipes.

 

Spicy Sausage Pasta

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. smoked sausage
1 1/2 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can tomatoes with green chilies, mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces penne pasta
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, divided
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper; stir. Bring to a boil; cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with green onion. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Makes 4 servings. I served it with a green salad.

Note: Use turkey sausage, if available.

***

Today, I'm linked to Wake Up Wednesdays on Wichita blogger Ashley's Kitchen Meets Girl. Click on the link for more from kitchens across the country.

Neither Snow Nor Rain Nor Gloom of Night ...

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night 

stays these couriers from the swift completion 

of their appointed rounds.

It may be the U.S. Postal Service's unofficial motto, but it could just as easily be a slogan for Kansas cattlemen.

While beef production critics would like to think that cattle should just graze from green pastures all year 'round, that's not a wintertime reality in Kansas. Freezing temperatures don't leave edible tidbits in our pastures, so it's up to cattlemen to feed their herds. That happens whether it's -8 (like it was a week ago Monday), whether we're experiencing the more moderate temperatures this week or whether the wind is already howling (like it is this morning).

Randy wasn't doing his "King of the Mountain" impression. He was using a pitchfork to clean "rotten" out of the silo. What he calls "rotten" is the outer layer of silage in the trench silo. While older cows will pick through the material, young feeder calves "turn up their noses" and won't eat it. So, periodically, the guys have to clean that layer off. Randy scraped away the sides with the pitchfork because it's hard for the bucket on the tractor to remove it. However, Jake used the bucket to clean off the rotted silage in the middle of the stack. (If you look at the photo on the left below, you can see that the outer layer is a little darker. That's the "rotten.")

After the guys got down to the good stuff, Jake loaded several scoops into the feed truck.

Then Randy took it the half mile or so to the feeder cattle.

Our feed truck is ancient. I could have ridden along with Randy, but I told him I could get better pictures if I just followed him. However, I don't think I fooled him in the slightest. I didn't want to share the cab with the packrat or the mice that have made the feed truck their vacation home. True story: This winter, Randy put a big rat trap in the cab and loaded it with cheese. Two days later, the entire trap was gone. I kid you not. I don't want to meet the vermin able to cart off his own trap.

 

So, I respectfully declined his kind offer to ride in the feed truck. (It also has no brakes which is always a thrill when you have to gun the engine to go up the incline to get out of the pasture and then directly onto a bridge with no guard rails. Above, you can see the braking system for storing the truck in the shed. It stops when it hits the tire.)

The roar of the feed truck acts like a dinner bell for our bovines. Cattle that had been in a different, adjoining lot came to "belly up to the bar," so to speak.

Randy filled each of the bunks, running the auger so that the feed is transferred from the truck bed to the bunks. A few eager eaters weren't scared off by the noise and came to start eating.

After Randy left the pasture, all of them came to the bunks to eat their fill.

Besides the silage, the guys also feed alfalfa and sudan hay. The heifers will be delivering their "little bundles of joy" later this month. The older cows are scheduled to calve in February.

At some of our winter locations for cattle, there is water available. However, the guys also have to haul water to one location.
The water tank has a valve at the back, which they open to let the water flow into the tank in the corral.


So, whether sun or rain or sleet or Kansas wind, the guys do their part to make sure our herd has the food and water they need.

Flour Power

Randy was gone several days last week. And when he came home, he brought flour.

Yep, flour - not flowers! That's what happens when you're married to a farmer.

Randy completed a three-day flour milling short course for state wheat commissioners at the International Grains Program at Kansas State University. He even got a diploma.

Randy is 3rd from the left on the back row.

And he brought home 50 pounds of flour.

If you know me, you know I like to bake. But 50 pounds of flour is a lot - even for me.

I may buy Stafford County Flour Mill's Hudson Cream Flour in a 10-pound bag if I'm going to be doing a lot of baking for the church bazaar or for the holidays. But I sure don't buy five of them at a time - or lug home a 50-pound bag. It's a storage dilemma.

Besides the flour, he also brought home a small bag of cookies they baked in Shellenberger Hall on K-State's campus. K-State is the only school in the U.S. that offers a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Bakery Science and Management.

The recipe they followed looked a little different than the ones I use. Though I sometimes will triple a basic cookie recipe and then divide it to make five or six different cookie varieties, the bulk recipe makes my home attempts look paltry. The huge Hobart mixers in the K-State bakery make my KitchenAide look like a mini-Me wanna-be.

While I am a Hudson Cream Flour "snob" and use it for all my baking, the flour Randy brought home was made from K-State's new wheat variety, 1863. (It was named 1863 as a nod to K-State's 150th birthday last year.) We planted 50 acres of 1863 this past fall and will harvest it for the first time on the County Line this summer.

Randy and the other short-course students milled the wheat at the Hal Ross Flour Mill on K-State's campus. For more than a hundred years, Kansas State University has provided the world with expertise in flour milling. In 1905, J.T. Willard set up a small mill in the corner of a chemistry laboratory, and from that small beginning, K-State has developed a program that offers the only four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Milling Science and Management.

Now that Randy's K-State cookies are gone, I guess I need to get that bag open and start baking.

Mark Fowler, who taught the class, told them there is no such thing as "bad flour." There's just flour for different purposes.

That's music to a Kansas wheat farmer's ears after a few days with his nose to the grindstone (so to speak).

**

And now for my postscript: I teased Randy about bringing me "flour" instead of "flowers." I hummed a few bars of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" ala Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. When he went to Hutchinson to watch our niece, Amanda, cheer at the Hutchinson Community College basketball game, he came home with a bouquet of flowers. 

Now I feel really badly. (And, in my defense, I've told him repeatedly in our nearly 33 years of marriage that flowers aren't necessary and that I don't "need" them to know he loves me.)

But he brought them anyway. And I must admit, they are beautiful. But so is that 50-pound bag of flour because it represents how much he cares about learning and giving back by helping to promote a crop that's so important to us and our livelihood.

He's a keeper, for sure!