Farmers + Guy Fieri = 1st Blogaversary!

It's my 1st Blogaversary today so naturally I've been reflecting on what I've accomplished in the past year.  A year ago Scott and I had just come home from the Minnesota Farm Bureau Leadership Conference (which we have attended annually in January since the first year we were married) and, as usual, we came home pretty pumped up about Ag and full of new ideas of things we hoped to accomplish.  One of those was starting this blog.  It was an idea I had kicked around for some time but figured I really didn't have anything to say that people would be interested in.  I firmly believe God places certain people around you when you need them.  During the conference Scott and I had the pleasure of having a meal with the wonderful Lanoue family from Southwest Minnesota.  We enjoyed getting to know them better and by the end of the conversation they had encouraged me to bite the bullet and put myself out there.  Ruth also has a wonderful blog  - Family Farm Experience - I encourage you to check it out!

As is fitting, we attended our 12th Leadership Conference this past weekend and had a blast visiting with our Farm Bureau friends we only get to see a few times a year.

250+ attended the conference - seen here listening to Minnesota Farm Bureau President, Kevin Paap

 Although we attend a lot of educational sessions and listen to speakers while we are at the conference, we also know how to have a good time - in a BIG way!

Human Hungry Hungry Hippos

Oversized Yahtzee

Lots of Bean Bags

Jumbo Jenga

Copperhead Creek

He may not always seem like a fun guy but he is PRETTY hilarious and likes to have a good time - he will do anything to get me to smile!

Packaging 10,800 meals for Kids Against Hunger before our Saturday evening banquet

Looking good Mr. Runge!

The conference was excellent, as usual!  Another reminder why we do what we do - I wasn't raised with an Ag background - but Scott was.  His life is mine and vice versa.  I have come to realize how many people do not understand that without farmers they would have nothing!  Nothing to eat.  Nothing to wear.  No where to live.  Farmers provide steak, bacon, eggs, milk, bread, sugar, flour, corn, wool, cotton, wood, fuel....there is no end to the list.  Things DO NOT come from a store!  They come from farmers!  This was the first year at the conference that I could proudly say I'm not a farmer (rather than feeling a bit awkward being there and not living on a farm) - but that I live in a rural community and Ag is important to my family and friends and impacts me and my livelihood on a daily basis.  I am an AGvocate.  I want to do my part in making sure those in the agricultural industry are recognized for the amazing work they do - they are truly working to feed the world.  The sooner people realize that farmers are intelligent people who research, graph, analyse, and use science and math for the betterment of the earth, and that they are not just people dropping seeds into dirt looking to make a quick buck, the better the world will be...after all - farmers feed their own families, too.

Off my soapbox now...

So, on a lighter note!  If you follow my blog or know me at all, you know that I am very passionate about food and cooking.  I've shared some of my recipes on my blog (which was really my way of forcing myself to clean up my post-it note ridden counters full of chicken scratches of pretty much everything I make in the kitchen - you never know when something will turn out really good and your hubby will love it and say you should make it again and you have to look at him and admit you have no idea what you did because you just started throwing stuff together and didn't measure it or write it down!) Whew!  That was a really long side note.  Anyhow!  I love the Food Network and Cooking Channel and have them on pretty much constantly when I'm home alone - I need the background noise!  I love the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and have always wanted to eat somewhere Guy has.  So.....before we left Minneapolis we went out to eat at the Colossal Cafe.

GUY ATE HERE!!!!

Thanks to a few of our AwEsoME Farm Bureau friends for humoring me and coming with to brunch!

I wanted to have what Guy ate - Flappers with 3 Rivers Maple Syrup, apple, walnut, & Brie cheese - after I ordered mine I was informed that they were out of flappers for the day so I ordered a Cubano sandwich (which was delicious!).  The owner felt bad I didn't get mine and managed to eek one more pancake out of her batter so I could try it - and gave it to me free of charge!  What an awesome place!

Scott had biscuits and gravy - with sunny side up eggs which Guy would HATE!

The restaurant only seated about 15 at a time!  A wonderful experience and something to cross off my bucket list!

It's been wonderful year - thanks for living it with the Rural Runges!

Pasta Princesses!

Spaghetti, lasagna, mac and cheese, fettuccine, linguine, ravioli....  I have never met a pasta I didn't like - and my kids feel the same way!  Since Scott bought me my very first KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday in 2014 I have spent countless hours debating which attachments I would actually use in my kitchen - hey, this thing isn't only for cakes!  I have always had my eye on the pasta attachment but was afraid it would be too difficult or time consuming.  I finally bit the bullet and asked for it for Christmas and got it.  I'll admit I was a little bit hesitant to take it out of the box and really try it, but it has quickly become a fun, wonderful addition to our flour spattered kitchen!

The dough is simply 4 eggs, 3 1/2 cups four, sifted, 2 tablespoons of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Mix together 30 seconds with the paddle attachment, then 2 minutes with the dough hook.

Then kneed by hand for 2 minutes and cover and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Because we enjoy a good challenge, we not only took on homemade pasta for the first time, we decided to make Shrimp Scampi and use raw shrimp for the first time.  Keeley was a rock star peeling the pound of shrimp so I could devein them - awesome skill for a 9 year old to have in her wheelhouse - I'm 35 and that's the first time I've ever done it!

The kids loved watching the shrimp change from gray to pink so quickly in the pan!

Then we rolled and cut the spaghetti noodles - even Jake was pretty amazed by this part!  It's like play-dough you get to eat!!!

Our gorgeous homemade Shrimp Scampi!!!  It was SOOO delicious!

SHRIMP SCAMPI

(This is an adapted version of The Pioneer Woman's recipe)

2 T. olive oil

4 T. butter

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, finely diced

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I have used cooked and pulled their tails off!)

Salt

Pepper

1/2 c. white wine (or chicken broth)

Juice of 1 large lemon

Hot sauce

8 oz. angel hair pasta or 1/2 recipe of fresh pasta cut into spaghetti as listed above

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 - 1/2 c. heavy cream (optional)

Basil and/or Parsley to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  Heat the olive oil and 2 T. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft.  Add the shrimp and sprinkle them with salt and pepper and cook them for a couple minutes.  They quickly turn pink and then they're done!  Add the white wine or chicken broth, lemon juice, a couple dashes of hot sauce and reduce heat to a low simmer.  Now drop the pasta into your pot of boiling water and cook the pasta until al dente.  Turn the heat off on the shrimp and add the last 2 tablespoons of butter, the drained pasta, grated Parmesan, and heavy cream.  Toss until mixed together and top with some chopped basil or parsley or both!  I like to add some shredded Parm and greenery to each serving to make it look extra special.

The spaghetti was so much easier than we thought that we decided we should probably try to tackle tortellini!  Scott ordered Braised Beef and Tortellini at The Olive Garden once and it has always stuck out as a wonderfully decadent dish in my mind and was the first time I'd ever had tortellini, I believe.  I've been hooked ever since and of course had to figure out a way to make it at home!

So I seared some ribs...

added my liquids and veggies and covered it and let it do it's magic...

then we rolled some pasta out and got to work stuffing our tortellini.  (Side note - don't cut pasta on your table without a cutting board - it will scratch your table and then your husband will notice it and then you'll have to spend time on Pinterest trying to figure out how to fix it....)

I LOVE it when the kids are excited to be in the kitchen with me!  They are so much more willing to try new things when they put the time and work into making them with you!

Keeley put a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each circle.  Kate's job was to put a ring of water on the outer edge of the circle.  Then Keeley folded them in half and I turned them into little "bonnets".

Keeley was so proud to have filled and formed her first tortellini from start to finish alone!

We did it!

Back to the beef!  After cooking 3 + hours, I removed the meat from the pan and added the cream to thicken the sauce.

Then I chunked up the super tender, fall apart meat...drool...

Everything back in the pan!

BRAISED BEEF & TORTELLINI

2 pounds country style boneless ribs

3 T. olive oil

1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 large tomato, diced

8 oz. Portabella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

8 oz. Marsala wine (found by the vinegar in most grocery stores)

1/2 T. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. Balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 - 2 pounds frozen tortellini or a batch of homemade cheese tortellini (recipe below)

Heat oil on medium high heat in a large nonstick pan.  Combine flour, salt, and pepper.  Toss ribs in flour mixture, add to pan, and sear on all sides (working in groups if necessary).  Remove the seared meat.  Reduce heat to low and add the garlic and onion to the pan - add a splash more oil if needed.  Cook and stir for a minute or so.  Layer the seared ribs in the bottom of the pan.  Add the tomato, mushrooms, Marsala wine, and Italian seasoning on top of the meat.  Cover the pan and cook for 3-4 hours over low heat or until very tender.  Stir every 30 minutes or so  - add more Marsala wine if needed.  When the meat is done, remove to a plate and slice into bite size chunks.  Increase the temp to medium and add the heavy cream to the sauce and mushrooms in the pan.  Stir until heated through and reduced to a creamy sauce consistency.  Slide the meat back into the sauce and stir until it's coated.  Serve over cheese tortellini.  Garnish with shredded Parmesan and chopped parsley.

The girls loved the tortellini so much, they decided we should make a bunch of it for Brown Christmas (which was just held January 17th.)

We tried several cheeses separately so Keeley would know what each tasted like.  She wasn't fond of the Ricotta, Romano, or Asiago on their own, but it was a wonderful lesson in flavors that work well together to create something wonderful.

I cut more circles...this time on the bread board with a cutting board - you can never be too safe ;)

The girls resumed their positions...

Aren't they cute?!?!

We pounded out 122 cheese tortellini for Christmas!  The girls are already looking forward to making more and coming up with new filling recipes - I can't wait - the word BACON was brought up!!!

CHEESE TORTELLINI

1 C. Ricotta

1/2 C. (2 oz.) shredded Romano cheese

1/2 C. (2 oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 C. (2 oz.) shredded Asiago cheese

1/2 C. (2 oz.) 6 cheese Italian blend

1/2 C. (2 oz.) grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. chopped basil or parsley

Approx. 60 - 3 inch pasta circles (1/2 of the pasta recipe at the top of the blog post or I've read you can use won-ton wrappers for the pasta!)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle.  Wet the outer edge of the pasta with water and fold in half.  Bring the two end of the semi-circle together to make the pasta shaped like a bonnet.  Cook in boiling water 3-5 minutes (they float to the top) - they cook fast!  Pair with the pasta sauce of your choice or eat plain!