Teriyaki Pork & Pineapple Kabobs

These Teriyaki Pork & Pineapple Kabobs have quickly become a family favorite this summer! They’re easy to put together, packed with flavor and the combination of sweet pineapple with savory, tender pork is hard to beat. With a simple homemade teriyaki sauce made from ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, these kabobs are a delicious way to fire up the grill and enjoy pork this summer!

Crockpot Chorizo Hashbrown Casserole

Chorizo has become one of my favorite pork products over the last several years. I love its bold, slightly spicy flavor and how it turns simple ingredients into something crave‑worthy. This Crockpot Chorizo Hashbrown Casserole is a perfect example — comforting, flavorful, and flexible enough for breakfast, brunch, or even taco night.

New Dietary Guidelines: Prioritizing Real Food That Works for Your Family

Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans and shared this visual of an inverted pyramid that emphasizes prioritizing protein, dairy, vegetables, and fruits — all rooted in a focus on whole foods.

Reflections on My First Farmers Market Season with VIP Pork

As our first farmers market season comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what a rewarding experience it has been. While this side of our pork production is just a small percent of what we do on the farm, it has been so meaningful to connect with our community in a new way — by offering VIP Pork directly to customers.

How to Prepare Your Easter Ham with a Simple Two-Ingredient Glaze

Easter is just around the corner, and if you're looking for an easy, yet delicious way to prepare your holiday ham, I've got the perfect recipe for you! This simple two-ingredient glaze creates a beautifully caramelized, flavorful ham that will be the star of your Easter table.

1 Pork Loin 3 Meals

Have you ever glanced at those big pork loins on sale at your local grocery store and wondered what you could possibly do with all that meat beside throw a party? Well, I'm going to show you how to utilize a whole loin by cutting it into three versatile portions for a roast, chops and stew meat. Not only is buying a whole pork loin a budget-friendly option, but it also ensures you have a high-quality source of protein for several meals.

How many farmers does it take to make a pizza?

In honor of National Pizza Day, let's figure out how many farmers it takes to make one of America's favorite foods!

Raising the Best Pig to Meet Consumer Demand

One of our main goals as farmers is to provide healthy, affordable food for people across the country and even the world. In order to have those cuts of pork the consumer wants at their local grocery store, butcher shop or restaurant, we watch consumer demands and in the last two years have changed our genetics to a Large White Duroc crossbreed to meet those wants.

Hog Wild Baked Beans

Between family grill-outs, potlucks with friends and the need for easy recipes in the summertime, my Hog Wild Baked Beans are always a hit and through the years have become a request for get togethers.

What it Means to Grow Up on the Farm: An Interview with my Kids

Raising our kids on the farm is one of my favorite parts of our livelihood.  I am proud to be raising the 6th generation of farmers in my family.  My husband and I work hard everyday so our farm is sustainable for our children to continue on our family's farming legacy.  In honor of National Ag Day, I thought it'd be fun to interview the next generation (aka our kids), about what it means to grow up on the farm.  Enjoy!

National Pork Month #Celebrate365 Blog Party

October is one of my favorite times of the year for many reasons:  harvest is in full-swing (or as much as we can this year between rains), it is sweatshirt weather, my birthday is at the end of the month, and it's National Pork Month.  I have been raising pigs with my family and now my husband literally my entire life.  I love sharing about our pigs and delicious ways to prepare pork.  So in recognition of National Pork Month I joined forces with my Celebrate 365 co-hosts (Carlee from Cooking with Carlee, Ellen of Family Around the Table, Jan of The Tip Garden and Nicole of Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom) to host a Pork Recipe Blog Party!

Simple and Easy Hobo Packets for the Family

*This post has been sponsored by BBQ Week contributors, including 
Michigan Asparagus and Adams Extract and Spice.  
All views and opinions shared are my own.*

No matter if you are camping with a fire pit or at home with a grill, these simple and easy Hobo Foil Meal Packs are perfect for the entire family.

Slice of Iowa Pizza

It's National Pizza Day and why not celebrate with my Slice of Iowa Pizza, with two of Iowa's top agricultural products and "the sauce America loves to eat."

When I found out that today was National Pizza Day I couldn't pass up the chance to:

• #1 eat pizza
• #2 share my love of Iowa
• #3 talk about my farm 😊

Who doesn't love pizza?  My family and I have a weekly tradition of having pizza every Friday night.  We make a couple pizzas (because one doesn't cut it anymore for my growing kids), pop a bag of popcorn and throw it in our "official" popcorn bowl with some M&Ms, and have a picnic in the living room and watch a movie.  Pizza always hits the spot for people of all ages and I love how you can top your pizza with anything.

When we make homemade pizza at home the kids usually ask for one of our go-to favorites - pepperoni or sausage and mushroom for one of the pizzas and the second is deemed "the parents" pizza, so we usually do a little more with it.  So I decided it would be fun to make an "Iowa" pizza topped with some of our favorite Iowa foods.

The first thing I thought of was shredded pork.  I love making shredded pork with and for everything.  Plus it is a great make once, eat twice freezer staple of our house.  We raise pigs on our farm so we always have a lot of pork on hand.  And did you know that Iowa has more pigs than any other state in the nation.  In fact, Iowa raises nearly one-third of all pigs in the United States.

The second ingredient that I added was sweet corn.  Now, Minnesota is actually the top producer of sweet corn, but Iowa raises the most corn total (field, sweet and pop) in the nation.  A large majority of that corn Iowa raises is field corn, which primarily goes towards livestock feed and ethanol.  But I figured I couldn't claim to have an Iowa pizza with out sweet corn on it!

And the last ingredient that completes the Slice of Iowa Pizza is Cookies BBQ Sauce.  Cookies is made in Wall Lake, Iowa and they make several flavors of BBQ Sauce, other sauces, seasonings and salsas.  I use their Flavor Enhancer on everything and love their Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce and Wings-N-Things Hot Sauce.  Using one of the BBQ Sauces as the pizza sauce was the perfect way of pulling the Iowa pizza all together.

Slice of Iowa Pizza

1 prepared Pizza Crust (in true Iowa fashion I used Fareway's Crispy Pizza Crust mix)

1/2 cup Cookies Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce

1 heaping cup Shredded Pork

1/2 cup Sweet Corn kernels, drained

2 cups Pizza blend shredded cheese

Prepare pizza crust as directed by package, or use your favorite homemade recipe, and bake at 425°F for 3 minutes.  Then top the crust with the BBQ Sauce, Pork, Corn and Cheese.  Bake 10 to 12 additional minutes until the top is brown and bubbly.

Are you hungry now?  I love the flavor combination of BBQ Sauce with the shredded Corn, and the sweet corn gives a nice little sweet pop in each bite!  I hope you gather with your family and enjoy a Slice of Iowa Pizza soon!  What is your favorite flavor of pizza?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Slow-Cooker Smoky BBQ Pork Ribs and 20+ Game Day Foods #FootballFood

Do you ever go on a Pinterest binge where you find yourself pinning something everyday for days on end?  Well, that has been me lately; between trying new zoodle recipes (or any excuse to use my new spiralizer), to getting ready to celebrate Mr. K and Miss L's birthdays, to preparing for next weekend's Big Game, it seems like I'm turning to Pinterest every night to help me think through ideas.  Well, today, I'm passing the addiction on to you and I'm sharing my Slow-Cooker Smoky BBQ Pork Ribs along with over 20 other great recipes from some of my blogging friends to help you find a great dish for next weekend's Big Game or really any day 😊

When it comes to the Big Game, I don't know about you, but I'm really only there to watch it so I can eat great food and hopefully see a couple good commercials.  So for me, anything that is simple and can sit around, is a win for me.  That is why for my Smoky BBQ Pork Ribs, made with Chipolte Chiles in Adobo Sauce, I turned to my slow-cooker.  I hope you enjoy these easy, savory Pork Ribs at your Big Game Party!

Slow-Cooker Smoky BBQ Pork Ribs

4# Country Style Pork Ribs

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and Pepper

BBQ Sauce:

1 cup Ketchup

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Chipolte Chiles in Adobo Sauce, chopped

2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp Salt

Place pork ribs in a slow cooker.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced garlic.  Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, drain and discard juices from the slow cooker and pour or spoon BBQ Sauce over the ribs.  To make the BBQ Sauce, combine all the ingredients and mix well.  (And by the way, this is my go-to BBQ Sauce that I use on everything!)

***Cook's Tip***  Chipolte Chiles in Adobo Sauce is bought in a small can.  You will never use the entire can in one recipe, so what I do is put the entire can (chiles and sauces) in the food processor and mince til the chiles are finely chopped.  I then use the mixed chopped chiles and sauce in the recipe as directed and put the unused in a freezer storage bag.  I freeze the leftovers and then thaw the bag the next time I need chipolte chiples in adobo for a recipe, like for my Sweet and Spicy Hog Wild Baked Beans, recipe #20 down below. 😉

Ready for over 20 other great #FootballFood recipes to get you ready for the Big Game from some of my blogging friends and I?  

Here they are - you'll have to comment below and let me know which recipe you're most excited about!

   1. Mini Sweet and Spicy Cheese Ball from Dad What's 4 Dinner

   2. Mexican Queso Dip from Palatable Pastime

   3. Baked Onion Dip from Family Around the Table

   4. Sloppy Joe Buffalo Chicken Sliders from Tip Garden

   5. 5 Ingredient Loaded Baked Potato Dip from Corn, Beans, Pigs, Kids

   6. Buffalo Chicken Taquitos from Cooking With Carlee

   7. Toasted Mexican Ravioli from Jolene's Recipe Journal

    8. Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Jalapeno Poppers from Cooking With Carlee

    9. Freezer to Crockpot Italian Sausage Grinders from Tip Garden

   10. Masala Spiced "Bollywood" Popcorn from Palatable Pastime

   11. Spicy Beer Bratwurst Sliders from Dad Whats 4 Dinner

   12. Caramel Crispix Mix from Corn, Beans, Pigs, Kids

   13. Pizza Quesadillas from Jolene's Recipe Journal

   14. Pepperoni Cheese Pizza Sliders from Family Around the Table

   15. Healthy Turkey and Cheese Roll-Ups from Palatable Pastime

   16. Game Day Black Bean Habanero Chili from Dad What's 4 Dinner

   17. Warm and Cheesy Pulled Pork Dip from Cooking With Carlee

   18. Cinnamon Streusel Dessert Pizza from Tip Garden

   19. Raspberry Glazed Chicken Wings from Family Around the Table

   20. Sweet and Spicy Hog Wild Baked Beans from Corn, Beans, Pigs, Kids

   21. Doritos Locos Nachos from Jolene's Recipe Journal

So what do you enjoy the most about the Big Game?  Are you there to watch football?  Watch commercials?  Watch the half-time show?  Tell me below and remember to Comment for a Cause!

All Purpose Pork Rub - Tractor Approved Recipe

One feature this month through my 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series is that I am sharing some of my family's "Tractor Approved" recipes.  During fall harvest I have a unique situation where I find myself in the field pretty much all day, everyday, along with my husband and kids.  This means that we don't have that much food in our house because I don't have that much time to run to the grocery store or simply to just cook or bake something.  But one thing I always keep on hand is my All Purpose Pork Rub so I can smoke on a "rain day".  (Plus I had to share a pork recipe this month because it is National Pork Month!)  Be sure to check out my other "Tractor Approved" recipes:  Six Week Muffins, The Best Tuna Salad and Sweet & Salty Corn Chips.

Why does All Purpose Pork Rub get the "Tractor Approved" seal?  First, deli meat sandwiches get a little old if you have them daily for a couple of months, so it is nice to make something a little different to switch up the standard lunch-box sandwich.  Second, this pork rub works on everything - loins, ribs, etc.  So whatever pork you have on hand, you can put it on.  It is a great salty rub with a little bit of a kick to it.  Third, the ingredients for the rub are staple spices I always have in my pantry.  I enjoy this rub so much that I even keep huge batches of it on hand so I can smoke with it whenever I find time.  I love smoking all year long.

All Purpose Pork Rub (adapted from Masterbuilt Smokin' Recipes)
1 Tbsp Salt
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
5 Tbsp Chili Powder
3 Tbsp Ground Cumin
4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
4 tsp Black Pepper
4 tsp Garlic Powder
4 tsp Onion Powder

Mix ingredients and rub mixture on meat for at least two hours before cooking, overnight is best.  Allow meat to reach room temperature before smoking.  Store leftover rub mixture for future use.

My favorite pork product to use this rub on is pork loin!

Do you own a smoker?  What is your favorite pork recipe?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post or by following on Bloglovin.  Also be sure to like the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page for daily updates from the field.)

Pork Belongs On Your Fork!

This month I had the pleasure and opportunity to talk Pork through the Iowa Food & Family Project's blog and through an event at Jethro's in Johnston as part of their "Join my Journey" program.

Here I am with Kristin of Iowa Girl Eats and Nicole of Farm Girl Facts of Life
at Jethro's in Johnston

Be sure to check out the Iowa Food & Family Project's blog today to check out some of my favorite pork recipes, because afterall, every day is a great day to have have pork on your fork!

What is your favorite pork recipe?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Pork Chop Party! + Pork Chops 4 Ways Infographic

It is very common for our family to cook up pork chops when we have family and friends over.  Pork chops are easy and delicious to prepare.  I enjoy to cook them with a simple rub or marinade.  I love cooking pork and sharing about our hogs at home, and tomorrow I'm excited to share about pork at Jethro's BBQ n' Pork Chop Grill in Johnston as part of the Iowa Food & Family Project's "Join My Journey" program.

I'll be joining Kristin Porter, Iowa Girl Eats (pictured above) and Nicole Patterson, Farm Girl Facts of Life at the event from 11am to 1pm.  If you are in the Des Moines area you should stop by for lunch, eat some pork and register for prizes!

If you can't come to Johnston tomorrow, or even if you can, I highly recommend you make some pork chops for your family tonight!  Spring is the air, which means that our grill and smoker are fired up on a regular basis.  Enjoy the weather and prepare your pork chops outside, or cook them the traditional ways of oven baked or pan fried.  Anyway you do it, be sure to enjoy this nutritious, lean protein with great company (and maybe a side of baked beans!).  Here is an infographic with cooking basics for pork chops:

Here are a couple of my favorite pork chop posts - be sure to check them out and fix a pork chop for supper tonight:

• Buttermilk Parmesan Pork Chops
• Iowa State Fair Food - Pork Chop on a Stick

What is your favorite way to prepare pork chops?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Celebrate National Pork and National Apple Month

I love the month of October for many reasons - cool weather, the changing colors of the leaves, harvest, Halloween and my birthday!  I also enjoy the month of October because it is a great excuse to eat savory pork and delicious apples, since October is also known as National Pork Month and National Apple Month.

To celebrate the first day of this great month, I thought I'd share some fun facts about both pork and apples!

• Iowa's pork producers raise 28% of all US Pork, making Iowa the top producer of pork in the nation.
• There are more than 8 million pigs in Iowa, so yes, it is true, there is almost three times as many pigs in Iowa, as there are people.
• Americans, on average, eat more than 60 pounds of pork each year, and with the popularity of bacon rising, that number is surly to rise!
• Red Delicious Apples, America's favorite apple, was developed on a farm near East Peru, Iowa in the 1880s.
• Apples are grown in all 50 states, but only 36 commercially.  There are over 2,500 varieties of apples grown nationally.
• Apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan.

Also to celebrate be sure to cook and bake with pork and apples.  One great recipe that includes both pork and apples is my Harvest Brats recipe - check it out here.

Harvest Brats
Delicious pork brats with a apple and onion mustard slaw

Get Your Flu Vaccine So You, Your Family and Your Pigs Stay Healthy

The Flu Epidemic of 2013 is all over the news lately.  Currently 47 states are at widespread epidemic levels. A lot of the articles I have ran across about the flu include reminders to get your flu vaccine and what to do to prevent, but I didn't expect to see something in my latest Pork Checkoff enewsletter about getting the flu vaccine to help with herd health.

Some of our pigs saying hello!

But it makes sense, doesn't it!  Getting the flu vaccine not only protects the farmer, but their animals too.  Many of the articles I have ran across remind people to stay home if they have the flu so it doesn't spread.  Well, farmers have to work through all sorts of conditions, that includes being sick at times.  Getting the flu vaccine and doing preventative measures such as washing our hands, keeping equipment and buildings clean, and wearing farm-specific clothing and boots, can help keep us and our hogs healthy.  We, along with other pork producers, pride ourselves on producing quality, affordable pork in clean and healthy environments every day, 365 days a year.  So for the health of yourself, your family and your pigs - remember to get your flu vaccine and enforce bio-security practices!

Tuesday Tasty Pork Recipe

Today is the final Tuesday of October's National Pork Month and my final Tuesday Tasty Pork Recipe for awhile (I'll continue to post more pork recipes in the future but will be taking a break for a bit).  This week's recipe screams fall and uses a pork product I haven't used yet - pork brats!  I modified a Rachael Ray recipe to create my version of Harvest Brats.  I hope you enjoy it!

Harvest Brats

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
4 pork brats
2 cups water
2 apples (your choice on variety - I like to use Fuji because it is my family's favorite apple)
1 onion
Salt and pepper
1 cup apple cider
1/3 cup brown mustard
2 Tbsp brown sugar
4 brat buns

Ingredient Line-up

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with some vegetable oil on the bottom of the pan.  Place brats in pan and brown both sides.  This will take 4-5 minutes.

Once brats are browned, add water so the water is up half way on the brats.  Cook brats for 8-9 minutes.

While brats are cooking, slice both the apples and onion.  Feel free to leave the skin on the apples.  I use an apple corer/slicer and then cut eat of those slices in half.

Once brats are cooked thoroughly, remove brats from pan and set aside.  Get rid of any excess water in pan and add apples and onion to pan.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, 4-5 minutes.

Whisk apple cider, brown sugar and mustard together.

Add cider mixture to apples and onions and bring up to a bubble.

Add brats and simmer at low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Serve brat on a bun with apple and onion mixture over top.

Enjoy!

I hope you have enjoyed my National Pork Month recipes.  I've enjoyed sharing some of my favorite recipes and I hope you've enjoyed getting some new recipes!

Now it is time to announce last week's pig silicon pot holder winner - congratulations Sara!  I'll get your new pot holder out to you soon!

Now for this week I'll be giving away my last pig silicon pot holder.  To be entered into the randomized drawing, share your favorite new recipe in the comment section.  Thank you once again to the Iowa Soybean Association and the Soybean Checkoff for the pot holders!  The winner will be announced next week!