Not everyone that lives in the city can get the opportunity to visit a ranch. This program gives us city folk the chance to meet real ranch families and understand where there beef  is coming from, how it is raised, and instills confidence in the consumer when they are making our beef purchases. You even pick up a tip or two that makes you a better beef purchaser.  They were sharing lots of excellent tips.

For example did you know that you can keep Rib eyes in the fridge for 3 weeks

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Consumers even got to taste test steak samples.

There was a lot of information shared as well  from how cattle is raised,  to the best cuts of beefs for what you are cooking, to storage tips to recipe ideas.

What a great way to learn more about Canadian beef but from those that are busy on ranches raising cattle every day.

To see all the great photos from the event you can check out the Meet the BC Ranchers Board on Pinterest.

You can follow Canadian Beef on Twitter or check out their Facebook page  You can also check out their Pinterest boards for some great ideas and tips.

and

You can follow Save On Foods on Twitter or check out their Facebook Page. . You can also check them out on Pinterest as well

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Have you ever wanted to learn more about beef? Ever had questions about  ranching and the beef industry? about animal health? food safety? how about wanting to know what cut of beef is best? need cooking tips?  I know for me I am always thinking about what cut is best for what meal.

The Behind the Beef program to help you learn more about beef, and  get a  really good look behind  beef and the beef industry. You can learn all about beef from someone who knows their stuff.

The purpose of the Behind the Beef program is to help you and me develop a relationship with beef and the cattleman. You can get help with your product selection, so you can always be confident in your selection of the beef cut you will be cooking. You can also gets tips on nutrition as well. Have more questions about the beef industry even those can get answered too.

You can learn about beef and the environment, and the place that they have in nature’s cycle and how they contribute to its balance by consuming and returning nutrients to its natural surroundings. You can learn about all 14 essential nutrients that can be found in beef and so much more. There is so much to learn from attending a Behind the Beef Program.

The events are delivered at convenient, popular venues such as grocery stores, fairs & exhibitions, schools and community events all over the province.  You can click here to view photos from events.

Interested in learning more about beef, you can attend any one of the events. They will be happening all summer long. There will be events at every corner of the province from Vancouver,  Langley, Chilliwack, Victoria, and many others. To check out the schedule you can click here.  The Behind the Beef program will be in a location near you very soon. So what questions do you want to ask about beef?

Have a burning question that you would like an answer to right now. Check out Behind the Beef. 

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Have you ever wanted to ride the Western Frontier, or participate in a cattle drive? Well, Canada Beef and Travel Alberta are giving away a Family Ranch Experience.

Where would you be staying? The Sierra West Cabins and Ranch in Alberta. If you have ever wanted to ride high in the saddle this might be the contest you want to enter, as one very lucky Canadian family will win a 6 night stay for 4 at the ranch and the best thing about it, it is a working real cattle ranch.

That means one can saddle on up for ride the range experience, as well as many other ranching activities.

Here is a great video from the ranch.

Can you just imagine wide open spaces, the cattle grazing, the horseback riding, and of course one has to end the night with a bonfire right. You can do your own riding and roping, or if a beginner, the ranch hands will even teach you how. Nearby  there are fresh water streams, rivers and lakes which a fisherman would love. The location is also close to historic sites, provincial parks and forest reserves allow for plenty of exploration by any family. Three log cabins on the banks of Todd Creek provide the lodging. Two of the cabins are newer additions, but the third was the original homestead, built in 1905, and there is even CowTown, a one street town to explore.

Sounds like the perfect ranch experience to me, and a fabulous way to see Alberta.

To enter simply go to enter on the Canada Beef site. Good Luck. You can enter till Sept 30th, 2013.

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*Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Canada Dry and I am receiving compensation for writing the post, however my opinions are mine.

Canada Dry is delivering real surprises with over $200,000 in cash and prizes this summer. Purchase any Canada Dry participating product that is specially marked with “Delivering Real SurPrizes” and you could win. Wouldn’t that be great? Who doesn’t love the real taste of Canada Dry? So a refreshing drink and the possibility of a surprize how sweet!

There are so many prizes and you can win right up until Sept 20th, 2013 all while enjoying the real ginger taste of Canada Dry.

There are 21 Weekly Prizes up for grabs, including Orville Redenbacher’s^® cash bundles, Electrolux^® kitchen appliance packages, Aeroplan^® Miles and Sony^® home entertainment systems! Additionally, you’ll have a shot at winning^† one of nearly 10,000 Instant Prizes, including Canada Dry coupons, Orville Redenbacher’s^® popcorn andT-fal^® pressure cookers.

All you need to do is purchase any participating Canada Dry Product and enter the 12 digit PIN, found under the cap or inside the case of specially-marked products. Click on the shipping box for a chance to win^† an instant prize! If you win^† an instant prize, you will be asked to complete a fulfillment form and the prize will be sent to you. You will also be entered into the weekly prize draw.

We love the genuine real ginger taste..it is a great way to beat the summer heat and think this summer that delicious  taste might bring you a very sweet surprise. Go to www.canadadry.ca or www.facebook.com/CanadaDry  to enter your PIN for a chance to win!

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Recipe originally found at the Primal Home   and adapted here

Strawberry banana Ice

1 banana sliced and placed in freezer on tray to freeze

½ cup of strawberries, washed and cut in quarters and placed in freezer

tablespoon coconut milk [optional]

Once fruit it frozen, place in blender or food processor together  with coconut milk  if using and blend until smooth*, place in a bowls and serve immediately.  Absolutely love this on a hot afternoon, such a great pick me up and best part is that  it is all natural too!

*As an extra special treat, when I am having some chocolate cravings, I sometimes add in a tablespoon of cocoa as well while blending.

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Someone in his brother’s class had recently brought in a specialty from our local bakery: donuts on a stick. These treats were apparently the talk of the lunch room that day, and Lou wanted to be the first first grader to bring them in. So I called the bakery and ordered a couple dozen decorated in boy colors.

I have to admit, they’re cute and kind of novel. And although I think $1 apiece is a little pricey for their small size, I guess it’s a small price to pay for avoiding the hassle of making the donuts myself (I don’t do well with hot oil), and they made him awfully happy.

Of course, the presents didn’t hurt, either.

The post Okay, I Could Totally Do This Myself appeared first on Coo Coo for Cooking.

Over the years, we have changed what we plant depending on how well we did with the crop the year before.  One year we tried corn, the soil seemed fine,but it just wasn’t  nutritionally dense enough I guess, it didn’t even make it to a foot in height!   We were hoping to have a really good crop like we did one year when we were out inVancouver. I remember how lovely it was to be abe to go out to the garden and pick a couple of fresh ears of corn for dinner, and oh was it soo good!

I have always loved fresh, organically grown vegetables, and that is one of the reasons we persevere.  There is also something therapeutic about working the earth and getting it ready for the seedlings and nurturing it along until you get to enjoy ‘the fruit of your labours’. So, even though our romaine wasn’t as good as in previous years, our tomato plants were less than healthy and our basil …well lt’s just say we didn’t get much pesto made, we will still have a garden this year .  My husband is already busy planning it all out!

There is nothing better than being able to walk out to your garden and pick a couple of beautiful sun-warmed tomatoes, and a few leaves of romaine to have for dinner! Can’t wait!

Some of last year's crop.

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Vegetable stew

I put this on low and let it cook for about 6 hours

1 lrg can of ground tomatoes

200 g of elbow pasta

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 cubes

1 Lg can of low sodium chick peas, rinsed and drained or 2 cups of cooked chick peas

1 cup of carrots cut in to 1/2 chunks

1/2 cup chopped red or green peppers

1/2 cup chopped green beans

Oregano, basil and garlic to season to taste

Add everything but beans and , let cook for 5 hours then add the beans and peppers for the last hour. I also add cinnamon to taste, just to add in some extra flavour  [I like the combination of garlc and cinnamon- quite interesting]. Once done to your liking, serve in bowls along side some french/italian bread . Really is that easy! Enjoy!

I added corn to this batch

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Over 2,700 retailers, meat processors, wholesalers and industry partners from around North America and well beyond gathered. While there Canada Beef was recognized as the NAMA’s Education and Vision Partner. Canada’s two largest beef packers were also there along with several other delegates as exhibitors and committee members. Canada Beef was able to provide there partners with great resources and insights all around the Canadian Beef Advantage.

Canada Beef’s Senior Director, Market Development U.S., Jeff Trafford
was asked to deliver relevant educational content during two forums.

“This was a key opportunity to demonstrate actual case studies of Canadian beef research and
how Canada Beefis an expert at analyzing, summarizing and extrapolating priority
opportunities, and then acting upon the discoveries within specific research to the benefit of
Canadian beef customers,” says Trafford. “I was also able to highlight recent research* around
shopper acceptance of Canadian beef in America’s meat case. This positive and sometimes
astounding research lent validity to the value of the CBA to U.S. retailers.”
Trafford’s second presentation was a specialty meeting aboutthe CBA amidst the bustle of the
trade show, while delegates mingled among the show’s exhibits. Jeff said
“This presentation drew the attention of both passers-by and buyers who had made a point of
joining the session to gain understanding of Canadian beef supply and positioning options,”
notes Trafford. “It was an intimate dialogue on how and why Canadian beef is an integral
component of the North American beef supply chain. I was able to mingle with the audience
and, by learning a little bit about their businesses before and during the meeting, tailor the
benefits aspect of the presentation that is always so important to keep it relevant.”

At the end of the expo the 600 delegates where even able to taste Canadian Beef, when all were served Canadian Grade AAA chuck eye in demi glace.

By attending and partnering with events like this Canada Beef  has many opportunities for networking and strengthening relationships with beef buyers and sharing how Canadian beef can support their operations and customers.

For more information check out the Canadian Beef site.

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Last year around this time, I was at a gathering of friends, and I couldn’t stop eating this most amazing dip.  It wasn’t until the end of the evening that I found out what was in it:  corned beef!  So this is what I will be making in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, and if the kids don’t want it, I won’t make them eat it.  I’d hate to sour them on an entire culture’s cooking with one dish.  As for me, I’m slowly coming around.

CORNED BEEF DIP

3/4 c. mayonnaise
3/4 c. sour cream
2 (2.5 ounce) packages thinly sliced deli corned beef, chopped
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp prepared horseradish (optional)

Combine mayonaise and sour cream; add in the corned beef, onion, parsley, seasoned salt and horseradish, if you like.  Serve on mini-rye breads or bagle pieces.

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