My favorite crock pot is the casserole crock pot.  It's blue and it is perfect for converting  your favorite casserole meals to crock pot meals! The Crock Pot Taco Rice Casserole was perfect match for the Casserole Crock Pot.




I like to make things simple when it comes to crock pot cooking! I prepared the hamburger in the Pampered Chef Micro Cooker in the microwave. You can cook the hamburger on the stove top, but it only took 5 minutes in the microwave.  Drain the fat, and add the rest of the onions, drained black beans, corn, the can of diced tomatoes with green chiles and 1/4 cup of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix. I like to use Old El Paso Seasonings if you don't make your own taco seasoning. 



Spray the crock pot with Pam Cooking Spray. Place the cooked rice in the crock pot, sprinkle garlic salt over the rice. Spread the mixture over the rice.




Spread Kraft Mexican Taco Shredded Cheese on top.  Cook on high for 2-3 hours.  Add more cheese if you want, so you might want to buy 2 bags!  This was delicious, and I know my son will love to eat this in a tortilla.  Add more cheese, onions, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce to your liking! 

1. Brown hamburger in Pampered Chef Mico Cooker with half chopped onion, and salt and pepper.
2. Prepare 2 cups cooked rice.
3. Mix hamburger, chopped onion, corn, diced tomatoes, black beans, Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix
4. Spray Casserole Crock Pot with cooking spray.
5. Spread rice in bottom of crock pot.
6. Sprinkle garlic salt over the rice.
7. Add the hamburger over the mixture.
8. Add 8 ounces of Kraft Mexican Taco Shredded Cheese
9. Cook on high 2-3 hours.
10. Add more toppings if desired. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avacado, cheese, hot sauce, lettuce.  

I am adding a few Mexican recipes here! They are delicious, and they are easy! That is the best part!  We need to get dinner done, and move on to other things, like basketball practice and homework. We also look forward to catching up on our favorite shows.  Have you seen "This is Us"? I would say that is our new favorite show!






Crock Pot Spicy Enchilada Stack is delicious! I took it to work, and it was a hit! A friend at the flower shop in town was too busy for lunch, so I ran lunch over to her! She loved it, too!



Brown ground pork with a chopped onion on the stove in a large skillet. Drain excess fat after pork is browned.  Add black beans, corn, salsa, jalapenos, green chiles, taco seasoning and enchilada sauce (set back 1/2 cup for later) to the skillet and stir.



Spray your crock pot with a nonstick spray.  Depending on the size of your tortillas, it could take one or two to line the bottom of the slow cooker.  Add 1/3 of the ground pork mixture, add 1/2 cup cheese.


Repeat with the next 2 layers. Top with tortilla, enchilada sauce and cheese!







Crock Pot Spicy Enchilada Stack
PRINT RECIPE

1. Brown ground pork in a large skillet over medium heat with a chopped onion. Drain excess fat.
2. Stir in black beans, corn, salsa, jalapenos, green chiles, taco seasoning and enchilada sauce.  Keep ½ cup enchilada sauce back.  
3. Coat inside of crock pot with nonstick spray.  Depending on size of your tortillas, place and cover the bottom of the slow cooker.  Spread ⅓ of ground pork mixture over the top. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese.  Repeat next 2 layers, top with remaining tortilla, enchilada sauce and cheese.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or on high heat for 2-3 hours.
5. Garnish with avocado, tomatoes or cilantro.

Shared on:

Crock Pot Cowboy Chili is for the hard working cowboys who work up an appetite for a hearty meal! 




My youngest kid loves to dress up as a cowboy.  This weekend when I was making the Crock Pot Cowboy Chili, he was wearing his black cowboy hat, boots, plaid shirt, jeans, and a rope tied to the side of his jeans.  He definitely channels his inner cowboy at all times.  



I have pictures and many memories of all the kids in cowboy hats and boots.  My kids have always loved to wear boots since they were little. They wear them farming, in the barn, or just playing. My daughter grew up in love with a pair of pink boots, it was a challenge to always find the next size for her! 

So this Cowboy Chili is for the kids.


Just like any chili recipe, you have your favorite ingredients, and the kids have theirs.  The daughter still picks out the beans, but she really doesn't know what she is missing.  So take the recipe and amp it up any way you like, make it hot, or use your favorite meat.



I used one pound of ground hamburger and one pound of ground pork.  Both come from our local meat locker, they are delicious.


I added one small chopped onion, celery, dark chili beans, red beans, kidney beans, and white beans.  I also use my own canned stewed tomatoes for the juice. You can also use canned tomatoes.  I also added a chopped jalapeno. Add 2 if you want! 



This is my favorite chili seasoning, I received this last year from a friend, Chugwater chili seasoning. You can find it online here. This is where you control your heat of the the chili.  I also added a tsp of regular chili seasoning as well.




Mix everything in a 6 qt Cook and Carry Crock Pot and set on low for 6 hours, or high 3-4 hours.

Add your favorite topping, cheese, onions, corn chips, sour cream, or corn bread.

If you like this Crock Pot Cowboy Chili, you should also try Crock Pot Cowboy Casserole.



www.chasing-saturdays.com

Markets have been moving slowly.  By the end of February, farmers are looking at the grain markets scratching their heads, wondering when the market will move in their favor.  Cash grain prices in Central Indiana have not changed much since fall delivery prices.

By the end of Friday, March 4, grains were higher.  Brazil had heavy rains towards the end of the week delaying their harvest progress. Political news in Brazil is also weighing in the markets. Their former president is under investigation.

A strong job report was reported this week. US employers added 242,000 workers in February, higher than then 200,000 expected.  US unemployment rate held steady at 4.9% in February.

Next week we are looking towards the USDA S&D report that will be released Wednesday, March 9 at 12 Eastern time.  I don't think we will see numbers change that much, bigger report will be on Thursday, March 31st for the USDA Prospective Plantings Report.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Congressmen Todd Rokita, and Indiana Farm Bureau President Don Villwock. visited the Culp Farm Thursday, June 3rd to survey damage caused by recent heavy rains in Jasper County. The USDA says 19 percent of Indiana's 5.7 million acres of soybeans and 21 percent of its 5.7 million acres of corn in very poor or poor condition.

As you can tell, they are standing in a field, but there is a huge wash out.  There were many roads closed due to high water, which lead to wash outs on many roads.

The State Climate Office says 18.06 inches of rain was measured in Jasper County in the month of June.

The Governor also visited Cass County the same day to view their flood damage.  I am very interested to hear what assistance will be available for farmers, if any besides crop insurance.

Brownfield Network  interviewed Governor Pence, and he said that by they had accessed nine counties by the end of June, and they had submitted reports to the FSA Office. None of those counties reached 30% of damage to declare a disaster. Farmers are encouraged to submit crop damage reports to their FSA office as soon as possible to help measure the extent of the damage for this year's crop.  July may prove a different story for those counties.

Congressman Todd Rokita visiting with Jasper County Farm Bureau members. Photo Credit: Wayne Belden

 

What are USDA Crop Reports?
The Crop Progress reports are weekly reports, ran April through November. They contain the progress of planting, growing and harvesting and crop conditions of various crops during that growing time frame.

Why are USDA Crop Reports important?
Provide information for projecting crop yields. Gives explanation on crop development and conditions.

Where does the USDA get their information?
There is an estimated 4,000 reports every week, on every Sunday.  The report comes out Monday afternoon.  It would seem simple for farmers to volunteer their information to the government.  Some willing, some not so willing, therefore the information would not be consistent. 


What do these weekly reports impact?
The reports impact the CME markets and results in price fluctuations. Before the report is released, many private analysts share their own projections.  This leads to many perceptions before the report is out, and sometimes the market will respond before the report is released. July is a very important month.  This month is very important growing time for corn and soybeans.  The old wives tale, "knee high by the fourth of July" does not apply.  Corn plant is more advanced at this stage, and looking and silking and pollination stages.  Soybeans filling pods, so weather, temperature and precipitation is very important. If weather is a big issue, the market will react, either from fear of the unknown or the confidence that a good or bumper crop was going to be harvested.

Is their information consistent? 
Crop Progress reports follows the stages of progress and growth of crops.  The crop conditions could include the effect of crop quality and the different stage of developments as well.  

These numbers made the corn and bean market  decline when it was released midday. Corn came in at 89.2 million acres.  Corn acres look to be higher in the south and Texas.

Soybeans came in at 84.6 million acres.  This is a new record high for soybean acres, but still below most estimates. 

Corn Stocks came in 7.745 billion bushels, 136 million bushels higher than the average guess, and over 736 million bushels more than a year ago. Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois are the the state holding most of the corn, and that is not surprising since they sit right in the middle of the corn belt. April Supply and Demand Report might show more ending stocks, depending on the feed usage.

Bean Stocks came in at 1.333 billion bushels, 12 million bushels lower the the average guess, and 340 million bushels more than a year ago.  Indiana, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio still has the majority of bushels on hand.

Wheat usage and stocks had no surprises, no record highs or lows.

What does this report mean? In my opinion, we are looking at another big crop year.  We are far from it being harvested, and many factors can change the game at any time.  Traders will keep an eye out on the weather this spring, of course.  Planting in the south and Texas is currently being delayed with rains moving in, but they are not wide spread. They will also watch corn stocks closely, and the bushels being distributed. If farmers hold on to their bushels going into summer, they might see a very supportive basis level, but they might also see the basis level go the other way very quickly.  

USDA reports are not always easy to decipher.  But understand the timing of the report and how it might affect the grain markets is important for your operation and marketing plan.