Pork On Your Fork: Ham and Cheese Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 12

FOR ROASTS, CHOPS and TENDERLOINS

Cook to 145 F with 3 minute rest

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 ounces ham steak, boneless, diced
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated

Cooking Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly grease and flour 12 regular muffin tins. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Whisk together the egg, buttermilk and oil in a small bowl. Stir in the ham and cheese. Using a rubber spatula, stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined. Do not overmix.

Spoon into each of the prepared muffin tins approximately 3/4 full. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from muffin tin and let cool.

Makes 12.

-Bacon and Cheese Muffins: Substitute 6 slices bacon, diced and panbroiled, for the ham.

-Sausage and Cheese Muffins: Substitute 8 ounces pork sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained, for the ham.

Serving Suggestions

These savory muffins are fun for kids to make—and they’re great for breakfast, in a lunchbox or as an after-school snack. Try one of the variations: Bacon and Cheese or Sausage and Cheese.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 230 calories
Protein: 14 grams
Fat: 12 grams
Sodium: 750 milligrams
Cholesterol: 50 milligrams
Saturated Fat: 4 grams
Carbohydrates: 17 grams
Fiber: 0 grams

Recipe from: porkbeinspired.com

Pigs are our biggest heroes

By: Breanna Sensibaugh

This past week two other mentors and I had the opportunity to help with Life on the Farm at the Gage County Fair Grounds in Beatrice. We taught 3^rd graders about the importance of pigs and what they provide the community with. We explained to them that pigs are our biggest heroes; because they provide us with meat and other products.  We helped them understand that nothing on the pig is wasted.  Besides meat products we get glass, sidewalk chalk, and footballs; things that they use on a regular basis.

I think that it is important to explain to the younger generation that we treat our animals with care.  There is miscommunication between others that do not have an agricultural background and many things that may be said about our farms are far from the truth.  We explained to them that we use the bigger hog barns to keep our pigs safe from predators, free of diseases and to keep them comfortable.  We told them that we do not harm them in any way and explained to them how the have access to food and water at all times.

Helping with Life on the Farm made me realize that not everyone get to have the experience of being around livestock like we do.  Therefore we have to make sure we educate them in the right ways so that we can keep our farms in the future.

Pork On Your Fork: Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Wraps

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6

FOR ROASTS, CHOPS and TENDERLOINS

Cook to 145 F with 3 minute rest

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds peppered bacon, thick-sliced
6 10-inch flour tortillas
6 tablespoons mayonnaise, OR salad dressing
1 10-oz bag iceberg lettuce, shredded
3 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Cooking Directions

Place bacon slices side by side on griddle. Cook on medium heat until crisp and browned on both sides.* Drain on paper towels; keep warm. For each wrap, place flour tortilla on plate; spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise over top. Place 1 cup lettuce, about 1/2 of a tomato and 3 to 4 slices cooked bacon on top. Roll from one side to the other. Cut in half.

Serves 6.

*Baked Bacon Option: Place bacon slices side by side on a rack in a shallow baking pan with sides. Bake in a 400º F. oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until crispy. Drain well on paper towels.

For variety, add 2 peeled, seeded and chopped avocados or 1/2 cup chopped red and/or green bell pepper.

Serving Suggestions

Young chefs can help with the assembly of these wraps. Serve with chips and fresh seasonal fruit.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 505 calories
Protein: 13 grams
Fat: 28 grams
Sodium: 1177 milligrams
Cholesterol: 35 milligrams
Saturated Fat: 9 grams
Carbohydrates: 44 grams
Fiber: 4 grams

Recipe from: PorkBeInspired.com

Pork On Your Fork: Grilled Porterhouse (Bone-In) Chops with Chipotle Cilantro Butter

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

FOR ROASTS, CHOPS and TENDERLOINS

Cook to 145 F with 3 minute rest

Ingredients

4 porterhouse chops, (bone-in loin chops) about 1-inch thick
2 teaspoons paprika
To taste salt and pepper
olive oil, for brushing*

Corn on the Cob:

4 pieces corn, shucked
2 teaspoons olive oil

Chipotle-Herb Butter:

4 tablespoons butter, unsalted, at room temperature
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped*
1 teaspoons lime juice, fresh

Cooking Directions

Preheat grill over medium high heat and brush with olive oil.Sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper on both sides of the chops.

Grill the pork for 8-9 minutes, turning once halfway through, until cooked to 145 degrees F.Remove the pork from the grill, tent it with foil and let it rest for 3 minutes.

Brush the corn with olive oil and place on the grill. Grill the corn for a few minutes on each side, turning regularly until it is charred. Remove from grill and set aside.

In a food processor, combine softened butter, cilantro, chipotle pepper and freshly squeezed lime juice. Pulse for 1 minute until it’s fully combined.

Dish up 1 tablespoon of the compound butter on top of each piece of pork, and serve alongside a piece of corn on the cob.

*You can find chipotle pepper in adobo sauce canned in the ethnic or Latin section of most major supermarkets.

4 servings (1 serving: 1 chop, 1 piece of corn on the cob and 1 tablespoon of cilantro butter)

*Oil is not included in the nutritional value since it’s for brushing the grill, vs. the chops

Serving Suggestions

This is a fun recipe to play with. You can alter the compound butter for a completely different spin on the dish! Subbing in various types of herbs would be an easy flavor swap – try parsley instead of cilantro, or garlic instead of the chipotle peppers.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 330 calories
Protein: 25 grams
Fat: 19 grams
Sodium: 90 milligrams
Cholesterol: 100 milligrams
Saturated Fat: 9 grams
Carbohydrates: 18 grams
Fiber: 3 grams

Recipe from: PorkBeInspired.com

The Wheel of Pork

By: Breanna Sensibaugh

On April 20^th I had the chance to help at the UNL Rodeo on kid’s day promoting the pork industry to younger children.   I know that younger kids that live in rural areas are educated in the agriculture area but some kids that live in the bigger cities such as Lincoln do not get that chance.  We used a fun spinning wheel called “The Wheel of Pork” to get the kids more involved, and spinning the wheel reveal the question they had to answer.  Many of the players got questions such as ‘This goes good with eggs in the morning?’ Most kids guessed bacon because that was easy for them.  When we asked them, ‘what pigs eat?’ many of them didn’t know what to say at first so we had to give them options. You could see the wheels turning as they were trying to figure out the answer.  Some asked help from their parents but with a little thought many of them got it on their own. For their prize we gave them a pig with the different cuts of meat labeled on it.  But helping with this event also helped me learn more about the pork industry myself.  I didn’t know that chalk, glass and paint brushes came from pigs.  It makes me feel good about myself being able to help the younger generation learn more about the industry and I was also bettering myself and I didn’t even realize it. I think that it is our job to help them understand what we know about the industry and if we don’t know the answer to these questions we should find out for them.