Cold, winter days like those we’ve been experiencing lately make me especially thankful that I no longer have to trek across Iowa State University’s campus to attend class like I did last winter!  It was on one of those bitterly cold days, when we were frozen after walking across campus all day, that my roommate made this recipe for taco soup.  Being the classic college students that we were, our grocery supply was stretched over multiple weeks.  Fortunately, we were both Ag students and our families made sure we had home-grown meat in the freezer and home-made salsa in the pantry. Ajá! We had everything needed to mix up Taco Soup – what a perfect way to warm up!

My roomie, Chelsea Ewen, actually concocted the original recipe when she was trying to come up with a prize-winning entry for a soup cook-off in her hometown.  I’d say this one was a winner!

Now that I’m married, I make this recipe for my husband and he absolutely loves it.  He works hard and has the appetite to match it, so it’s nice that it makes a big batch.  This soup freezes well, so you can save the leftovers for another day if you don’t have someone around like my husband to make sure you don’t have leftovers!

Taco Soup can be made with any type of meat, but we’re beef producers ourselves and always make it with our home-grown beef.  I love that it is so easy to make but also leaves room for interpretation as to what ingredients would make the “perfect taco” soup for you.  Plus, it’s just so easy to make.  You throw all the ingredients together in the crock pot in the morning and enjoy a hearty bowl of soup at the day’s end.

What’s your favorite soup recipe?

The Christmas season is a special time of year when families gather near, so it seems only fitting that we would honor another Iowa farm family this week on The Field Position.  Ryan and Dawn Higgins have the pleasure of living with their two children, 7-year-old Logan and 3-year-old Madison, on the farmstead where Ryan and his sister were raised near Grand Junction.

“Because I grew up in town, I didn’t fully appreciate where my food came from or the amount of labor that went into producing a safe and abundant food supply,” says Dawn.  “Ryan and I feel fortunate that our children are growing up with an appreciation of where their food comes from.”

And as a teacher in nearby Perry, Dawn is passionate about educating children about the care that goes into raising pork, beef and grain.  The Higgins hosted a field trip for their son’s kindergarten class and for Dawn’s fifth grade students, as well.  The children had an opportunity to pet piglets, calves and a horse.  They also got to climb into the cab of a tractor and combine, which was especially a hit with the kids.

“These little kids had never before had a farm experience,” says Dawn.  “You assume that they’ve been near animals and farm equipment just because they grow up in Iowa, but that’s not the case.  At the end of the day, we wanted the kids to know that farmers really care about their animals and work hard to produce the best crops possible.”

The Higgins’ children like to work around the farm, too.  They love riding in the tractor and combine.  They also love their animals.  Logan and his BFF say they’re going to live on the Higgins’ farm when they’re grown up, but Dawn says they might just have to share it with Madison because she loves farming, too.

Regardless of what their children decide to become they grow up, the Higgins feel blessed their children will have an appreciation of how their food is raised.  And, they hope that’s a lesson that will be shared with others.

That’s one reason the Higgins share recipes that feature the food they produce.

“Because we raise pork and have plenty of it in our freezer, I often use ground pork in place of hamburger,” says Dawn.  “I like recipes that call for ingredients that I’m likely to have on hand, so that’s another reason Bacon Cheeseburger Rollups are a favorite of mine.”

As the mother of an active toddler and the wife of a Latham regional sales manager, Rebecca Bailie enjoys making home-cooked meals that only taste like she spent all day in the kitchen.  Easy-to-make, wholesome meals that make feeding large groups easy are standards for her.

That’s why she fixed this recipe for Beef Tips and Noodles when the couple celebrated their son’s first birthday last month.  Rebecca was able to easily feed about 15 extended family members with plenty of time left to make the most important part of the meal – the birthday cake!

Rebecca says this recipe has become one of her family’s favorites.  It’s perfect for entertaining large groups or for a small family dinner at home.  She also likes the flexibility it offers because it can be made on the stove if you decide to make it last minute, or it can be placed in a crock pot in the morning and be ready for supper that night.

The original recipe Beef Tips and Noodles was found on cooks.com, but Rebecca made some changes to fit her family’s tastes.  Rebecca’s version is listed below, click here for the original recipe.

With the kids getting more and more involved with school and extra curricular activities, I am always looking for quick fix meals I can prepare for supper before games and meetings in the evening.  This recipe for sloppy joes is one that the kids love, and the leftovers are great for later on in the week.