Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/47432
4A Daily News – Saturday, November 12, 2011 Agriculture & farm Last weekend I was in Washington, D.C. for the 2011 National Beef Cook-Off held during the Metropolitan Cooking & Enter- taining Show at the Washington Convention Cen- ter. The Beef Checkoff and the National Beef Cook-Off were the title and Pre- senting Sponsors for this show. Beef was the star, con- sumers were our target, and we hit the bulls-eye pro- Jean moting beef to 25,000 atten- dees. Thirty-eight American National CattleWomen members from across the nation, Florida to Washing- ton, flew into Reagan air- port, and we worked from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m each day. Yes, our feet did hurt. My job was to take pictures. Thank goodness for digital because I took 538 photos telling the story of our new,exciting Cook-Off. Last spring we asked consumers to create deli- cious, quick & easy nutri- tious beef recipes for innov- ative family meals. The four beef recipe categories were: 5:30 p.m. Dinner Crunch, Retro Recipes Revived, Fuel Up with Beef and Stir Crazy Solutions. Recipes were judged by a panel of esteemed food journalists and bloggers back in July of this year. They were Julie Miltenberg, editor of Fami- ly Circle; Niesha Lofing, food editor of the Sacra- mento Bee; Sandy Hu, founder of SpecialFork.com and Kristina Vanni, writer for Better Recipes.com. The grand prize winner, Sheryl Little from Sher- wood, Arkansas with her recipe Vegetable-Mango Beef Stir-Fry was announced and awarded $25,000. The four category winners each received $3,000 back in July. The National Beef Cook-Off Demonstration Barton Area with seating for 100, showcased local celebrity chefs and food experts demon- strating 20 final- ist recipes. They were Mary Beth Albright, Food Network Star finalist, season seven; Susan Holt, chef and instructor at CulinAeire; and Aviva Goldfarb, founder and author of The Six O'Clock Scramble blog. The crowd loved them. Evelyn Brown and six other cattle- women worked at this exhibit. Next to the 3,000-seat Celebrity Theatre where Guy Fieri, Paula Deen and Giada De Laurentiis per- formed on stage we had a large booth for sampling the NBCO recipes. The recipes were prepared by Occasions Caterers and Ridgewells Catering. Eight cattle- women dished up the sam- ples and added a tiny fork, while two cattlewomen told the attendees what they were sampling. We distrib- uted 750 samples of each recipe, for a total of 15,000 samples over the two days. Two recipes were served at a time, and two more cat- tlewomen asked everyone to vote for their favorite. Consumer contact informa- tion was collected on the voting cards.The cards were entered into a daily sweep- stakes for a "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" barbe- cue tool set to incentivize attendees for participating. Across the aisle from the sampling exhibit was our NBCO Social Media & Game Activity Exhibit. Show attendees could fol- low the NBCO on Twitter, or send a Tweet using HASHTAG National # Beef Cook-Off. Consumers who didn't Tweet could 'Like' us on the Facebook Page. Participants received an "I Heart Beef" bumper sticker,or an "I Heart Lean Beef" button from the two to four cattlewomen. An i- Pad was the sweepstakes prize for Twitter-Facebook entries. Our new "Know Your Beef Game" was played on two lap-tops by show atten- dees who answered five questions testing their knowledge about beef. The game included 45 questions about beef nutrition, lean beef, beef safety, beef weight management and beef strength messages. The BIWFD barbecue tool sets were daily sweepstakes prizes at this exhibit as well. Two cattlewomen worked at this exhibit. I loved the 'Be a Beef Star' activity at this exhibit. Cattlewomen shot flip cam videos of booth-goers telling us about a favorite beef meal they serve their family, a favorite beef dish they order at a restaurant, etc. They signed a release form for us to use their video content on our YouTube Page. A BIWFD instant thermometer was given to these participants. Consumers who partici- pated at all three NBCO exhibits were entered in a sweepstakes drawing to win a 4 night stay at the Rankin Cattle & Guest Ranch, Caliente. Glenda Rankin is president of Kern County CattleWomen, and her daughters are ANCW Out- standing Beef Educator Rebecca Been and past National Beef Ambassador Amanda Barrett. Glenda, Rebecca and I were the three cattlewomen volun- teers who attended from California. Prior to the show open- ing on Saturday, 2,500 mili- tary spouses were honored at 'Operation Home Cook- ing'. The Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admi- ral James A. Winnefeld, Jr. and his wife Mary wel- comed the military wives. Winnefeld is the second highest ranking military officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. Following Winnefeld was Guy Fieri, who cooked ranch National Beef Cook-Off weekend exciting and dynamic Courtesy photo The new 2011 National Beef Cook-Off is exciting and dynamic — 38 American National CattleWomen trail blazers brought it to life in Washington, DC at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show,Nov. 5-6. a boneless pork chop with roasted red pepper and gar- lic recipe for the military spouses. The audience was alight with cell phones held up to capture the picture or action. My room-mate during our stay in DC was from Colorado; a delightful dynamic young woman; young enough to be my granddaughter. She is in marketing and her territory is the Caribbean, South America and some states. She grew up on the family feedlot and ranch. On Friday we visited the National Archives, and November is the time to visit Washington, DC. No crowds and weather was 40-60 instead of record breaking heat. We could study the Declaration of Independence, the Constitu- tion and the Bill of Rights without rushing. We lis- tened to presidential conver- sations, trace ancestors from ship manifests, and viewed the special exhibit "What's Cooking Uncle Sam?" the governments effect on the American diet. Next we toured the National Museum of Amer- ican History. We viewed the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner under dim, cool lighting because it is so frail. Fascinating exhibits at the Smithsonian included Julia Child's kitchen from her home in Cambridge, Mass. The National Trea- sures of Pop Culture includ- ing Michael Jackson's hat, catwoman's costume, Van Halen's guitar, Archie & Edith Bunker's chairs, Judy Garland's ruby slippers and Life Magazine covers from 1939. Other exhibits we toured were The Price of Freedom from the Revolutionary War to Iraq, with a Huey chop- per and public and private lives of US presidents fea- turing the different wed- dings in the White House. The Smithsonian accept- ed the donation of a house built in the 1700s that was going to be demolished in Ipswich, Mass. We learned about the families that lived there more than 200 years. The home was once occu- pied by a laundress, slave, abolitionist and soldier. We saw The gunboat Philadelphia that was sunk by the British in 1776, and raised in 1935. The hole from the shell that caused it to sink could be clearly seen. Pitch tar had pre- served the wood over time. So much to see, and so little time but we saw a bit of National Museum of Natural History before clos- ing time of 5:30 p.m. The 45.52 carat Hope diamond, a rare blue color is in a beautiful new setting. Also viewed were colorful min- erals and a meteorite from Modoc County. We discovered Forensic Anthropology just before closing. It was fascinating to learn how human anatomy and forensic investigation give information on people who lived and died in Jamestown, Va. back in the 17th century. Back then, crooked bones healed, and arrows to the bone caused infection that killed. Worn teeth determined an older person while a younger person had better teeth. Overall it was a most enjoyable and reward- ing experience. Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton@theskybeam.c om. Alan Wylie Local Inspector COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check starting at $ (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 + cert. Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. Mobile: 530/638-1015 FREE & TERMITE INSPECTION or UP TO 15% OFF TERMITE TREATMENT SERVICE* PEST EVALUATION FREE & SAVE 10% OFF PEST CONTROL SERVICE* LIC #808524 Red Bluff Outdoor Power 527-5741 490 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff Call For Free Information Toll-Free (800) 464-1403 or (530) 365-1403 6183 MEISTER WAY ANDERSON, CA 96007 (530) 365-1403 • (800) 464-1403