What's Going On Wednesday: October 7, 2015

That's right. It's Wednesday already again and that means it's time for another #WhatsGoingOnWednesday post! With the kickoff of October Beef Month last Thursday, things sure have stayed busy around the office, and we know that counties are out and about doing their own beef promotions at county fairs and with Cowboys in the Classroom! Tell us about it by emailing one of the ACA staffers! Anyways, here's what's happening at the ACA headquarters in Downtown Montgomery this week!

Alabama's Best Steak Winner Announced

After three months of online voting, bracket challenges, social media promotions and anonymous judging, a 2015 winner has been announced! If you want to try Alabama's Best Steak, you'll have to head to The Old Barn Restaurant in Goshen to do it! Congrats to the owners and staff at The Old Barn Restaurant on this outstanding achievement! The ACA officers and staff appreciate all who participated in this year's contest!

Let's eat some beef!

#BeefUpYourTailgate

Don't forget about our #BeefUpYourTailgate contest going on now through October 31. Enter your tailgate, football fans and beef menu item in for the chance to win a $250 prize package including:

• a Smoky Joe Premium Weber Grill
• $100 Beef Gift Card
• Grilling Utensil Set
• 2 ACA Tervis Tumblers
• Ready.Set.Sizzle. Apron
• and more.

Here's a link to the contest rules: RULES

ACA On The Road

LBW Culinary Visit

Tuesday, October 6, Erin Beasley visited Lurleen B. Wallace Culinary students to for beef education. These students were both high school and first-year college students. They discussed factors that can affect beef quality and did a cutting/cooking demonstration using beef.

Livestock Investigators Banquet

Also on Tuesday, ACA Executive VP Dr. Billy Powell, spoke at the Southern States Livestock and Rural Enforcement meeting in Auburn. ACA sponsored the steak dinner for this event.

Pictured is Executive Director of Livestock Investigators, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Larry Gray and Alabama President of the eight-state group Jay Whitehead along with Dr. Powell.

West Alabama Visit

Curt Berry will be spending the remainder of this week in Tuscaloosa and surrounding counties as he is shown around by ACA members Johnny Gladney and Brenda Glover. While up that way, Curt will help out at the first-ever WOW Expo. 

What's the WOW Expo? On October 8 – 9, 2015, approximately 4,000 eighth grade students, teachers, school administrations, parents, industry leaders and volunteers from seven counties in northwest Alabama (Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Pickens and Tuscaloosa) will converge on the campus of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, AL. The Expo will be a fun, educational, hands-on opportunity for students to become familiar with a broad overview of high demand, high wage career opportunities available in the area. Pretty awesome, huh?

If you're interested in showing Curt the industry in your county, give him a call at (334) 265-1867 or email him. 

Tasty Tuesday Tailgate Edition: No-Noodle Lasagna Beef Dip

It’s football season which means one thing- tailgating! Break out the crackers for this week’s #TastyTuesdayTailgateEdition because this No-Noodle Lasagna Beef Dip is no-nonsense! Whip this up for a delicious tailgating treat, and be sure to store it properly and keep food safety a top priority!

Use this recipe this weekend at your tailgate to enter into our #BeefUpYourTailgate contest!

For cooking tips and nutritional information visit here. Remember during this October Beef Month- Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner!

No-Noodle Lasagna Beef Dip

Total Recipe Time: 30-35 minutes

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 package (17 ounces) refrigerated fully-cooked boneless beef pot roast with gravy or au jus
• 1-1/2 cups pasta or marinara sauce (any variety)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 ounces reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping
• Sliced green onions (optional)
• Garlic or Italian-flavored crackers, pita chips or crostini slices

Instructions

1. Cook beef pot roast according to package directions. Discard gravy or au jus, or reserve for another use. Cool slightly and finely shred pot roast with two forks. Combine shredded beef, pasta sauce and garlic in large bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread cream cheese on bottom of 9-inch pie plate or 8 X 8-inch baking dish. Top evenly with 1/2 cup green onions. Spread beef mixture evenly over onions. Sprinkle with Parmesan topping.
3. Bake in 400°F oven 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly around edges. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with additional green onions, if desired. Serve with crackers, as desired.

Movie Monday- Beef Nutrition

This month, we’re all about beef! 

That’s why you’ll be viewing #MovieMonday videos that are all about ways to beef up your beef! Use these videos as a guide to educate yourself on better ways to serve up beef to your family. Better yet, use these tips during your tailgate and tell us about it by participating in our #BeefUpYourTailgate contest on Facebook! Either way, it’s Beef Month, so let’s learn about beef. Here’s a great video about the basic nutrition behind beef.

Beef Fact Friday: Lean Beef

Lean beef is all the rave. It's the "skinny" version of a powerful protein and that's why it's our #BeefFactFriday!

What is lean beef? See below for what qualifies beef as "lean." It must have less than 10 grams of total fat, less than 4.5 grams of saturated fats and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol. Lean beef is nearly half the protein you need in one day, provides 10 essential nutrients and only has 150 calories, and it's all wrapped up in that wonderful beefy flavor. Your best bet for finding "lean" ground beef is to grab some Ground Round.

That sounds like a win-win to us! Beef, It's What's For Dinner. Happy October Beef Month!

Throwback Thursday: 1964

#ThrowbackThursday to 1964 and the first-ever October Beef Month Proclamation signing. Pictured is Gov. George Wallace (seated) with 1^st Vice President Richard Beard, ACA President Selden Sheffield, Executive Vice President Ham Wilson, 2^nd Vice President Bubba Trotman and Treasurer Ed Wadsworth.