FAVORITE FAMILY

ingredients

Dough

• 2 cups (about 8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

p otato & Cheese p ierogi

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Filling

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 1/2 cups)

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3 tablespoons sour cream

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 6 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

Sauce

• 4 slices bacon, chopped

• 2 tablespoons water

• 4 cups shredded green cabbage (from 1 medium head)

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

• Thinly sliced chives

Directions

Prepare the Dough: Step 1 Stir together flour, salt, and egg in a medium bowl until a shaggy dough forms. Add sour cream and butter; stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a lightly floured work surface, and knead until supple and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into a tight ball, and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel; let rest on countertop for 30 minutes.

Prepare the Filling: Step 1 Place potatoes in a medium saucepan; add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered and undisturbed, until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well; transfer potatoes to a medium bowl. Add butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper; mash using a potato masher until smooth. Stir in cheese. Chill, uncovered, in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. (Mixture should be slightly warmer than room temperature when forming pierogies.)

Step 2 Roll dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 20-inch round, about 1/8inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut dough into 24 rounds (work scraps into a thin sheet as needed). Working with 1 round at a time, gently stretch to a 3 1/2-inch round, and place about 1 1/2 tablespoons potato mixture in center. Fold edges together to form a crescent shape. Press edges together firmly to seal. (Moisten edges with water to seal, if needed.) Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling. Keep pierogies covered while preparing sauce.

Prepare the Sauce: Step 1 Cook bacon and water in a large skillet over medium, stirring often, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add shredded cabbage; cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and starting to caramelize, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Push cabbage mixture to edges of skillet, and add butter to center of skillet. Cook, stirring butter occasionally, until well browned, about 4 minutes; stir together with cabbage. Remove from heat; cover and keep warm.

Step 2 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high. Add perogies, 12 at a time, and cook until they float, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until puffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander using a slotted spoon, and drain. Repeat process with remaining perogies. Divide pierogies evenly among 4 plates, and top evenly with cabbage mixture; garnish with chives.

Tips: To pan-fry, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium, and add 4 to 6 boiled and drained pierogies. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy on each side, about 2 minutes per side.

Uncooked pierogies may be stored in a ziplock plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

4 Servings • Prep Time: 1 hrs 40 mins • Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Courtesy of www.foodandwine.com

FlATMOE

From Page 12

“I think it is something God calls us to do — to give back. We have been on the receiving end a lot. It is always good to give back where you can and when you can,” Brian said.

Gloria added, “When you help others, it is really helping yourself.”

Faith is the foundation upon which the Flatmoe family is built. Brian and Gloria met in church. At the time, Gloria lived in Tennessee and worked for a company that took photos for church directories. Having grown up in South Dakota, Gloria graduated from Ft. Pierre High School, so she knew the pastor of the Coal Springs Community Church. “They invited me to take photos for their church. I met Brian and as they say, the rest is history,” Gloria shared.

Although she grew up in South Dakota, ranch life was a new adventure for Gloria. “I never thought I would say it, but I love the peace and solitude out here. It is hard work, but it is rewarding, and it was the best place to raise our family.”

Brian and Gloria have five daughters: Carrie (deceased), Sadie (Trevor) Conrad; Meagan (Cody) Johnson; Abby (Braydon) Peterson and Macyn.

Reflecting on raising their girls on the ranch brings back many wonderful memories, and the tragedy which showed them the power of faith, family and community. In 2012, their daughter, Carrie, was killed in a one-vehicle accident the summer before her senior year of high school.

“We know that God has a plan for every one of our lives. We have learned that we can have peace with pain. That is what got us through. And the community support was amazing,” Gloria said. “We miss her daily, but God has blessed us abundantly from that time.”

As she talks about blessings, Gloria shares that the couple has six grandchildren and expect number seven soon. In addition to their family, the couple said they are also blessed by their ranching community.

In good times and bad, the ranch families throughout the Meadow and Coal Springs area are there for each other. Good times, like branding or the threshing bee. “We have our own circle of neighbors and family that we exchange help with a lot,” Brian said.

Like their neighbors, the Flatmoes have a cow/calf herd, raise hay and some small grains. When Brian returned to the ranch after college, he began to expand the herd. Today, the herd is a bit larger than it was when he was growing up thanks to leasing some land from a neighbor which allowed the family to expand their grazing land and the addition of several miles of water pipeline.

Brian and Gloria began installing miles of water pipeline and tanks throughout their pastureland following droughts in the early 2000s. Access to water has improved grassland quality and weaning weights.

“Before, in dry years, they would walk off a lot of grass going to water,” Brian explained. “Now, having tanks in multiple locations in the pasture means cows do not have to walk so far to water. They can now graze different areas.”

Over the years, the Flatmoe family have focused the genetics of their largely Black Angus/Gelbvieh herd on maternal traits and disposition.

“When the kids were small, I culled animals that were less desirable in that regard,” Brian said.

A docile herd remains important because Brian and Gloria enjoy it when their grandchildren visit the ranch.

“We enjoy having our grandchildren see and experience what I grew up with and our children grew up with. Working out here on the ranch gives them a taste for this way of life,” Brian said. “I don’t know if any of them will come back to the ranch or not.

This acreage site is located just east of Fulton, South Dakota, ready for you to build a dream home. The property has two old windmills that can be great decorations on the property or even reclaimed and put back into action. It also has a well-established tree grove around the likely building site. Rural water and electricity are already on site from the previous home that was there. The property can be accessed via two different county roads. It is only a short drive from a hard surface road, which includes Highway 38 and Interstate 90. The acreage has already been surveyed and will be platted with Hanson County.

“It was a really great experience, just knowing that it is so important for it being like the 100th, that there is probably a lot bigger of an audience here this year then there were in the past years and maybe in the future years as well,” said Amanda Kelling, student staff member and goat showman.

Due to the winter storm, most of the events on the first day had to be canceled, but that didn’t stop the crowd from coming out to support the organization during the final shows.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout tonight, all the events are coming together really well,” said Cody Gifford, 100th Little “I” manager from Arco, Minnesota.

This year, 12 past round robin winners were able to get back on the green chips again and compete in the very first alumni round robin.

“Yeah, it’s been a long time, so it was sure different, but it brought back a lot of memories, especially species we don’t show at home like the horses. It had been 30ish years since I have been on the halter of a horse, so that was kind of cool,” said Todd Franz, alumni round robin participant.

Alison Durheim participated in Little “I” from 2014 to 2018 and this year was able to return and judge the goat events.

“This experience means the world to me to be completely honest. For this 100th year, I never thought I would be able to be back here, and if I was, I would just be in the stands. So the fact that I am on those green chips, it’s the world,” Durheim said.

The organization is working hard to keep the tradition of Little International for past, present and future participants.

“Our spectators come back year after year and this year is just even a little more special than most because not many clubs can say they have made it a hundred years on campus, and we are one of the ones that can,” Gifford said.

“It’s a great student deal, there is a lot of teaching involved here and it does a lot of good for the entire livestock industry, so by all means support Little ‘I,’” Franz said.

This year’s Little “I” also had several other events for alumni to participate in, including the centennial social, chili cook-off and alumni high point contest.

This is Buck (the dog) and Pretzle (the calf)... Pretzel came into this world during a South Dakota Blizzard!! It didn’t look real good for the little calf, she was sick and weak!

Buck took over and would not leave Pretzel’s side. Preztel got stronger and is a healthy calf today.

Buck is a HERO..