Author: Jennifer Kiko

Jennifer lives on a rural route with her husband, kids, horses, cows and faithful Labs, Cash and Carter. She's an aspiring foodie and enjoys making good food for great friends. She lives next door to a winery, plays the piano, and admits to growing too many tomatoes.

Tasty Tuesday Pastrami & Cucumber Sandwich

Here’s a fresh and tasty summer sandwich that incorporates cucumber with dill and sour cream. Enjoy this zesty sandwich for lunch or dinner. Cucumbers not your favorite? Find more sandwich recipes here. And if you’re determined to beat the heat and stay out of the kitchen, click here to find our favorite restaurants near you. …   Continue Reading

Tasting the Caribbean in Miami

Taste of the Caribbean is a showcase of Caribbean cuisine held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Miami. Chefs from Caribbean hotel and resort destinations attend seminars and hear keynote speakers, participate in and enjoy a culinary trade show, and compete in a series of culinary challenges that showcase the region’s most popular and innovative …   Continue Reading

Me and Charlie Talking

Editor’s note: This post was written by Malorie Bankhead, who plans to spend her summer interning with the Certified Angus Beef ® public relations team. The first weekend of my internship … I traveled to Hopkinton, Mass. (near Boston) for the grand opening of the 130th Price Chopper store. Consumers, who were more than eager to visit …   Continue Reading

Meet Mal the Beef Gal

Hello Certified Angus Beef ® brand enthusiasts! California native, Malorie Bankhead, here — certifiably excited to be the newest member of team Certified Angus Beef! A few of you may be familiar with my blog and twitter handle. My social media pen name, so to speak, is Mal the Beef Gal. This summer I have …   Continue Reading

Cattle In the Vines

Wine flights are common in wine country and you’ve probably participated in your own tasting at an elegant restaurant or local vineyard. Multiple wines are served — anywhere from three to five to 50 — and you sample, compare and make note of their characters. Each wine gets the old see, swirl, sniff, sip and savor test. …   Continue Reading

Culintro

Nooo, it’s not the latest dance craze, popular exclamation or neighborhood eatery. Culintro is a call to action of sorts — an eclectic gathering of chefs, food and great conversation. It’s networking at its best for restaurant, culinary, food and industry professionals, and it’s taking New York City and San Francisco by storm spoon … …   Continue Reading

Tasty Tuesday Lime and Avocado Beef Wraps

Lime Avocado and Beef Wrap 1 pound Certified Angus Beef ® flat iron, grilled and thinly sliced 1 lime 1 avocado 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 flatbread or tortilla wraps, green if available 2 green onions, thinly sliced 2 cups loosely …   Continue Reading

Home on the range with an MBA

It’s not every day the average Joe makes a to-do list that includes fix windmill, plant corn or bottle feed a calf. It’s not a typical day for most meat sales folks, either, but that’s just what happened one fine day in cattle country. The Certified Angus Beef ® brand invited 25 beef sales men …   Continue Reading

Memorial Day Slices and Sliders

Memorial Day is a time to remember those who make our pursuit of happiness possible. It’s also a great weekend for grilling. Gather those you hold dear and host a cookout with great food and fun times. I’m planning my own back yard get-together this weekend. First, we’ll attend a community memorial service where a neighbor plans …   Continue Reading

Spotlight on Chef Rory Schepisi

You’ve probably heard of Amarillo but Vega, Texas might be a bit of a geography lesson. Situated on historic Route 66, Vega is a small blip on the map. It’s far from being a one-horse town, though, and it boasts a pretty popular eatery, too: Boot Hill Saloon & Grill, the creation of Chef Rory Schepisi. …   Continue Reading

Celebration part two: Grand Opening

We visited Cleveland and dined around town, feasting on amazing food and great conversation. We grabbed our knives and practiced beef-cutting skills. We traveled to a local farm to see how Angus cattle are raised. It was a whirlwind tour highlighted by exquisite food, amazing chefs and a never-ending buffet of information. What a way to celebrate …   Continue Reading

Out standing in the field

We ventured to a home where Angus cattle roam … where the calves and the butterflies play. Seldom was heard a discouraging word, and the skies were blue and brilliant all day. Rod Ferguson and wife, Laurie, are the owners of Chippewa Valley Angus Farms in Rittman, Ohio. The Fergusons welcomed a group of food …   Continue Reading

Meatheads and marbling

Suiting up and slicing into a side of Angus beef … not something many of us have the opportunity to do often, if ever. But that’s what happened on a sunny Saturday in Wooster, Ohio. A group of 35 or so food and agricultural media gathered in the Certified Angus Beef ® Education and Culinary …   Continue Reading

Celebration Part One: dine around town

Food is emotional … and whether you’re dining in a restaurant, preparing a home-cooked meal or growing the actual ingredients on a farm, ranch or in a small garden, you have some sort of attachment to the process. Over the weekend, Certified Angus Beef ® set out to create a culinary experience like no other. …   Continue Reading

Sweet treats at Lola

Cleveland’s East 4th Street comes alive in brilliant color at night. It was the ideal backdrop for an evening of exquisite food and varied dishes brimming with flavor, color and texture. Our group of chefs, media and foodie folks concluded the Cleveland Dine Around at Michael Symon’s Lola Bistro for sweet treats and a nightcap. …   Continue Reading

Appetizers at Hodges

Chefs, media and special guests began the Cleveland Dine Around at Hodges in downtown Cleveland. The group included editors from beef and ranching publications, food writers and local media, along with guest chefs Howard Kleinberg of Bulldog BBQ in Miami (back, right); Rory Schepisi of Boot Hill Saloon & Grill in Vega, Texas (far right); …   Continue Reading

The Greenhouse Tavern

The Greenhouse Tavern on East 4th Street in downtown Cleveland is the creation of Chef Jonathan Sawyer, named by Food & Wine magazine as one of the best new chefs of 2010. The eatery was also tagged by bon appétit as a top ten restaurant in America. The interior is brimming with recycled materials and currently …   Continue Reading

Dem bones, dem bones

Decadence is a beef bone brimming with rich, creamy marrow that spreads like silk on crusty artisan bread. Indulgence is a seven-foot slab of marrow bones and bread, greens and a dusting of cheese. Culinary enchantment is dining around Cleveland on a Friday night. I overheard Chef Michelle Brown (left) of Jag’s Steak and Seafood …   Continue Reading

Chef Scott Popovic: the man behind the menu

There will be a grand celebration this weekend — the official and public grand opening of the Certified Angus Beef ® Education & Culinary Center in Wooster, Ohio. Things culminate on Saturday night with a grand meal featuring courses prepared by some of the country’s notable chefs, including talented Certified Angus Beef ® corporate chef, Scott Popovic. He’s …   Continue Reading

Amarillo by morning, noon and night

A group of elite chefs — some city slickers, some not — convene in Amarillo, Texas. A few embrace the everything’s bigger here! spirit and wear cowboy boots with jeans. There are no 10-gallon hats in this crowd, but they’ll need them to carry the wealth of information they receive from seasoned Angus cattle ranchers …   Continue Reading

Flavor on the side

To get this … A perfectly grilled, tender and juicy, bursting-with-flavor cowboy-cut ribeye steak, you have to cut a steak from the finest Angus beef — beef that offers premium quality and loads of marbling. You’d have to choose a raw steak that looked a lot like this … A shipment of fresh Certified Angus …   Continue Reading

A week in Aruba

It’s not every day a chef from Cincinnati cooks in a kitchen in Aruba, but that’s exactly how Chef Michelle Brown spent the week. L.G. Smith’s Steak & Chop House at the Renaissance Aruba Resort hosted Chef Michelle for a series of educational seminars. And while she was there, she helped them launch a new menu. …   Continue Reading

Recipes from Rory

Chef Rory Schepisi of Boot Hill Saloon & Grill in Vega, Texas appears on the Today Show this morning. Her recipes will make your mouth water! We asked if she’d share them with us — and you! So here they are … Chef Rory’s favorite barbecue party dishes. And you can keep tabs on her …   Continue Reading

On the road again

Our chefs enjoy the kitchen immensely … creating recipes, combining flavors and appreciating the sizzle of mouthwatering steaks on the grill. But it’s not all fun and games … This morning Chef Michael Ollier was at NBC in Bismarck, North Dakota. He’s preparing to tantalize viewers and wow morning show hosts with amazing steaks and …   Continue Reading

The celebrity roast

Why not give beef center stage this weekend? Brunch is a common option for Easter Sunday. Your protein choices probably depend upon family traditions and regional favorites. This year, though, I’d like to suggest an alternative option — a new star for your show, so to speak. A Boneless Rib Roast is an elegant and mouthwatering …   Continue Reading

Hurry to Hodge’s in Downtown Cleveland

Nothing floats my boat and trips my trigger like spectacular food and awesome interior design. When those elements combine with urban vibes, rustic flair, down-home hospitality and the charisma of local community … I’m pleased as punch. I had the pleasure of attending an evening open house at the new Hodge’s restaurant in downtown Cleveland. …   Continue Reading

Let them eat cake

… and we did! We celebrated good times — and a couple of recent awards — to the tune of Kool & the Gang and three tiers of sweet indulgence. You know we’re about mouthwatering Angus beef, tasty recipes and all things cool and culinary. What isn’t always apparent is that our enthusiasm and integrity …   Continue Reading

Spring into flavor with fresh herbs

Today is the first day of spring! It’s officially here … and here in Ohio, spring has most definitely arrived (though you never know when snow flurries will fly!). There are buds, blooms and vibrant daffodils every which way I turn, and I’m itching to get my fingers in the dirt. Time to plant the …   Continue Reading

Happy Pi Day!

It’s “Pi Day” … March 14 … 3.14. What better way to celebrate than with a tasty meat pie for dinner. It doesn’t take a math whiz to know the sum of premium ingredients equals pure deliciousness! Try these meat pie recipes for a meal that’s calculated for fabulous flavor! Shepherd’s Pie Sirloin Empanadas And …   Continue Reading

The best of Best of the Best

Under cover of crystal chandeliers and electric blue lighting at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, guests entered Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, a highlight of the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival. It’s the most expensive of the festival events, at $350 per ticket. Sysco Specialty Meats partnered with the Certified Angus Beef …   Continue Reading

Fort-ifying our brand

One look at this castle and I’m humming Adele’s Rolling In the Deep and stomping my feet in a fever pitch of my own. This sandy work of art signifies a lot more than a trusted brand and the product it represents. It showcases the people who make it possible … family farmers and ranchers, …   Continue Reading

Signature steer

Can he have your autograph? That’s the question we asked the chefs at last night’s “food extravaganza” — officially titled Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America. The evening was a combination of the best chefs and best wines in the country. And “Porter” here — as in Porterhouse — attracted …   Continue Reading

I see Q

We went to The Q (barbecue) at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Crowds of people, celebrity chefs, mouthwatering barbecued concoctions, bright lights, big city … on the beach. The weather was amazing. The food was exquisite. The company … you may know a few of these folks … We love the Certified Angus …   Continue Reading

South Beach here we come

Tomorrow we’re heading for fun in the sun at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The weather looks to be beautiful, the food will be amazing and what better place to showcase the world’s best beef, right? We want you to come along for the ride! We’ll be at Best of the Best on Friday. …   Continue Reading

Ribbon cuttings and cleavers

This story began back in September when we decided if we build it, they will come. And so the process began — transform the 7,000-square foot building next door into an Education & Culinary Center. A grand opening is scheduled for May, but this past week we invited the Chamber of Commerce and a couple hundred of our …   Continue Reading

Steaks for your sweetheart

Valentine’s Day is hours away. Are you prepared? Do you have a plan? We can help And your taste buds — and your sweetheart’s!— will thank us. Step 1: Decide if you’d rather a) dine out or b) prepare dinner at home. If b), skip to the next paragraph. If a) spend a night on …   Continue Reading