Nebraska’s Date of Statehood – March 1st, 1867
This meal celebrates what makes Nebraska great! There are steaks from the vast ranch land, corn from the fertile farms, and a truly delicious wild rice salad from the first nations of this country. With all 3 you get the sense of the warmth and splendor that must exist in the state of Nebraska. I’ve never been there myself, but after this meal, I think I’ll put it on my list!
Tips and Tricks
- For the best, fluffiest rice, always rinse the raw grains in plenty of cold, fresh water. This removes any excess starch that can weight your rice down.
- Also, always allow the rice to rest after cooking for a few minutes, to allow as much of the water to be absorbed as possible.
- A rubber spatula is your best friend in the kitchen. Whether you are getting the honey out of your tablespoon or making sure you get ALL the sour cream out of the tub, a rubber spatula makes sure that your measurements are correct.
- When cooking with alcohol (wine, whiskey, etc.) make sure to choose something you’d actually DRINK. If it isn’t good enough to go in your glass, why do you think the flavor would be good enough to enhance your food? Now, I’m not saying you should use that $40 bourbon to marinate your steak, but don’t ruin your steak by choosing the lowest (i.e. cheapest) you can find either.
Whiskey Barbeque Marinated Top Sirloin
Serves 2
- 2 Top Sirloin Steaks
- 3/4 Cup Plain BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Original)
- 3/4 Cup Whiskey
- 2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tbs Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbs Honey
- 4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
Step 1: In a large, zip-top bag, combine the BBQ sauce, whiskey, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, honey, garlic, pepper, and salt. Close the top and shake it around until the marinade is well combined.
Step 2: Place the steaks into the marinade, seal the top, and set aside in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 3: Preheat your grill to high. Once hot, place the steaks on the grill, close the top, and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the steaks, close the top, and grill the other side for 3 minutes.
Step 4: Once steaks have grilled to medium-rare, remove them from the grill, let them rest for 3 minutes and then serve.
Minted Wild Rice and Barley Salad
Serves 4-6
- 2 Cups of Water
- 1/2 Cup Wild Rice
- 1/4 Cup Pearled Barley
- 1 Cup Sugar Snap Peas, cut into thirds
- 1/3 Cup Golden Raisins
- 3 Green Onions, root removed and finely chopped
- Zest of 1 Large Orange
- Juice of 1 Large Orange, about 1/3 of a cup
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 5-6 Large Mint Leaves, washed and finely chopped
Step 1: Place the 2 cups of water into a large pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the wild rice and barley, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 50 minutes.
Step 2: After 50 minutes, drain any excess water from the pot and set the cooked rice and barley into a large bowl.
Step 3: Add the pea pods, golden raisins, green onions, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to the cooked rice and stir to thoroughly combine.
Step 4: Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Step 5: After the salad has chilled, stir in the chopped mint and serve cold.
Nebraska Corn Casserole
Serves 8
- 1 Can of Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, undrained
- 1 Can of Cream Corn
- 1 Stick of Margarine, melted
- 2 Cups of Sour Cream
- 1 Box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish.
Step 2: In a large bowl, stir together the can of corn and liquid, cream corn, melted margarine, sour cream, and corn muffin mix until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Pour the batter into the greased dish and bake in hot oven for 1 hour.
Step 4: Once the top is golden brown, remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Fun Facts about Nebraska: 1. Covering 1.5 acres, the eight-story-tall Lied Jungle at the Henry Doorly Zoo is the largest indoor rainforest in the U.S. You’ll find everything from pygmy hippos to Malayan tapirs and capuchin monkeys. 2. Arbor Day started in 1854 with a pioneer named J. Sterling Morton. An agriculture enthusiast, Morton immediately saw the need for more trees on the prairie when he moved from Detroit to Nebraska. By 1872, he had convinced the State Board of Agriculture to promote a day for everyone to plant trees “both forest and fruit.” The first Arbor Day was celebrated that year with more than a million trees planted in Nebraska alone. 3. Originally called “Fruit Smack,” Kool-Aid was invented by a man named Edwin Perkins who ran a small mail-order business out of Hastings, Nebraska. Though the Fruit Smack concentrate syrup was one of his most popular products, the glass bottles often broke in transit. Perkins invented a powder concentrate in 1927 to solve the problem, and Kool-Aid was born. 4. Nebraska has the only unicameral legislature in the United States, meaning that it has a single-house system. It’s also nonpartisan—there are no party affiliations listed on voting ballots. 5. The state is home to Archie, the biggest mammoth on display anywhere. This 14-foot fossil was found in 1922 by a rancher in Lincoln County. He turned Archie over to the University of Nebraska State Museum where he still lives today.
Edible U.S. 