Karen Armbruster, of Burlington, Oklahoma, was selected as the main dishes category winner for the Homemade in the High Plains cookbook for her three-ingredient brisket recipe. Armbruster has plenty of experience on the farm and in the kitchen. She grew up in Mississippi, with seven siblings and her mother cooked for the whole family and ranch hands on the ranches the family lived on.



“My older sister loved to sew and make clothes, but that turned out not to be my forte, so I thought I’ll just go to the kitchen,” Armbruster explained. “I loved being in the kitchen and observing

Karen Krehbiel Dodson and Brittany Krehbiel Hukill, a mother-daughter team from Hydro, Oklahoma, were the category winners for HPJ’s recipe book category, Harvest in a Hurry—which includes meals that can be made in 30 minutes or less and are perfect for harvest. Dodson, the matriarch said she did not grow up on a farm, but married a farmer. Originally, her mother-in-law took meals to the field and when Dodson got off work, she would help out. Eventually that progressed to her mother-in-law cooking, and Dodson delivering the food. Then Dodson became the primary cook. She said becoming a farm wife

The dessert winner for High Plains Journal’s Homemade in the High Plains cookbook is Vicki Krehbiel, with her honeybun cinnamon cake. Krehbiel lives in Holcomb, Kansas. She grew up on a farm and after getting married, the couple started a cow-calf operation and later began farming. Since she was child, Krehbiel said she has only spent one year away from the farm. She said she feels a calling from the farm. Krehbiel helps on the family operation with her husband, son and daughter-in-law and often gets help from her six grandkids whether she is in the kitchen or working outside.

Connie Richards, of Tingley, Iowa, was selected as the grand prize winner for the breads and rolls category of High Plains Journal’s Homemade in the High Plains cookbook. Richards grew up on a farm and later married a farmer and has raised three daughters. She also has nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Richards helped her husband on the family farm for years, but no longer participates in the manual labor as two of her grandsons and her son-in-law have taken more prominent roles in the operation. Their farm produces corn, beans, alfalfa, oats and a cow-calf herd.



She has always

One staple that can be found in my pantry is canned chicken. About any casserole can be made with the pre-cooked goodness on the fly, and “on the fly” is the story of my life in the summer.

When it comes to desserts, Rhonada makes some pretty delicious treats. I, on the other hand, am not a great baker. Rhonada thankfully shared with me some of her easy recipes that even a beginner can’t get wrong.

One of those is a really easy, tasty cookie bar. It is not exactly made from scratch, but it can be made in different ways and usually you have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3-4 tablespoons water

1 cup chocolate chips

Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees F. Mix all but the chocolate chips in