In Touch Fall 2020

Ultimate Wi-Fi Deserves the Ultimate App – Take Control of Your Home with Consolidated MyNetwork !

The Network Security and Parental Controls features will simplify your busy life:

✓ Network Security provides protection against viruses, malware, and malicious websites, keeping your network and devices safe from cyberattacks.

✓ Parental Controls provide you with the tools needed to enforce the Internet rules you have established for your home. Set up profiles for your children or devices, filter content, websites, applications, and set appropriate time limits.

Add one feature for only $4.50 per month, or add both (Network Security & Parental Controls) for $8.00 per month.

Photo by Avery Belland

Calendar Contest

THANK YOU to all the photo enthusiasts who submitted photos for our 2021 calendar. We appreciate your time, talents, and willingness to share with everyone in Southwestern North Dakota ! The quality of photos made it a challenge to narrow it down to 16 photos. The winners this year are:

Albert Myran

Amber Battest

Austin Stockert

Avery Belland

Carmel Meier

Carrie Kovash

Dave Mackey

Erin Rustan

Kristen Porter

Lonney McKeown

Nolan Overton

Shannon Kvale Sheila Belland Stephanie Bren Susan Heck

Tammy Mackey

Pick up your FREE 2021 Consolidated Calendar after Thanksgiving at our Dickinson office at 507 Main Ave S.

Important Notes

• Reminder to Snowbirds !

Please give us a call at least one week before you leave for the winter. There’s NO recurring monthly charge to reserve your services while you’re gone, unless you have special services. There is a one-time charge of $24 to hold your services.

• Our office will be closed for these holidays: – November 26th and 27th for Thanksgiving – December 24th at Noon for Christmas Eve – December 25th for Christmas Day

– January 1st for New Year’s Day

• Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 1st. Remember to turn your clocks back one hour. This would also be a good time to make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date.

• We’ll miss seeing all the eager “Trick or Treaters” this Halloween at our annual Halloween Open House which is cancelled due to local heath risks of COVID-19. Enter our Halloween Photo Contest (see page 4) for a fun and safe activity!

• Play LIVE Blackout Bingo on Consolidated Channel 18, to win great prizes during October through April. Watch every Tuesday at 7:00pm, replay at 8:00pm, or Wednesday replay at 3:00pm and 4:00pm.

Dickinson: West Dakota Oil, Choice Financial, Eyewear Concepts, Dan Porter Motors, Rosie’s Food & Gas

Belfield: Choice Financial

Bowman: Bowman Drug

Regent: Regent Consumers Coop

Mott: Fitterer Oil

Richardton: Cenex C Store

Hettinger: KNDC Radio

Scranton: Scranton Super Valu

Killdeer: Hinrichs Super Valu

New England: New England Drug

Halliday: Union Bank

Photo by Dave Mackey

Smothered Pork Chops

4 pork chops

1 (3 oz.) can French fried onions

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 tsp. parsley flakes

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Salt and pepper pork chops lightly. Brown and arrange in a greased baking pan. Combine soup and water; heat. Add half of the onions to the soup mixture, along with the parsley and sour cream; mix thoroughly. Pour mixture over pork chops; cover and bake for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Remove cover, sprinkle remaining onions over top and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Parmesan-Crusted

Pork Chops

1 egg

1 Tbsp. water

1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4” thick

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 15x10x1 inch pan with foil; place cooking rack in pan. In a bowl, beat egg and water with fork and whisk. In another bowl, stir bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese until well blended. Dip each pork chop into egg mixture; coat with bread crumb mixture. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork chops; cook 1-2 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Place pork chops in pan. Bake 13-18 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in center.

Creamy Smothered Ranch Pork Chops

1 Tbsp. butter

1 small onion, halved & cut into 1/4” slices

2 to 4 pork loin chops, 3/4” & trimmed fat 1/8 tsp pepper

1 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup chive/onion cream cheese spread

2 tsp ranch salad dressing

2 cups egg noodles, cooked Chopped fresh chives, optional

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and tender. Transfer mixture to plate. Season pork chops with pepper; add to same skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, turning once, until browned. Remove from skillet to plate; cover and keep warm. Add chicken broth, cream cheese spread, ranch seasoning and cooked onions to skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until bubbly and slightly thickened. Add pork chops back to skillet, cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Cool 5 minutes before serving to allow to thicken. Serve with egg noodles; garnish with chopped chives.

Roast Pork and Apple Dinner

4 pork chops, about 3/4-inch think

1 onion, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1 ½ cups Minute white rice, uncooked

1 can 10 ½ oz. chicken broth

1 broth can water (10 ½ oz.)

2 red apples, chopped

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

In a large nonstick skillet, add chops, cook on medium-high heat for 4 minutes each side or until browned. Add onion, mushrooms and dressing; cook additional 3 minutes. Stir in rice, broth water, apples and thyme. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 20 min. or until heated through.

Trinity Catholic School employees: Rachel Ebach, Janel Schiff and DeAnn Scheeler

Thank you to everyone who played a part in helping with Consolidated’s 2020 Annual School Supply Drive!

Consolidated employees want to extend a very sincere thank you to everyone who played a part in making the 2020 School Supply Drive a success. This year, like no other, the need for supplies was greater than ever. No one can predict a pandemic and what will come of it, but we know that when there are children in need the compassion of our friends and neighbors generosity is so heartwarming!

Thirty schools or agencies benefited from this year’s drive. Supplies were delivered prior to schools starting by staff of Consolidated and Gate City Bank and local technicians in the communities we serve. No matter how school started this year, THANK YOU for supporting our youth. All donations, big or small, will contribute to their success! We'd like to extend an extra thank you to the following:

· Our long standing partner, Gate City Bank, for helping collect supplies, cash donations and donating highlighters and hand sanitizers this year!

· American Bank Center in Dickinson donated FOUR pallets of folders and 3-ring binders.

· Players Sports Bar & Grill, the Dickinson Rural Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, and all who made cash donations this year, we were able to purchase over 150 backpacks and supplies that were distributed throughout southwestern ND this school year.

· Harlow's School Bus Service, in Dickinson, for lending us a bus to help promote this much needed drive.

Easton Walby was born and raised in Dickinson. He is a graduate of Trinity High School, and has a degree in Electronics & Telecommunications from Bismarck State College. Prior to starting full-time, he helped Consolidated for two summers with locating and various other jobs.

Easton enjoys fishing, baseball and basketball, and his new yellow lab, Tatum. “I wanted to work at Consolidated mainly because of the people that I get to work with, and everyday there is something new to do. I look forward to coming to work every day.”

Send in your best picture of your kids to enter Consolidated’s Halloween Photo Contest ! Contest entries are open to photos of children ages 12 and younger. Submissions must be received by November 2nd by 5:00 p.m. via our website at consolidatend.com/HalloweenPhoto2020.

The photos will be posted on Consolidated’s Facebook page, and voting for the winners will be from November 3rd – 9th via Facebook. The three photos with the most likes will win prizes. The winners will be announced on November 10th.

Easton Walby CPE Technician

Lexi Buresh Dickinson HS

Amanda Brusseau Trinity HS

Alyssa Andress Hettinger HS

Morgan Ehlis Trinity HS

Mitch Stuber Bowman County HS

Tallon Kla Dickinson HS Quinn Mellmer Scranton HS

Macy Sabrosk y Dickinson HS

Jacob Hendrickson Bowman County HS

Elise Fischer Bowman County HS