Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Members of  Bentonville Girl Scout Troop 150 met at the home of our troop leader Mrs. Marilyn Bogle last Saturday as part of our 40th class reunion.

 

 

Troop 150 began when we were in the second  grade and lasted till we graduated in 1973.

We've changed just a little  since the day we began as Girl Scout Brownies in the second grade!

 

 

I'm thankful  for my Girl Scout experiences that  enriched my life and provided special friendships!

Harvest Harmony Down on the Dairy Farm

Watching the boys chop the silage for our dairy cows when everything goes well  is much like listening to three part harmony--it's harmonious!

 

Harvest harmony includes:

 

 

Crisp,cool October weather,

 

 

No machinery breakdowns,

 

Perfect delivery!

 

Three part harvest harmony results in high quality milk!

Dairymom Approved Pumpkin Pie Squares

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

If you love the smell of pumpkin pie  but don't like making pie or just don't have enough hours in your day for pie baking---this is the recipe for you!  As we transition from fall into winter, my thoughts turn to the holiday gatherings with friends and family that always include our favorite foods.

Pumpkin Pie Squares is a favorite of mine that was shared by a nursing friend many years ago. It's a Dairy Farm  Mom Approved recipe that you can find at DairyMakesSense with a lot of other great recipe ideas.


Pumpkin Pie Squares with Cinnamon Sugar Yogurt Topping

Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter,melted
2 tablespoons low-fat milk
Cooking spray

Filling:
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pecans,chopped

Topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs ,oats,
brown sugar, butter, and 2 tablespoons milk. Press into a thin layer in a 9x13-in.pan greased with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, in another bowl, beat together pumpkin through salt. Pour over crust and bake for 40 minutes or until set. Sprinkle pecans over pumpkin filling and bake another 10-15 minutes or until center is set. Cool slightly in pan.

Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Mix in yogurt. Top each square with one tablespoon of yogurt topping.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

We've all been enjoying these crisp, cool October days down on the dairy farm. In between milking times, our cows enjoy resting in the pasture, eating a nutritious balanced diet and drinking plenty of water so they can produce an average of 5 to 6 gallons of milk every day.

 

 

 

         I'm thankful for these dairy cows that not only provide nutritious milk to drink but make
                                        it possible for me to live and work on our family farm.

Fall Treats

 With the days becoming cooler and shorter, I know the days are numbered for these flowers I have enjoyed all summer. As I returned from feeding calves this morning, I just had to stop and admire these fall treats...

 

 

the knock-out roses,

 

 

the pink begonias on the porch,

 

 

and pick the last bouquet of multi-colored zinnias from the garden.

 

 

 

Thank goodness for this year round treat from down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

            We're not the only ones on the dairy farm enjoying the cool, crisp October weather!                 

                             These calves will grow up to become the cows that produce milk.
I'm thankful for the experience of watching our dairy cattle grow and develop through all the seasons.

Celebrate World Food Day

 

 

World Food Day, October 16th,  has been celebrated since the founding of the United Nations in 1945. It's been celebrated in the United States since 1982 with sponsorship from 450 national and private voluntary organizations. 

The theme of World Food Day changes each year but all themes revolve around agriculture and the need for investment in agriculture and it's support  from  education and health. It continues to be the belief of the United Nations that " the goal of freedom from want of food, suitable and adequate for the health and strength of all people can be achieved."

One of the great challenges of the next generation will be providing nutritious, affordable food to a global population expected to grow  to 9 billion by 2050 while using fewer resources.
As dairy farmers, we recognize the serious challenges and  are committed to being a part of the solution to feed our nation.

Dairy farmers partner with Feeding America, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the National Dairy Council to help fight hunger in America and promote healthy food choices.

 

 

Dairymom Wraps Up Tuesday

With the rain and cooler temperatures, I'm thinking it may be time to bring out the heavier work jackets in addition to the rain suit and rubber boots. Just as we're wrapping up more on the outside and planning for a busy day on the farm ,  a quick wrap-up in the kitchen will be perfect for Tuesday's schedule.

I'm planning to wrap-up Tuesday with a Beef Burrito with Pepper Jack Cheese and Black Bean recipe I found at Dairy Makes Sense.

Beef Burrito with Pepper Jack Cheese and Black Beans

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef sirloin
2 teaspoons  minced garlic
1 cup chunky salsa,divided
2 cups cooked brown or white rice
6 (9 inch) whole wheat flour tortillas
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (11-ounce) can corn kernels,drained
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onion, including green tops


Preparation:

In medium non-stick skillet, brown ground beef and garlic over medium heat; (break beef mixture up into smaller chunks with a spoon). Drain fat and stir in 1/2 cup of the salsa; set aside.

Spread 1/3 cup of rice on center of tortilla, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Scatter about 2 tablespoons of beans and 1 1/2 tablespoons of corn over rice. Spread 1/3 cup of the beef mixture and 1/4 cup of the cheese over corn. Top with 2 teaspoons of the salsa and a few pieces of green onion. Fold in two opposite edges of tortilla one inch each and roll up. Place, seam side down, on microwave-safe dish.

Repeat with remaining tortillas. Place burritos in a microwave oven and heat 1 minute or until heated through. Serve with remaining salsa.

                                                   Wrap-up Tuesday with a little dairy!

Sunday's Harvest Cake

I decided after this week of perfect October weather down on the dairy farm, it must be time to fill the kitchen with the aroma of fall. After flipping through a shelf full of recipe books,  I found  Fall Harvest Cake in Sassafras, The Ozarks Cookbook from the Junior League of Springfield, Missouri.  It seemed to be the perfect fall  recipe  choice  with ingredients of pumpkin, apple and cinnamon!


Fall Harvest Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger (optional)

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups flour,sifted
1 16 oz. can pumpkin
1 large apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup nuts,chopped

ICING
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar,sifted
1/2 cup butter,softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese,softened
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour a Bundt pan. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix sugars, cinnamon, soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Mix  in pumpkin. Stir in apple and nuts by hand. Pour into prepared Bundt pan. Bake 70 minutes. Cool 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and spread with icing prepared by blending all ingredients until smooth. Store in refrigerator. Serves 12.

 

I'm pretty sure a  slice of this cake with a big dip of vanilla ice cream

 will be a perfect harvest treat down on the dairy farm!

 

Happy Sunday!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

October is National 4-H Month! 

 

 

It's been several years since we were in 4-H but you never forget the lessons learned and the lifetime  friendships formed while working together.   I'm thankful for the Benton County 4-H program and the dedicated adult leaders that teach the next generation to "make the best better"!

 

Dairy Delivery

A point of interest on every tour of our dairy  farm is the little shed building we call the 'maternity barn'. It's special because it is like the labor and delivery room of a hospital--not sterile like a hospital but a place where we can assist  in the delivery of a calf if the mother is having difficulty. 

 

Yesterday this heifer  needed assistance while giving birth to her first calf  so she was walked from the pasture by our house  to the maternity barn for assistance in delivering her baby.

 

 

On a recent tour of the farm with a group of Northwest Arkansas  registered dieticians, the maternity barn was empty but these soon to be mothers couldn't resist having their picture taken before delivery!

 

                                                   Can you tell that we were having fun?

                                
                Although we didn't have any deliveries on the day of the tour, I  did enjoy sharing
          how we work everyday to produce high-quality milk by caring for our cows and the land.
               I appreciate how these registered dieticians tell what dairy delivers to consumers!

Souped Up Monday

After Saturday's rain in Northwest Arkansas, there's a definite feeling of fall on the farm. I'm thinking about getting 'souped up'  on Monday with a recipe I found on the Dairy Makes Sense website.

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup onion,chopped
1/2 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups low-fat milk
1 (16-oz) package frozen chopped broccoli
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
11/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper


Preparation:

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender. Add flour and stir until blended. Gradually stir in broth. Heat until slightly thickened. Add milk,
broccoli and potatoes. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes or until broccoli and potatoes are tender. Stir in cheese and seasonings.

                                                                 Happy Monday!

Back Porch Makeover

If the back porch of our old farmhouse could talk, I know it would have a lot of stories to tell. My mother-in-law  was born and raised in this house and  told me a few of those childhood stories of how they would eat on the porch in the summer before the days of air-conditioning or used it for  overflow dining  when company came to visit.
 
Today the back porch of our 92 year old  farm house is not only the walk through to inside the house, it's also the storage place for items that Farmer-Husband   might need occasionally  but must keep it on the back porch  to be sure it's handy, a dozen  raincoats for four people, and an assortment of boots and shoes for every occasion and event on the dairy farm.

The planned porch  make-over  happened this week. My Mother and I marked our calendars for this special project--she's my partner in crime on projects like this! It's not that it's such a big space but the fact that there was so much stuff to move and so much dirt to clean out before we could start the project!

Here's how  the steps of the project went:

• First step was to  wait till Farmer-Husband left town for three days. This  first step allowed me to move everything with out listening to any complaining about moving the stuff that might be used.
• Second step was moving everything out to another space which actually required  a move of more of Farmer-Husband's stuff without his permission. Good reason for step number one.
• Third step was back-breaking , knee bruising scrubbing to prepare for the woodwork and floor  painting.
• Fourth Step was to paint and allow plenty of drying time and keep the porch off limits for an extra day for drying.

 

 

 The back porch is now  clean , shiny and clutter free!

 I'm still hearing a little grumbling from the Farmer-Husband about where I've moved  his stuff, but it's worth it when I look at   the improvement to our old farmhouse from the back porch makeover!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

It was a bit foggy this morning when we fed calves and found this  mama with her new baby in the pasture. New life is always a celebration on the dairy farm.

 

                                                                   
                            I'm thankful for these early morning  life- on- the farm pictures I
                                                   experience  every day with my family.