Halloween Cheesy Treat

We never get too old for treats on Halloween so why not plan  a little cheesy treat for  your family? Midwest Dairy's  Cheese Lovers Pizza Squares is perfect for supper before, after or in-between greeting the Halloween characters that may show up at your house to collect a treat.

Cheese Lovers Pizza Squares

Ingredients;

1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1 cup Ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz,) shredded low-moisture part-skim
   Mozzarella cheese
2 ounces turkey pepperoni,diced
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup yellow pepper,sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons chopped parsley


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Press pizza dough into 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan.

Bake for 12 minutes; remove from oven and spread Ricotta cheese over crust. Top with Mozzarella,pepperoni,tomatoes,pepper and oregano.

Return to oven and bake for 6 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley, cut into squares and serve.

Yield: 10 servings

                                                                 Happy Halloween!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Foggy mornings on the dairy farm  make chore time a little more difficult 

but

                                         
                                          I'm thankful for the beacon-like white spots on our
                                          black and white Holsteins that assist us in finding a
                                                       sweet new overnight addition.
                                     

Rolling Up October

We're rolling up October in the hay field.

Even though we haven't had a killing frost yet, 

the grass has stopped growing and much of it has already

 turned pale green or brown due to  the seasonal changes but

 it can still be harvested for feeding our beef and dairy cattle.

                                                                     
                                   After rolling up  the hay from this field, we will apply
                                 a measured amount of cow manure (what we call nutrient)
                                                                 to fertilize the field.

                                     Nutrient management plans guide the amount,source,
                                              placement and timing of manure on fields.

                                     Rolling up October  is a sustainability  win for the
                                                 environment and  the dairy  farmer.

                                 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

When a farmer goes to the vet clinic, you never know what may 

come home with him  in the truck. Last week, Beagle, the little black dog

  joined our farm family.She had been delivered to the clinic which

 serves as the local dog pound and desperately needed a home.

We didn't really need another farm dog but 

as it was explained to me, 

Beagle is the kind of dog that will just lay by

 your feet and soak up any attention you offer.

 As you can see , even the cows know when there is a new dog on the farm.

Beagle has a lot to learn about living on the dairy farm 

but I'm thankful for our new friend!

                                       

Dairy Spooks

                                               

                                           Here's a little  dairy fun   for  your spooks!

                                                                       

Spooky Ghost Milkshakes

Ingredients:

2 cups reduced fat milk

1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt

2 tablespoons chocolate chips,melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips at 50% power  for 4 seconds,stir and repeat at 10 second intervals until melted.

Using a clean paintbrush, paint ghost face on the side of a clear cup.

Allow to set (5 minutes).

In a blender, combine the milk,frozen yogurt and vanilla.

Pour into prepared cups.

*Recipe provided courtesy of Florida Dairy Farmers/Midwest Dairy Association

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

My job description down  on the  dairy farm is 

"whatever they tell me to do or need me to do".

That's what brought me to be the gate keeper as 

we were sorting the dairy cows for a herd health check-up. 

Not every job on the dairy farm is my dream job  but one

 of the benefits is watching my sons work together. 

Although they were quick to let me know when I messed up on my job,

I'm thankful for days like this when we are working together as a family.

Debate Free Dairy

Absolutely no time for  debates down on the dairy farm...

                                 
                               We're too busy welcoming new members to the dairy herd!
                               

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Harvesting any crop can be challenging  but it seemed totally unfair 

with six or seven loads of silage  left in the field that we had a mechanical 

failure that caused a halt to finishing the job.  

Of course the entire chopper head had to be dismantled to 

find the one broken bolt that created all the problems. 

It was definitely a day of celebration when all the parts were 

back on the chopper and it made it's return journey to the field.

I'm thankful for the working relationship between brothers 

and father to keep the wheels rolling everyday down on the dairy farm.

                            I know just what Paul Harvey meant when he wrote that poem
                                                          "So God Made a Farmer."

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Harvesting any crop can be challenging  but it seemed totally unfair 

with six or seven loads of silage  left in the field that we had a mechanical 

failure that caused a halt to finishing the job.  

Of course the entire chopper head had to be dismantled to 

find the one broken bolt that created all the problems. 

It was definitely a day of celebration when all the parts were 

back on the chopper and it made it's return journey to the field.

I'm thankful for the working relationship between brothers 

and father to keep the wheels rolling everyday down on the dairy farm.

                               I know just what Paul Harvey meant when he wrote that poem
                                                          "So God Made a Farmer."

October Joy

Pocket dialing with a cell phone is pretty common but how often do you take 

500 photos with your phone in your pocket while feeding baby calves? 

 I saved this one picture because it captures the crisp color 

of the October sky on an ordinary afternoon down on the dairy farm.

Deleting the other four hundred and ninety nine pictures wasn't too fun  but 

it was  a reminder that although mistakes happen quickly,

joy can be found easily in an upside down situation.

May your October be full of joy.

                                                            Happy October!