Thankful Thursday

                       

                                         

                                                             What excites a farmer?  

                                                         Hay season, of course!

                                      The farmers have been waiting impatiently to 

                                                     get started harvesting  the hay

                                                          and now, it is happening. 

                                     I'm thankful for the perfect hot and dry  weather

                                         this week  so the hay can be cut, raked

                                                  and baled in perfect condition,

                                                 for the opportunity to celebrate  Father's Day 

                                                            with  homemade ice cream,

for the memories made with our sons on all the 

days we  work together,

and for the memories 

of the fathers who raised us.

Dairyfarmer's Thankful Thursday

The calves don't seem to be a bit concerned with the

prediction of a thunderstorm. Each calf eagerly drank their milk and

began eating grain as soon as we delivered it to each bucket this 

morning under a slightly threatening set of storm clouds.

We are not always good at guessing what happens with the weather but

neither is the weatherman!

Although the calves tolerate the heat well, I am watching each one carefully

for signs of dehydration or lack of appetite that can be early signs of

 heat stress or illness.

These babies will grow to become the cows that produce milk, so we are 

committed to getting them off to a healthy start with daily consistent care.

I'm thankful when the rain holds off long enough

for the calves to eat their grain,

the hay to get baled,

                                       
                                    and for the fact that we can celebrate  eating and making
                                         ice cream during the predictably hot month of July!

July's Favorite Flavor

What's so great about July?

It's Ice Cream Month!

I can't think of a better way to transition from celebrating 

all things dairy during  June Dairy Month to enjoying

 a variety of  very dairy ice cream flavors.

According to  The History of Ice Cream 

by the International Dairy Foods Association,

 "the first official account of ice cream in America comes from a letter 

written in 1744 by a guest of Maryland Governor William Bladen. 

Manufacturing of ice cream became an industry in 1851 by a 

Baltimore milk dealer named Jacob Fussell. Like other American 

industries, ice cream production increased because of technological 

innovations, including steam power , mechanical refrigeration,

the homogenizer, electric power and motors, packing machines, 

and new freezing processes and equipment.

Today's total frozen dairy annual production in the

 United States is more than 1.6 billion gallons."

What's your favorite ice cream  flavor?

Arkansas Cake and Ice Cream

One of the benefits of being a Carrol Electric customer is the free subscription to the cooperative's  monthly   magazine Arkansas Living. Recipes from great Arkansas cooks is one of my favorite magazine features. I love collecting these recipes and will be adding  Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake.  This delicious cake recipe was submitted by Doris Houser of Lockesburg and featured in the March 2017 issue.  Many thanks to Doris for sharing this delicious dessert recipe.


This turned out to be a perfect and quick recipe for an impromptu get together with family and friends.
Of course, you must add that huge dip of vanilla
ice cream  for the perfect topping!





Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 yellow butter cake mix
1 3-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs,beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries,fresh or frozen

Preheat oven 325 degrees F. Lightly spray 9-inch tube or Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.

Combine cream cheese and oil in medium bowl. Beat with mixer until smooth and creamy. Add cake mix,pudding mix, eggs and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until blended. Fold in berries (batter will be thick).Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on wire rack 20 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely on a wire rack

Topping,optional:
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top or make a glaze using 3/4-cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon grape juice (or more for desired consistency).

Farmer Celebrates June Dairy Month with a Birthday

It seems fitting for a dairy farmer to celebrate his birthday during June Dairy Month! It's a tradition in our family for the birthday celebrant to choose the kind of cake or pie for his day. Ryan's favorite is his mother's recipe for  Applesauce Cake. Thank goodness I inherited  my mother-in-law's recipe box and can fulfill his request!

Applesauce Cake


2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1 cup black walnuts
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix sugar,flour, and spices together. Soak raisins in water,squeeze and then add to flour mixture.
Heart applesauce and butter. Add baking soda and applesauce to flour mixture.  Stir in nuts.
Bake  in floured and greased 13 x 9 inch pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes . Cool completely before adding icing.

Icing:
6 Tablespoons Butter
3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Light cream (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter; gradually add about half the sugar, blending well. Beat in 2 tablespoons cream and vanilla. Gradually blend in remaining sugar. Add enough cream to make of spreading consistency.

                              Serve with several scoops of vanilla ice cream for best results!

Ice Cream Month

We enjoy ice cream all year at my house but homemade ice cream is our special summer time treat down on the dairy farm. A bowl of homemade ice cream kicks off   every  July 4th celebration.

If you're a serious ice cream eater, you will  enjoy Candy Bar Ice Cream from the Sassafras Cookbook by  the Junior League of Springfield, Missouri.  It's a fact,there is no bad ice cream! 

Candy Bar Ice Cream

6  2.16-ounce Butterfinger candy bars,frozen

1  3-ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix

1  14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

1   tablespoon vanilla

1/2 gallon milk

Crush frozen candy bars into very coarse crumbs. Combine crushed candy bars, pudding mix,condensed milk and vanilla in an ice cream freezer. Add milk to within 1 inch of fill line. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Makes 3 quarts.

Here's the scoop on  ways to celebrate Ice Cream Month:

• Enough Ice Cream? by Farmer Bright
• Mint Chocolate Ice Cream by Kimmi’s Dairyland
• Why this Ice Cream Addict has a New Addiction: Ice Cream Sandwiches by New Mexico Milkmaid
• Sprinklers, Fans and Ice Cream in the Barn Modern-day Farm Chick
• Here’s the Scoop on My 5 Favorite Ice Cream Recipes by Eat Farm Love
• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal a la Mode by New Day Dairy
• Gimme the Jimmies by The Deere Milkmaid
• Ice Cream Month by Spotted Cow Blog
• Oregon Ice Cream by Guernsey Dairy Mama
• In Celebration of Ice Cream by New Moon Farms
• Sadie’s Homemade Ice Cream by Dairy Good Life
• The Best Ice Cream Stand by Raising a Farmer

Mountain Blackberry Cobbler

A generous neighbor presented us with a gallon of blackberries late Friday night. It was a complete surprise and brought a flood of childhood memories of going to the blackberry patch down in the pasture  with my grandparents on hot,steamy July days.

When going to the blackberry patch,   I was always cautioned to watch for snakes but not one word of caution about those chiggers! It was well worth the discomfort for the reward of blackberry cobbler, dumplings or jelly that followed those picking experiences.

 I don't think I will ever match my grandmother's  blackberry cobbler, but Mountain Blackberry Cobbler comes pretty close. The recipe is found in the Junior League of Springfield,Missouri's cookbook, Sassafras!. 

Mountain Blackberry Cobbler

2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
Water

2 quarts fresh     
   blackberries,
   washed and drained 
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare crust,mix 2 cups flour,1/4 cup sugar, salt and shortening with a fork until crumbly. Add enough water to make a soft dough. Divide dough into 2 parts with slightly more for bottom crust. On a heavily floured board, knead dough until smooth. Roll each portion of dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Arrange larger portion of dough on bottom of a greased 8x10-inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup flour with a fork. Pour berries into pastry-lined baking dish. Sprinkle flour and sugar mixture over berries; dot with butter. Place top crust over berries and crimp edges. Cut slits in decorative pattern in dough to release steam. Bake 1 hour. Serve warm. Serves 10 to 12.

                                                       
                     Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Dairy Celebrates National Pi Day

                      I know, it's not really National Pie Day, but we can celebrate the mathematical Pi Day
                                                                   with pie and ice cream.

                                                                         Count me in!

  Happy Pi Day!

Peaches and Cream

 We made vanilla ice cream for our 4th of July celebration and topped it with fresh blueberries and strawberries   so I'm now on the look out for some ripe peaches that will be perfect for peach ice cream. Although I don't remember who gave me this peach ice cream  recipe that I found in my recipe collection box , I'm certain  it will be good!

Peach Ice Cream

1 quart very ripe peaches,crushed
Juice of 3 lemons
1 can evaporated milk
3 cups sugar
dash salt
whole milk ( add to fill 1 gallon ice cream freezer)

Mix peaches,lemon juice, evaporated milk, sugar and salt in large bowl; pour into ice cream freezer can.  Add whole milk to fill line of freezer can and freeze according to ice cream freezer directions.

                     
                        There's never a bad time for summer  picnics, puppy dogs or homemade ice cream!

Summer Begins with National Ice Cream Month

Summer has finally arrived in Northwest Arkansas! Although the cows and I don't really enjoy all the heat and humidity, we do like to stand under the shade trees and enjoy the view of the flower bed full of colorful lilies!  

There's only one thing that makes this even better...

                                      thinking about all the ice cream we can enjoy during July!

                             Happy July--National Ice Cream Month!!

Peachy Ice Cream

I haven't found any Arkansas peaches at the local market but thanks to farmers in other states--I've had some really sweet, juicy peaches this week! Flavor rich peaches like these will be perfect in homemade ice cream--a perfect treat for celebrating National Ice Cream Month! 


Fresh Peach Ice Cream

1 quart milk
1 10-ounce package of marshmallows
2 cups sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups Half & Half dairy creamer
3 cups mashed fresh peaches

Combine milk and marshmallows in Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until marshmallows melt; remove from heat. Add sugar and remaining ingredients; mix well. Chill. Pour mixture into freezer container of gallon hand-turned or electric ice cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and salt, and let stand for 1 to 2 hours to ripen before serving.

Banana Split Dessert

Schools out, swimming pools are open,and it's hot in Northwest Arkansas--perfect time for an ice cream dessert! A dear family friend shared this recipe with me soon after Ryan and I were married. Recipes that have been given to me  always bring a smile whether I'm reading   the recipe or eating the finished product!  It's a great make ahead dessert for any celebration or the perfect treat for an ordinary day when you need to bring a smile or lift a spirit.

Banana Split Dessert

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups  graham cracker crumbs (2pkgs)
3 large bananas,sliced
1/2 gallon Neopolitan ice cream
1 cup pecans
1 pint whipping cream

Reserve 1 cup crumbs; sprinkle remaining crumbs to cover bottom of 11x15in. pan. Slice banannas over crumbs.Slice ice cream in 1 1/2 inch slices, place on top of bananas. Cover with pecans. Place in freezer.

Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter, add chocolate chips, melt; add powdered sugar and milk. Bring to boil and boil 5 minutes. Cool and add vanilla. Pour over ice cream mixture. Place back in freezer. Whip cream ( sweeten to taste) , spread over sauce. Top with remaining crumbs. Freeze until serving time.

                                                                       
                                                               Have A Dairy Good Day!

Dairymom's Mother's Day Tradition

Celebrating Mother's Day with a family dinner is our long standing tradition. After an action packed week of dairy farm chores and off the farm volunteer activities, I've got a zillion things to get done in preparation for our after church Mother's Day cookout. Tomorrow's dessert will be Crusty Cream Cheese Cream Pound Cake topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries. You can't go wrong with this sweet treat and it's one of my Mother's favorite!

Crusty Cream Cheese Pound Cake
1 cup butter,softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
1 8 oz. package cream cheese,softened
3 cups sifted flour
6 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Cream butter and shortening; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of electric mixer. Add cream cheese, beating well until light and fluffy. Alternately add flour and eggs, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla.
Pour batter into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until pick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

                                                                                 
                                                                Happy Mother's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

August always seems to melt slowly into September as the seasons begin to change,school starts and we are beginning to harvest our crops. It's also the time for a birthday celebration in our family. Our birthday traditions include dinner with the family, birthday cake and ice cream. I'm thankful for the twenty one birthdays that we have celebrated with Casey!

Ice Cream Tradition

Today is National Ice Cream Day! Do you have a favorite flavor?
With the many choices available, it is more difficult to decide. One of our favorite family summertime family traditions is to make a freezer of ice cream. When I was growing up, we used the hand crank model. It was such a thrill to get to help turn the crank or sit on the top to provide weight for the person cranking the handle. Life is much easier now with the electric model but I have great family memories of making ice cream. If you don't have an ice cream freezer, you can make your own family memories with your kids or grandkids by making ice cream in a bag.



Squeeze Freeze Ice Cream
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
Ice cubes
Other Items:
Small re-sealable plastic bag
Large re-sealable plastic bag
Measuring spoons
Measuring cup
Plastic spoon

Preparation:
Put sugar and vanilla in small plastic bag. Also put salt in large plastic bag. Hold the small bag open and pour in milk. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and properly seal. Drop the small bag in to the large plastic bag with salt in it. Add 18-20 ice cubes. Remove as much air as possible from the large bag and properly seal. Knead the bag for approximately 10 minutes, making sure ice in the larger bag surrounds the smaller bag. When a soft ice cream is formed, remove small bag from large bag, open and eat right out of bag with a plastic spoon. For extra fun, add fresh seasonal fruit or other favorite ice cream toppings.
Note:It is important to use whole milk. Other types of milk take too long to freeze. Salt is also very important. Without it, the ice cream will not freeze. One pint of half and half can be added to a gallon of milk. This makes the ice cream richer and freezes faster. Be sure to have plenty of paper towels on hand.



I would also suggest you have your camera ready to capture the smiles you will see with this project!
You can find information about how dairy farmers work to produce milk for all these dairy foods that we enjoy at http://www.dairyfarmingtoday.org. This fun recipe can be found with a great variety of other dairy recipes at http://www.midwestdairy.com.

Hope you enjoy your favorite flavor today and provide a memory for your family!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Serving ice cream cones to bank customers was one of our many June Dairy Month activities
and fun experiences while members of the Benton County 4-H Udder Club.
Watching these three dairy farm boys dip the ice cream was a memorable experience! I am thankful for all the fun we have promoting the dairy products we are proud to produce.

Strawberries,Ice Cream and Cake

Vanilla ice cream is a great treat anytime but it goes very well with fresh strawberries and this pound cake recipe that I enjoy baking for my family. Hope you have a great Memorial Day holiday with your family and friends!







Crusty Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients
1 cup butter,softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
1 8oz pkg cream cheese,softened
3 cups sifted flour
6 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Cream butter and shortening; gradually add sugar,beating well at medium speed of electric mixer. Add cream cheese,beating well until light and fluffy. Alternately add flour and eggs, begining and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla.

Pour batter into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until pick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

Serving suggestions: strawberries or blueberries with large scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream