Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Resting in the shade  on a hot July afternoon is the routine for 

these  cows that  will be calving within the next two weeks.

It's hard to find a cool spot in the month of July,

 but  if you follow the cows during the day, you will find yourself 

moving to where ever the shade is found in the pasture.

It's our job to make sure they have access to  fresh water

and shade and monitor them closely for signs of calving.

We also provide a special formulated feed that meets their

nutritional needs while they are resting from milk

 production and  preparing  for calving.

When I watch the cows resting in the shade by the yard, 

I'm thankful for the memory of planting these pine tree 

twigs nearly thirty years ago with Cody and Casey playing

 in the yard, for the beauty of each tree and the shade

 that is so appreciated by our beautiful Holstein cows 

down on the dairy farm.

Fall Dairy Recipe

Happy Fall,Ya'll!  As I was browsing through the recipes on the Midwest Dairy website, I found a recipe just made for filling the kitchen with the smell of fall...Baked Apples with Cinnamon Yogurt Topping. 

Just reading the recipe brought back memories of my childhood when my Mother would bake apples in the fall or winter. The sweet smell of cinnamon and apples would fill the house. I'm ready to make some fall memories with a little dairy...how about you?

Baked Apples with Cinnamon Yogurt Topping

Ingredients:

4 Granny smith or Gala Apples with or       without skin

1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

For Baked Apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Core and thinly slice apples. Place apples in a medium bowl and toss with apple juice. Mix brown sugar, cornstarch,cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in small bowl. Sprinkle over apples and stir gently until apples are coated.

Pour apples into prepared baking dish. Bake 40 minutes or until apples are slightly browned at edges and sauce is bubbling.

For Yogurt Topping

2 1/2 cups low-fat plain yogurt

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Line a colander with several paper towels and place over a bowl to catch drips. Pour yogurt into colander and allow to drain refrigerated about 30 minutes. Spoon yogurt into a small bowl and stir in honey and cinnamon.

For each serving, top 1/4  of the warm apples with 1/4 of the yogurt topping.