Dairy Farmer's Tart

Fontina asparagus tart and my dairy farmer husband are both amazing. We invited friends to join us for Sunday lunch to celebrate the New Year. Ryan was frying turkey and making Dutch oven peach cobbler. My task was to get everything else ready. As I rushed from the kitchen to get ready for church, he asked me if I had ingredients to make this recipe he found in our newest Country magazine.The three main ingredients needed were fresh asparagus,frozen puff pastry and fontina cheese. I had none of them. As I left for church, he left for the grocery store. When I returned home, the Fontina Asparagus Tart was on the cabinet waiting to be baked. It was delicious! I later read that fontina cheese originated in Italy near the Swiss border in 1477. It is a semi-soft cheese made from cow's milk with a buttery,nutty taste and is used for table or cooking. When I asked him why he wanted to try a recipe with asparagus since I knew he would never have eaten plain asparagus, his answer was--"anything green is better covered with cheese". Amazing!!

Fontina Asparagus Tart

1 lb. fresh asparagus,trimmed

1 sheet frozen puff pastry,thawed

1/2 lb.fontina cheese,shredded,divided

2 Tbsp.lemon juice

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In a large skillet,bring 1 inch of water to a boil;add asparagus. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes or just until crisp tender;drain.

On a lightly,floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Roll into a 16-in.x12 in. rectangle;transfer

to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups cheese over pastry. Arrange asparagus on top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Combine lemon juice,lemon peel,oil,salt and pepper; sprinkle over top. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until asparagus is tender and cheese is melted. Slice and serve warm.

Yield: 24 servings

*Recipe found in December/January2011 Country Magazine

Resolution for Agriculture

"The declining number of farmers in the USA ought to be a national policy issue since I don't want the USA to become an importer of food and fiber"---this was the comment I received in a letter from a Kiwanis member after my presentation about dairy promotion. During an informal question and answer session after my presentation, we were discussing the efficiency of the American farmer. Although I did not bring out the fact that the average age of the farmer is 55 years old, it was on the mind of the member. This fact does bring one to think about the importance of who will be producing our food in the future. It should be a concern for every American. As we are just days away from 2011, I am resolved to do my part in insuring the future of agriculture and the American farmer by: engaging in conversations about how we produce the safest,most abundant and most affordable food, encouraging consumers and farmers to be active and educated on issues that effect all of us and supporting all efforts of agricultural organizations to foster involvement of young women and men in agriculture. Will you support American agriculture?

Volunteer Gift

As I returned to the farm from the Osage Terrace Assisted Living Facility last week, I felt a great sense of satisfaction from sharing time with a group of elderly residents and young members from the Centerton 4-H Club. For the last seven years, I have been providing piano Christmas music while 4-H members demonstrate and teach how to make an assortment of Christmas ornaments, provide refreshments and enjoy Christmas music while working together. As I was listening to the residents and the children singing softly as they worked on their ornaments, I thought how volunteering always brings me great joy. What would our world be like without the volunteers in every community? Life on the dairy farm is hectic, my house is rarely spotless, and it isn't always easy to volunteer but my life is much richer and filled with contentment from giving to my community. Many volunteer organizations are struggling to find people willing to give of their time. If you aren't already volunteering, would you consider it in 2011? Volunteering is a great year round Christmas gift you can give to your community!

Talkin' Dairy

Last Friday I had the privilege of speaking to the Gravette Kiwanis Club about dairy. I chose to talk about the dairy checkoff program because many consumers do not know that the national dairy promotion program was produced by dairy farmers,for dairy farmers and is funded by America's dairy farmers. Because Kiwanis is an international civic organization that works to improve children's health, I really enjoyed telling the members about the Fuel Up To Play 60 program that the dairy farmers are sponsoring in partnership with the National Football League. As a dairy farmer, I am very proud that our money is being used to give children information and incentive to improve their nutrition choices and exercise habits for life long health. Fuel Up To Play 60 is now being implemented in two-thirds of our nation's schools (more than 60,000), reaching 36 million students. The uniqueness of this program is that it engages students directly to take the lead in helping make their schools and communities healthier. Learning to make good nutriton choices and developing exercise habits is a great prevention for obesity and other chronic illnesses. You can learn more about the dairy checkoff program at http://www.dairycheckoff.com/. Before leaving the meeting, we had a drawing for an insulated shopping bag donated by Midwest Dairy (http://www.midwestdairy.com/). My hope is that each member left with new information and understanding about the dairy industry and the nutritious product that we produce!

Holiday Butter Tradition

Although I use butter year round, holiday baking with butter is part of my holiday tradition in the kitchen. My schedule is busy year round with farm,family, and volunteer activities but I will always find time to make special desserts that my family and friends enjoy. As I studied the pile of laundry, the dirty house and the stack of unopened mail facing me after returning from attending the Arkansas Farm Bureau Convention, I then remembered the Sunday School Christmas party that was planned for the evening. What's a dairy mom to do? Get the recipes out and start looking for something easy, quick and delicious! In case you find your self in this situation, I am sharing this special recipe with you. Butter is a main ingredient in Almond Cake Squares providing rich flavorful taste. It is a great recipe for any event and looks pretty presented on a fancy pedestal cake stand or festive holiday plate. Santa might even enjoy these with a glass of milk!

Almond Cake Squares

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup melted butter

Almond Topping

Combine eggs and sugar; beat with electric mixer until thick and lemon colored. Stir in flour and butter; pour batter into greased and floured 13x9x2inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Spread Almond Topping over cake; broil cake 4 inches from heat 3-5 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly. Cool on wire rack; cut into 2 inch squares. Yield:2 dozen

Almond Topping

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp milk

Combine all in small saucepan; cook over low heat,stir constantly till sugar is dissolved and mixture thickens.

Antibiotic Care Plan

The day before Thanksgiving was short sleeve seventy degree weather. At the afternoon feeding,our baby calves were kicking up their heels and acting like it was spring. Fifteen hours later when I returned for the morning feeding,the temperature had dropped to twenty-six degrees and windy with a light mist. Extreme temperature changes are very stressful to baby calves and dairy moms. Extreme weather changes create added stress that increases the susceptibility to respiratory illness. When a baby calf is sick, we follow a care plan provided by our veterinarian. Antibiotic medication is given under prescription just like I would give my child. I document treatment for any calf that receives medication. As I think about all the statements being made about the use of antibiotics in animals causing resistance to antibiotics in humans, I am very concerned that our ability to treat and care for our animals will be taken away which will eventually eliminate our ability to maintain herd health. Making sure our animals are healthy and producing a healthy product for consumers is part of sustainability of our farm. As a mother,nurse, farmer and fellow human, I want the most accurate information based on sound scientific evidence when making such serious changes to our food production system. I would also add a dose of common sense !

#foodthanks

Earlier this year, the Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee donated money and canned food to the Northwest Arkansas Foodbank. In this season of Thanksgiving, I am truly blessed to be living and working on a dairy farm with my family. I am very proud to be in the two percent of the population that is producing the safest,most affordable and most abundant food. Although we are a very blessed nation,I am very aware of my fellow Americans that are struggling to have enough to eat for themselves or their families. I am very thankful for the agencies,companies,community groups and individuals that are making it possible for less fortunate Americans to have access to food during these difficult economic times.