Nut Pleasing Recipe

Trying to please everyone in the family gets a little tricky when you want to experiment with a new dessert recipe that includes nuts of any kind. Nuts should not cause a dilemma so I decided to put nuts on half the cake for the nut lovers in the family and none on the other half.   I found this interesting Pumpkin Cake recipe shared by Joe Riddle in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette  newspaper a couple of weeks ago  and decided this afternoon to give it a try.    It turned out to be a very easy delicious recipe and loved by all the nuts in my family---with or without nuts! 

Pumpkin Cake
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs
2 heaping tablespoons all purpose flour
1 (18.5 ounce) package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup pecans,chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
In mixing bowl combine pumpkin,milk,sugar,spice,eggs and flour and beat with electric mixer until thoroughly blended. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Pour melted butter over top and scatter chopped pecan pieces on top. Bake until center is set, at least 35 minutes.
Makes 12 servings.

                                                     Hope you have a dairy good week!

When Do You ACT FAST?

You never know when you may find yourself assisting a friend or loved one who may be experiencing symptoms of a stroke. We found ourselves in this very situation last weekend when our relative called and asked us to come to his aid. Thankfully, he did not have a stroke but it did make me realize how just knowing a few ways to detect stroke can make a difference in the outcome for the person.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or severly reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and food. It is a medical emergency and prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can minimize brain damage and complication. Know these  signs and ACT FAST:

• Face       Facial droop or uneven smile
• Arm        Arm numbness or arm weakness
• Speech    Slurred speech, difficulty speaking or understanding
• Time        Call 911  and get to the hospital immediately

Arkansas ranks third in the incidence of stroke. To improve the health care outcome for stroke patients across our rural state, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Center for Distance Health as designed the Arkansas Saves program to ensure treatment of stroke patients. Arkansas Saves (http://www.uams.edu/saves ) is a new telemedicine program that liks emergency room doctors at participating medical center to specially trained neurologists via live, two-way video that is available 24 hours per day. ACT FAST and get the life-saving treatment your friend or loved one may need!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

This week we began our Benton County Farm Bureau membership drive with a lively discussion about agriculture and the benefits of Farm Bureau membership on  KURM's  Partyline radio show.

I'm thankful to be a member and a volunteer for an organization that has the mission to advocate the interests of agriculture in the public arena,share information about the value and importance of agriculture and provide products and services which improve the quality of life for our members and citizens of our state.

Snow Day on the Dairy

Before I looked out the window early yesterday morning, I knew we had snow just by listening to the excitement in the TV weatherman's voice as he updated us on the winter weather conditions. It was announced that school was closed but not a word about Anglin Dairy closing for snow!

Snow days on the dairy are considered a little more challenging because it takes us longer to move from one chore to the next and to deal with any unexpected problems that may arise from extreme cold such as equipment breakdowns or frozen outside water tanks that must be thawed.

All days on the dairy farm, snow or no snow, are spent providing consistent care for our dairy cows, heifers and calves by making sure they have plenty of nutritious feed and water and making sure they are as comfortable as possible.  From my snow experience last year, I can verify that a two inch snow day on the dairy is a lot easier to manage than a twenty-four inch snow like we experienced last year in February!

Love's Circle

While baking Valentine cookies for my family, I realized that some of the most extraordinary moments of love that I share with my family  are found in the most ordinary times on ordinary days as we work together on our family dairy farm.  On this special day of love and friendship, I wish to share with you a passage from the book Thoughts of Gold written by Leroy Brownlow:

Circle of Love

     The more we love the closer we approach the likeness of God.
     Build a circle of love. For love changes things. It converts a shack into a palace and turns a hamburger into a feast. It smooths the rocky road, and pulls down the hills. It gives courage because it stands with us. It makes pain less painful, sorrow less sorrowful, and joy more joyful. It takes some of the disappointment out of failure, and puts more delight in success. It does because of its ability to share, and much of what life is all about is sharing.
     A ray of love is what we all need--to give it and to receive it. So let love shine and shine and  shine, in me and on you, in you and on me.

                                                                  Happy Valentine's Day!

Cheesy Valentine

As I was traveling home yesterday I saw several church signs inviting community members to attend their Valentine Banquet this weekend.   If you're needing a special  Valentine dish for your  family or church dinner, you might try this tasty Better Homes and Gardens  macaroni and cheese recipe I found  a couple of weeks ago at http://www.recipe.com/. I just had to give it a try tonight and it was deliciously cheesy!


Three Cheese Macaroni


Ingredients
12 ounces dried elbow macaroni (2-2/3 cups)
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter,melted
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper(can substitute black pepper)
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces American cheese,cut into 1/2 -inch cubes
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese,shredded(2 cups)
2 ounces mozzarela cheese,shredded (1/2 cup)
20 rich round crackers,crushed

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a large pot cook macaroni according to package directions;drain. Return to pot.
Add milk,melted butter,pepper,and salt. Stir in cheeses. Transfer to a greased 2-quart casserole.
Bake,uncovered, for 15 minutes. Carefully stir mixture. Sprinkle with crushed crackers. Bake 5 minutes more or until crackers are browned and mixture is just heated through (don't overheat or mixture will curdle). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8-10 side dish servings.

Happy Valentine Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

If you think back to about this time in February 2011, we were having lots of snow and extremely cold weather in Northwest Arkansas. I'm thankful for the beautiful warm winter days this year and knowing that even though we will still  have plenty of cold weather, we're closer to spring everyday!