Taste Arkansas!

If you haven't checked out Arkansas Farm Bureau's food blog (http://www.tastearkansas.com), you're missing a lot of good recipes and interesting information about Arkansas food! 



 Last week one of the featured recipes was Twice-Baked Potato Casserole. In between calf feeding and getting dressed for church on Sunday, I assembled the casserole and baked it when I returned home from church. It was delicious and I am adding it to my list of family favorites. Multi-tasking moms  can't go wrong with a recipe full of dairy products and potatoes!

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
3 pounds russet potatoes
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
3 pieces cooked bacon,crumbled

Peel potatoes,cut into large chunks;place in large pan,cover with water and boil gently until soft (approximately 10-15 minutes).
Drain potatoes and place back into pot. Add butter,sour cream,heavy cream,salt and cream cheese into pot and mix with a mixer until smooth and creamy.
Place potatoes in an 8x8 pan, top with cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon; bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until the cheese melts.

                                                                    
                                    Have a Dairy Good Day!  

Dairy Style Vacation

At the end of these hot,dry days on the dairy farm, I love to see the cows gathered in the shade of the trees by our front yard fence. For me, it's a vacation-like moment to watch the cows resting in the shade and shadows created by the sun going down, cooling the air and bringing relief from the heat and stress of the day. These pregnant  Holstein dairy cows by the house have been on vacation for almost two months. Birth of a calf  will end their  two month resting-in-the-pasture vacation that has been preparing them for delivery of a healthy calf and the production of high-quality milk.


Although dairy style cow vacations happen all through the year on our farm, summer is a good time for a dairy cow to be on a resting vacation from milking due to the stress of Arkansas summer heat and humidity. After pregnancy is confirmed by our veterinarian, the cow will be turned dry for this resting vacation two months before the expected due date. On the turn dry day, the cow is milked and her  four quarters (teats)  are treated with preventive medication to protect from bacterial environmental infection. The cow is then removed from the milking herd, fed a special balanced and nutritious diet during the dry cow period, and allowed to rest in the pasture with other expectant cows.

After the cow has her calf, her resting vacation is over and she will return to the milking herd rested and  ready to provide high-quality milk. Due to being treated with medication at turn-dry time, her milk is discarded until the milk is tested negative for medication. It's a fact that milk and dairy products are among the most highly regulated foods available.

Dairy style vacation is part of our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality milk by taking good care of our cows.

                      Hope you're having a dairy good vacation!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                                                 
                  During stressful times, it's important to focus on the
                      blessings that are often taken for granted.
   I'm thankful for my faith in God,my family and our dairy farm.

Drought Shopping Tips

In the next few weeks, drought will become a reality when doing the weekly grocery shopping to feed our families. When making decisions to get more bang for your buck, it's important to choose nutrient dense foods like dairy. Dairy foods are an economical choice and play a critical role in the diets of adults and children by providing nine essential nutrients,including calcium,magnesium,
potassium and phosphorus, in addition to 48 percent daily value of protein.

The ultimate goal of all dairy farmers is to provide safe,nutritious milk regardless if it is produced by conventional or organic production methods. It's a common misperception that some milk contains antibiotic. An important fact to know when purchasing milk is that there are NO ANTIBIOTICS in  MILK.It is illegal for any milk to be sold that has any antibiotic or medication. Milk is the safest food that you can buy because of the strict quality controls to ensure freshness,purity, and great taste. Information about milk production and comparison of organic and conventional production methods can be found at http://www.midwestdairy.com.

When stretching your food dollar, make a plan that includes these tips from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension (http://www.uaex.edu):

• Set a spending limit
• Plan menus and use them to make your grocery list
• Read sale advertisement and use them to plan menus and grocery list
• Make a shopping list and stick to it
• Eat before shopping
• Clip coupons for items you know you'll use
• Try store brands
• Compare stores
• Take advantage of special discounts like senior discounts or double coupon days
• Choose your best day to shop-some stores have sales on specificd days
• Compare forms and buy the form of food that costs less for each serving
• Compare sizes and buy the size that costs less for each serving

                                               

Drought's Oasis

Even though our vegetable garden is weedy,has been attacked by Japanese beetles and grasshoppers and far from perfect, it has been our oasis in the desert of drought.   Being  able to provide the water and watch the garden  grow has truly been a blessing while we   have been experiencing extreme and devastating drought on our dairy farm crops and pastures.

 So far we've enjoyed a few ears of corn, a small mess of green beans,tasty tomatoes, a skillet full of okra and plenty of yellow crookneck squash. Since I didn't raise any zucchini squash but have plenty of yellow squash, I decided to modify the tasty Zucchini Parmesan Rounds recipe (http://www.midwestdairy.com).

Crookneck Italian Rounds

Ingredients:
2 medium yellow crookneck squash
1/3 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Slice squash into 1/4-inch thick rounds,leaving skin on. Place rounds in a resealable plastic bag with olive oil; shake to coat all sides. Combine parmesan cheese, bread crumbs,salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Press each squash round into the Parmesan mixture,coating on both sides. Place in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve warm. Serves: 4.

                                          This one goes into the recipe file with a thumbs up!
  
                                                      

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Although I enjoy seeing beautiful places and experiencing life in a big city like Chicago, my favorite part of any trip is returning home to my family and the dairy farm.

.                                                                                     

      I'm thankful for a safe trip home and for  these two sons who
                       managed the farm  while we were away.

Dairymom's Meltdown Recipe

Late Saturday evening, I had a meltdown when I found the deep freeze had decided to have its own meltdown. Fortunately, we didn't lose very much food and did have another freezer to transfer food into. 

Part of my meltdown remedy was spent  in the kitchen this afternoon  cooking an assortment of meat that had thawed but was still safe to cook.    Since it's going to be a busy week, I decided to try a  ground beef recipe   that could be prepared ahead  and frozen.

Cheeseburger Macaroni Casserole

Ingredients:
Non-stick cooking spray
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup whole-wheat elbow macaroni (or penne or rotini pasta)
1 medium tomato,chopped
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt,optional
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef and onion until beef is brown and onion is soft; drain. Cook macaroni according to package directions;drain. Spoon macaroni into prepared pan. Spread beef mixture and chopped tomato over macaroni. Pour tomato sauce over beef. Sprinkle with seasoned salt,pepper and shredded cheese. Cover loosley with foil and bake for 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges of casserole are bubbling.

               You can find a variety of nutritious recipes at http://www.dairymakessense.com or http://www.midwestdairy.com

                                            
                           Hope you have a dairy good week!