Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

After I drag all of the boxes out of storage,

one of my favorite Christmas traditions  is to decorate our tree with ornaments that have been given to me through the years by loved family and friends. It seems fitting that one of my favorite ornaments is the Swiss Cheese Lane lighted ornament that was a gift from Ryan's mother in 1985.  I'm thankful for every sweet  memory that is associated with the people and traditions of the Christmas holiday season.

Power Up With Cheese

Even though there are more than 300 different cheeses in the United States and 2000 in the world, you can always find Cheddar,Colby or Monterey Jack in our refrigerator. We've never had any cheese that we didn't like but these are our  favorites for snacking, to use as a salad topping or shredded and combined with other recipes.

Cheese packs a powerful protein punch that can curb hunger,supplies calcium,vitamin A and B12,riboflavin,phosphorus,potassium, magnesium and maintains muscles and builds strong bones and teeth. If you're counting calories or portions, one serving of cheese is 1.5 ounces of natural or 2 ounces of processed cheese. A serving is also the equivalent of 4 cubes the size of playing dice.

  If you are needing a quick,calorie light lunch or dinner to fit a busy holiday schedule, you may want to try Colby Cobb Salad. It's perfect for the Colby Cheese lover!

Colby Cobb Salad

For the dressing:
2 cups fat-free yogurt,divided
4 large basil leaves
1/4 cup parsley,stems removed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon additional pepper (optional)

For the salad:
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce (1 small head)
1/2 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup diced cucumber
2 slices cooked turkey breast,cut into strips
2 tablespoons bacon bits
1 egg, hard boiled and chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby or Colby Jack cheese

Preparation:
Place 1 cup of yogurt,basil,parsley,chives,lemon juice,honey and pepper in a blender or food processor. Cover and pulse until smooth (dressing will be green in color). Pour yogurt mixture into a medium bowl; stir in remaining yogurt and mayonnaise until just blended; refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the salad: Place lettuce at the bottom of a bowl and sprinkle the tomatoes,onion,cucumber,turkey,bacon bits, egg and Colby cheese on top. Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss lightly. (Dressing may be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated)

                    You can find Colby Cobb Salad and other delicious recipes at DairyMakesSense!

Crazy Day Recipe

 I'm not sure what possessed me to try a new recipe when my friends from church were coming to my house for our December Christmas potluck, but I'll just say I was crazy. I  found Creamy Italian Chicken   in Ecclesiastical Cuisine, a cookbook I purchased last year from the Central Presbyterian church Women's Association in Fort Smith,Arkansas.Whether you're having a crazy busy day during this holiday season or just feeling crazy--here's a recipe you may want to try!


Creamy Italian Chicken

Ingredients:
4 bonesless,skinless chicken breast halves
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1/4 cup water
8 oz.cream cheese,softened
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. can mushroom pieces,drained
Dash garlic powder

Put chicken in slow cooker. Combine dressing mix and water; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Mix cream cheese,soup,and mushrooms. Add garlic powder and pour over chicken. Cover and cook 1 hour longer.

Creamy Italian Chicken turned out to be very tasty and a great success measured by clean plates and everyone requested   a copy of the recipe!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Playing Christmas music while 4-H members make ornaments  for residents at a local assisted living facility has become one of my favorite traditions of the holiday season.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to share the joy of music and community service with 4-H members and to hear their sweet voices singing Jingle Bells!

Mud Puddle Blessings

Before this year's drought, I don't think I really gave a lot of thought to mud puddles except when trying to keep my two little boys from jumping in the middle of them. Living through a drought, no doubt, brings a new perspective--mud puddles are now on my list of blessings! It was a welcome sight this morning to see mud puddles from the inch of rain that fell during the night.

Even though we have had a little rain since the beginning of fall, we are still fourteen inches below normal and will be dealing with the effects of drought through the winter as we strive to feed our cattle a nutritious diet of hay and grain. With a shortage of hay and the high cost of grain created by the drought, it is necessary to remove cows from the dairy herd that are not being productive. Today we sent eight of our milking cows to the local cattle sale. Although this is a common practice that allows a dairy farm to bring new, more productive cows into the herd, it has been difficult but necessary for us to use stricter criteria to cull our dairy cows during this drought.

Although the effects of this drought will be a challenge for our family farm for a very long time, I'm thankful for each day and every mud puddle!

Winners Drink Milk

Let's raise a glass of chocolate milk and send a toast to --Phillip Ward-- winner  of the Spotted Cow's Country Outfitter  $150 giveaway!!

I appreciate the generosity of Country Outfitter for giving me a beautiful pair of Ariat boots to review and wear  and for providing the giveaway  opportunity for readers of Spotted Cow.

Thanks to all my blog reading friends and supporters for taking the time to enter the giveaway!
Even though you didn't win the giveaway, you can still  shop at  Country Outfitter for that special person on your Christmas list!

Winners Drink Milk!!

December's Gift for the Dairy Farm

I can't think of a better way to start December than finding a newborn calf on the dairy farm! It's December's gift to our  dairy farm along with extremely warm,mild weather.
Just as soon as we finished feeding our other calves this morning, we brought this new calf to the calf raising area and placed him in his own private calf hutch and fed him  a bottle of colostrum. He's had a great birthday so far!

 Even though we will have many celebrations  through  the month of December, why not celebrate today with a birthday cake? When I came across this Birthday Pound Cake recipe in one of my many cookbooks, I just had to give it a try!

I've already got a couple of pound cake recipes in my collection, but I'm adding this one, too! I loved the lemony smell while it was baking and the lightness of the pound cake (It's amazing that a pound cake can be light!).   Topped with a couple of dips of vanilla  ice cream drizzled with  strawberries, this cake  would be a perfect choice for any celebration!


Birthday Pound Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup Crisco shortening
1 1/2 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix shortening,butter,sugar. Add eggs,one at a time. Add vanilla and lemon flavorings. Add small amounts of flour, then small amounts of milk until all is used. Spray tube pan with cooking spray, and pour batter into pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Cool for 10 minutes and turn cake out on a plate.

                                                                     Happy December!!