Year Round Valentine Treat

Since I missed celebrating Valentine Day with my family last week due to an unexpected extended stay  in Washington, D.C. because of the snowstorm, I decided to bake a new sweet treat this weekend as  a  belated Valentine for my family.

I chose Peanut Butter Fudge Bars  from my What's Cooking at Wye cookbook for two reasons--I had all the ingredients and three of us in the family love chocolate and peanut butter!  How could I go wrong?


Peanut Butter Fudge Bars

Ingredients:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter

Combine cake mix, peanut butter, egg and oil. Press 2/3 of the mixture into a greased 13x9 in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk,
chocolate chips and butter over low heat. Stir until blended. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars. 

Yield: 12-15 servings

                                A  Peanut Butter Fudge Bar with a dip of vanilla ice cream  is a
                                                            perfect year round Valentine!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Who doesn't love a new baby?

 

All birthdays are special--especially on the dairy farm!

Mama (#9213) gave birth this afternoon in the pasture with out any complications or assistance from us. Even though most cows will give birth with out any problems, we keep a close eye on them to ensure a healthy delivery.

 

                                                                                  
                              I'm thankful for today's special delivery down on the dairy farm!

Food With Integrity

Ryan's parents, Bill and Bonnah Lyn, would have been married 70 years today. 

 

 

 

 Even though they are no longer with us, not a day goes by on our fourth generation family farm, that we are not reminded of their sacrifices and  efforts to utilize every resource available for us and the next generation. They lived and farmed with integrity.

 

 Although our fourth generation dairy farm has changed in the technology used and the number of cows being milked has increased, the practices we use are ethically grounded, scientifically verified and economically viable.

 

 

 

We are proud to be a  part of the American food system that  maximizes efficiency, meets the growing demand for food and provides consumer choice.

Like our parents before us, we live and farm with integrity for today and the next generation.

 

What questions do you have about agriculture and today's food system?

I'll be happy to get you an answer.

#FoodWithIntegrity

 

 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

After eight days of below freezing and snow on the ground, we're all getting excited to enjoy a couple of  fifty degree days this weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

         I'm thankful that our employees, my family and  our dairy calves and cows

 have remained  healthy  in spite of the cold!

 

 

Butter Up Your Valentine

While looking through my recipe file last weekend, I came across one of my favorite cookie recipes from  my special  friend, Nancy, who shared this recipe with me more than thirty years ago. These heart shaped  cookies are a great choice  for buttering up your favorite Valentine!



Raspberry Hearts

1lb butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
6 cups flour
Raspberry jam (may also use strawberry)


Beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Roll out thin (1/2 inch)  and cut with small heart cutter. Spatula onto an ungreased pan.Bake at 400 degrees only 5-7 minutes.  Cool.

Spread thin layer of raspberry or strawberry jam on one side of cookie. Place second cookie on top.

Optional: Glaze cookies before baking with 2 egg yolks and 2 Tablespoons water


                                                                    

                                                  Happy Valentine Day to my sweet friend!

Snow Day Dairy Snack

Cheese is a good snack for any day of the year but these cheese sticks added a few smiles to the dairy farmers  during our week of snow days!

  Baked Mozzarella Sticks and other easy, nutritious recipes can be found  at Dairy Makes Sense. 

 

 

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 (12 ounce) package reduced-fat Mozzarella string cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
8 tablespoons panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/2 cup prepared marinara sauce,warmed

Preparation:
Position rack in upper third of oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Remove cheese from packaging and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk egg until foamy. In a small non-stick skillet, mix Italian seasoning with bread crumbs and place over medium-heat. Cook and stir bread crumbs until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Dip one piece of string cheese in egg until coated and then into toasted bread crumbs,
coating completely. Re-dip the string cheese in egg and again in bread crumbs, if desired. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining string cheese and place on baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Spray string cheese lightly with cooking spray.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until heated through. Serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.   

                         

Dairymom Supports Wear Red Day

It's a fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Although we can't control  age,  genetics or  gender, we can know the facts about lifestyle changes that can lower the risk for heart disease and make sure we are aware of the signs of a heart attack. National Wear Red Day  (the first Friday in February) is a perfect opportunity to increase our knowledge and  raise awareness about heart disease and share information with our family and friends.

 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states these  risk factors  may increase your chances of getting heart disease :

•  Excessive alcohol use
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Diet high in saturated fats and cholesterol
• Family history of heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity
• Tobacco use

To reduce your chances of getting heart disease:

• Know your blood pressure
• Talk to your doctor about whether you should  be tested for diabetes
• Quit smoking
• Discuss checking your cholesterol and triglyceride levels with your doctor
• Make healthy food choices
• Limit alcohol intake to one drink a day
• Lower your stress level and find healthy ways to cope with stress
• Get 30 minutes of aerobic activity at least 3 times per week

According to the CDC, sometimes heart disease may be silent and not diagnosed until a woman experiences signs or symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, an arrhythmia or stroke.
Common symptoms that may occur include:

• Unusually heavy pressure on the chest, like there's a ton of weight on you
• Sharp upper body pain in the neck, back throat, abdomen  or jaw
• Severe shortness of breath
• Cold sweats (not hot flashes from menopause)
• Unusual or unexplained fatigue
• Unfamiliar dizziness or lightheadedness
• Unexplained nausea or vomiting
• Fluttering feelings in the chest (arrhythmia)
• Signs of stroke that may include:  sudden weakness, paralysis or numbness of the face/arms/legs; trouble speaking or understanding speech; difficulty seeing in one or both eyes, dizziness, sudden and sever headache or loss of consciousness.

If you are experiencing these symptoms or someone you know is having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately. Treatment works best if given within 1 hour of when symptoms begin.

You can find more information about heart health at Go Red for Women, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Dairy Council.

National Wear Red Day will find me wearing red under my pink coveralls but more importantly, I plan to renew my commitment to make the lifestyle changes  that can make a difference to my heart health.

                                                       Happy National Wear Red Day!