Where Will You Celebrate National School Breakfast Week?

                                            Winter just won't give up in Northwest Arkansas!
                                 It's been a day of sleet, snow and extremely cold temperatures.

 

Even though our local schools are closed tomorrow, I'm sure other students across the country will begin celebrating National School Breakfast Week, March 3-7,2014.

 

School breakfast is important for every student because research  states that feeding a child's mind with a nutrient rich breakfast supports better performance in school.

 

 As a dairy farmer, I'm proud to support activities that encourage good nutrition and physical activity through the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. Encouraging school breakfast is one component of this program. School breakfast is convenient,healthy, and a timesaver for families with busy schedules.

 

 

 

 

 

While our cows will be getting a nutritious breakfast on the farm, I hope students in your family or neighborhood are enjoying a nutritious breakfast at school!

 

 

 

 

Thank a Peanut Farmer Day

As a peanut butter fan, I can't think of a better way to kick off the month of March than by celebrating Peanut Butter Lovers' Day! It's also  a perfect day to  thank   all the peanut farmers in the United States for raising a crop that produces a food  I enjoy so much in a variety of ways.

Did you know  we've even got peanut farmers in Arkansas?   It's a fairly new crop to our state, but in 2012, eighteen thousand  acres were planted in the eastern and southern counties of Arkansas.  Those counties have the perfect dry, sandy soil and climate that peanut plants love.

Double Peanut Butter Cookies is one my favorite peanut butter cookie recipes from the October 1980 issue of Southern Living magazine. It's a  perfect cookie  for any peanut butter lover on any day and goes great with a glass of milk!


Double Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter,divided
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon milk

Directions:

Combine flour, sugar, soda, and salt; cut in shortening and 1/2 cup peanut butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in corn syrup and milk.

Shape dough into long roll,2 inches in diameter; wrap in waxed paper and chill 2-3 hours or until firm.

Unwrap roll, and cut into 1/4 inch slices; place half of slices on ungreased cookie sheets. Spread each with 1/2 teaspoon peanut butter. top with remaining cookie slices and seal edges with fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: 2 dozen

                      Bessie and I will be celebrating Peanut Butter Lovers' Day  with a glass of milk.
                                                                       How about you?

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 As I made my way to the County Administration Building on Monday  to file for the 2014 election, I thought a lot about what a privilege and honor it is to serve  as Justice of Peace for District 9.

 

 

I'm thankful for the opportunity to represent Benton County residents  as a citizen legislator. 

 

 

Pastel Tres Leches---A Four Spoon Cake

It seemed fitting to be enjoying lunch today  with three of my childhood friends in the downtown area of our hometown to celebrate Donna's February birthday and the first day of her retirement.  Tres Leches Cake was the choice of our birthday girl and she loves us enough that she had the waitress bring four spoons!  It was delicious and we were grateful for her generosity.

I'm thinking this is a recipe for a dairymom to try for an upcoming family  birthday or Easter celebration. With three different kinds of milk in one recipe,  how could you go wrong?  I found this version of the Three Milk Cake on the Nestle website that was introduced to American cooks in the 1960's on the Nestle Evaporated Milk can.


Three Milk Cake--Pastel Tres Leches

Cake:
6 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar,divided
6 large egg yolks
1 cup all purpose flour,sifted

Cream:
1 can (14 oz.) Nestle Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 can (7.5oz.) Nestle Media Crema, or 1 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup (5 oz.) can) Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour 9 inch springform pan.

Beat egg whites and 1/4 cup sugar in large mixer bowl until stiff peaks form. Combine egg yolks and remaining sugar in medium bowl; beat until light yellow in color. Fold egg white mixture and flour alternately into egg yolk mixture. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until just golden and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven to wire rack.

For Cream:
Combine sweetened condensed milk, media crema, evaporated milk, brandy and vanilla extract in medium bowl; stir well. Prick top of cake thoroughly with wooden pick. Pour 2 cups cream over cake. Spoon excess cream from side of pan over top of cake. Let stand for 30 minutes or until cake absorbs cream. Remove side of pan.

For Topping:
Beat cream, sugar and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until stiff peaks form. Spread over top and sides of cake. Serve immediately with remaining cream.

                                                                   

Winter Weaning Down on the Dairy Farm

Is it spring yet?

 

I'm sure that's what these babies want to know--they've tolerated some really cold and snowy days this winter in Northwest Arkansas.

 

 
 
 
It won't be too long now (hopefully within the next two weeks)  before these babies will be weaned and  moved from their individual hutches into a small pasture where they can romp and play together in a group as they continue to grow into our future milk cows.

To make this transition to the pasture  less stressful, we've already  started the weaning process of changing them from    milk to water and adding grain that meets their nutritional requirements for continued  growth and development.

 

 

I'm sure we've still got a few more weeks of winter but I began weaning myself from winter this weekend by planting a few pansies by the back door!

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!