October Joy

Pocket dialing with a cell phone is pretty common but how often do you take 

500 photos with your phone in your pocket while feeding baby calves? 

 I saved this one picture because it captures the crisp color 

of the October sky on an ordinary afternoon down on the dairy farm.

Deleting the other four hundred and ninety nine pictures wasn't too fun  but 

it was  a reminder that although mistakes happen quickly,

joy can be found easily in an upside down situation.

May your October be full of joy.

                                                            Happy October!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

One of the signs of fall on our dairy farm are the new

 calves that are being born almost daily.

We call it the fall calving season. 

Calves born during this season are the first babies of the heifers 

we have raised on the farm. It takes two and a half to three years to

 raise a calf from birth until she will have her first calf.

It's truly  a celebration for us to see this new mother have her first calf.

                       I'm thankful for new life down on the dairy farm and for the opportunity
                                   to see each calf grow and give birth to the next generation.

Memory Making Pie

How will you begin your fall celebration? I started mine  by baking  Autumn Pumpkin Pie, a Southern Living recipe that's been in my recipe file box since 1987. The first time I baked this pie, I took it to Sunday dinner with my in-laws. I never dreamed that my mother-in-law would ask me for a recipe because she was such a wonderful cook. Obviously, the recipe made the family favorite list.  It was one of those proud daughter-in-law moments and a sweet memory for me.

 We love regular pumpkin pie but this is just a little fancier and perfect for any special occasion. Of course, you always serve it with a big scoop (or two)  of vanilla ice cream!


Autumn Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups cooked,mashed pumpkin
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 unbaked 10 inch pie shell

Topping:
1/4 cup butter,melted
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine first 12 ingredients; blend well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 35 minutes.

Combine butter,1/2 cup flour, and brown sugar; blend well. Stir in pecans; sprinkle mixture on pie. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Yield: One  10 inch pie

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though I'm a little sad to say good-bye to summer,

 I enjoy the brightness of the summer  flowers that are numbering 

their days before the first frost

and 

the cooler mornings  that blanket the pasture with fog and seem

 to  make the dairy cattle enjoy being leisurely.

                                    I'm thankful for the transitions we experience as fall begins.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Last weekend was full of fun, learning and inspiration  with bloggers from Arkansas,Missouri,Oklahoma, Texas and even one from Nevada attending

 Foodie Friday and the Megaphone Conference in Fayetteville.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to meet  homemade bread  entrepreneur

 and business woman Patricia Barnes, better known as "Sister Schubert"

 and learn  the  secret of making the best bread pudding,

to receive an overwhelming amount of

 social media and blogging information

and 

                                           to find a little milk from  down on the dairy farm.
                                               

Dairy Farmer's Dream Dessert

Thanks to Amanda's Cookin' recipe Pineapple Dream Dessert, I found the Cool Whip made with real cream! I was drawn to the recipe by the ingredients of butter and cream cheese, but finding this new version of Cool Whip made it a Dairy Farmer's Dream Dessert for me!



Pineapple Dream Dessert

Ingredients

Crust:
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (2 sleeves)
1/2 cup unsalted butter

Layers:

2 cups powdered sugar,sifted
1/2 cup unsalted butter,softened
4 oz. cream cheese,softened
8 oz,  container Cool Whip
20 oz. can crushed pineapple,drained well

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 F.

Melt butter in the microwave and allow to cool. Combine the crumbs and butter and toss together until incorporated. Press 2 cups of the crumb mixture firmly into a 9x9 inch square pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Turn the mixer down to low and add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until mixed.  Turn up and beat well for a minute or so. Add a heaping tablespoon of the drained pineapple and stir in with a rubber spatula. Spread the cream cheese and pineapple mixture over the crust.

Fold the remaining pineapple into the Cool Whip and spread on top of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker crumb mixture on top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Welcome to the herd!

It's a great start to any day when we welcome a new calf to the farm.

Soon after I took this picture, Mama went to the milk barn to join 

the milking herd  and baby girl (heifer)  went to the nursery with me. 

Heifer calves on our farm grow up to become the cows that produce

milk,so it's a priority for us to get them off to a healthy start.

                                I'm thankful for my daily job to insure the health of our calves
                                  and  support the  sustainability  of our family dairy  farm by
                                                     raising and caring for our dairy calves.