Mooove over Easter Bunny, Cow's Here!

 

Happy Easter to you!

Our cows may not talk, but they sure know how to produce delicious, good-for-you milk. It's the beverage of choice to go with this quick and easy breakfast we will enjoy on Easter morning.

CRESCENT ROLL BREAKFAST BAKE

Printed from COOKS.COM

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1 lg. can Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 lb. sausage, browned and drained well
2 c. Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper or to taste

Press crescent rolls into the bottom of a 9x13 inch buttered pan. Sprinkle with cooked sausage, then the 2 cups of cheese. Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over other ingredients. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

To learn about the benefits of Dairy Foods and for Dairy Recipes visit 

Dairy Makes Sense.

Thanks to Google Image search for the cartoon.

We're Feedin' A Nation

This week Midwest Dairy debuted a video that I am proud to share with you. It shows the pride and commitment we dairy farmers have for 

Feedin' A Nation. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Lyrics:
I love the dairyman's life out here.
And the smell that wafts so sweetly through the air...
And when I milk them I can't deny
These bovine babes are the apple of my eye.
Cause my job is Feedin' a Nation
Makin' food for the population
I treat my girls with adoration
And when I do they have a good lactation

Good good food, Feedin' a Nation
(We gotta stop world starvation)
Good good food, Feedin' a Nation
(Every day's like summer vacation)

Milkin' the cows, gotta get to those udders now...
Comfort and milk safety is our vow
And when we help you to understand
You will see our passion to protect the land.
Cause my job is Feedin' a Nation
Providin' milk for our civilization
Ain't lookin' for a standing ovation
But my hip might blow from this gyration!

Good good food, Feedin' a Nation
Good good food, Feedin' a Nation
(We're workin' hard to feed a nation)
Gotta keep on feedin' a, proud and hungry nation with her
Gotta keep on feedin' a, proud and hungry nation with her
Gotta keep on feedin' a, proud and hungry nation with her
Ahhhhhhhh
Good good food, Feedin' a Nation
(We're proud of our reputation)
Good good food, Feedin' a Nation
(Dairy Makes Sense is our web location)

Learn more about Dairy Farming at Dairy Makes Sense

This Farmers Vacation

This past week our local school district observed Spring Break. Many of our co-workers and students (remember Sara and I teach) were sharing their travel plans. Would it be a trip to Mexico, Florida, a cruise?  

Dairy farmers have a bit trickier time of  leaving the job behind. The biggest question I get, as a farmer, is "who milks your cows when you are gone?" Well, we don't often leave the job. I'm not complaining, mind you. This is the profession we chose, and we knew about the commitment and the long hours when we signed on. We are proud and happy with the career choice we made. So who does step-up when we are gone? Since we are completely owned and staffed by family, we don't usually take more than 2 or 3 days away from the farm. When Sara and Michael were younger, and John's parents were younger too, his parents would do-it-all and we would take our do-it-all turn when they traveled. But with age comes change and now we plan daycations rather than vacations.

This Spring's daycation was spent at the Mall of America, a mere 20 minutes from our farm. After finishing our morning milking, we "ag-splored" the Mall. Here's a peek at our day. Won't you join us?

Let's start with an agriculture related question...

This farm boy loves his milk. Drink Up!

"Farm Girls have Nice Calves."

 "Don't Tip the Cows." A game we had to have!

Ending our daycation with malts. 

Our family has decided it's not where you go, but who you're with. 

Good times!

To learn about other folks that have chosen the Dairy way of life, 

visit Dairy Farming Today

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung,

the grass has riz,

I wonder where the flowers is?

I remember reciting this as a little girl, anxiously waiting for the warm weather of Spring. As I age, I still anxiously await the warmer weather, and never as eagerly as this year. As I write this post, it is a chilly 19 degrees with a 20 mph wind. I don't know about you, but that does not scream "First Day of Spring" to me!

As we enjoy our Winter weather a bit longer than usual on our Minnesota dairy farm, we are still keeping our animals warm and comfortable, despite the near-zero temperature. And we keep ourselves warm and comfortable by bundling up to do our outdoor chores. But I'd be lying if I said we aren't looking ahead to Spring.  

We are preparing for Spring on the farm in many ways. Farmer John has had the seed ordered for several months now, and it will soon be delivered. We plant corn, oats and alfalfa each year. Most of our crops are used to feed our animals, with some corn left-over to sell. Machinery for planting is being  looked at to make sure it is ready to hit the fields when the soil (and the weather) are ready for the next crop. This is also a good time to finish up any odd jobs around the farm. Whether it be re-organizing the repair shop, cleaning a shed, or giving the milking barn an extra helping of elbow-grease, we do whatever we can before the busy, long days of planting season are here. 

So the grass may not have riz and I still wonder where the flowers is, but I'm confident Spring will arrive...someday. 

Kiss Me I'm Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day from our Barnyard!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Isn't everyone a wee bit Irish today? 

Treat Fit For a Leprechaun

With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, wouldn't your Leprechaun friends love these? Served with a glass of MILK, of course!

 

 

NO BAKE KEY LIME CHEESECAKE BARS 

Ingredients
For the crust:

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 9-ounce package chocolate wafer cookies
2 tablespoons sugar

For the filling:

1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice (from about 10 Key limes) or bottled Key lime 

juice
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder (from one 1/4-ounce packet)
1/4 cup sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Make the crust: Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, leaving an overhang. Put the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth. Pulse the cookies with the sugar in a food processor until finely ground. With the motor running, pour in the warm melted chocolate mixture and process until combined. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Make the filling: Warm the lime juice in a small saucepan over low heat; whisk in the gelatin and sugar until completely dissolved, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer on high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth. Beat in the gelatin mixture and vanilla. Spread in the prepared crust and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Drizzle over the cheesecake and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from the pan using the foil handles and slice into bars. 

 

Recipe from Food Network

Here Comes The Judge

Yesterday I had the privledge of serving as an election judge for our Township Election. I have been serving as an election judge for several years, ever since my children were very young. I have been an election judge for Local, State and National elections. 

So why do I serve? Because I can! I know this answer seems rather silly, but I mean it wholeheartedly! We, as citizens of this country have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process, not only by voting, but by overseeing that elections are held fairly and honestly. I consider it an honor to be part of a process that other nations fight to have.

Congratulations to Supervisor Howard B. and Township Clerk Judy K.! 

This Is What I Believe...

Recently I have seen misinformation that milk processors are petitioning to add aspartame to milk, and not including this information in the ingredient labeling. I am not going to give you a list of the "confused misconceptions" I have been reading, but rather I would like to share with you, what I have researched and believe to be true.

To better understand this misinformation, we need to back-up a bit. The National Milk Producers Association (NMPF) and International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) filed a petition on March 16, 2009 with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The purpose of the petition is to allow milk processors the opportunity to use safe and suitable sweeteners to reduce the overall caloric content in milk, while still allowing it to be labeled “milk.” This request was made to create flavored milk with reduced calories. The FDA approved the use of acceptable sugar alternatives, including aspartame, at that time.   All food products that include non-nutritive sweeteners as an ingredient must be clearly labeled and include the sweetener on the package’s ingredient statement as required by the FDA’s labeling regulations.

To read the flavored milk petition, click here.

What does all this mean? The "confused misconceptions" I referred to earlier in this post is that some consumers believe that dairy processors want to deceive consumers by not listing artificial sweeteners on the ingredient label. This is not true. Dairy Processors follow the FDA labeling regulation. Dairy processors concern about labeling is that they want artificially sweetened flavored milk to be called Milk; not "low calorie milk," or "low sugar milk," or "beverage," or "drink", for example, but would prefer it say "Milk". Dairy processors are not disputing that artificial sweeteners need to be listed in the ingredients.

Additional thoughts I want to share-

• White milk DOES NOT contain sweeteners. I invite you to check the label on the milk jug in your refrigerator right now.
• When natural or artificial sweeteners are added to flavored milk, they MUST be included on the package ingredient label, which the dairy industry has always done. I have family members with food allergies (not related to dairy foods) but I understand the importance of having all ingredients listed on product labeling. As a consumer, we have the right to know!
• All milk, white or flavored, provides you with 9 essential nutrients, including calcium which nourishes your body and your bones. So choose whatever suits your taste buds!
• As a dairy farmer and a milk consumer, we at Bremer Farms are committed to producing dairy foods that we are proud to serve to our family and yours!
  

Happy Birthday Oreo!

The Oreo Cookie is 101 years old on March 6th. 

What better way to celebrate, than by breaking open a bag!

How do you eat an Oreo?

We may all eat an Oreo in our own special way, but it's

 ALWAYS WITH A GLASS OF MILK!

To learn more about the benefits of milk, and the farmers that are proud to bring you this perfect companion to Oreos, 

visit Midwest Dairy