My Most Requested Recipe

 I share this blog post each year as it is the most requested recipe I have ever posted on my blog. I have a 50 pound bag of potatoes just waiting to jump into this recipe, and off to the freezer. I hope your family enjoys these potatoes as much as mine does!

 As a child, my family always celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad's family. Dad had four brothers, all farmers, all living within 5 miles of each other. Even though we saw each other often, it was special to come together on Thanksgiving. The moms kept themselves busy in the kitchen, complete with aprons to protect their holiday dresses. The dad's waited anxiously for the feast, while discussing farming and football. And the cousins played, and played until we were coaxed to the dinner table to join in the table prayer. We shared a wonderful meal, shared stories, and shared lots of laughs. As late afternoon rolled around, we all headed home to feed and milk the cows, thinking about our "Norman Rockwell" Thanksgiving celebration.
 
This mashed potato recipe often finds its way to our holiday table. I love that it can be made ahead and even frozen so every day can seem like a holiday.

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
5 pounds potatoes
8 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream

4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Put potatoes in pot and fill with cold water. Cook 25 minutes until fork tender. Drain potatoes and keep them in hot pot. Add all other ingredients. Mash all together. Place in freezer containers to freeze. Thaw in refrigerator for 2 days. Spray interior of slow cooker and add potatoes. Brush the top with 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with paprika. Cook on low 2-4 hours. If preferred, bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

O Is For Outing

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z through the land of dairy! 

There's no need to pack your bags, just come along!

  O Is For Outing

This story was going to be "V Is For Visit". That's 22 days into June...too long too wait. How about "T is For Tour". Nope, still too far away. I'm like an anxious child on Christmas morning, I just can't wait to share this story about an outing to our farm by our new friends!

This past weekend my family and I played host to blogger Amy and her family from Grinning cheek to cheek. Thanks to Midwest Dairy for suggesting this city gal see what really happens on a family owned dairy farm. 

Amy and Joe and their adorable boys, Andrew and Ethan arrived last Saturday afternoon right before another wave of rain hit the farm. In true adventurer style, they donned their blue plastic booties that we provide to our visitors, and the tour began!

One size fits all?

Cow feeding, the milking barn, our calf barn; yes, they saw it all. They experienced the sights, smells and sounds of life on the farm. You can see it all by going to Grinning cheek to cheek.

I love sharing our passion for dairy farming, and I enjoy the enthusiasm our guests show for the life and responsibility we some days may take for granted. I know Grinning cheek to cheek learned something about our dairy farm, but through our guests I'm also reminded of what a blessing we have been given to live the life of a farm family. 

 Learn more about dairy at Dairy Makes Sense

 
I am making a commitment to share as much as I can with you each day this month, about the life of our dairy farm family including what we do, how we share our passion for dairy, and dairy foods we enjoy.

 See you here tomorrow...P is for Price.

 

B Is For Blog

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z through the land of dairy! 

There's no need to pack your bags, just come along!

B is for Blog 

"My Barnyard View" is my biggest tool to communicate about what we do and why we do it here on our farm. Why do I blog? Twenty years ago, while hosting a school group tour of our farm, after explaining to the students what we do every day to care for our animals and our land, and describing a typical day on the farm that begins at 6:00AM and ends about 14 hours later, a 3rd grader asked me,"What is your husbands REAL job"? That really got me thinking about how important it is for us, as farmers to share our story. Not only do we need to share the farm to food story to school age children, but to adults as well. I began by speaking to organizations, classrooms, and serving on County and State Dairy boards to promote the product and lifestyle we love. When Midwest Dairy invited me to their social media workshop it seemed like a perfect next step. It was the gentle nudge I needed to enter the world of blogging.

My new T-shirt. I'll share our dairy story any way I can.

What is the goal of my blog? Perhaps it's because I am an elementary school educator, but my first priority of my blog is to teach. I want consumers to know the importance of eating 3 dairy foods each and every day. I also want my followers to learn how we care for our land and animals to produce the safest, most nutritious products available. I gladly share many photos of our farm in action.

My second goal is to inform. I bring attention to issues that affect farmers and can also affect you. The worlds population will triple between 1970 and 2050, yet the amount of farmland will stay about the same. Can farmers meet the needs of consumers? I feel one of our responsibilities as farmers is to encourage consumers to find out where their food comes from. I like to give my readers something to think about.

I also want to entertain. I want you to get to know me and my family. Family owned dairy farms represent 98% of the dairy industry. We are a lot like you, although a little quirkier perhaps, but who says life is all work and no play? 

I am proud to be a dairy farmer, and I'll weave in my dairy story wherever
and however I can. This blog gives me the opportunity to reach a greater audience to educate, inform and entertain about how I see the world, on and off the farm.

I am making a commitment to share as much as I can with you each day this month, about the life of our dairy farm family including what we do, how we share our passion for dairy, and dairy foods we enjoy.

 See you here tomorrow...C is for Cookies.

Our Pat on the Back

 L-R, Roy and Karen Bremer, Commissioner Schouweiler, John, Michael, Sara and Janet Bremer Back row- Dakota County Commissioners

Everyone enjoys an acknowledgement of a job well done. Farmers are no different. Our "pat on the back" came on Tuesday of this week when we received the 2012 Farm Family of the Year award given by the University Of Minnesota. The Farm Family recognition program has existed for three decades and honors several farm families throughout Minnesota for their contributions to the agriculture industry and their communities. The presentation was made at the Dakota County Board of Commissioners meeting. After thanking the University and the Commissioners for this honor and their continued support of the agriculture industry, we concluded by saying- Farming can be a rewarding as well as challenging occupation. As a Farm Family we have done a lot of hard work to make our farm successful. We are a proud Farm Family that cares for, and respects our animals and our land. Lastly, in the spirit of June Dairy Month, we presented each attendee with a "3 Every Day" pen and an "I Met a Dairy Farmer!" sticker, which the County Attorney assured us he would proudly show everyone at the meeting he was going to. A perfect compliment to June Dairy Month!