Was It A Happy Father's Day?

It sure was! Sometimes it's difficult to get farmers to take a break, and that is very true of Farmer John. He is what I refer to as a workaholic. Farmer John rarely takes a break. So when it rolls around to the holiday to celebrate dad, we warn him days ahead of time that he will be taking a break!  

One of our favorite things to do as a family involves relaxing around our firepit. Typically it's hot dogs, s'mores, and lots of good conversation. This Father's Day we changed things up a bit. Hot dogs were replaced by pizza. 

Pizza is something we have wanted to try on an open fire for over a year, but never got around to it, but we did this year. Maybe it had something to do with Minnesota's "stay at home" during this pandemic, or perhaps we just finally took the time to try, but we did it!

Sara is our resident chef, and her meals never disappoint! 

OMG! The flavor was the best! We all agreed it was some of the best pizza ever. After devouring three pizzas, we all announced we were stuffed!

But then...

Sara made cheesy bread sticks. I mean, she just had to! There was pizza dough and mozzarella cheese left over! After devouring the cheesy bread sticks, we all announced we were stuffed!

But then...

What's a campfire without s'mores?

And what's Father's Day without celebrating with Farmer John's dad, Grandpa Roy?

After the dishes were washed...

just "kitty"ing, 

we sat around the fire- sharing stories, reminiscing about past Father's Day celebrations, talking about the corn crop, and just plain enjoying each others company.

Happy Father's Day!

2014 Gone But Not Forgotten

 

 Top Ten Most Viewed Posts For 2014

Haven't read them? Click on the titles!

10. Think Outside The (Pizza) Box Some facts and a few suggestions for National Pizza Pie Day.

9. Waiting To Get Our Hands Dirty How much does it cost, and what do we do to prepare for Spring planting season?

8. Why Do We Do What We Do? Why are we dairy farmers so passionate about what we do? Learn about how and where I met other folks that are just as passionate about dairy as I am. 

7. L Is For Lactose Intolerance This was part of my A to Z journey for June Dairy Month. An explanation of lactose intolerance, and some tips to help cope with it.

6. A Step Closer To Princess Kay Of The Milky Way Mid-May marks the beginning of the process to choose the new Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Minnesota's dairy ambassador. What do the 12 lucky finalists have in store for them?

5. This And That Thursday - 20 A video of Farmer John's birthday gift, Daughter Sara gets nominated for Teacher Of The Year, and it's almost time for bunnies and decorated eggs! 

4. In The Blink Of An Eye Why did we decide to hire farm help after more than 31 years of only family working on our farm? How did we find our new "future farmers" and what do we expect of them?

3. Don't Get Mad...Get Even? Chipotle was attempting to share their concern about questionable farming practices by releasing their online-only television series "Farmed and Dangerous." I felt I wanted and needed to tell my side of the story. 

2. Dooby, Dooby Moo And A Giveaway Too! I was invited to be a guest reader on Playful Pages, a local television show. Surprise! I chose to read a book about farm animals heading off to the County Fair. Watch the video here.
1. I Is For Ice Cream Another edition of my A to Z Journey during June Dairy Month, and it's all about ice cream. There's trivia and a delicious little ice cream recipe that doesn't even require an ice cream freezer.

  

Thanks for visiting My Barnyard this year. I hope I've helped you understand the crazy life of our dairy farm family, both on and off the farm. 

If you like what you've seen, please tell your friends about my blog 
and my other social media sites.  

"Hey, how come you don't have to wear one of these silly hats?"

Think Outside The (Pizza) Box

Tomorrow brings another reason to celebrate. February 9th is National Pizza Pie Day! Yes folks, here's another excuse to enjoy pizza for dinner. But I don't think Americans need too much convincing to chow down a slice, or two. According to Pizza Today-

$38 billion- Annual pizza sales in America

   
3 billion- Number of pizzas sold in the U.S. each year 

350- Slices of pizza sold every second

46- Slices of pizza the average American eats each year

93-  Percent of Americans who eat pizza at least once a month

And although we dairy farmers are happy to supply milk for all that pizza cheese, don't think mozzarella is your only option. Our cows are happy to contribute to any of these "think outside the (pizza) box" cheeses.

Asiago          Cheddar           Fontina          Parmesan 
Gorgonzola          Monterey Jack          Muenster          
Provolone          Romano          Smoked mozzarella

You may also want to see how daughter Sara makes 

homemade mozzarella cheese.

Or how about visiting Dairy Makes Sense to see how to make  

Cheese Lover's Pizza Squares.

And if you are watching the Winter Olympics, you may want to try a popular Russian pizza topping called mockba, which is a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions. Enjoy!

 

Creative Gift Giving

My daughter Sara is so creative when it comes to gift giving. Her Christmas gift to dad John was a mozzarella cheese making kit, with the promise that she would help make the cheese using the milk from our cows. This past weekend it was mission accomplished. Welcome to our cheese "factory."

After pasteurizing the milk, the enzyme and coagulant were added.

The curds were separated from the whey. 
Curds are drained and pressure was added to remove the remaining whey.

Microwaved in short increments to 135 degrees in preparation for stretching.

Shaped and ready for cooling.

Placed in ice water to set the shape.

After 10 minutes, the cheese is ready for grating.

A perfect topping for home-made pizza!

One gallon of milk made about nine ounces of mozzarella. 

It took about one hour to make and it tasted great!  
Ahhhh...the power of cheese!

Have you ever made cheese? How did it go for you?

FYI- Sara ordered the cheese making kit through Amazon.

Mama Mia, It's Pizza!

This may sound a bit "cheesy" but as of 1987, October was named National Pizza Month in the United States. Whether you're behaving a little "saucy" or battling that "crusty" feeling, pizza could be that perfect "slice" of life that "spices" up your day. If you love pizza, you're NOT alone!

• 94% of Americans eat pizza at least once each month.
• Americans, on average, eat 23 pounds (46 slices) of pizza each year.
• Americans, on average, consume 350 slices of pizza each second.
• Three billion pizzas are sold each year in the United States.
• 36% of all pizzas are pepperoni. 

Go to dairy makes sense to find the recipe for these Cheese Lovers Pizza Squares. Cut into squares or wedges, pizza is cheesy goodness!



P.S. Thank goodness for cows. They give us the miracle of mozzarella! I read this on a pizza box and it made me smile.