Apron's Optional Meets Princess Kay Brenna

Our daughter Sara has a cooking show on our local TV station. It's called Aprons Optional, and it's filmed right here in our kitchen on our farm. 

I agree with Sara when she closes each episode with, 

"Remember, the apron is optional, but the flavor isn't."

Aprons Optional had a special guest at last weeks filming. Princess Kay (Minnesota's official goodwill ambassador for the dairy community), Brenna Connelly stopped by to share her recipe for Cheesy Hasbrowns. All the recipes featured in this episode are posted below. #DairyGoodness #Yummy!

Oven Fried Chicken

Ingredients 

3lbs chicken pieces, rinsed and patted dry
½ cup melted butter
½ cup flour, heaping
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ teaspoons paprika

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a plastic bag. Dip chicken pieces in melted butter and then coat evenly with flour mixture.
Place in a single layer on a greased shallow baking pan (skin side down – if you’ve left the skin on).
Bake 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.

Creamy Corn Salad

Ingredients

2 lbs. frozen corn, thawed under cool running water

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced purple onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions

Combine the corn, red bell pepper, onion and jalapeño in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the yogurt, mayo, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Gently stir into the corn mixture. Add in the chopped cilantro and stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cheesy Hash Browns

Ingredients
Hash Browns:
1 (20 ounce) package Shredded Hash Browns
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
¾ cup sour cream
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
Topping:
1 ½ cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 quart glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl combine all hash brown ingredients; mix well. Spread into prepared baking dish. In small bowl stir together topping ingredients. Spread topping evenly over hash browns. Bake 45 minutes or until hash browns are tender.

A Halloween Spooktacular

We love Halloween at our house. We decorate the inside of our house and the yard outside. Heck, we even decorate our food to get in the spirit of this spooky season. Daughter Sara went all out with these ghoulish recipes on her TV show Aprons Optional. You can watch her latest episode on YouTube, but first here's a sneak peek.

Whether you are entertaining friendly ghosts or goblins, or serving up a frightfully good meal to your family, I know you will enjoy these recipes.

These "Jack O'Lantern Stuffed Peppers" are filled with ground beef, brown rice, and PARMESAN CHEESE. I love the colored peppers!

"Tator Terrors" are a fun addition to a meal or as appetizers, and your young little prince or princess can help you decorate them! They are stuffed with MOZZARELLA CHEESE.

Don't be scared by these "Halloweeno Poppers" made with Jalapeno peppers, CREAM CHEESE, and PEPPER JACK CHEESE. These little mummies are delicious.

Show off your artistic flair with "Spider Web Dip". It's taco inspired flavor pairs perfectly with the cute black olive spiders. It can be eaten year 'round if you spread the SOUR CREAM and SHREDDED CHEESE rather than making the web design.

This one is my favorite! The "Pumpkin Cheese Ball" is dairy delicious with CREAM CHEESE, SOUR CREAM, and SHREDDED SWISS and CHEDDAR CHEESE. It will make another appearance after Halloween since I think it will look perfect on our Thanksgiving table too!

And now- on with the show!

Aprons Optional

You can find the recipes on Sara's  Aprons Optional Facebook page.

As you can see, we at Bremer Farms use a lot of dairy foods when we are cooking. Our refrigerator is always chock full of dairy because of its flavor and flexibility. 

What dairy foods are in your fridge right now?

C Is For Cookbook with a Giveaway!

The Dairy Good Cookbook is a celebration of the nation's nearly 47,000 dairy farm families. More than 100 recipes showcase the unique flavors and versatility of dairy, from cheese and yogurt, and milk and butter.

  

This cookbook also gives a unique look into a day-in-the-life of dairy farms and the farmers that care for their cows. Each chapter highlights a different breed of cow, and profiles the many types of dairy farms and dairy farmers.

So why am I telling you this?  You now have the opportunity to win a Dairy Good Cookbook from My Barnyard View! Good luck!

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G Is For Giveaway

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z throughout June Dairy Month.

So come on in...the barn doors are open!

  G Is For Giveaway!

We are having a celebration! 2015 is the 100th anniversary of the National Dairy Council. The National Dairy Council (NDC) is a non-profit organization, funded by farmers, which is committed to nutritional education and research based communications.

For 100 years, National Dairy Council (NDC), the non-profit organization funded by the national dairy checkoff program, is committed to nutrition education and research-based communications. - See more at: http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/AboutNDC/Pages/AboutNDCLanding.aspx#sthash.yOzJbWvm.dpuf

For 100 years, National Dairy Council (NDC), the non-profit organization funded by the national dairy checkoff program, is committed to nutrition education and research-based communications. - See more at: http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/AboutNDC/Pages/AboutNDCLanding.aspx#sthash.yOzJbWvm.dpuf

The Dairy Good Cookbook was produced in recognition of the 100 year anniversary of the National Dairy Council.

Get a glimpse of life on a dairy farm and celebrate classic comfort foods – as well as find new favorites – with The Dairy Good Cookbook.

 

  It’s more than a cookbook. It’s a way for each of us to learn where our food comes from and the dairy farm families around the nation that make milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and all our other favorite dairy foods possible.

 The Dairy Good Cookbook is available at most bookstores and Amazon, or...
you can enter for a chance to win your very own copy right here! Thanks to Midwest Dairy Association you could be the lucky winner of this beautiful cookbook ($25.00 value.) Good luck!
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You may also want to read my previous years posts for June Dairy Month...
G Is For Games 
and
G Is For Growing 

 

C Is For Cheese

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z throughout June Dairy Month.

So come on in...the barn doors are open!

  C Is For Cheese

 This is my third year of doing my A to Z for June Dairy Month and I have never done C Is For Cheese. Shame on me! It's time to correct that. After all, our refrigerator is never without cheese! If it was, how could Daughter Sara grab string cheese to nibble on her way to the barn to help with the evening milking?

What is your favorite cheese? Mine is sharp cheddar!

You may also want to read my previous years posts for June Dairy Month...

C Is For Cookie 

and

C Is For Cookies And Milk 

L Is For Lactose Intolerance

It's June Dairy Month! The barn doors are open, 

so join me on my daily A to Z journey 

to learn more about dairy.

  L Is For Lactose

Lactose Intolerance is a body's limited ability, or even inability to digest lactose - the sugar naturally found in milk. It can cause abdominal pain, bloating and gas. So people affected by lactose intolerance can't eat dairy? Not true! The symptoms can often be managed by diet. Treatment of lactose intolerance by eliminating dairy products is usually not necessary. Avoiding dairy can lead to inadequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D. So what? Dairy and its essential nutrients (nutrients that your body can not produce and therefore must come from what we consume) are associated with weight management, better bone health (which may help prevent osteoporosis), and reduced risk of certain chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Dairy is important to your health, but you don't want to live with symptoms from lactose intolerance? I get that. Step one- Talk to your doctor. Your health care provider recognizes the health benefits of dairy in your diet and also can discuss the consequences of avoiding dairy.

Here are 5 tips to help you cope with lactose intolerance that can keep dairy in your daily diet - 

• Go slow. Build up a tolerance. Start with small amounts.
• Opt for lactose-free or reduced-lactose dairy.
• Eat dairy with meals to help in digestion.
• Eat live culture Greek or regular yogurt.
• Choose natural, aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Mozarella and Monterrey Jack. They contain minimal lactose.

Thanks to the following resources for this information. Check them out to learn more about Lactose Intolerance

Midwest Dairy
National Dairy Council
Pinterest - National Dairy Council (recipes for lactose intolerance)

 Learn more about dairy at Dairy Makes Sense

Y Is For Yogurt

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!

  Y Is For Yogurt

There is a benefit to eating yogurt along with the deliciousness of it! Yogurt aides with digestion. The naturally occurring bacteria found in yogurt helps promote a healthy environment in your stomach and digestive system, which enables your body to more ably break down food. Lactose intolerant? Try yogurt! Due to yogurt's thickness it moves slower through your digestive system. This helps your body break down lactose more efficiently. Another advantage...yogurt's proteins are complete and fully absorbed by the body. Greek-style yogurt contains even more protein than other varieties, and may help you feel fuller, longer. Yogurt- another perfect solution to getting your recommended 3 Every Day.

Source- Google image search- the sleuth journal

 

Yummy yogurt recipes, see previous posts-

Have A Berry Good Day!

 S Is For Smoothie

 

To find more recipes and 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...Z Is For Zebra

X Is For eXcellent

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!

  X Is For eXcellent

I know what you're saying, "EXcellent doesn't begin with an X." I know that, but I challenge you to find an appropriate dairy/farming word that begins with this difficult letter!

Today I am sharing some eXcellent recipes that you can eXecute without any eXtreme effort. I may not be an eXpert, but I am not eXaggerating when I say these recipes will eXceed your eXpectations, eXcite your family, and eXplode with flavor, and all with no eXtra effort by you. You may even have time to eXercise while your dish is in the oven! 

(and to faithful follower Judy- Hope you enjoy the recipes!)

Busy Day Lasagna*
30 oz. spaghetti sauce
1 lb. hamburger, browned
8 oz. lasagna noodles, uncooked
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup water
16 oz. low fat cottage cheese
8 oz. plain yogurt
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
Spread about 1 cup sauce in 9x13 baking pan.
Layer a third of the noodles, a third of hamburger, a third of mixture of cottage cheese and yogurt, a third of mozzarella cheese. Repeat two times. Top with Parmesan cheese. Pour water around edges of pan. Cover tightly with foil. Bake in 350 degrees oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

*I got this recipe from my mom. I love that the noodles are not cooked before assembling the lasagna. I think that's why it is called Busy Day Lasagna, since it is so quick to put together. I always keep browned hamburger in the freezer so it is ready for recipes so I can make this dish even quicker. I usually make two pans at a time; one to heat and eat now, and one to put in the freezer for another busy, dairy day!

Swiss Vegetable Medley*
1 lb. bag frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combo, thawed and drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (2.8 oz) can french fried onions
Combine vegetables, soup, 1/2 cheese, sour cream, pepper and 1/2 can french fried onions. Pour into 1 quart casserole. Bake covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Serves 6.

*Vegetables at our family meals are usually simple and "undressed." But this vegetable dish often finds its way to our holiday table. I found this recipe in a magazine about 30 years ago.

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...Y Is For Yogurt