Getting Cheesy on National Macaroni Day

By Sarah Correll

           

June 7 was National Macaroni Day, and the ladies of Real Farmwives of America and Friends sure know how to make some great mac and cheese! Check out their twists on the classic American dish.

A flexible favorite, Jent says her mac and cheese is amazing no matter what kind of cheeses you add!

Looking for a dish with some meat? Try Cris’ Ham and Cheese Skillet! Bonus: only one cooking dish to wash!

Mix it in the crockpot and walk away. This 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese from Jane only requires stirring two or three times while it cooks!

Use your leftover BBQ with Leah’s BBQ Chicken Cheesy Mac!

Dairy farmer Amy has tried a lot of mac and cheese recipes. She shares her favorite here! 

No matter how you make it, macaroni and cheese will always be a go-to comfort food!

Tomorrow is National Cheeseball Day!

By Diane Ruyack of Winners Drink Milk

What are round, fun and tasty?  Cheese balls! They were born to party! They’re also one of the easiest cold appetizers to prepare.  

April 17^th is National Cheeseball Day. Cheeseballs make a great presentation for any party, and they aren’t just delicious for the winter holiday season.

With Easter just 3 days after National Cheeseball Day this year, why not include a cheeseball as part of your Easter festivities.  Let the children help build a bunny, baby chicks or a plate of miniature cheese balls decorated like Easter eggs.

There are savory or sweet cheeseballs   Savory cheese balls are usually made by blending cream cheese with your favorite shredded hard cheese, spices, chopped onions and garlic. Sweeter options are made with cream cheese with fruit and/or candy additions.  Then, the ingredients are rolled into a ball and rolled in a crunchy topping such as chopped pecans, almonds, bacon bits, etc. You can really add just about anything, and then serve with crackers, veggies or fruit or cookies fanned out around the cheese ball.

Cheeseball Recipe

8-16 ounces of cream cheese, regular, low fat, Neufchatel

Add any of the following ingredients that blend together taste-wise:

For Savory:

1 Cup or more of other cheeses: Cheddar, bleu, Colby, Swiss

½ cup green or black chopped olives

½ cup of ham, pepperoni, dried beef or bacon

½ package of onion or vegetable soup or ranch dressing mix

½ cup chutney

Spices such as garlic and/or onion powder, parsley, Worcestershire sauce

For Sweet:

8 ounces crushed pineapple

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries, chopped apricots

¼ cup maraschino cherries, chopped

½ cup chocolate chips, toffee bits, peanut butter chips

Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice

½ cup coconut

Directions:

To Make your own cheeseball, mix cream cheese with other ingredients that go together, form into a ball and roll in chopped pecans, walnuts or if you are making a sweet cheeseball, toasted coconut or miniature chocolate chips. 

For Easter, decorate a bunny-shaped cheese ball with bunny ears made from romaine lettuce leaves, lengthwise carrot or cucumber slices or pear or apple slices.  Black olives or gum drops would make eyes and nose. Use alfalfa sprouts or green coconut as grass.  Rolling smaller cheese balls in a variety of toppings such as parsley, nuts, chopped carrots and different colored peppers, crushed cookies etc. would give the appearance of Easter eggs or in yellow coconut to make baby chicks.  Whether you're planning a large dinner party or just looking for a fun snack, cheeseballs are simple and delicious.

Serve with savory crackers or vanilla wafers for either an appetizer cheeseball or as a sweet snack cheeseball.

10 Recipes to Celebrate National Pecan Month

By Sarah Correll

PEE-can or pee-KAHN? No matter how you say it, it’s National Pecan Month! The ladies of the Real Farmwives of America and Friends have shared some fabulous pecan recipes.

1. Liz of Two Maids a Milking’s Peach Pecan Upside-Down Pancake

2. Crispy Pecan Chicken Casserole from Leah at Beyer Beware

3. Not Your Grandma’s Fruitcake from Mary Beth of Alarm Clock Wars

4. Heather of 3 Kids and Lots of Pigs’ Pecan Coffee Cake

5. Caramel Pecan Pie from Cris of Goodeness Gracious

6. Amy of Two Maids a Milking’s Cheddar Apple Pie Dip

7. Meg of Gal in the Middle’s Grandma’s Butterscotch Rolls

8. Liz’s Cocoa Bottom Banana Pecan Bars

9. Bourbon Balls from Amy of A Latte with Ott, A

10. Liz’s German Chocolate Cupcakes

Interesting in growing your own pecans? Learn how here! 

How Green is My Dairy?

By Deb Osza of Winners Drink Milk

What do Shamrock shakes, Derby Sage cheese and brightly colored smoothies that include spinach have in common?  They are green.  It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and we celebrate all things green. Did you know that dairy is green and getting greener? 

Dairy Farmers are the world's first recyclers.  Cows play a major recycling role as well.  They consume food we can't, turn it into food we can and add back food for the soil.  Click here to watch a brief video about dairy and sustainability.

Not only has dairy reduced its carbon footprint, farmers are finding ways to produce energy.  When you're looking to purchase 'green' products, pick up a gallon of milk.  It's green and getting greener.  

A “Fresh” Crop for Chocolate Mint Day

By Sarah Correll

While we don’t grow cocoa, Indiana ranks fourth in the production of peppermint and third in the production of spearmint, which is certainly reason enough to celebrate Chocolate Mint Day!

Most Indiana mint farms are in the northern part of the state. You can meet Larry, a mint farmer from northwestern Indiana, here! The oil from the mint plants farmers like Larry grow is used to flavor toothpaste, candy, and gum.  Here is some inspiration on how to “freshen up” your menu with mint!

Mint Julep Cupcakes with Browned Butter Bourbon Frosting

Amy’s cupcakes combine chocolate, mint, and bourbon.

Elvis Peanut Butter Gooey Butter Cake

Liz shares a dressed-up cake mix recipe, best served with a sprig of mint.

Peppermint Kisses

Peppermint extract and chocolate kisses give Amy’s cookies a perfect balance of chocolate and mint.

And, who could forget, classic mint chocolate chip ice cream made right here in Indiana!

Heating Up the Most Important Meal of the Day

By Sarah Correll

According to the Mayo Clinic, eating a healthy breakfast can help us eat more vitamins and minerals, control our weight, and have better concentration and productivity through the morning. Luckily for us, it’s also National Hot Breakfast Month, and our friends at the Real Farmwives of America have some great recipes to share!

Homemade Pancakes

Serve your family a homemade classic with this recipe from Liz at Two Maids a Milking.

Slow Cooker Irish Oatmeal

MaryBeth from Alarm Clock Wars shares a versatile oatmeal recipe.

Crock Pot Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Prep the night before for a delicious breakfast with this recipe from Amy at A Latte with Ott, A.

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Caramel Bread

If you have a sweet tooth, this recipe from Leah at Beyer Beware is for you!

Breakfast Pizza

Cris from Goodeness Gracious shares a recipe with under 300 calories per slice!

Yes We Can

By Sarah Correll

February is National Canned Food Month! From home-canned foods fresh from the garden to meats and soups from the store, there’s a canned food for everyone.

  

Canned foods are cooked in their cans, making them quick to prepare and longer lasting. Just be sure that any cans of food you buy don’t have dents - they can cause tiny holes that let air in!

Indiana produces a lot of canned foods. We rank second in tomatoes for processing, and many of those tomatoes are canned by Red Gold in Elwood.

Indiana is also home to Sechler’s, a company that makes and sells 54 varieties of pickles, relishes, and salsas.

If you’re interesting in canning your own foods, check out this post from Amy Ott at the Real Farmwives of America blog!

Spilling the Beans about Bean Day

By Sarah Correll

 

 

Beans are celebrated with their own holiday each year on January 6^th. What’s so great about beans?

They’re nutritious.

 

 

Dry beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, and pinto beans, among others) are a relatively low-calorie and low-fat source of protein, with less than 165 Calories and more than 7.7 grams of protein per 100 grams. They also provide calcium, fiber, iron, and folic acid. See the full nutritional value of beans here.

They’re important tools in the fight against hunger.

 

Beans are inexpensive and packed with nutrients. Combine that with their long shelf life, and we have a great tool to fight hunger at home and abroad.

They’re versatile.

 

 

They can be cooked in everything from cookies to chili to bok choy.

They’re delicious.

 

What is your favorite bean recipe? Find a list here!

Now no one can say that you don’t know beans.

Local Soup Kitchens – Benefitting The Community with Nutritious Meals

By Michelle Plummer of Winners Drink Milk

Food Pantries, Food Bank, Soup Kitchens may not be like you see in Oliver Twist.  Today there are many folks working and volunteering to serve hot, wholesome and nutritious foods and meals that those who may not have enough to eat regularly.

I recently had the privilege of touring Gleaners Food Bank, where skids of canned foods, juices, and refrigerated products were available.  In fact, in the produce area there were bags of beautiful purple topped turnips cleaned and ready to cook, and I could not miss the skids of jellied cranberry sauce.  As I walked this vast area, I could not help but think this literally looks like Thanksgiving shopping in the grocery store.

I am working with a group who is writing recipes that are easy to prepare, nutritious and taste good that can be handed out to the patrons of the food banks and pantries.

I have also had the great blessing of being involved with Second Helpings, both as a volunteer and educator.  I have seen first hand the beautiful hotel pans of Chili with corn bread or Southwestern Chicken that are going to the more than 3500 persons that Second Helpings serves daily.  Second Helpings and Gleaners both offer an array of ways to help in the community and always can use two more hands, just give them a call.

OK, back to the cranberry sauce.  Every year at the family table is the canned cranberry sauce and at our house there are always left overs, so I got to thinking, cranberry sauce is red, sweet, and easy to smash, SMOOTHIE? Well maybe.  So after a bit of work, the Cranberry Creme Smoothie was served.

Cranberry Crème Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 c yogurt
• 1/4 c jellied cranberry sauce
• 2 T orange juice

Directions:

• Place all ingredients in blender
• Blend until smooth
• Pour into glass

Also, look for the Choppin Indiana Hunger cooking event at the Indianapolis Home Show on Saturday, February 1, 2014.  See local chefs cook off using a surprise basket of goodies.  Watch the website and blogs for more information.

Minting a Holiday Classic

By Sara Correll



 

Candy canes are a classic holiday treat. Did you know they also have some Indiana connections?

Mint production is big business in Indiana. Indiana farmers raise over 594,000 pounds of peppermint each year, some of which is used in producing candy canes.

 

The well-known J shape and peppermint flavor were not always the norm. Candy canes have been around since the 17^th century, but it was an Indiana candy maker who chose the shape and colors of the candy we now know.

 

Several Indiana candy stores still make candy canes in house. You can watch candy canes being made at the Martinsville Candy Kitchen and pick some up at McCord Candies in Lafayette!

National Day of the Horse

By Jackie Barber of Winners Drink Milk

 

There is a reason that we measure modern-day engines in terms of horsepower rather than manpower or any other kind of power.

 

Horses were critical to the way people living in the "Old World" grew crops, moved around, and fought wars. The first Europeans to arrive in the Americas brought horses with them and those horses would become an integral part of farming here in the New World as well.

Before tractors, horses were the main source of draft power on many farms. They pulled plows and wagons. They hauled logs and stones out of fields. They transported the family to town. Horses even pulled the first combines. Many winches and pulley systems were designed to be powered by a horse walking in a circle.

Horses were, and are still today, used extensively on cattle ranches to move beef cattle. Horses became the first efficient rural postal service when the Pony Express was founded. Horses couldn't outrun a telegraph, though, so the Express was soon out of business. Horses, mules and donkeys were used as mounts and pack animals on the trails pioneers took west to start farms and ranches from St. Louis to the Pacific ocean. Horses provided a great deal of the draft power needed the lay the transcontinental railroads that now ship agricultural products from the heartland of America to the population centers on the coasts.

It's easy to look at our agriculture here in the US and think everything is mechanized, but estimates indicate there are still about 100 million horses, donkeys and mules used for agriculture and transportation around the world. Raising, showing, riding and racing horses is still a big business here in the US, with a devoted following.

December 13 is the "National Day of the Horse"--by congressional decree. You can read the full resolution here, but the highlights of why Congress decreed a National Day of the Horse is because they are a "living link" to our history as a nation. The resolution continues on to say that horses are "a vital part of the collective experience" of Americans.

Whether it was Trigger, the Black Stallion, Zorro's horse Tornado, or a real-life equine hero like Barbaro, Secretariat, Alydar, or your own backyard pet--horses continue to inspire and captivate us as companions, competitors, and working animals.

Indiana's own James Whitcomb Riley said it well:

"I bless the hoss from hoof to head-
From head to hoof and tail to mane!-
I bless the hoss, as I have said,
From head to hoof, and back again!"

Creating Cookie Cutter Memories

By Sarah Correll

The first week of December is National Cookie Cutter Week. Here are some suggestions to take advantage of this fun (and fun shaped) celebration!

 

Host a cookie decorating contest for your kids’ friends. With cookie mix and canned icing, preparation could be a snap!

 

Mix up a batch of chocolate, cake mix, maple bourbon, or classic cutout cookies.

 

While you’re at it, make another batch of cutout cookies, this time in a jar. Layer the dry ingredients and add a tag with instructions for the rest for a thoughtful gift.

 

Reshape the way you think about other foods. Use cookie cutters to cut rice krispy treats, shape pancakes, or make a sandwich extra fun.

 

Kick off the Christmas season by decorating a gingerbread house, gingerbread men, or gingerbread pops (bonus- your house will smell awesome)!