It's Minnesota State Fair Time + A Giveaway!

Even though I love summer, I ways tend to 'wish it away' until August. Why? Because the Minnesota State Fair starts in August - why else? If you know me at all, you're not surprised. Who wouldn't dream of milk shakes, deep fried candy bars, pickles, cheese curds, mac 'n cheese, bacon... don't worry, I've signed up for the Milk Run and will be pushing a stroller. I'm not concerned.

I do miss my time showing dairy cattle during the Minnesota State Fair. It's completely awesome when someone stops my cow and me on the way to the milking parlor, asking if they could take a picture with the cow. 'Of course you can!' Be sure to stop by and visit those 4-H'ers... they love their animals and are happy to spend a few minutes with you. Speaking of 4-H, the State Arts-In performance is always on my to-do list. As a past theatre nut, I still regret not participating in the State Arts-In, my cows were more important. My mom was a performer back in the day, so I just live off of her stories.

Ok, so here's the fun part - butter heads. I know... 90lbs of butter carved into the likeness of a dairy farmer's daughter is a little bizarre - but it's a dream come true for them (including myself). I still have mine in my parent's freezer. I'm kind of hoping my daughter will compete in 20 years and we can pose our 'heads' together. We have to dream big, right? Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2033!

Why is this so fun? Because I have tickets, FREE TICKETS to give away. So while you're sitting there watching the butter heads spin around in circles, you can enjoy my favorite shake, with blackberries. Or whatever you want. But the blackberry ones are good. Blackberries. You can win four Minnesota State Fair entry tickets as well as four malt tickets (valued at $60.00). I am hosting this giveaway in partnership with Midwest Dairy Association.

How do you enter? Use the form below - option #1 requires a comment to this blog post. Don't delay, as you have 10 days to enter. That's it. I'm closing it down the morning of August 16th, 2013. If you win, I will see YOU at the Minnesota State Fair! (maybe... if we happen to go on the same day). Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grilled Cheese: Celebrate!

It's not only National Grilled Cheese month, but today marks National Grilled Cheese day as well. I mean come on - how can you not have a grilled cheese sandwich today. It would be a down right sin to just ignore it. So please - do yourself a favor.

Need some tips? Here are some ideas that work well for me:

1. Use good bread and pair it with the cheese/theme you're creating

Sweet sandwich? Sweet bread (cinnamon raisin, for example) French bread works awesome

2. Use a good melting cheese

American, Swiss, Brie, Gouda, Mozzarella, Muenster, Colby, Les Frères, Blue (sometimes)

3. Butter the pan, not the bread

You'll use less butter and it will cover the entire sandwich. Yes, mayo can work too - but then you'll want to spread it on the bread first.

4. Use medium heat and don't be afraid to use the oven

Sometimes your cheese hasn't melted all the way through once the outside is nice and crisp - that's ok! Toss it in the oven at 300* for a few minutes. That'll take care of it. You can also use a stainless steel bowl to cover your sandwich while it's grilling - just be sure to use pot holders to pick it up.
I like to use a cast-iron pan, personally - but any type of frying pan will do.

5. Be creative!

Anything goes. Peanut butter, pickles, bacon - you name it. It can be put in grilled cheese.

For this particular grilled cheese, I used French bread and Jeffs' Select Gouda from Caves of Faribault.

The [not so] Perfect Life

It's funny how much pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect. What's perfect anyways? 

This is me, with my daughter as she's being fed while I'm working, eating lunch and surrounded by dirty kleenex, while dishes are all over the counter, laundry is spread across the living room floor and toys. are. everywhere. Is this perfect? In my world, yes. Am I nuts? Yes. Are you? Probably.

As a human being, it's a constant struggle to be the 'perfect' mother, wife, friend, employee, blogger, cook, farmer, sister, etc. But I'm trying, and that's all I can do. I often times beat myself up for what seems like failures, but the truth is - I'm not alone. We're all trying and we shouldn't be so hard on ourselves. Take joys in the struggles and challenges that life gives you. If it doesn't work out the way you had hoped - for instance, breaking down icicles to avoid them falling on your husband's car when he leaves for the day, only to lose the broom (oops) - just announce that it's perfect. 

Because it was meant to be.

perfect.

Tell me one perfect thing you've done today. 

Morning Frost

The sun is currently rising here on Jer-Lindy Farms. The best thing about this time of year is the frost-filled mornings. Every tree branch, building and bench are covered in frost. We've been lucky this week with milder temperatures (30 degrees F). Yeah, that's mild for late February/early March. It provides for some photo-friendly subjects. Last Sunday morning, I ran around the farm with  my camera so I could give you just a glimpse of what I get to see every morning now that I'm back home on the dairy farm. Pictures don't quite do the scene justice, but it's a start.

Our Brown Swiss, Lady Gaga. Named and shown at the county fair by my niece. She's very photogenic. We only have a few Brown Swiss cows on the farm, but they stand their own against our Holsteins.

This one kept creeping up on me.

This is the same picture as above, but with the Pioneer Woman's 'Old West' setting. Have Photoshop? There are some cool download tools from PW's blog that allow you to change the settings on your photos with the simple click of a button.

Only 6-7 months until apple harvest!

We put jackets on our calves during the winter months to keep them warm. They're also fed extra milk on very cold days. This way, they have enough energy to keep themselves warm. This calf in particular has not been named yet. Can you help us? Her mother's name is Avril, so the calf's name needs to start with the letter 'A' as well. Comment below with your suggestion.

A brief, but fun trip around the farm. We're looking forward to spring.

Baby Steps

Happy New Year!

Do you spend the time to reflect on the past year and dream of what's to come for the next? My husband and I used to sit and write down the good things that happened last year and our goals for the upcoming one. We didn't do that this year. Our lives have been a bit of a roller coaster for the past few months and we've barely had time to think about it. From a baby to moving to starting up a new job, I just hope for a cup of coffee in the morning. We just take one day at a time.

While I'm not going to sit and bore you with everything I'm thinking right now, I would like to share what I hope to blog about in the future.

I've moved back to my family's farm with my husband and newborn. Guess what that means? Brand new material! I do plan to continue my recipe postings and food adventures, but I will begin to focus more on the farm and how that impacts the raising of a child. I can't think of a better way to raise children than on the farm. We're currently about 1-2% of the US population as farmers today. What will my daughter be when she's older? The 0.5%? Time will only tell, but I am thrilled to be back and to have the ability to share our adventures with you.

Happy New Year everyone. Let's make this the best one yet.

Photo credit: Ebert Studios

The Annual Fish Fry

Each year for the past... 10 years? At least. Our family friends come over for a fish fry. My Mom makes sure the house is cleaned up, heads in the barn for chores with my Dad and when they come in a few hours later, the house is filled with the aroma of soup, warm bread and fried fish. Actually, the garage smells the most of deep fryer as it does for the next five days, but it's worth it. Did I forget to mention that the kitchen island is now full of at least 10 bottles of wine? 

The fish fry is typically a group effort. Our family friends bring all of the food and cleaned up fish (that they also fished/hunted) - but we all pitch in where we can. This year, I got to be the shaker. Shake 'n Bake wasn't used, but I was tempted to say the well-known line a few times. It was a pre-made breading that makes the fish taste delicious. Enough said.

Where the magic happens.

Pheasant and Wild Rice soup

Figgy Pudding anyone?

Spending time with friends and family is always a treat, but when you can share your time while eating delicious food - it's even better. I look forward to this event every year and always come with a very empty stomach!

Organizing a Food-Freak

While everyone else is sitting in front of the t.v. watching football today, I've surrounded myself with recipe print-outs and food magazines. They're starting to pile up and it's driving me crazy. Categories range from 'restaurants to visit' to 'cheesy recipes'. I've already observed the fact that I haven't made even an eighth of these recipes, so I have some work to do this year. I probably won't get done with this today, but it's a good start!

What food resolutions have you made for 2012?

My Favorite Things: 2011 MN State Fair

This post is long passed due, but I couldn't skip it. The Minnesota State Fair is my life, really. Even when we lived in Vermont, we flew back for the fair. Even when I got my appendix out as an 8th grader the week before, I went for the dairy show to show my registered Holstein winter calf. Even after I had eye surgery as a 7 year old the day of Princess Kay of the Milky Way, I got on that bus. I'm not crazy. I know so many people who wouldn't miss the Minnesota State Fair if their lives depended on it. It's 12 days of awesome food, animals and the best people watching you've ever witnessed.

This year, I had the 'opportunity' to walk around with my sister and two nieces for the day. Imagine walking amongst 60,000 people with a double-long stroller that isn't easy to turn, with a 2 and 4 year old. *smiling*
Our first stop was for a blueberry snow cone. The best deal is in the Horticulture building where you can get them for a dollar. Most places were around $3.00. I personally am not a huge fan of snow cones, so I got an apple cider freeze instead. I know, they're practically the same thing.

We were starting to crave actual food, so we got some Pronto Pups. Pronto Pups are not corn dogs, as they are not covered in a 'corn batter' rather a 'wheat batter'. They're delicious and you can wear the awesome hat while eating one.

Check out that awesome nail polish.

After you attend the Minnesota State Fair for so many years, you start to know what you want to eat and what certain things taste like. This allows you to try new things each year. Though, deep fried cheese curds, candy bars and pickles are still on the top of my list. We decided to go for the pizza on a stick. The stand was over by machinery hill (the pizza on a stick by the beer gardens was not so good, nor picture worthy).  It had cheese, sauce and pepperoni. The dough was awesome - that's honestly what made this so dang good.

It's always good to finish off your day with either a blackberry malt at the Dairy Products building (brought to you by Minnesota's dairy producers). Or a 'half chocolate, half strawberry' shake at the Gopher Dairy Club stand next to the dairy barns.

Two days later, I got to spend the day in the dairy barns helping my sister with her heifer (female dairy animal that is yet to have a calf) and watch her show in the arena. It always brings back great memories of my 4-H years. Maybe I'll get to show again in Open Class, someday.

Whether you come for the food, a concert, the butterheads, or the 4-H'ers. The Minnesota State Fair can't be beat. Whether you'd like to admit to it or not. <- That comment is for my Wisconsin friends.

Charcuterie School

Charcuterie is a fancy word (it's actually French) for preserving meats; mostly pork. Before the time of refrigeration, humans had to find a way to preserve meat so that it would last longer and still be safe to eat. This was done by adding salts, cultures and/or smoke to the meat for an extended period of time. Other flavors are now added to specific varieties for an extra kick. The meats were in forms of salami, bacon, ham, pancetta, sausages, etc. 

Charcuterie interests me because of its similarities to cheese. Both involve some sort of cultures to create a desired taste and both can include aging time in a cave before consumed. Molds are also vital to the success of each.

I, along with my husband and two friends, attended Charcuterie school at Bolzano Artisan Meats in Milwaukee over the weekend. Bolzano Artisan Meats is the first company in Wisconsin to bring back the lost art of dry curing, and one of the only in the nation to make products from locally raised heirloom hogs as rare as the Hereford hogs from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

The class was an hour and a half long session that consisted of the background of Charcuterie, a facility tour and a tasting of three salamis. It was taught by owners (husband and wife), Scot and Christin, and the rest of the staff *cough* micro-flora *cough*. The facilities is an old dairy building converted into a distillery converted to a meat processing plant. The size is simply perfect for what Bolzano is doing and I was very impressed with their use of space. 

As any food processing facility must - food safety is taken very seriously here. We got all garbed up in boot covers, hair-nets and lab coats. We all thoroughly washed our hands as well - all before entering the processing area. Bolzano's is a certified meat processing plant. That means whenever there is production, a state inspector is around. This all happens for your safety and confidence in the food that you eat.

There are two large coolers in the processing area. One is simply used for packaged meats, ready to be shipped or delivered. The other cooler is a state of the art unit that can go from very cold to uber hot. It maintains humidity and temperature constantly, which allows the meats to hang and cure in the perfect environment. Foil is kept around the racks of hanging meat to control the airflow through-out the cooler. This ensures even drying of each piece of cured meat.

Speaking of hanging and curing, this picture says it all. I was in salami heaven at this point. That white stuff is mold, but it's the good kind - just like you would find on the outside of a wheel of brie. The mold keeps the moisture in the salami and creates a protective skin that keeps the 'bad bugs' away.

Packaging at Bolzano is very simple. White paper and stickers. Technically, these meats do not need to be packaged, but due to consumer response, most Charcuterie producers will wrap the meats up in a food-grade paper. The meats do not need to be refrigerated unless they are in this paper. The paper would get soggy if it was not refrigerated.

One thing I don't have a photo of is the kitchen. There were no ovens or cooking units in the kitchen, because they're not needed. It was simply a rack of dried ingredients, lots of tubs for mixing the meats, sinks and stainless steel tables.

Finally, we got to taste three salamis that Scot is currently selling. The first one is called Old School™ and is a basic salami. It was very smooth and buttery and had some garlic and black peppercorn mixed in. The second is called Fin-oh-kee-oh-na. It was similar to the Old School, but a little bit more moist and had fennel mixed in to pull out the sweet flavors of the meat. Finally, Pamplona Runner ™ Spanish Style Chorizo. I must say, I really like Spanish Chorizo much more than the Mexican style. But I didn't know that until today. It's not quite as spicy, but still has a kick. All three were very excellent. We got a small glass of wine to wash it all down and enjoyed each other's company, while 'geeking out' about dried and cured meats. You're jealous, right?

These salamis would go excellent with some washed rind or sharp cheddar cheeses. Something with a lot of kick and flavor to complement each other. They are coming out with a new flavor next week, but I'll keep that a secret for now. Let's just say, it'll be perfect for the holiday season and I'm definitely going to pick some up for special occasions.

Bolzano Artisan Meats also hosts a Whole Hog Cutting class. I'm secretly hoping my brother in laws will come down for this one.

We finished off our day at Milwaukee Ale House on N. Water Street. They make some great pot roast and chicken pot pie (and beer, of course).

An Uncomfortable Futon

Jer-Lindy Farms

It's been a while since I've shared my food travels and indulgences with you.  I guess I could say, I'm really freaken busy. I'm actually sitting in front of the t.v. tonight for the first time in a while - and it feels great (considering the futon's lack of support). Maybe that's why I don't sit here very often.

Lately, my life has consisted of Brewers baseball games, working at the farmers market, attending state fairs, picking apples at my parent's farm and traveling with my husband on his work trips. Oh - and I biked in a 63 mile bike tour. As usual, I've been taking and collecting photos from all of my adventures - so stay tuned. I plan to get {digital} life caught up soon.

I'm hoping that you've begun to enjoy the greatness that is Fall. The smells, fresh air, pumpkins and colorful trees make this time of year so great. I already got my pile of Martha Stewart special editions of Halloween out - because this year, I get to have my nieces around for Halloween weekend. That means decorating and baking some spooky treats. I seriously can't wait. Maybe some chocolate pasta will show up at some point too. What's your favorite thing to eat or make or enjoy during this time of year?

She's Swelling up! Like a Blueberry!

You know what's embarrassing? How much time I spent looking for a donut pan. I saw this blog post through my Foodbuzz account and instantly got this anxious crazy feeling. I wanted a donut pan. Now. I don't usually get quite that excited about cooking gear. Yes, I'm a sucker for spending an hour just browsing Bed Bath and Beyond - but I rarely come out with anything. I just like to look. And think. Does that make me weird?

So I check out Target - no donut pan. Bed Bath and Beyond's gotta have it - nope. How about Gordman's (a crazy store with all sorts of gadgets, decorating stuff, etc) - not a chance. I knew King Arthur Flour had a donut pan when I used to stop in the store when I lived in Vermont - plus - I had a gift card for King Arthur Flour. In fact, I knew this all along. There's just something about the search. Not really - I just wanted an excuse to go shopping.

Ok - so I order my donut pan online and anxiously wait its arrival. My poor co-workers had to listen to me all week 'I can't wait to make these blueberry donuts!'  What the Frito - I've gone insane. So I'm working at the farmers market and my husband sends me a text 'you got a box from King Arthur'. Woot woot! I'm pumped, but I don't have time to make donuts until the weekend. Fine.

So here are the photos from my much awaited donut baking day. The recipe can be found here. They're awesome - especially with the orange glaze. In fact, I'm going to go eat one now.

Time Well Spent

At this point, I think I'm known as someone that will just throw things together and hope they turn out edible. I mean, really. How efficient is it to head over to the grocery store EVERY time I want to try something new? It's not, unfortunately - and I never have the energy to do it (ok, maybe sometimes). I have a stack of recipes that I would love to try, but who knows if I'll ever get to them. I can only drool at the photos and imagine what they might taste like.

The reality is - we're busy. Everyone's busy. We don't always have the time to spend an hour or more making a meal. In fact, I just read the other day that Americans, on average, only spend about 30 minutes on meal preparation - as opposed to other countries that spend about 2 to 2 1/2 hours on a meal. I'll tell you what - give me an extra 2 hours for every dinner, and I'll use it. I would love to have that time to make something awesome;  homemade pasta, fresh - homemade bread... I could go on for a while. I can only do this on weekends - if I'm home.

What would you make for dinner if you had an extra 2 hours to create it? Would you invite people over for dinner more often? Would you take more time to actually eat your food, versus scarfing it down? When I started writing this post, it was not my intention to talk about our food eating habits, but it's part of our everyday lives - and it just came to me. I have half of a bushel of peaches sitting on my dining room table - that we bought on Sunday. I haven't touched them yet. I also have a reusable grocery bag full of cucumbers and yellow peppers that we picked in our 'community garden' (shared with two friends) on Sunday - they're still sitting in the kitchen. And what about that giant zucchini I just got from a co-worker today? I should probably do something with it. My problem is that I easily get inspired, and then I run out of time. Especially during Shark Week.

Where was I going with this? Well - my husband travels a lot and sometimes I end up with random leftovers in the fridge that don't really accumulate to a meal. I typically fry myself some eggs when I'm home alone and call it good. This time, I got inspired. I had some fresh broccoli, tomatoes, fresh thyme, bacon and 1/2 a box of pasta. Remember when I was working on creating my own pan sauces? This was another attempt. I added some garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and leftover white wine (leftover wine? I'm not sure how that happened either).

It was ok. The bacon really added a lot of flavor, as usual, and the broccoli really soaked up the juices well. Like I mentioned in the past post - practice makes perfect. I'll keep practicing.

Whether I liked it or not, I ate it for lunch for the next week. It's tough cooking for one or two!

Final Northern VT Tour

 

Yes. You read correctly. I will no longer be living in New England. My husband has accepted a new job in Wisconsin, so we will be moving back to the Midwest. Of course I'll miss the area and the cheese around here, but I am totally psyched to be back. {Sidebar} If you know of any cheese companies near Madison that are hiring... {End Sidebar}  Being one of our last few weekends out East, we decided to hit up a few hot spots that we had yet to see. I'm filling up my Vermont Brewery Passport (only one brewery left, mind you) and we needed to visit Rock Art Brewery. 

4 samples for $3.50 plus a free glass.

Rock Art has a nice shop that's conveniently located next to a snowmobile trail. We got to take a tour of the plant and sample some of their excellent beers. My husband was a big fan of some of their darker beers, though I prefer the lighter ones. I'll catch on eventually. Some neighborly men graced their presence at the tasting bar and talked about their basement brewery back home.  Apparently they have at least two beers on tap at all times - my kind of basement. Anyways, Rock Art is moving! They bought a new building closer to the main drag and will be moving there shortly, if they haven't started already. {I apologize for the lack of beer-knowledge in this post. If my husband feels like commenting with more details, you can learn more from him.}

Next was Mt. Mansfield Creamery. Stan is a riot. He was more than happy to show us around and explain his cheeses to us. He brings his milk over, from a nearby farm, in six milk cans. By the end of the day, his cheeses are put in the aging room, rotated on a daily or weekly basis and develop rich, creamy goodness.  He makes havarti and some French style washed-rind cheeses.

The farm Stan gets his milk from is into registered cattle as well, so we enjoyed learning about their experiences in the industry and marveled at the kids' ribbons from showing at 4-H dairy shows. Those were the days...

Our next stop was to Hardwick, VT. My husband and I went to a book signing in Brattleboro for the book The Town That Food Saved a while back.  I actually went for work, but the subject matter was personally interesting. The book is all about the local food movement and how Ben Hewitt, the author perceived this movement in saving a town's economy.

In the book, Hewitt talks about a restaurant called 'Claires'.  The restaurant bases its menu on food that's locally available and what's in season.  The restaurant is community supported and strives to be fully involved in local businesses and events.

Blueberry Mascarpone Cheesecake

We enjoyed our dinner at Claires, but couldn't help but be slightly disappointed in the helpings vs. the price. We tried to keep their mission in perspective, but our cheese fondue came in a small ramekin with to-hard-to-bite pieces of bread.  We were impressed with the blueberry mascarpone cheesecake, though. Served in a mason jar, the cheesecake was a perfect helping for two and inspired me to make something similar in the future.

Our last stop for the evening was at another micro-brewery called Vermont Beer Company in Bradford, VT. They don't sell any of their beers outside of their establishment.  Only four beers were on tap when we arrived - and they were all fairly dark beers, so my husband was in heaven. I, on the other hand, couldn't handle it. Some day I will build up the tolerance, but I'm not there yet.  We did have some deep-fried pickles as a late night snack, so I was satisfied.

Our day-trip was very enjoyable and educational. There were a few horrifying moments as our car slowly started to slide backwards down a snowy hill (we were able to back up and get turned around), but it was a true Vermont trip - and I'm glad we were able to finish it off with such a great experience.

Resolutions?

Eating my ice-cream, without a drop of guilt.

Who wastes their time with New Year resolutions? Is it so we can hold off until the New Year to start that new diet or to be more organized? Let's face it - it was July and you were thinking to yourself "I'll just make that a resolution for next year." You're wasting your time away - act now or don't.  Make your life realistic. If you want to lose weight, stop eating so much, balance your diet and go for a walk.  If you want to read more books, open one up (and finish it).  I may be on a rant - and I somewhat apologize, but I'm tired of watching commercials about diet pills, etc.

One of my best friends and I had a discussion about yearly accomplishments today.  Resolutions tend to be negative and discouraging. Why not reflect on the past year and realize what you've already accomplished?  You may end up reaching more goals just by having this mentality. Here are a few things I accomplished in 2010:

1. Completed a 5k with my husband (his first!) before Summer began
2. Built my own fire pit out of stone left in the backyard
3. Sorted through my clothes and donated the ones I hadn't worn for the past year
4. Added four more pages to my family cookbook - slowly getting there...
5. Planned two company-wide picnics/parties, successfully
6. 8 books!
7. Visited Cape Cod, Montreal, Philly-PA, NYC, MN, WI, Portsmouth-NH+ (I may have to do a post on 2010 travels...)
8. Taste tested over 41 micro-brews (hard work...)

These are just a few - I don't want to brag ;)  I should point out though, that I did make a list last year - and didn't achieve a single one.  I had planned to finish a 10k, complete a book each month of the year, finish my family cookbook... the list goes on. But it's not like I wasn't doing anything...

The point is - even the little things count.  You've achieved a lot and you don't give yourself enough credit.  So this year, instead of making a resolution list, make an accomplished list. I think it will make you smile more.


What have you accomplished in 2010? Share with us - we are each other's inspiration!

Happy Birthday!

I'm not just posting this to wish myself a happy birthday. My mom made it important to always have cake on your birthday, so I wanted to share this with her - since she's 1,000 miles away. Yes, my husband got me a birthday cake - 'as girly as they can make it'. Hence, the purple and pink. I have multiple boyfriends according to the candles, but we'll just keep that a secret.

Thank you for all the wonderful birthday wishes on FB. I sometimes wonder why I don't hear from you on other days other than my birthday, but I won't hold it against you. Ya'll rock.

I wanted to make sure my mom could see my Christmas tree!

My husband had them put 'Put A 4K In It' on my cake :)

The last bit of pumpkin ice cream with my cake. Oh so good.