When the Iowa Beef Industry Council announced its Top 10 Finalists for the 2012 Best Burger Contest, I decided to take a “burger tour.”  I’m making a point to visit as many of these small town eateries as possible while traveling statewide to visit Latham® dealers and customers.

Recently I had the pleasure of joining a Latham customer for lunch at The Farmer’s Kitchen in Atlantic.  From the time I parked in front of the restaurant, I got a feeling that I was going to enjoy my lunch.  The flags waving on the building front are so welcoming, and there is one for every major collegiate team in the area including Cornhuskers, Cyclones and Hawkeyes.

Since collegiate flags are flying on the outside, it’s fitting that the signature burger is the Cy-Hawk Burger.  It’s more than a five-napkin burger – It’s served with your own roll of paper towels.  I have no idea how many calories are in this burger, but it’s worth every one!  I justified it to myself by saying, “It’s not like I eat like this every day.”

But if I did eat like this daily, I could choose a different burger from the menu.  The Farmer’s Kitchen makes so many intriguing burgers including one with Coca-Cola Barbecue Sauce, which is especially fitting given that Atlantic is the Coca-Cola Capital of Iowa.  The menu also includes tried and true favorites like the Wisconsin Butter Burger and the Bleu’s Burger.

It’s more than worth the drive to Atlantic for a meal at The Farmer’s Kitchen for award-winning chili, award-winning pie and award-winning burgers.  But, don’t just take my word for it.  Read this feature from the March 14, 2012, issue of Gourmet magazine:

Let’s get right to the point: peanut butter chocolate explosion pie. Blue-ribbon winner in Crisco’s National Pie Championship, this multilevel marvel demarcates its layers of smooth peanut butter cream and chocolate cream with a stripe of dark, devilish fudge. The Farmer’s Kitchen baker Charlene Johnson is also renowned for sour cream raisin pie—a fave in Iowa dairy country—as well as for crumb-topped apple pie that is guaranteed to have a whole apple in every slice. Pre-pie, don’t miss Charlene’s son Mark’s chili, also a blue-ribbon winner—of the People’s Choice Award in the 2007 World Chili Championship. (319 Walnut St., Atlantic, IA; 712-243-2898)

In addition to the menu, I love that The Farmer’s Kitchen is a mother-son partnership.  Charlene bakes award-winning pies; Mark makes award-winning chili.  Together they’ve created award-winning burgers.  So, of course, I just had to try one of everything!  The Peanut Butter Explosion is a wonderful mixture of peanut butter, chocolate and cream.  It’s rich, but oh so smooth.  I’d definitely recommend splitting it with someone, but it’s a great finale to a truly wonderful dining experience.

Today Charlene has agreed to share one of her top-selling, award-wining pie recipes with us.

Growing seed has been a family tradition for the Coombs family of Latimer for five generations, spanning 65 years.  Clara Coombs, along with her son Ralph, began raising seed oats for Willard Latham in 1947.  A few years later, Ralph’s son, Harold, began working with him.  And walking in their shadows, from the time he was old enough to toddle, was Harold’s son John.  Today the legacy lives on as John’s son, Andy, joins the operation.

“My grandfather traded work with Willard,” said John Coombs, who’s been farming since 1973.  “They both had a nose for business:  Willard liked wholesale/retail end of the business.  My grandfather liked the details of production and getting a premium for his crop, so the partnership between the two really worked well.  I have lots of good memories.”

John remembers how the two gentlemen’s relationship ran so deep that Willard even borrowed Ralph’s new 1949 Chevy pickup to Des Moines to pick up seed treatment.  That pickup could pull a wagon holding 100 bushels of oats, which is quite a contrast to the 950 bushels of soybeans they can haul today with their semi.

“We still enjoy driving Grandpa’s Chevy and enter it in a couple of local parades each summer,” says John.  “While we’ve had lots of fun over the years, I appreciate how new technology helps us do our jobs better.  Soybean yields have doubled since I started raising seed.  And new harvesting equipment makes it much easier to combine whole beans in the fall.  Whole beans are key for quality seed; we pay particular attention to avoid splits.”

“We’re fussy in what we do,” adds John.  “We like to get clearance before we go to the field in the spring.  We try to groom the crop through the summer and keep the weeds out.  We realize when we contract with Latham that “quality” is stamped on the bag, so we want to do all that we can to raise the highest quality beans.”

As spring planting gets underway, John and Andy are looking forward to working together.  Andy graduated in 2007 from Iowa State University, where he majored in Ag Studies.  Upon graduation, he went on the wheat harvest with a crew of four ISU students.  They started in Frederick, Okla., on the Texas border, and combined their way through Kansas and Nebraska before heading to North Dakota.  In North Dakota, they would cut wheat by day and canola by night.  Andy says that he got more experience fixing equipment over the course of a few months than he ever would’ve imagined!

Andy, the middle of the Coombs children, is engaged to be married on July 28 to Emily Carr.  John and his wife, Beverly, are also the proud parents of four daughters:

1. Jennifer, their firstborn, works in human resources at Principle in Des Moines.  Her husband, Brian, is an architect and they have a daughter, Annabelle.
2. Jill serves as activities director for Walnut Ridge Senior Living community in Des Moines, and her husband, Derek, works for Wells Fargo mortgage. They have a son, Elias.
3. Amy lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.  She is Program Coordinator with the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the University of Utah.  Amy’s husband, Kyle, is attending the University of Utah where he is studying in computer science.
4. Youngest daughter, Laura, is enrolled in the master’s program in higher education / student services at University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She is engaged to Nick, a business student at Iowa State University.

With so many children to feed, John jokes that Beverly has had much practice honing her cooking skills.  The family’s favorite is home-grown sweet corn.  Another favorite is Almond Bars, so today Beverly is sharing her recipe with us.

Easter has always been a special holiday for me.  From the time I was a small child, I’ve enjoyed attending Sunrise Service and then feasting on a big breakfast or brunch.  The Easter Bunny visited our house while we were at church, and I couldn’t wait to get home and see what he had left in my basket.  I also looked forward to late afternoon when my five cousins and I (plus our parents, too) would gather at my grandparents’ farm for our annual egg hunt.  In addition to searching for candy-filled eggs, there was a bag of candy with each of our names on it.

It’s been nearly 50 years since the first Bruns family egg hunt was held, and our tradition is still growing strong!  Literally.  Now there are four generations – and 36 people – searching for plastic eggs in a two-acre yard.  It’s not usual for cousins to play tricks on one another, finding and then re-hiding someone’s bag of candy in a tree, a flower box or even an old John Deere planter box.  We’ve searched for eggs in all sorts of weather from wet and soggy conditions to snow banks.  It looks like this year we could be in for a real treat with warm, dry spring weather.

Throughout the years, my crafty mom has done many things to make the season extra special for us.  Nearly every year we blew out and colored eggs for our egg tree.  (I finally did this last year with my kids.  Then I saved it in the basement, so we could use it again this year.  Somehow I feel guilty about this.)  We also colored hard-boiled eggs that were then turned into my mom’s infamous potato salad.  (Since I can’t make potato salad like Mom, I don’t see any need to boil the eggs!)  Another year Mom made Easter baskets, in the shape of a rabbit, for each grandkid. (I had fun doing this last year with my Girl Scout troop, too.)  I also remember, as a small child standing on a kitchen hair, helping her mix up a cake that we then decorated as a bunny.

Perhaps this will be the year that my kids and I bake a Peter Rabbit Cake.  It definitely fits my main criteria for a recipe: quick, easy and delicious!  These criteria are also why I plan to try my hand at making Mosaic Jell-O for our family potluck this Sunday.  Chances are, I’ll put my “Jell-O Salad” in a bowl instead of making bars.  (I honestly can’t bear thinking of Jell-O as a bar.  Bars, in my humble opinion, should be thick, rich and chocolaty!)

In case you’re interested in a new recipe for your own Easter brunch, I’m including recipes for some of my favorite breakfast casseroles below.  I’m also including some cute ideas for Easter crafts to keep little hands and minds occupied.

Easter brunch ideas:

• Blueberry French Toast
• Baked Apple French Toast
• Egg & Hash Brown Casserole

Easter basket ideas:

• Thirty-One Woman
• Family Fun
• Making Learning Fun

With a love for the land and of the great outdoors, John Fedeler feels fortunate that his father provided him with an opportunity to start farming 32 years ago when he was a senior in high school.  In 1984, he moved to the farm where he and his wife of 22 years are raising their family.

“Jackie is a great partner,” says John.  “She worked the first 10 years of our marriage at Rockwell Collins, and her off-farm job really helped us with the family living expenses.”

As their family grew, however, Jackie was needed more at home.  Since 2001, she has worked different part-time jobs but farming and family definitely takes priority.  The family raises corn and soybeans.  They also sell small, square bales of high-quality hay.  In addition, they calve between 60 and 80 cows that they then finish to market weight.

“Farming is a way of life for us,” says Jackie.  “By helping with chores, our kids have learned to be responsible.  They’ve learned to work hard.  They even ask their friends to pitch in and help.  When the work is done, we feed them well and John usually makes a batch of malts.”  The promise of pizza or grilled burgers plus John’s malts are key to rounding up a group of willing workers.  (NOTE TO SELF:  Remember to stop by the Fedeler farm place when black raspberries are in season.  Even if you have to help unload hay, it will be worth it for a taste of John’s homemade black raspberry or chocolate malts!)

John and Jackie are the proud parents of six, active children:  Jacob, 20, is  a freshman at Kirkwood Community College, majoring in Ag Business.  Daughter Kristine is a high school senior, and this fall she will attend the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) for nursing.  Danielle, 15, is a freshman, who loves sports, music and drawing.  Noah, 13, loves all sports, music and video games.  Ten-year-old Alex loves farming, and as a first-year 4-H member, he’s looking forward to showing two steers at the county fair.  Youngest daughter, Jerilyn, is eight.  She’s a little socialite, who likes just about anything.

It goes without saying that family gatherings are big for the Fedelers.  Jackie comes from a family of eight children and John from a family of nine.  John’s parents have 32 grandchildren, yet everyone makes it a priority to come home for the holidays.  John and Jackie hosted Christmas 2011 in their home for both sides of their family.  They said it’s not unusual to feed 45 or more, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

In addition to spending time with family, John is also a volunteer fireman and EMT.  He plays on a men’s softball league and really enjoys riding his Harley.  He enjoyed Latham’s Freedom of Independence Ride around eastern Iowa and western Wisconsin last year and is looking forward to the company’s annual ride in 2012.

Jackie has joined a women’s golf league and is looking forward to the start of the new season.  She and the children are very involved with church activities, plus she enjoys spending time in the kitchen.  Jackie is such a good baker that she’s been winning contests since high school.

“During my senior year, I needed a project for my Home Ec class,” says  Jackie with a smile.   “I saw this recipe for Candy Cane Coffee Cake in an old Betty Crocker cookbook, and it was voted Best of Class.  Since it was such a good recipe, a few years later, I entered a holiday baking contest sponsored by the newspaper.  I won that contest, too!  This recipe has become a family tradition ever since.  My  mom, some of my kids and I enjoy making these coffee cakes and sharing them with neighbors and others in the community during the holidays.”

After years of the same New Year’s Resolutions making American’s Top 10 List, Parade magazine is offering 55 ideas to switch up things for 2021. Idea number one is to “focus on a passion not your looks” followed by “workout to feel good not to become thinner.”

Other Top 10 Resolutions for your consideration include:

• Start each day with gratitude. (Latham’s Marketing Team members begin its weekly meeting by expressing something for which they are grateful. It helps set the tone for a great meeting!)
• Give one compliment a day. (Learn how to graciously accept a compliment.)
• Do a random act of kindness weekly.
• Read one book each month.
• Go someplace you’ve never been.
• Travel on a small budget.
• Drink more water.

Ten resolutions sounds lofty, doesn’t it? Perhaps that’s why only 50% of people who make resolutions are successful after six months. Sometimes less is more; fewer is better.

There are a few, simple practices you can put into place to increase the likelihood of achieving success.  University of Scranton psychology Professor John Norcross, in a special story to CNN, offered these evidence-based tips for making and keeping your New Year’s resolutions:

• Make short, attainable goals.
• Develop a specific action plan.
• Publicly declare your resolutions to hold yourself accountable.

To hold herself accountable, one of my friends reviews her resolutions daily. She prints her annual goals on an interesting piece of paper and places them in a cute frame beside her bathroom sink.  Then each morning she reflects upon her list and decides what she needs to do to continue to work toward achieving her goals.  She is truly one of the most productive and successful people I know.

In the short term, my holiday weekend goals are to “Eat. Drink. Be Merry.”  That’s why today I’m sharing with you two of my favorite recipes from my mom’s recipe box. Cranberry Slush has been a holiday tradition for more than 30 years. The Fire Hot Crackers are always a hit.  Try topping these crackers with summer sausage and cheese.

Happy New Year!

Related posts:

• 5 Secrets to Becoming the Best YOU in the New Year
• Set Goals, Not Resolutions
• Resolution #1: Get Organized

Fire Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1¼ c. oil
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 16 oz. box of Keebler® Club Crackers
• 1 T. red pepper flakes (double the flakes for a little more “fire”)
• ½ T. onion powder
• 1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix

Directions:

1. Mix oil garlic and onion powder, crushed pepper, and dressing mix.  Pour into a 2-gallon bag.  Add crackers and carefully shake bag so that crackers get coated.  Let the bag set for 15 minutes and then shake it again.  Pour onto paper towels and let dry.  (COOK’S TIP:  Top with paper towels, as well, to remove excess oil.)  Store in airtight container.

Those who know me best know how much I love a theme!  So right after Thanksgiving, I greatly enjoy transforming our living room to reflect “Christmas Around the World.”  Our tree is adorned with decorations that pay tribute to our heritage including a Danish paper heart ornament to honor Grandma Latham, a Belleek china ornament that my mother-in-law brought from Ireland and hand-blown glass ornaments from Germany to honor both sides of my family, as well as wooden ornaments from Russia.

In addition to these beautiful worldly ornaments, our tree includes precious decorations our children have made throughout the years.  As I hang each one, I fondly remember their little faces as they eagerly waited for me to unwrap the ornaments they had made in school.  My favorite decorations are those that include their school picture from that year.  My kids and I have also had fun making many of the ornaments together.  Later this month I’m looking forward to making pinecone ornaments with my Junior Girl Scout troop and decorating cookies for shut-ins.

For me, Christmas is a time of year to honor traditions and create new ones.  One tradition that I’ve enjoyed since moving to Sheffield is our church’s annual Advent by Candlelight program.  It’s a great way to kickoff the holiday season by preparing our hearts and minds for the season.  This year I had the honor of hosting a table of girlfriends for dessert prior to the program.  I had so much fun decorating the table, including making the cake.  (Confession time: The reason my cake looked beautiful is because I made it during a three-hour cake decorating class.  That class was one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever received!)

This homemade, white cake with raspberry filling was topped with a delicious Italian butter cream frosting.  The frosting recipe, however, is the pastry chef’s trademark secret.

Thankfully, Latham’s graphic designer, Amy Hild saved the day by sharing one of her family’s favorite recipes for Christmas cake.  Unlike me, Amy’s mom really gets all the credit for making this beautiful cake.  Amy gets the credit for helping decorate the table and taking the beautiful photographs.

It’s become a tradition for the Hilds to enjoy this melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake topped with cherries each Christmas Eve.  What foods does your family traditionally serve on Christmas Eve or Christmas day?

Related Posts

• “Sharing a little Christmas Magic”
• “Sharing Christmas Traditions”

It’s funny how nostalgic something as simple as a pumpkin can be as people are reminded of Halloween and various other childhood memories. The smell of Pumpkin Pie Spice causes me to reminisce of Thanksgivings and Christmases from yesteryear.

I love pumpkin anything – except pumpkin pie.  (I know, call me crazy!)  This Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe is a great alternative to pie, especially for those cheesecake fans out there. Add a dollop of whipped cream to the top and you’re all set for a delicious treat.

PS.  Since they’ve created a national holiday to celebrate National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day, it has to be worth a try!

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If you’d rather watch your calories this season, Meg Benson of Clermont, Iowa, shares this Cooking Light recipe with only 256 calories per serving and less than 10 grams of fat.  She says this cheesecake is also good with a graham cracker crust and recommends going heavy on the spices!

COOK’S TIP: Meg says it took almost 2 hours for the cheesecake to bake in her oven.  She also notes that she bakes cheesecakes in a water bath and then lets them sit in the oven for an hour or so after turning off the oven off.

Light Ginger Pumpkin Cheesecake

Photo Source: MyRecipes.com
Yield: 12 slices

Ingredients

Crust:

• 56 reduced-fat vanilla wafers (about 8 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted
• Cooking spray

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 2 (8-ounce) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash of allspice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. To prepare crust, place wafers in a food processor; pulse 2 to 3 times or until finely ground. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes; cool on a wire rack.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
4. To prepare filling, beat cheeses with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and next 8 ingredients (granulated sugar through vanilla), beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin; beat well.
5. Pour cheese mixture into prepared crust; bake at 325° for 1 1/2 hours or until almost set. (Cheesecake is done when the center barely moves when pan is touched.) Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around outside edge. Cool to room temperature; cover and chill at least 8 hours.

We began with star gazing at Maynes Grove on Friday night.  (Editorial Comment: If you’ve never before seen the moon through a telescope, add it to your Bucket List. It’s a must see! From the “oohs and ahhs” I overheard Friday night, I believe several others share my opinion.)

Saturday began with an 8 a.m. tour of Machinery Hall, followed by boutique shopping on Main Street in Hampton before a feast of field fare at Roy & Jeanie Arends’ farm in Alexander.  Their soybean field was just a stone’s throw away from Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, where our scales were busy with growers bringing in varieties of Latham® brand soybeans.

Carrying on Grandma Evelyn Latham’s tradition of hospitality, we offered our guests coffee and homemade apple cider plus apple crisp and pumpkin bars.  Since I received so many compliments on my baking, today I’m sharing both recipes on TheFieldPosition.com.

One of my favorite comments made on Saturday came from Jocelyn Wallace.  You can see her quote, as well as comments posted by other bloggers, below.  Click on the links and see photos they’ve posted, as well.  Click here to read a related blog, “All In An Iowa Mom’s Day.”

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jocelynwallace_ Jocelyn Wallace
In the cleaning room – does that thing do laundry too? @LathamSeeds [pic]: http://4sq.com/n5iTDH

allauremkt Laura Gaulke
I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised at how interesting the #ag conversations have been since I don’t know about farming! #harvesttour

naswanson Nancy Swanson
corn, soybeans, combines, trucks, wind turbines, stars, Jupiter, Old Stone House, Maynes Grove, friendly people. #harvesttour

saramomof2 Sara Broers
Hampton, Iowa is the place to be~ Check out this awesome crew on the #Harvesttour 2011~ going on this weekend

deb works Deb Works
I posted 24 photos on Facebook in the album “Harvest Tour for Bloggers 3rd day” http://fb.me/MW1uAlO8

Recipe: APPLE CRUNCH

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 4 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter

Directions:

1. Place apples in a lightly buttered baking dish, about 9 1/2 x 6 or 9-inch square.
2. Add water.
3. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the apples.
6. Bake apple crunch at 350° for 35 to 45 minutes, or until apples are tender.
7. Serve apple crunch warm with ice cream, if desired.