Those of you who know me well, know that I believe in savoring the moment – literally. I make time to enjoy life’s simple pleasures like a good summer-time read and a home-cooked meal. That’s why I especially enjoy best-selling author Debbie Macomber’s series and her virtual cookbook.
“In case you haven’t guessed, I love food,” exclaims Debbie in the introduction to her online cookbook. “That’s why I include a recipe section here for those who enjoy cooking and eating as much as I do.”
My sentiments exactly! These two sentences succinctly describe why I started featuring recipes each Friday on TheFieldPosition.com. So, you can only imagine how excited I was recently when I saw this recipe online for Raspberry Peach Cobbler. It caught my attention because: I love raspberries; I love peaches; and August is National Peach Month. Plus, this cobbler is made with fruit and yogurt – it has to be good for you, right? 🙂 (That’s what I’m going to tell myself when I go back for seconds!)
Another recipe that’s sure to make you desire seconds is my mom’s Rice Crispy Chicken. It’s an easy way to feed a large number or people when entertaining at home, or it can be prepared ahead of time and enjoyed as picnic fare.
I love picnics, whether they’re summer picnics or fall picnics. Fall also makes me think of riding combines when customers harvest their Latham® top-performing products, as well as the September release of the next book in Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Series, 1105 Yakima Street. There’s just so much to look forward to! But, in the meantime, I’m going to savor today and what’s left of summer.
How do you plan to “savor the moment”? What would you like to cross off your “must see or must do” list before Labor Day arrives?
There’s never a dull moment when you’re a parent – especially when your three kids are all 4-H’ers and have less than a week to get their projects ready for the county fair.
It’s a good thing that Scott Mandernach is used to multi-tasking. This fourth generation Iowa farmer is a 100% Latham® seed dealer, has a stop on the 2011 Latham-WHO Radio Crop Tour, farms his own ground and custom farms, plus he operates a general trucking business.
With all of these irons in the fire, it’s obvious that Scott has a good partner. His wife, Mindi, has helped build their operation for nearly 18 years. (They’ll celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary next month.) In addition to driving the tractor and keeping books, Mindi works two days a week as an x-ray technician for St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll.
“I grew up in town, so I didn’t realize that farming wasn’t an 8 to 5 job,” recalls Mindi, with a smile. “But, it didn’t take me long to learn! I just love the freedom that comes with living in the country, and I’m glad we’re raising our kids here. I never have to worry about where they are.”
The Mandernach children were working cattle when I arrived on their Century Farm near Odebolt in Sac County, Iowa. Twelve-year-old Clayton had just finished cleaning the pen for his steere, Charlie. Karlie, 14, was leading her beautiful, doe-eyed bottle calf she named Kenya. And 9-year-old Kacie was giggling over how well her Angus bottle calf, Leslie, was leading.
After stopping to pose for a couple of photos, the older two Mandernach kids got back to work in the cattle yard while Kacie showed me to the family’s newly remodeled and spacious kitchen. Sitting on a tall stool at the snack bar was the perfect place to take in the action around me.
Mindi was busy looking through a community cookbook for the recipe that Kacie wanted to share with me. Meanwhile, Kacie’s eyes were lighting up as she talked with me about the projects she’ll be exhibiting. As a first-year 4-H member, Kacie is especially excited to be a part of the action this year. Her latch hook of vibrant flowers is ready for framing, and now she’s eager to get her food projects underway. She and her mom were going to make a “trial batch” of Ice Cream Sandwiches, so Kacie could have a chance to practice her Pride of Iowa presentation.
The Pride of Iowa makes 4-H’ers aware of food ingredients that are made in Iowa. The contest participant selects a recipe and then prepares it in front of the judges and the public. Samples of the recipe are then given to the judges and the public. (Now if I would’ve known this, I would have changed my interview date just to sample this dessert!) Judging criteria includes originality of recipe, enthusiasm of the 4-Her, as well as the public’s enthusiasm for the product.
Kacie is definitely enthusiastic, so I’m sure she’ll score well on that criterion. I’d give her a good score for originality, too. Who’s ever heard of an ice cream cookie that doesn’t require you to first make the cookie? That’s usually a barrier in my house because all of the cookies get eaten before they’re made into ice cream sandwiches. (Honestly, much of the dough gets eaten before it even gets baked!)
The easy-to-make graham cracker crust is a real bonus in my opinion. The second bonus is that it required only four ingredients, which are common to most Iowa kitchens. In addition, this recipe is a cost-effective way to feed a hungry crowd of kids. Kacie says it makes a huge amount – enough to fill the extra large jelly roll pans.
With all the benefits of this recipe, it’s no wonder Kacie is excited about entering the Pride of Iowa competition this year. Whip up a batch and let me know what color of ribbon you’d give it! Also feel free to post your own blue-ribbon winning recipe on TheFieldPosition.com.
Plenty of Blue Sky & "Strawberries in a Cloud" for this Iowa Farm Family
Scott Jencks farms with his father, Warren, and his brother, Mark, in Fayette County. They farm some of the best ground in the state of Iowa, and then again, some of their fields present more than a few growing challenges.
“Seed technology and equipment technology has come a long way in a few years. We’re looking forward to using Latham’s Seed-2-Soil® program to organize all of our data in hopes of increasing our overall productivity and efficiency,” says Scott. “We’re running populations between 27,000 and 37,000 for the first time this year. We’re pushing populations where we can and bringing them down where we can’t. I’m really looking forward to this fall when we’ll see how it works!
“We’ve been working with Nick for four years now, and his recommendations have proved so valuable that we don’t even question him anymore,” says Scott. “Nick creates a prescription planting plan for each field and places Latham® corn and soybean products where they will work best for our soil and farming conditions. One of the things that we like best about working with Nick is that he’s interested in more than just selling us seed. He also has walked us through planting populations, tillage system and residue management. He’s become a real partner in our operation.”
Figuring out how to make things work better is Scott’s true passion. He earned a degree in Automotive Technology from Hawkeye Community College and worked for five years as a mechanic. His time away from the farm made him realize just how much he missed it, so Scott began farming full time in 1993. Then he and his wife, Linda, were married one year later.
“Scott and I both grew up on farms around Hawkeye and love the freedom of living in the country,” says Linda. “Once the chores were done, my siblings and I found something to do outside for the rest of the day. It was such a carefree childhood, and I always wanted that for my kids.”
Dream it and you can achieve it, as the old saying goes. Today the Jencks are the proud parents of 14-year-old triplets, who enjoy playing outside with their pets and spending time by the creek. Their son, Seth, also keeps busying playing baseball, football and basketball. Their daughters, Megan and Kelsey, enjoy participating in band and choir. They’re really looking forward to starting high school next year and having the chance to become involved with speech and drama.
Because they all enjoy being outside, the Jencks’ extended family enjoys spending time together each summer at a cabin in northern Minnesota. Adults and kids alike go fishing, boating, tubing and water skiing. They also go for bike rides and spend time reading.
“Every time I say that I’m going to make Strawberries in a Cloud, my kids get excited. It makes a great potluck dish, too,” says Linda. In addition to being a busy mom and wife, she also works as a speech pathologist for Keystone AEA in the New Hampton School District, pre-school through 12th grades.
Summer is definitely a time of potlucks and family gatherings. What’s your favorite go-to dish?
Fresh Milk, Squeezed Daily by this 5th Generation Farmer
Joel Meier’s passion for teaching is evident whether he’s hosting a group of elementary students on his family’s dairy farm or coaching one of his kids’ sports teams. This fifth generation Iowa dairy farmer feels fortunate to have the opportunity to raise his family on the same farm where his father was raised.
“I started milking cows before I started school,” says Joel, with a smile on his face. “I always wanted to be where my dad was, so I spent a lot of time outside or in the dairy parlor with him.”
Joel’s involvement on the farm increased as he grew older. At 10 years old, Joel was responsible for feeding veal calves. Using a feeding system designed and patented by his grandfather, Joel fed the calves twice a day. The bagged milk replacer was mixed in an old bulk tank and then pumped through a hose into pails.
Martin Meier, Joel’s grandfather, was the first person to raise veal calves in Iowa. He raised 400 head at a time for 16 weeks until they reached 350 to 400 pounds for the Kosher market in Dubuque, Iowa. The Meiers raised 22,000 head of veal calves before the ‘80s Ag Crisis hit. Despite the extremely challenging conditions at the time, the Meier family was able to hold onto its main dairy operation and 500 acres of farmland.
Although Joel continued to help with the family’s row crop and dairy operations throughout high school, he also made time for sports. He was a four-year letter winner in both basketball and football. Along with being selected 1st Team All-Conference in both sports, he was also selected All-State twice in basketball. His love of the games prompted him to major in Education and earn a coaching certificate. Joel earned his degree from Buena Vista on the campus of North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) in Mason City. Because he attended classes close to home, Joel was able to remain active in his family’s dairy operation.
“In 1993, I started getting part of the milk check and building my own herd,” said Joel. “When my grandpa retired in 2001 and moved to town, I became more involved with the dairy. Then my wife, Mindy, and I moved to the home farm.” In addition to the dairy, Joel and his parents have a wean-to-finish hog operation. They also raise corn, soybeans and alfalfa together.
Today Joel and Mindy make their home in rural Cerro Gordo County with their three children. Their oldest daughter, Morgan, is 10 years old. As a first-year 4-H member, she plans to show three calves at this summer’s county fair. Their son, Jason, is 8, and their youngest daughter, Mallery, is 5. Joel has coached both Morgan’s and Jason’s flag football teams, Morgan’s basketball team and is busy this summer coaching Jason’s baseball team.
It’s only a natural for the Meiers to be advocates for dairy consumption. They’ve hosted dairy farm tours for each of their kids’ classes and have also sponsored the local Girl Scout troop to earn the Dairy Delights badge, which involved learning about dairy cows and making foods that are made from milk. The Scouts churned butter and made ice cream in a bag, so we thought it would be fitting to share this recipe during June Dairy month. Also included below is one of Joel’s favorite dairy recipes for Strawberry Pizza.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy dairy?
Ice Cream in a Bag
Ingredients:
1 T. sugar
½ c. Half & Half
¼ tsp. vanilla
6 T. rock salt
1 pint-size Ziploc plastic freezer bag
1 gallon-size Ziploc plastic freezer bag
How to make it:
Fill the large bag half full of ice and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla and sugar into the small bag and seal it.
Place the small bag inside of the large one and seal again carefully.
Shake or squeeze until mixture is ice cream, about 5 minutes. The trick is to keep the mixture moving so it becomes ice cream.
Wipe off top of the small bag, then open carefully and enjoy!
Throwing a party for your mom and her friends tops the list of “How to Celebrate Mother’s Day.” That’s all well and good for older children, but it might not be so practical for an 8- or 9-year-old child – unless you’re a Brownie Girl Scout!
Tomorrow our Brownie troop – 19 members strong – is hosting a Fancy Nancy Tea Party. We’ll be breaking out the boas and bringing the bling. “Pink” will be the theme of the day because Nancy wouldn’t want it any other way!
Fancy Nancy is a fictional character in the best-selling books by Jane O’Connor. Nancy loves everything fancy, from clothing and accessories to activities and words. (Yes, she’s a girl after my own heart! Nothing makes me smile like a fun pair of shoes, and I’ve always loved using fancy words – even before fancy words were cool.)
To keep with our theme, we’ll be serving a menu of fancy foods including:
Pink mints – thanks to Laura Cunningham for sharing her grandma’s recipe;
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes – thanks to Leslie Maynes for sharing the recipe below;
PB&J, using a Pampered Chef® Cut-N-Seal® to make them fancy, too!
While our Brownies are busy in the kitchen with food preparation, their mothers will be treated to manicures. We’ll also show a PowerPoint presentation that highlights our troop’s activities throughout the year. In addition, each girl will have the opportunity to have a “party pic” taken with her mother.
Tomorrow’s tea is sure to be Très Magnifique! How will you make your Mother’s Day extra fancy?
Special thanks to all of the special ladies below, who are helping make our Fancy Nancy party extra special:
Michelle Carlson Hartman, Michelle’s Country Cookin’;
Cathy Carlson, Cathy’s Country Cookin’;
Lori Sanders, Forever Yours Flowers & Gifts;
Sharon Sanders & April Sanders, Sanders Photography; and
fellow Brownie leaders, Beth Strike and Tracy Dirksen.
Line muffin pan with liners. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.
Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full).
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.
Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.
Top cooled cupcakes with frosting (see below).
Lemonade Buttercream:
Ingredients:
3 c. + 3 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. pink lemonade concentrate
Red food coloring
Directions:
Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemon juice, and a few drops of food coloring to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined.
Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy and uniformly pink.
Spring is just around the corner, I can’t wait for the snow to melt and for the temperatures to rise. I’m looking forward to blue skies with puffy, white clouds. Until then, I’ll brighten up the greyest of days by whipping up some “Taste of Rainbow Cupcakes.”
This recipe has been a favorite of mine around St. Patrick’s Day. When I was in high school, I spent several nights babysitting for neighbors, friends and teachers. I always lined up special games, a craft project or baking project to help keep us entertained while their parents were away. The kids loved dying the batter into rainbow colors and watching their creations “puff up” in the oven.
Do you have any St. Patrick’s Day favorites in your recipe book? If so, please share them on TheFieldPosition.com!
I love blogs! (Please keep reading because this really isn’t a self-promotion here.)
Thanks to “The Party Animal,” planning my daughter’s birthday party was especially easy and hassle-free! Her “Zhu Zhu Pets Birthday Party” post includes links to everything from invitations and party favors to a list of activities that will keep a group of six, 9- and 10-year-olds entertained for 19 hours. (Yes, 19 hours and counting! As a veteran Girl Scout leader, I’ve learned that keeping a group of girls constructively occupied is key to maintaining their peace and my sanity.)
In a matter of minutes I’d planned the party and ordered all of the related supplies. Online shopping made it so quick and convenient! I was pleasantly surprised when my customized Bingo cards arrived in my e-mail inbox within hours of placing my order. Also within a matter of hours, an e-mail arrived with the customized party invitations. It took me longer to get them addressed and delivered than it did to get them designed! Finally, the Zhu Zhu Pets balloons and the Zhu Zhu Pets Activity Set shipped to me within days. A few days later, I made a quick stop at Hobby Lobby and picked up all the supplies needed to make our “Hamster in a Ball” craft. I e-mailed my neighbor, who also happens to run her own baking business, and placed my Zhu Zhu Pets cupcake order. I couldn’t have been happier with how they turned out!
The big day is here at last! During my lunch hour, I’ll run to the local video store and rent “Bolt.” (Remember, this movie features the cute little hamster in his own ball as Bolt’s sidekick.) The girls will come home from school today with my daughter, and the fun will begin. My mom, a former cosmetologist, will give mini manicures to anyone who’s interested. Meanwhile, I’ll set up the obstacle course for Zhu Zhu hamster races and get out the craft supplies.
A plethora of fun-filled activities is just as important as a fully stocked fridge when it comes to hosting a successful slumber party. Sloppy Joes are on the menu for tonight.
Tomorrow morning I’ll serve monkey bread (a hit at last year’s Zany Zebra party), and the girls will have a chance to make their own Breakfast Banana Splits. Recipes for both are provided below.
What are your favorite kid-friendly breakfasts? I’d also like it if you’d share your own tips for planning a successful birthday party.
Monkey Bread (Apple School)
Ingredients:
¾ c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 tubes of biscuits (cut into ¼’s)
Directions:
Place sugar in cinnamon in a plastic bag; shake biscuit pieces.
When you’re part of a large family, says Mary Schumacher of Ackley, Iowa, there is always something to celebrate. Mary is the youngest of nine children. Her husband, Steve, is the ninth out of 15 children.
Birthdays, baptisms, weddings, anniversaries and graduations keep their social calendar full, and each special occasion calls for special party foods.
Fortunately, cooking is a favorite past-time for this busy wife and mother. Mary has been employed for 24 years by the Ellsworth Hospital. Her husband, Steve, is a Latham® dealer. And the two of them are the proud parents of two daughters and one son: Molly, 18, attends Loras College in Dubuque. Abbey is a sophomore at AGWSR High School, where she’s involved with volleyball and track. She also plays AAU volleyball. Lucas, 11, is active in baseball, wrestling, karate and trap shooting.
The girls enjoy shopping with their mom in their free time, while Lucas prefers to spend time making customer calls with his dad. Just recently, Lucas said he’d like to farm and take over Schumacher Seeds when he grows up. There’s nothing like a kid dreaming of a career in agriculture. And if Lucas plans to become a Latham dealer, I’ll volunteer to make the punch!
Sherbet Punch is one way the Schumachers celebrate special occasions.
“My mom always made punch for holidays when we were growing up, and the favor of sherbet would vary with the season,” says Mary Schumacher. “It’s a tradition that I’ve continued. This punch recipe is easy to make, and kids love it. We’ve used strawberry soda with strawberry or raspberry sherbet. We also like using orange soda with orange sherbet.”
Check out Mary’s favorite punch recipe below. She’s also included a recipe for bagel spread, which could be the perfect complement to one of the 18 soup recipes now posted on The Field Position.
How do you add “punch” to family celebrations? What foods are made for special occasions?
Our baby turned one yesterday! To celebrate this milestone, my son and I baked a peanut butter birthday cake. Then we sang “Happy Birthday” and watched as Bailey, our Black Lab, devoured every last crumb.
The “puppy party” continued yesterday afternoon as we watched BeverlyHills Chihuahua 2. I have to admit, it’s the first time I’ve liked the sequel as much as the original movie. Plus, the music lifted my mood and transported me (albeit temporarily) to a tropical location.
My toes started tapping and my head started bobbing as I listened to the Chihuahua theme song. I dare you to watch this one-minute video and remain sitting still. On second thought, I double dog dare you to try it! (I couldn’t resist.)
I was just starting to believe that Iowa is “my paradise” when reality hit. My dog started barking, letting us know nature was calling and she needed to go outside. Instead of stepping onto white sand beaches like one of the pampered Beverly Hills pups, my big girl ran into the white snow and began to roll. Maybe this is her paradise! Or maybe she was just begging for another bite of Peanut Butter Delight.
In case you’d like to treat your dog to a home-made “pup cake,” the recipe follows. And, for those of you who may not have a pup birthday on the way but still want to spoil your dog, check out this great article with tips on how to show affection and reward your pup.
Recipe Note: I didn’t have a cake mold, so I used half of a Bundt pan. In the year ahead, I’ll keep my eyes open for a bone-shaped cake pan. Does anyone know where I might buy one?
The Packers aren’t playing at the Super Bowl this year, but this Cheesy Meatball Soup will pack the punch for your party needs. Don’t wait to put together this easy make-ahead recipe before the big game!
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