As you feast around your table this holiday season, pause to Give Thanks to the hard working farmers who help to make the food you eat possible!

Do you ever pause to think about the farmers behind the food you eat?

I often think about the fact that no matter what time of day it is, whatever the weather, and even on holidays, there are dedicated farmers out there working hard to produce the food that is on our table. When it is negative 10 outside, with an even more fierce windchill, I often think of The Foster family, and the milking that has to happen, despite the bitter temperatures. Along with the Foster’s, there are more than 9,000 dairy farm families just in the midwest who are committed to providing us with real, fresh and naturally nutrient foods to fill our table. How many of our Thanksgiving dishes wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the midwest dairy farmers? Just about all of them! From the milk, to the eggs, to the butter, cheese and cream, Thanksgiving would look a lot different if we couldn’t rely on our favorite dairy products. …

Read More

The post Give Thanks to Farmers appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I’ve eluded to the fact that I was married before in this post…let’s just get that out of the way. Long story short, we were super young, straight out of college, got married and things ended shortly before our 2nd anniversary. All in all, the marriage and subsequent divorce was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I certainly would not be the person I am today without having that life experience. I’ll maybe write about that someday, but for now, I needed to share that little tidbit of info with you as it is the missing piece in the post I’m sharing today.

Today I want to talk about food…and how food, and the gift of food, is love.

Every relationship, whether it is a friendship, a marriage, a first love, family, etc. changes who you are. Each person you are close with becomes a little piece of you and who you become. Whether good or bad, it’s something that can’t be denied. This is the case with my former family……

Read More

The post Food is Love {Recipe: Italian Cheese Bread} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

The Moo Moo Shake isn’t the next dance craze. It is, however, a delicious fruity tasting milkshake creation which is a favorite of Lynda Foster, a dairy farm owner/operator my kids and I had the pleasure of spending a morning with earlier this summer.

Thanks to my partnership with The Midwest Dairy Association, the kids and I were able to strike “Visit a Dairy Farm” off of our 2013 summer bucket list.

We woke up, not so bright eyed and busy tailed, at 5:30am to head to Fort Scott Kansas, home of Foster Dairy. We made it to Foster Dairy in time for the final milking at 8:30am. At that point, the Foster’s had already been up and milking since 4:30am. My kids knew right then and there not to complain about being tired! …

Read More

The post Summer Bucket List Update: Visit a Dairy Farm appeared first on Dine and Dish.

So, I may be letting this whole “assign the kids to make breakfast” thing go to my head some. I mean, it is really nice to have the tables turned for once. Instead of the constant berating from my kids about where their breakfast is, I get to be the one harping on them.

Kelly is taking on our summer breakfast project like a champ, even when we are all bugging her to get moving and get some food on the table. She’s definitely got the morning person gene I lack. And she manages to be nice without coffee! She’s pretty much a saint….

Read More

The post Yo! What’s for Breakfast? {Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Milk} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

When we first discovered Ella was struggling in school, one of her teachers suggested giving her a healthy, protein packed start to her day. We had heard that foods such as milk, cheese, yogurt and other protein packed breakfast items, versus a carb laden breakfast, could help kids remain focused and stay fueled until lunchtime. I didn’t really give much thought as to how breakfast nutrition played a part in learning at school with my other kids, but that was before we had a child who wasn’t achieving as well as she could in school. If there was something as simple as changing her breakfast routine that could jumpstart her day and keep her rearing to go until lunch time, you can bet I was going to try it. …

Read More

The post A Healthy Start {Recipe: Cheesy Slaw Quiche} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I’m their target for commercials because it takes very, very little for me to get an idea stuck in my head and then I need that idea to come to fruition right that very minute. I’m the perfect case study for the power of suggestion.

My husband knows better than to even mention possibly picking up Chipotle for dinner because I can’t hear that word without needing to run there right then for my favorite burrito bowl. (See…guess what I’m going to have to have for lunch today, now?)

So it’s no surprise that when a few food blogger friends and I were chatting the other day and the topic of fried cheese curds came up, I had to investigate right away. Little, bite size cheese curds, lightly breaded, then fried to perfection? What’s not to love?…

Read More

The post Power of Suggestion {Recipe: Fried Cheese Curds} appeared first on Dine and Dish.