Taking a Break for the Summer

I want to thank you, my dedicated followers and frequent readers, for your presence and time to read my blog.

I had come to the conclusion a while back that my blog isn't what a lot of people are interested in following. There are a LOT, and a LOT MORE, food blogs and I'm not "in the game" here. I didn't want to close this blog if there was a chance so I've given it a few more months.

I also am having a major time crunch and just not getting things done that I need to do. I have gotten much busier here with the farm, taking care of hubby, and trying to do the charity work I so want to do.

I've come to conclusion that I may as well close OR just take the Summer off from this blog. Now really is the time... So I'm going to give it some more time and work on either a new strategy here or come back in the Fall and say good bye.

So, THANK YOU for stopping in here from the bottom of my heart and I wish you many blessings! I'd love to see you all enjoy your Summer too and maybe come back and see what is what in the Fall. Peace be with you!

Wisconsin Fun Facts

Wisconsin Leads the Nation In:
* Number of Dairy Farms: 18,000
* Number of Cheese Plants: 126
* Total U.S. Cheese Production: 2 Billion Pounds
* Wisconsin is the first in the production of many popular cheese varieties.

Percent of Total U.S. Production:
* 80% - Cold Pack & Cheese Food
* 67% - Muenster
* 43% - Brick
* 26% - Cheddar
* 25% - Mozzarella

Wisconsin dairy farms produce more than 23 billion pounds of milk every year. That's about 14% of the country's total milk supply.

Wisconsin is the # 1 cheese-producing state, making 26% of the country's cheese.

Wisconsin cheesemakers use about 90% of Wisconsin's milk supply to make more than 2 billion pounds of cheese every year.

Wisconsin has 1,290 licensed cheesemakers--more than any other state.

Wisconsin has the country's most stringent state standards for cheesemaking and overall dairy product quality.

Wisconsin ranks first among all states in the production of Cheddar, American, Mozzarella, Brick, Muenster and Limburger cheeses.

Wisconsin is home to more than 126 cheese plants--more than any other state in the country--that produce more than 350 varieties, types and styles of Wisconsin cheese--nearly double that of any other state.

There are six major breeds of cattle in Wisconsin and the United States:
* Ayrshire
* Brown Swiss
* Guernsey
* Holstein
* Jersey
* Milking Shorthorn

In an average day, a dairy cow will:
* Eat about 90 pounds of feed
* Drink a bathtub full of water
* Produce 5 to 6 gallons of milk a day, which is about 80 8-ounce glasses of milk!

The average dairy cow weighs about 1.400 pounds.
* Cows have four stomach compartments.
* Cows spend an average of six hours each day eating, and an additional eight hours ruminating or chewing their cud.
* Most cows chew at least 50 times per minute.

* If people ate like cows, they would have to eat about 360 cheeseburgers and drink 400 to 800 glasses of water each day!
* To get the same amount of calcium provided by a quart of milk you would have to eat three and a half pounds of peas, 27 oranges, 50 tomatoes or 50 slices of whole wheat bread.

* Dairy farmers milk their cows at least twice a day, every day.
* There are approximately 340 to 350 squirts in a gallon of milk. Thank goodness milking machines were invented in 1865!

Remember the tale of Little Miss Muffet?
* Her curds and whey were an early version of cottage cheese.

The average American eats more than 27 pounds of cheese each year, 30% more than 10 years ago,and will consume about a ton of cheese during a lifetime!

It takes:
* 10 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of cheese.
* 12 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of ice cream.
* 21.2 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of butter.

* One quart of milk weighs 2.15 pounds
* One gallon of milk weighs 8.6 pounds
* 46.5 quarts of milk equals 100 pounds

It's neat to have a divider that fits the topic!

This info came to me thru a group. I find it interesting, but I do believe there is some old info here. I don't think the AVERAGE cow only produces 5-6 gallons a day. Some breeds do, but then there is the Holstein who is a major milker and many milk double that. So, please don't take the info as verbatim and fact. If you need to, please do research further and see what the real facts are. I'm posting this as a starting point. If you do research this, please do make a comment giving the info you found and if you have the source, that would be great too!

I would also LOVE LOVE LOVE to find this info for EACH state here in the US. I would find that very interesting too.

I also didn't edit out the info that wasn't exactly food related. I feel it's important that we all learn more about our food, how it's created, from where, etc. I think an informed person can make better decisions about their food. We don't all have farms or ranches either so people don't learn some of the important food info that was learned in the past. So I hope you enjoy it and aren't disgusted by some animal info along with our food info. After all, milk does come from a cow, goat, sheep, etc.

Calzone vs Stromboli

Did you know, according to Mario Batalli, that a calzone is traditionally made with cheese and ham? And, if you add a sauce it becomes a stromboli?

I didn't! I called them all calzones if they were made with bread or pizza dough.

I do like them and should make them more often. They are a very easy way to eat a "pizza" contained so it's not so messy if it has lots of goodies, and especially in the hot stage.

Here's one I've made in the past. It was whole wheat bread flour and the green is fresh parsley. It has fresh tomato instead of store-bought sauce, my own goat milk cheese, etc. It was DELICIOUS and easy to make. A bread machine makes mixing up the dough and the first kneading soooo easy!

I learned the difference on The Chew tv show on ABC. I love the show and always enjoy it most when Mario is on.

How to Boil Water!

REALLY! I found this on the inter net while searching for fun things to share with you! I never expected to find directions for boiling water on the net! Did you?

So here is your cooking lesson!

Boiled Water Recipe

Source: Serious Eats

Boiled Water Recipe
Posted by Adam Kuban, July 28, 2010 at 11:17 AM
CJ McD asked where my recipe for boiled water went. LOL. That was from the test phase of the new SE Recipes functionality. Anyway, here it is ...
Boiling water is essential to many recipes. If you have never cooked before, don't worry. It is not as difficult as it may appear. This recipe will guide you through the process, even if you have never set foot in a kitchen.
Special equipment: 12-quart stockpot

Serves 48
Cooking time 5 minutes
Total time varies

Ingredients:
Water

Procedures
Open your cupboard or wherever it is you store your cookware.
Locate a 12-quart stockpot. If you do not have a 12-quart stockpot, you may use whatever size pot you have; in that event, keep in mind that serving size here is 1 cup and there are 4 cups in a quart. Do the math.
Place your pot in the sink under the tap. If you have never used a sink before, it is the large depression in your counter top. (If you live with someone else, they may have filled it with dirty dishes; in this case, wash them or simply remove them from the sink and place them in the oven— someone else will eventually discover them there and wash them.)
Turn the cold-water knob to the "on" position. Some people (like my dad) prefer to let the water run a little bit. This is optional but encouraged — if it's a hot day or someone has previously used the "hot" water knob, the warmer water will eventually be replaced by truly cold water.
Fill stockpot to within a couple inches of the rim.
Lift stockpot from sink and transfer to stove. (Although appearances may vary, the stove is the thing with 4 or more circular metal bands on top of it; alternately, it may be a completely flat black glass surface. If you are unsure, ask your family, roommate, or neighbor for guidance.)
Find knob on stove that corresponds to the "burner" you have placed your pot on.
In addition to words like "Right Front" or "Left Rear," there are usually little pictures near the knobs to indicate position.
Turn knob to "High" and wait until water boils. Depending on strength of your stove and amount of water, the boiling time may vary. Note: DO NOT WATCH THE POT; it will never boil in the event that you do. Boiled water may be used for any number of applications. Serve hot but do not drink.

Alternate methods
Depending on water application, you may want to salt the water. Do this after the water has come to a boil.
Placing a lid on the pot will help it boil faster, with the additional benefit of blocking water from your line of sight, which, as stated above, inhibits the boiling process.

***

Fortunately this serves a whole family plus some! There will also be adequate left overs and 2nds too! I'm not sure how well it would go over at a potluck. Plus, would need to take bowls along for serving it?

I'll leave that up to you!

Coffee Fact

Did you know that it takes five years for a coffee tree to reach maturity?

Did you know that the average yield from one tree is the equivalent of one roasted pound of coffee.

It sure surprises me that a 3# can of coffee is the amount produced by 3 coffee trees in a year!