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.

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 18^th 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.

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!

Variable rate planting is just part of the plan that the Jencks developed with the help of Latham Regional Sales Manager Nick Benson and Seed-2-Soil Team Lead Peter Bixel.

“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 12^th grades.

Summer is definitely a time of potlucks and family gatherings.  What’s your favorite go-to dish?

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 1^st 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:

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice and add the rock salt.  Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla and sugar into the small bag and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside of the large one and seal again carefully.
4. Shake or squeeze until mixture is ice cream, about 5 minutes. The trick is to keep the mixture moving so it becomes ice cream.
5. 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;
• Strawberry Sherbet Punch – thanks to Mary Schumacher for sharing her family tradition; and
• Ribbon sandwiches – thanks to my own mother for this one; plus
• 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.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Photo from Fabulessly Frugal

Ingredients:

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 c. thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate
• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 or more drops red food coloring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line muffin pan with liners. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. 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.
4. Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full).
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
6. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.
8. 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:

1. 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.
2. Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy and uniformly pink.
3. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.