By far, one of my favorite things about any fair is all of the delectable food that tempts one’s taste buds. One of the many delicious treats that you can try at the Latham Country Fair in Alexander, Iowa, July 30, are Cathy’s Orange Muffins. (See recipe below.)

Cathy’s baking is special to our family because she not only bakes incredible treats like these orange muffins, but she has also made cakes for our children’s birthday parties. She’s helped make many memories at our family events.

Try a taste of the Latham Country Fair at home this week with Cathy’s Orange Muffin recipe. Then plan a trip to Alexander next Friday to taste even more treats!

For details on the Latham Country Fair and to find out how your family can join in the fun, click here!

Below is information about our upcoming exhibit at the 2010 Hay Expo in Strawberry Point, Iowa. The Hay Expo got me thinking about our alfalfa products, our alfalfa products got me thinking about the dairy cows we help feed, and the dairy cows got me thinking about milkshakes. Truly, I can find almost any reason to get my mind to circle around to delicious food.

As I mentioned in last week’s recipe share, I recently picked fresh strawberries from our garden, so I decided to mix the best of both worlds this week and share a recipe for a strawberry milkshake and strawberry cheesecake parfaits. Both recipes are quick and easy so kids can easily lend a hand.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and if you’re attending the 2010 Hay Expo, please drop in for a visit! Details on the show follow.

Source: www.tastykitchen.com

Strawberry Ice Cream Milkshake

Ingredients

• • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups frozen strawberries
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar (more if desired – you can determine how sweet you would like it)
  • 2 scoops of strawberry or vanilla ice cream

Directions

• • Toss all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into cups. Enjoy!

Visit Latham Seeds at the 2010 Hay Expo

The 24^th annual Farm Progress Hay Expo is scheduled for June 16-17 in Strawberry Point, Iowa. The expo will include a 10-acre exhibit field featuring, among others, major and short-line hay and forage equipment manufacturers, seed, and building and storage facility suppliers.

If you plan to attend the Expo, we would love to meet you if you have a few minutes to stop by. Nick Benson, Latham® regional sales manager in northeast Iowa will be available to answer any questions you might have about our alfalfa products.

There will also be multiple field demonstrations throughout the day for visitors who are interested in seeing side-by-side product comparisons. Scheduled demonstrations include showcase mowing, conditioning, chopping, raking, baling and hay handling. Trams will be available to shuttle visitors to demos throughout the day.

Show organizers have also made it possible to receive updates about the show through your smart phone, simply visit  mobile.hayexpo.com and show information including weather, news updates, schedule changes, exhibitor listings and directions will be at your fingertips.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for ages 13-17. Show hours are Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visit www.hayexpo.com for directions, where to stay and the full show program.

June is National Dairy Month, so I wanted to celebrate by sharing a perfect-for-summer, family fun recipe. Before I get to the recipe, however, I want to first thank all of America’s dairy producers for everything they do to supply our families with wholesome dairy products.

Now, on to the delicious part of the post …

I’m a leader for my daughter’s Brownie Girl Scout troop, which recently completed a Dairy Delights badge by making a few dairy treats.  One of the girls’ favorites was home-made ice cream, so that’s why I wanted to share it with you. In fact, it was such a hit that my daughter mentioned it in the Mother’s Day card she made me. She wrote, “My mom is special because she helps me make ice cream.” There’s nothing quite like making childhood memories!

This week I picked strawberries from our garden and plan to make them into ice cream topping (recipe below).  Of course, that means I’ll need to make this ice cream recipe with my kids again this weekend. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Please note that you’ll want to let the strawberry topping stand for a day before it’s ready to eat.

If you have children who will be helping you make the ice cream, here are a few fun facts and activities you can share with them in celebration of June Dairy Month. May you and your family have fun “making memories” this weekend!

Fun Facts

• A cow drinks 25-50 gallons of water – or about a bathtub full – each day!
• One cow produces 90 glasses of milk each day.
• A cow has four stomachs.
• Cows can live up to 25 years.
• A cow can smell up to about 5 miles away.
• No two cows have the same pattern or spots.
• A cow can see almost 360-degree panoramic vision.

Kids Activities

• Crossword puzzle (please note the answers to the crossword puzzle are on page 2)
• More fun facts plus a video clip on making butter
• Cow dot-to-dot puzzle

While I know it’s not Soy Foods Month any more, we couldn’t pass this recipe up. It was just too delicious.

You’ll want to have a quiet hour to yourself to make these, so wait until everyone else is in bed or has left your house for the day. Not only does the peace and quiet help you focus on following the recipe, but “alone time” ensures there will be plenty for you to taste-test.  Otherwise, these delicious treats will be all gone and you will have only eaten one. (Well, plus the one or two you might eat in the process of making them!)

If you don’t have the luxury of peace and quiet when you’re making these, that’s okay. Here’s a link to coloring sheets you can download provided by the Iowa Soybean Association. http://www.iasoybeans.com/soyedmaterials/soyedmaterials.html

You can find the below cookie dough and other delicious recipes on www.tastykitchen.com.

Here is a recipe for some hot cranberry punch.  Perfect to help warm up on a cold winter day.  The recipe was submitted to us from one of our farmer customers in Hampton, Iowa. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!

I love to serve this at New Year’s Parties.  Hope you can enjoy it as much as we do! Happy New Year!

This is a recipe submitted to us from one of our Latham seed dealers in Hull, Iowa. Thank you for sharing your great recipe with us!

Do you have a great fudge recipe of your own?  Maybe another sweet Christmas treat?  Share it with us in the comment box below!