WW: Anticipation

Feeding time at the calf barn is always loud.  As soon as they see a human coming their way in the morning hours or in the afternoon, they anticipate the food they're about to receive and the mooing ensues.

This little girl grabbed a hold of the snap in her attempt at being patient, but dropped it as soon as the alfalfa was placed in the feeding trough.

And then there is peace and quiet.  All content as they munch.....kind of like at my house.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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California Cows for Super Bowl

Well it seems as though our California cows are joining the ranks of 30 second Super Bowl commercial participants.  We all know the best part of the Super Bowl are the commercials....at least in my house.

The California Milk Advisory Board just emailed the latest commercial set to air during the Super Bowl....titled "Birthday Party".....look for it and tell me what you think!

But for now, here are a couple commercials I really like....

Middle School...........

And some fashion sense advice for Moms.........

What's your favorite Super Bowl commercial of all time?....there's so many to choose from!

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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"BOTW" Crispy Baked Chicken Wings for Superbowl

I like my wings and I like 'em spicey.  You can't have a Superbowl party without wings, but who wants to take the time to fry them up?  Not me.  So, for my "Best of the Web" this week I found Bon Appetit's Crispy Baked Chicken Wings.....easy!

Photo and recipe courtesy Bon Appetit Test Kitchen

Ingredients


Buffalo Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce

Ginger-Soy Glaze
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 2x1" piece of ginger, peeled, sliced

Wings
5 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, drumettes and flats separated
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Buffalo Sauce

Mix first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in hot sauce; keep warm. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool completely; cover and chill. Rewarm before using.

Ginger-Soy Glaze

Bring all ingredients and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve honey. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/4 cup, 7–8 minutes. Strain into a medium bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes to thicken slightly. DO AHEAD: Can be made 5 days ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm before using.

Wings

Preheat oven to 400°. Set a wire rack inside each of 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Place all ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat. Divide wings between prepared racks and spread out in a single layer.

Bake wings until cooked through and skin is crispy, 45–50 minutes.

Line another rimmed baking sheet with foil; top with a wire rack. Add half of wings to ginger-soy glaze and toss to evenly coat. Place wings in a single layer on prepared rack and bake until glaze is glossy and lightly caramelized, 8–10 minutes.

Toss remaining half of wings in Buffalo sauce. Serve immediately (no need to bake).

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/02/crispy-baked-chicken-wings#ixzz1kaIY5oqu

ENJOY!

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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Sweets for your Honey ~ Almond Bark in the Raw

It's that time again...time to begin filtering chocolate back into my system.  Gosh, it's only been a month since the holidays but for some reason I'm craving some chocolate again....must be the very thought of Valentine's Day, I suppose.

A while back, my friend Brent, an almond farmer, {pronounced "Amond" acorrding to him and all almond farmers, apparently} who has a family almond farm in Ripon, CA, 4th Generation Farms , gave me a bag of their raw almonds.  Almonds in the raw are my absolute favorite....I could eat handfuls of them, and they're so good for you too!

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TT w/Linky: I Spy With My Little Eye

One of the things I just love about this time of year, are the many hawks that seem to be out in full force right now.  I don't know whether hawks are more active in winter or not but on my ride to school every morning, they're lined up on the power lines, searching for their next catch or just keeping themselves warm.

In the past eight years that I've lived here, on the ranch, one day last week was the first time a Red Tail Hawk has come so close to the house, that I've noticed.  I was sitting in the office and glanced out to discover this guy staring at me through the office window.

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Tremocos ~ Lupini Beans

Growing up as first generation American in a Portuguese family, my parents made sure my sisters and I stayed close to our Portuguese heritage growing up.  My childhood summers are filled with memories of driving to different cities in northern California to attend Portuguese Holy Ghost 'Festas'.

Food was always a big part of any festa.  One of the things I remember and loved to eat as a child were these hard, salty beans called Tremocos, in Portuguese.  They were sold in a ziplock bag with salty water to keep them moist.

In Portugal, on the Azores Islands, where my Dad is from, they serve Tremocos as bar snacks and now as an adult I know why....they go perfect with red wine or beer.

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Flat Stanley ~ BooHoo Niners...

I PROMISE, this is the last football post for at least nine months.  We braved the rain, wind and cold to be at Candlestick Park yesterday to root on our team, the Niners.  We barely made it in time for the pre-game festivities, but we managed to have a few refreshments before the game began.

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"BOTW" Cajun Jambalaya ~ Football Food

We have two weekends of football season left, which means playoff and Superbowl parties are coming up!  Want an easy recipe that makes enough to feed a crowd?  My 'Best of the Web' for the week is by Emeril Lagasse...Cajun Jambalaya.  Make it ahead of time....perfect for a party.....YUM!

 

Photo courtesy Food Network

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TT w/Linky: Daisy The New Year's Calf

It's been decided.  Not by me, but by the kids.....they liked the name Daisy.  Plus, every dairy farm should have a cow named Daisy, right?!

After giving the kids the LONG list of choices you submitted, it came down to Daisy.  Now, Daisy was submitted a couple of times and we can only have one winner, so we're going with the first submission which belonged to, Lauren.  Lauren, please email me with your mailing address so I can send you out some Godiva Coffee to go with your milk!  email at:  TheWifeOfADairyman {at} gmail {dot} com

This 'Thankful Thursday' I'm thankful for our New Year's calf, Daisy, was born on January 11th and is now eight days old.  She's healthy and is doing well....I'll keep you updated!

Thank you to everyone who submitted names, it was a very difficult decision to make!

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.

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Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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WW: Cotton Seed In My Pocket

Wordless Wednesday.

We don't have snow where we live, but we do have cotton seed.....which is almost as fun for play dates...

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Tailgating San Francisco Style

I had the most amazing, exciting day on Saturday. The 49ers, whom I LOVE, were playing the Saints in a playoff game at Candlestick Park. What's a girl to do but get busy making a sign and then head down to Candlestick to meet friends for some tailgating action.

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The Winner Of Planet Beach Is....

Congratulations to lucky #7, Corina Kelley!!  You have won a one month free pass to Planet Beach Novato!
Please email your mailing address Corina and I'll get it right out to you...or I can drop it off!

TheWifeOfADairyman {at} gmail {dot} com

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Wrangler Giveaway!

If you're a fan of Wrangler jeans or would like to try them out, we, The Real Farmwives of America, have a Wrangler jean giveaway for you!

I love wearing my Wranglers, they're durable and can withstand all that I put them through while I'm bouncing around the ranch.

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Tailgating Party Dip ~ Western Hemisphere Salad/Dip

Tomorrow's a BIG day around northern California.  I'm a huge 49er fan and Saturday afternoon they will be playing the Saints in a playoff game in San Francisco.  I'll be there, at Candlestick, tailgating with friends by mid-morning on Saturday. 

Other than beer and wine, I wanted to bring something that would hold up well at room temperature.  Going through my recipe file, I came across this Western Hemisphere Salad that I haven't made in ages.  Great as a salad or makes a super fantastic tortilla chip dip as well.

This salad/dip is so named because all the ingredients are native to the western hemisphere and were unknown to the Old World prior to 1492.  It's very nutritious, tasty, low in fat, high in fiber, vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium and protein. 

It's Super easy to make and a hit at any party.  You can also make it ahead of time to let the flavors 'marry' together....BUT, the only problem with making it ahead of time, as I JUST found out, is that I began snacking on it WAY before party day.  So if you do make it ahead, make a lil' bit extra :)

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Help Name Our New Year's Baby

It finally happened!  On January 11th our New Year's baby arrived.

I would LOVE your help in naming  her!  Isn't she adorable?!

In this photo, it almost looks as though she's smiling....

So, what do you think?  Any name jump out at you?

Get your family involved and I'll send the creator of the name we choose some Godiva coffee to go with your milk! 

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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TT with/Linky: Winery Playdate

We've been having some spring-like weather here in northern California for almost the entire month of December and January so far.  Close to 70 degrees on many days and even though we desperately need the rain, we are taking advantage and enjoying the nice weather.

On this day, the kids and I drove up to our cousin's winery for an afternoon playdate. 

Nothing like strolling through the vineyard on a 70+ degree day in January.

The kids got to run out some of their energy.

And work up an appetite for some frozen yogurt.

Okay, I know what you're thinking....and the answer is no, I didn't do any wine tasting on the playdate.  But at Foppiano's they do have a tasting room and on the back side of the building they have a beautiful patio set up with picnic tables to enjoy the vineyard view while sipping on some wine. So if you're ever in the Healdsburg area, check them out! 

Maybe I'll go back for a grown-up playdate some time soon.

On this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for the beautiful weather, the cousins that live close by and for frozen yogurt in January.

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.

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Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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Mama Got Some New Boots~Tony Lama Style

If you've been following this blog for a while, you then know my LOVE for boots.  All types, I don't discriminate. You also know that boots are SO 'in' this season as well.  So imagine how excited I was when Country Outfitter contacted me to ask if I would review a pair of boots!

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California Women for Agriculture Convention

I spent this past weekend in the Central Valley of California attending the California Women for Agriculture State Convention.  It was my first time attending this meeting and I'm so glad I did.  Many of the women involved with CWA, I've gotten to know through social media, but have never met in real life, attending CWA was a great opportunity to finally make this happen.  It's great to have online connections but it's even better when you can make a face to face connection.

During the meeting, there was a fabulous line-up of speakers, some of them included:

Assemblyman David Valadao, who spoke about the importance of sharing the agriculture story with the public.

My good friend, Katie, author of the Pinke Post, got the room fired up by sharing her wealth of information about social media, community, agriculture, family and how to tie it all in together in the form of a blog.  I learn something valuable from Katie every time I hang out with her.
   















Another friend and fellow Dairy Farmer, Barbara Martin, aka The Dairry Goddess, spoke about her dairy farming and family history and how she found her passion for cheese making.

During the meeting, the reins were handed from the 2009-2011 CWA President, Celeste Settrini {on right}  to the now current CWA President, Karrie Hammerstrom.

After the meeting, later in the evening, the dinner/dance/party was held at the Kingsburg Gun Club.

Where around 140 attendees enjoyed making great connections, conversation,

eating fabulous food.

Aftrer dinner, we moved on to an entire table of mini desserts.....I had the most difficult time choosing....so I had three!

I also had the pleasure of celebrating the birthday of my North Dakotan soul sister, Katie, on this same evening.....

One thing I hadn't known prior to the dinner/dance on this evening, about Katie, is that she makes a great swing dance partner....she leads and everything!  We danced....a LOT to this great Rockabilly band named Motel Drive.

And called it a night at around 10:30.

By attending the conference, I found California Women for Agriculture to be such a welcoming, strong minded, intelligent group and am now happy to be a part of it all!

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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'BOTW' Easy Savory Meatloaf

Meatloaf says comfort food in my mind and this easy Campbell's version is the spotlight for this week's 'Best of the Web' series.  It takes a quick 15 minutes to prepare with a 70-90 minute cook time.  Serve it with some steamed vegetables and some mashed sweet potatoes for a meal your entire family will enjoy.

Photo and Recipe courtesy of Campbell's Kitchen

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Bear Valley Visitor Center in Pt. Reyes

My kids are still on Christmas vacation, so this being their second week of being at home, every day some sort of activity needs to take place.  We've also been experiencing unusually warm weather; 65-70 degrees so we took advantage of the warm, sunny weather and met some friends at the Bear Valley Visitor Center in Pt. Reyes.

There are plenty of hiking and horseback trails that lead out from the Bear Valley Visitor Center.  Some as short as a 10 minute hike and some that you can hike the four or so miles out to the beach.  We chose a couple of the short ones.

The Earthquake Trail is really interesting as it sits right on the San Andreas Fault line and takes you through the effects of the 1906 earthquake.  This hike is definitely kid-friendly.

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TT w/Linky: 10 Pound Cow Dog

This week for 'Thankful Thursday' I am absolutely grateful for my little 10 pound cow dog, Chloe.

Okay, so she's a fluffy Maltese/Shi Tzu, but when you've been raised on a dairy farm from the young age of eight weeks, the 'cow dog' attitude just becomes who you are. 

Chloe doesn't know any different.  And I'm totally fine that my little fluffy 'lap dog' thinks she's a cow dog, especially in this instance ~

Just a couple of mornings ago as I'm carting a load of laundry to the laundry room I glance out the back window, only to see a herd of heifers in the back yard.  When cows are in the yard, everything is dropped immediately.  All I could think of was, how long have they been out there and are there now potholes the size of Texas in my lawn.

Chloe and I venture out to see if we could corral these girls on our own.  To the side of the house, near the pasture gate, who is the first bovine I see?  Our new resident bull, Napoleon....small but tuff {and scary to me}.

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Planet Beach ~ Novato Area Giveaway!

With the beginning of new year, many times the emphasis is on how one can make their lives better in some way.  Whether it be joining a gym, beginning an exercise program, take care of your body better and/or looking and feeling better.

I have a special treat to share with Novato area residents {I'm sorry out-of-towners!}.  A one month FREE unlimited membership to the Novato Planet Beach Contempo Spa ~ a $199 value!  I am a member and have been given this one month free pass to give to one of my friends and I have chosen to do a giveaway here, on the blog, just for you. 

Planet Beach Contempo Spa is a relaxing spa environment where you can enjoy the benefits of Lumiere Light Therapie, a skincare regime for facial rejuvenation, and/or one of my personal favorites, the Hydro-Derma Fusion which combines infrared heat and dense steam working together to deeply moisturize your skin, improve tone and texture, increase collagen and skin elasticity.....this is great on a cold day!

Maybe massage is more your thing.  You can enjoy a Aqua Massage or Hydro Massage as many times a week as you care to.  Or relax in the Saunatox!  Planet Beach also has Mystic spray tanning {for an extra cost} and regular UV tanning services as well.

Okay, all you need to do is leave a comment in the comment section below and I will select a winner using Random.org on 16th of January and post the winner in a post that day {make sure you check back}. 

So if you live in or don't mind driving to Novato, good luck to you and I hope you'll enjoy Planet Beach as much as I do, you deserve a treat, Happy 2012! 


Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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Regifting ~ Faux Pas or Not?

It's over.  The holiday season has officially ended.  Are you happy?  Do you have a surplus of gifts that you've acquired over the holidays that you can't use or don't want?

Regifting.  Is it okay to do or not??

photo courtesy google image

Here's what Emily Post has to say on the matter:

Gifts should only be 'recycled' or 'regifted' occasionally.  And ONLY if you're almost positive the recipient would appreciate the gift. 

• You never want to hurt any one's feelings. 
• The gift should be brand new and its original packaging.
• The gift isn't one that the original giver took lots of time selecting for you.
• And if in doubt, don't do it.

I don't regift my gifts but if I do receive a gift that I don't have a need for or don't like, I donate it.

So what are your thoughts on re-gifting?  Do you do it?

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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