Funky Monkey Bread

I have taken the standard Monkey Bread and added my own flair. I think it turned out great. I know all the guys really enjoyed it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tub of Honey Nut cream cheese
• 2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.

Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a dollop (2 tsp) cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan.

I used walnuts in this version, but pecans make it much richer

 Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts.

Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts.

 Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Farm Theme Baby Shower

I hosted, along with another gal a Farm Themed Baby Shower. This was for a good friend of mine from college. Anna, is a country girl and so a farm theme was a given. Anna and her husband decided not to find out the sex of the baby so they decorated the nursery in primary colors. I really enjoyed hosting this shower, and  think it turned out pretty well.

Guest Book

Gift Table

The Food Table

Food:

Pretzels=Straw

Green Grapes=Cactus Buds

Corn Nuts=Chicken Feed

Animal Crackers=FARM animal crackers

Relish Tray=Veggie Patch

Water=Watering Hole

Combos=Hay Bales

We had Cowtail candy & jolly ranchers too

For the centerpieces. I took a mason jar wrapped a bandanna around it and tied it with a stripe of denim. My good friend Abby cut wildflowers on her way to the shower for me!

Farm Tours

Last spring our local Kansas Agri-Women chapter- The Flint Hills Chapter toured one of our member's farms. The Scotts have a diversified farm, sheep, cattle, and crops. Most of the sheep are sold to 4Hers for their fair project.

There are About 900 different breeds of sheep

Terminology: EWE----Female sheep of any age.

Couldn't resist taking this picture. There is one in every crowd!


Fun Fact: President Woodrow Wilson grazed sheep on the White House South Lawn. The wool obtained from the sheep was sold to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I. The flock included "Old Ike," a tobacco-chewing ram.



They also had a calf that we called Shrek because she had some frost bite damage to her ears and tail.
It didn't slow her down a bit.  In fact she had a little bit of an attitude.

After the tour we went to the house for a potluck and meeting. 

Our next tour will be at the Prairie School Farms on Oct 1.

Cowtown Days!

Last weekend I ventured west to Ellsworth again for Cowtown Days and the El-Kan Rodeo. It was a great weekend, meeting new people, catching up with others, and enjoying the western lifestyle.

Friday night I went to the rodeo, it started storming and then had a down pour. The show went on but I started to fade. All the pictures of the rodeo I took didn't turn out...A would be glad, I don't think he wanted to think about how his ride went. Justin one of S's friends ended up getting a 75 and winning  Saddle Bronc.

Saturday was the parade and an amazing one at that. They throw out some of the best things. We joked that we got, food, jewelry, and purses. Ok, the real story is tootsie rolls, Mardi Gras beads, and reusable grocery totes. However, I've never been to parade that gave out so many other things besides candy.

Then we went to the reinactment of the shooting of Sherriff Whitney. A and his brother were gamblers in the saloon for the "play" and carried off Whitney after he was shot.

It was an interesting story so also an educational weekend. More can be found about the event here.

The afternoon had vendors, food, mechanical bulls, games, kids rides, and much more. I thought one of the funnest things for the kiddos was the large pile of sand where the bank barries quarters. This kept the kids entertained for hours,not sure the parents loved the mess though.

That night was the final rodeo performance.

A & John as the official scorekeepers and judges of the Muttin Bustin.

Much better than the night before with the storms. There were some great rides and runs. Although, one of A's friends that I know got bucked off. He was knocked out, they called the paramedics into the areana, he didn't move for about 5min. One of the scarier moments I've had lately.  Clint ended up being "ok."  The guys said he was a little out of it for the rest of the night. Because of that A ended up running the chutes, which made him have a few close calls too.

It was a fun weekend. I took tons of pictures over the weekend most of them had A's niece and nephews in them. Not sure if the fam wants them out there for the world to see, but I HAVE to share my favorite with you!

Dressed like Uncle A, oh his parents will have their hands full!

Agriculture

I know of no pursuit in which more real and important services can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture, its breed of useful animals, and other branches of a husbandman’s cares.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter, Jul. 20, 1794

Making Butter-How to

A neighbor of ours has a few dairy cows that he milks.He  sells the milk and cream to a few people that prefer the non-processed and natural milk. The other day he brought us fresh cream. I've made butter with my grandma before, but this time I wanted to take pictures not only so I have it for years to come but also to share with those of you who may not know how the pioneers made butter.

First we poured the cream into a handheld mixer

 We churned this for 15 min and then checked to see the progress.

NOTHING! Grandma said that the butterfat content of this milk was low and it could take hours. We decided for our sanity sake to use modern technology. The hand-held mixer.

Checked the process after 15 min

Peaks have started to form. This was a toward the end of the whipped cream stage. My grandparents said it was sometimes hard for them when they were kids to make sure they didn't turn their whipped cream into butter.

Getting closer...........

 I found the Magic Bullet to work the fastest, about 5 min to take if from cream to butter.

Pour off the liquid and then run cold water over the butter

Keep working it with a butter paddle (this one was not my gma's fav, but it worked)

After working for a couple minutes pour off the milky water and add fresh. You will keep doing this step until the water is clear.

Then you will add salt, the amount will depend upon how much butter you have. Work the salt into the butter thoroughly.

Toward the end, my gma added ice cubes to the water. This makes the butter set up better.

When the water is clear pour it off and continue working until there is NO water coming from the butter. The next steps show water in the bowl. We just took these pictures to show you the steps. It started getting a little old and tiring.

We used an old butter mold to make personal butter pats.

I'm not sure how the pioneers and the ladies in the early 1900s did this all the time. They did make huge batches to last a while. It was fun, and I'm glad I refreshed my memory on how to make butter. Its something I will pass on to my children (when that day comes)

American Agri-Women

I'm going to get on my soapbox. I want to tell you all about a great organization that I am involved in and think that any women, even if they were not raised with an agriculture background should join. This organization is made up of a variety of women from all 50 states that have a passion for agriculture. Some of them were born and raised in agriculture, while others have married into it. Still, others have no real connection besides the fact they appreciate and value the important role American agriculture plays in our daily lives.

Kansas is hosting the AAW national convention this November in Wichita. It is going to be an amazing convention. We have great speakers, workshops, tours, and networking events planned. I would encourage each of you to go to their website http://americanagriwomen.org/

Check under the affiliates link and see if there is a chapter in your state. Why not start one if you don't have one nearby?!!?

I'm making this my personal mission until November to recruit at least one member via my blog. So, if you join let me know. If you make it to convention--PLEASE connect with me there.

I will stop for now, but more to come shortly.