Nourishing Generations of Hoosiers

Big Sissy's take on Ag Day...

Big Sissy entered an essay contest earlier this year with the theme of Our Food, Our Farmers:  Nourishing Generations of Hoosiers (and a 200 word maximum).  Although she didn't win, we were quite proud of her entry and I thought it would be perfect to share as we celebrate Ag Day 2013.  We are proud to be farmers and to raise food for our own family as well as all of yours and it looks like Big Sissy shares in that love.  

Our food and our farmers… As a fifth generation farmer, I am proud to be able to come from a family that has been able to nourish Hoosiers for generations.

Farmers have been nourishing Hoosiers for years. If it weren’t for all the farmers, we would have a very limited amount of food in our world today. Since before Indiana became a state, Hoosier farmers have provided food for people everywhere.

Animals are a big part of our state. Our state, Indiana, is ranked 5th in pig production. We wouldn’t have near that many pigs today if farmers weren’t growing all the crops for their feed or taking care of the pigs to the best of their ability.

Farmers also play a big role in our environment, and they take care of it well. Farmers everywhere do a lot for our earth and soil. On our family farm, we have cover crops planted in one of our fields. The reasoning behind this is that the plants will put nutrients back into the soil.

These are just a few examples of how farmers have been nourishing Hoosiers for generations.

And with these future faces of agriculture, we hope our family will be able to continue to do it for many more generations to come...

Italian Beef in a Bucket

Or a crock pot or slow cooker.

Although I'm a pig farmer and love me some pork, Italian Beef will always have a soft spot in my heart.  That being said, I had never made it before in my life.  That is until Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking Year 'Round arrived with the Italian Beef in a Bucket recipe.  I knew I had to make it. 

Italian Beef in a Bucket

3 1/2 - 4lb. beef rump roast

12 oz. jar Italian giardiniera mix, mild or hot, drained

12 oz. jar pepperoncini

.7 oz. pkg. zesty Italian salad dressing mix

10 -1/2 oz. can beef broth

12-18 crusty Italian rolls

Place beef roast in a large slow cooker.

In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients except rolls; do not drain pepperoncini. (I mixed together the broth and dry salad dressing mix first.)

Pour mixture over roast.

Cover and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours, until meat is very tender.

Shred with 2 forks; stir into mixture in slow cooker.

Serve on rolls; top with some of the giardiniera mixture from the slow cooker.

Makes 12-18 servings.

This Italian Beef was absolutely delicious and so juicy and even made for yummy leftovers.  

It was the perfect meal to come home to after spending the day at Big Sissy's first volleyball tournament.

Now don't forget to enter for your chance to win a copy of this amazing cookbook and hurry as time is running out.

Pleasing Pizza Dip

Pizza is a pretty popular option around the pigpen these days with a 10, 7, and 3 year old that are always on the go.  So when I found the recipe for Pleasing Pizza Dip in Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking Year 'Round, I knew we had to try it and we were not disappointed.  In fact this dip offers one easy way to incorporate that pizza flavor into your party with the ease of a dip. (I must admit I'm not a huge fan of crock pot recipes that require prep work, buy my Pampered Chef micro cooker made the prep work a breeze.)

Pleasing Pizza Dip

Combine all ingredients except tortilla chips in a slow cooker.  

Cover and cook on low setting for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until dip is smooth and warmed through.

Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Enjoy and be sure to enter my giveaway to win your very own copy of Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking Year 'Round cookbook.  Good luck!


Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

Loaded Potato Soup

Let me just say this isn't just any loaded potato soup... It is super easy, delicious, and Big Sissy even asked for seconds.  So needless to say this recipe will become a year 'round regular at the pigpen even if it does appear in the Simply Speedy Springtime section of Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking Year 'Round cookbook.

Loaded Potato Soup

32 oz. pkg frozen hashbrowns with onions and peppers, thawed
(I could only find a 28 oz. bag but it worked just fine)
8 oz. pkg cream cheese, diced
(any type would work:  regular, reduced fat, fat free)
10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
10-3/4 oz. can cream of celery soup
10-3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:  shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, crumbled bacon, crackers, etc...

Place hashbrowns in slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients except garnish.  Stir.

Cover and cook on high setting for 4 hours.

Garnish individual servings as desired and serve with crackers.

Serves 6-8 or at this pigpen it served 5 with a couple people getting seconds and no leftovers.

I hope you all enjoy this soup as much as our family did and have entered for my giveaway to win your very own copy of Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking Year 'Round cookbook.  Good luck!


Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

Slow Cooking Year 'Round Giveaway

There has been some major excitement around the pigpen this last week as we have we have been trying all kinds of new recipes from one of Gooseberry Patch's newest cookbooks, Slow Cooking Year "Round.

From main course options like Beef Stroganoff and Italian Beef in a Bucket that hit the spot after a long day of work, school, and the kids' extracurricular activities (recipes coming soon),

to scrumptious soups like Loaded Potato Soup that was perfect on a cold winter night,

to yummy sides like Creamy Mac & Cheese (recipe coming soon), 

and delicious dips like Hot Crab Rangoon Dip (recipe coming soon) and Pleasing Pizza Dip that just might be perfect for that upcoming football game 

and we have not been disappointed and still have several more recipes marked to try.  This just may be my absolute favorite Gooseberry Patch cookbook which is why I'm so excited that Gooseberry Patch not only sent me one cookbook to review, but one to giveaway to one of my lucky readers.

So good luck and if the widget does not appear, please click on the rafflecopter link to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

Making memories on the farm

I still remember when my very first litter of 4-H rabbits were born my first year of 4-H more years ago than I'd like to admit.  It is a memory that will stick with me forever.  It didn't go exactly according to plan, but now that I've been through the process of labor and delivery three times I know it often doesn't go according to plan.   That being said, being able to be around and care for newborn animals is an amazing experience and one that I'm glad The Farmer and I can share with our children.  

This past weekend The Farmer, Little Sissy, and myself were out of town for a meeting which meant Big Sissy and Bubby were in charge of our newly born litters of 4-H pigs and one due while we were gone with the help of my father-in-law. Big Sissy and Bubby were so excited.  

Big Sissy took notes on her new iPod Touch from Santa so she knew how to feed the sows and their litters.  

She then not only kept us updated on every happening in the barn including a new litter complete with 12 new pigs, but she kept her best friend, who lives in a subdivision, up to date as well complete with the pictures in this post.

I love that our kids love the farm and their pigs so much and cherish all the memories they are making.  

Life lessons learned from Leontien

The power of one...

It is not every day that someone like Leontien enters one's life; however, I'm sure the impact she had on many of our lives will never be forgotten and her legacy will live on through everyone that knew her.

Before I met Leontien a few years ago, her reputation preceded her.  I had heard stories of her passion, zest for life, and determination to chase, meet, and exceed her goals and dreams and I was not disappointed once I met her.  There was just something about her that made you want to smile and fight harder for your own convictions.  She knew what she wanted and was willing to make it happen until that nasty C word entered her life not once, but twice, but even then she remained true to herself.  I never will forget the last time I visited with Leontien with my dear friend Cris from GOODEness Gracious.  Leontien would not sit down to visit with us until she made sure she had offered us something to drink and eat and also made sure we took home plenty of yummy chocolates to our loved ones.  She had a heart of gold.

In the spirit of her heart of gold and in honor of her 34th birthday today, many of her friends are doing a random act of kindness.

Now if I was truly being random, I wouldn't have put any thought into this, but since Leontien will always remind of the importance of hard work and planning, I wanted to make sure there was meaning behind my act of kindness.

Leontien came into my life as we shared a joint passion for agriculture.  Her love for her cows and her dairy could not be missed.  So tomorrow morning after I drop Big Sissy and Bubby off at school, Little Sissy and I will be delivering 34 gallons of milk to our local food pantry in memory of Leontien.

Miss you!