Hi, I'm Macy Fisher, the Mifflin County Dairy Princess and this week was fun. All this week the FFA chapter had been a buzz. Starting last Wednesday we had to clean up the Vo Ag shop after our open house on Tuesday. I wasn't there to clean up though. I wasn't feeling very well that morning, so I stayed home from school.
That day was also square dance practice. I have been on the square dance team since I was in sixth grade and we just started back up for the year. We have a team that is full of new members this year and they are doing rather well so far, however, we have just started. Every year there's always a song that give us problems and I'm sure that there will be one this year. Our team dances at the Pennsylvania Farm Show every year. We dance on Monday night at 7 o'clock. I heard that the Farm Show is shown on one of the channels on cable, but I'm not sure which. We have dish so I have never seen the Farm Show on TV. However, my Grandma does tape us square dancing so that Amanda and I can watch it afterwards.
The rest of the week has been dedicated to our chapter's Halloween float. Last year our float was Monopoly and it won first place. This year we went with another favorite board game ... Candy Land. It has turned out really cute. It will be in the Mount Union Halloween Parade tomorrow night.
I was going to ride in McVeytown's Halloween parade as Dairy Princess and throw chocolate milk key chains. Why would I throw those instead of candy? Well, first of all, I'm the Dairy Princess. It wouldn't look too good if I was throwing candy. Reason number two is that I want to promote chocolate milk for Halloween. Chocolate milk is the official drink of Halloween. With all of the skeletons around Halloween, the Dairy promoting world thought that this would be the perfect pair. The skeletons are promoting to drink chocolate milk so that kids will have strong bones and teeth.
However, I never could get ahold of the person in charge, so I won't be riding in the parade. Well, at least not at this point.
This week I do have a promotion though; tonight actually. I will be at Meet the Candidates Night held at Mifflin County High School. I will be meeting all the candidates, as you may guess. I also will be serving them multiple dairy snacks.
This week's recipes have cheese in them again. I know you are probably thinking, "How many cheese recipes is she going to throw at us?" Well, just a few more. This is National Cheese Month, so that's what I want to give you is cheese. I actually just learned a few days ago that an obsession with cheese is called turophilia. I'm not sure if that is spelled at all right, but I remembered it off of the Food Network and I thought it was a cool little fact. But these recipes are hearty, cheesy, veggie meals that are sure to rock your socks!
Ham and Cheese Pot Pie
1 ham steak chopped
1 cup milk shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen broccoli cuts, thawed, drained
1 cup frozen cauliflower florets, thawed, drained
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup (4-oz.) chive and onion cream cheese
1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (1/2 of 14.1-oz. package)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the first 5 ingredients. Microwave cream cheese in microwavable bowl on high for 1 minute or until completely melted, stirring every 15 seconds. Add to ham mixture; mix well. Spoon into 4 (6-oz.) ramekins. Unroll pie crust on lightly floured surface; roll to 12-inch circle. Cut into 4 circles with 5-inch round cookie cutter. Discard remaining trimmings. Beat egg and water until well blended; brush onto top edges of ramekins. Top with pie crust circles; press gently on top edges of ramekins to seal. Brush lightly with egg wash. Cut slits in crusts to vent. Bake 30 to 32 minutes or until golden brown.
Cheesy Harvest
Vegetables
2 pounds mixed fall vegetables (butternut squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips and carrots) peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups cold milk
1 package (8-oz.) cream cheese, cubed
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 Ritz crackers, crushed
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring vegetables and milk to boil in large saucepan on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Spoon into greased 2 quart casserole dish; sprinkle with crumbs. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.
