Cider Pork Chops

- Posted in Main Dish, Meat

Serves 6

6 pork loin or rib chops, about 3/4 inch thick ( about 2 lbs.)

Marinade:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves

Strain the sauce in a non-plastic strainer. Serve right away. (If you want to keep it hot before dinner, put it in a water bath.)

For additional flavor, after the sauce is finished you may add finely chopped fresh basil, fresh dill, or Dijon mustard.

Sauce:
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1 cup Talbott’s Apple Juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Trim fat from meat. Mix lemon juice, mustard and tarragon in shallow glass dish. Add pork: turn to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes minimum. Mix remaining ingredients and reserve.

Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook pork in skillet over medium heat, turning once. Cook until meat is white in the center. Remove meat from skillet: keep warm. Add reserved cider mixture to hot skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook about 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Return pork to skillet; turn to coat with sauce.

Chicken Julienne

- Posted in Main Dish, Meat

This dish is simple to make and is easy to fix. Serve with rice or over egg noodles with peas.

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, that have been cut into strips
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup LDF heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 dash paprika, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400° and lightly grease a baking dish. Place the butter and flour into separate shallow dishes. Dredge the chicken strips first in the flour, coating evenly, and then in the butter.

Place chicken in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the heavy cream over the chicken. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake in preheated oven until chicken is cooked, cheese melts, and cream bubbles, about 20-30 minutes.

From AllRecipes.com
Mooo News, March 2008

Cheeseburger Soup

- Posted in Main Dish, Meat, Soup

The kids will love this on that first chilly day of fall!

1/2 lb. hamburger
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup grated carrot
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon Parsley flakes
2 14-1/2 oz. cans chicken broth
4 cups diced potatoes ( 1 3/4 lbs.)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
8 oz. Velveeta cheese or Mild Cheddar
1 1/2 cup Longmont Dairy Milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

Brown the beef and drain. In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté the onions, carrots, celery, basil, and Parsley flakes, until tender. Add the chicken broth, potatoes, and browned hamburger and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes (until the potatoes are soft).

While that is cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet. Add the flour, stir briskly and cook until bubbly. Add the flour mixture to the soup and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the cheese, milk, salt, and pepper. Cook until the cheese melts. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream.
Serves 8. Yield 2 1/4 quarts

Thanks to Diana Pearson for this recipe.

Cheddar Cheese Soup

- Posted in Main Dish, Soup

1 cup grated sharp LDF Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
3 1/2 cups of hot LDF milk
1 whole clove garlic
2 Tbsp. white vinegar (or 3-4 tablespoons white wine)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. LDF cream

Melt the butter in a double boiler and blend in the flour. Gradually stir in the milk and garlic. Cook over simmering water for 20 minutes. Discard the garlic. Stir in the vinegar (or use white wine, if you prefer), and the Cheddar cheese. Season the soup with salt, nutmeg, and pepper.

Cook the mixture, stirring until the cheese is melted. Beat the egg yolks with the cream. Add a little soup to the mixture and mix all together in a double boiler. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring the entire time. Serve immediately.
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

From Fatfree.com
Mooo News, October 2007

Brunch Enchiladas

- Posted in Breakfast, Main Dish, Meat

1 lb. cooked ham, chopped
3/4 cup sliced green onions
3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
3 cups shredded LDF Cheddar cheese, divided
10 (7-inch) flour tortillas
5 eggs, beaten
2 cups LDF half-and-half cream
1/2 cup LDF milk
1 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 dash hot pepper sauce

Place ham in food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Mix together ham, green onions, and green peppers. Spoon 1/8 cup of the ham mixture and 3 tablespoons shredded cheese onto each tortilla and roll up. Carefully place filled tortillas, seam side down, in a greased 9” x 13” baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, cream, milk, flour, garlic powder, and hot pepper sauce. Pour egg mixture over tortillas. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from oven and warm to room temperature.

Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set. Sprinkle casserole with remaining 1 cup shredded LDF cheese. Bake about 3 minutes more, or until cheese melts. Let stand a least 10 minutes before serving.

Mooo News, December 2007

Broiled Tomato and Cheese Sandwiches

- Posted in Main Dish

Fast, easy, and yummy!

Ripe Tomatoes
Tillamook Cheese
Country Cream Butter, Mayonnaise, Olive Oil, or your favorite salad dressing.
Fresh Bread (Try some from your local farmer’s market. Rustic artisan breads are great for these sandwiches.)

Turn on oven broiler to preheat. Slice home-style bread 1” thick, and place on cookie sheet under broiler until the bread starts to smell warm. Pull out the bread from the oven and spread on a little butter, mayonnaise, olive oil, or your favorite salad dressing.

Add cheese slices, and set under the broiler again. Watch carefully and remove as soon as the cheese starts to melt. Place thick, delicious slices of tomato on top of the melted cheese.

Sprinkle generously with freshly ground pepper, a little salt, and whatever other seasonings you like (fresh basil leaves, perhaps?) Place under the broiler again and let the tomatoes get warmed. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and enjoy!

From the kitchen of Susan Boyd
MOOO News, August 2011

Broccoli Cheese Strata

- Posted in Baked Goods, Casserole, Main Dish, Meat

This recipe, by Chef Jason K. Morse, from Valley Country Club in Aurora, is used with permission from Colorado Proud.

7 slices sourdough bread, cubed into 1″ squares
1 1/2 lbs. ham, diced
2 cups broccoli, blanched, chilled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 eggs
3/4 cup Longmont Dairy whole milk or half and half
1/3 bunch Italian parsley, chopped fine
1 tsp. black ground pepper
1/2 cup Longmont Select Asiago Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a large sauté pan, add a small amount of oil and cook the ham then add the minced garlic. Mix the eggs, milk, parsley, and black pepper in a large bowl. In a 9” x 13” casserole pan, spray well with non-stick pan spray, then layer bread, cooked ham, broccoli, and top with cheese. Pour the egg mixture on top.

Allow the egg mixture to soak into the bread, pressing mixture into pan to ensure all of the bread is coated. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, uncover and finish until center is fully cooked. The dish will have a nice golden color when done. Top with additional cheese if desired.

From July 2010 issue of Farm Fresh, by Colorado Proud
Used with permission

Comfort Begins with Cream

- Posted in Main Dish, Soup

Rich and delicious, nothing says “mmmmm” like a nice hot bowl of cream soup. Served with warm bread and butter, it’s not only easy to make, but satisfying to everyone in your family. Always keep LDF cream on hand; add whatever vegetables are available, and turn a quick meal into a memorable event!

4 cups of any fresh vegetables, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons flour
5 cups chicken stock
3 cups LDF Half and Half
5 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the vegetables, if necessary, and coarsely chop. Place in a saucepan with 3 cups of the stock. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Set aside 1/2 cup choice pieces of cooked vegetables to use as a garnish. Puree the remaining cooked vegetables together with the vegetable water in an electric blender, or press through a strainer.

Melt the butter in a soup kettle, blend in the flour, and cook until smooth. Slowly stir in the cream. Simmer over a low flame, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, until mixture is thickened. Stir in the pureed vegetables and the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock, and simmer for 3 minutes more. Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve in individual bowls garnished with the reserved cooked vegetable. Serve hot or cold.

Variations:
Prepare soup as directed above and add one of the following ingredients:

Cream of Cauliflower Soup:
4 cups of cauliflower flowerets
Paprika

Prepare soup as directed in the basic cream soup, using cauliflower as some of the vegetables in the basic soup recipe. Reserve cooked cauliflower, and add to the cream soup. Garnish with reserved cauliflower and a sprinkle of paprika.

Cream of Broccoli Soup:
5 cups of broccoli
Nutmeg, if desired

Peel the stems and break broccoli into flowerets. Slice the stems. Proceed as directed in basic cream soup recipe. Serve with nutmeg sprinkled on top.

Cream of Asparagus Soup:
4 cups of tender asparagus tips and croutons

Prepare soup as directed in the basic cream soup recipe. Garnish with reserved asparagus tips and croutons.

Cream of Cucumber Soup:
4 cups of cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup sour cream

Reserve 1/2 cup diced raw cucumber to use as a garnish. Cook remaining cucumber for 8 minutes. Proceed as directed in the basic cream soup recipe. Serve hot or cold with a dollop of sour cream in the center of each bowl.

Cream of Spinich Soup:
4 cups coarsely chopped spinach
2 hard-cooked egg yolks
Bacon bits for garnish

Prepare soup as directed in basic cream soup recipe, but do not reserve any spinach. Serve hot or cold, garnished with hard-cooked egg yolks forced through a fine sieve. Garnish with bacon bits, if desired.

Recipes by Ruth Burkardt http://fp.enter.net/~rburk/soups/soupsides/soupsides.htm
Mooo News 2007

Baked Potato Soup

- Posted in Main Dish, Soup

Delicious anytime, Baked Potato Soup is great for lunch or a perfectly simple supper. Serve with a tossed salad and artisan bread. This recipe was shared by special permission from Colorado Proud. For more great recipes visit their website at www.ColoradoProud.org.

2 very large or 4 medium-sized, unpeeled potatoes; baked, cooled, and cubed. (Yukon Gold or Russet or combination.)
3 slices bacon (cooked, drained, and chopped into small pieces)
1/3 cup Country Cream butter
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups Longmont Dairy milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup Tillamook sharp or medium cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Bake potatoes until tender. Cool and cube in 1/2 inch squares. While the potatoes are baking, fry the bacon, drain, and chop into small pieces. Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir in flour, continually mixing together with the butter until smooth.

Gradually add Longmont Dairy milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened. Add cubed potatoes. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly.

Add chopped green onions and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the pieces of cooked bacon, cheese, sour cream, cayenne, and salt and pepper.

Stir until cheese is melted and soup is hot. Do not boil soup after the sour cream and cheese have been added.

Serves 6. Recipe may be doubled, as desired.

Recipe inspired by Colorado Proud. www.colorado.gov
MOOO News, September 2011

Baked Mashed Potatoes

- Posted in Main Dish, Side Dish

1 Tbsp. butter
4 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1” pieces
1 cup Longmont Dairy whole milk
1/2 cup Country Cream Butter, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded Tillamook Mozzarella cheese
1 cup freshly grated Longmont Dairy Select Gouda cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup, your preference: bread crumbs, potato chip crumbs, or cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 13” x 9” baking pan with 1 Tblsp. butter. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain, and mash well. Mix milk and melted butter into mashed potatoes along with Mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the Gouda cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Place potatoes into baking dish. Combine remaining Gouda Cheese and crumbs and sprinkle over mashed potatoes. (Recipe can be refrigerated at this time to be cooked later). Bake uncovered until topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

From Amy Willard’s recipe file
Mooo News November 2012