4 Reasons to Visit Franklin County, Iowa This Weekend

If I could sum up Franklin County, Iowa (my home) in three words I'd say welcoming, innovative and genuine.  Franklin County is a rural area in North Iowa with only 10,000 residents living within its borders and one working stop light ;) but we don't let our small stature get in our way of being inventive and bringing in people to experience our slice of heaven on Earth (Cue Field of Dreams - Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa.).  I'm proud to call this spot in North Iowa my home and this weekend is one of the many reasons why it is such a great place.

Reason #1 - Main Street Hampton Restaurant Crawl, Thursday, Sepetember 22nd

Looking for a fun Thursday night out?  For just $10 you can dine at four restaurants in Downtown Hampton!  A first of its kind event for Franklin County, this Restaurant Crawl runs from 5 to 7pm and includes stops at:

• La Frontera - Appetizer/Nachos and Dessert/Pear Tart
• Breadeaux Pizza - two Salad options
• Willies Sports Bar - Brisket and Tenderloin Sliders
• Rustic Brew - Roast Pork Loin topped with Cooked Apples with a side of Fingerling Potatoes and Carrots

You can start at any restaurant and eat in any order.  Tickets are required for this event; contact Dawn Collins at mainstreet@hamptoniowa.org or stop in at the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce/Center One.  This event supports local food producers, downtown restaurants, Hampton-Dumont Bulldog Cafe students and Hampton-Dumont music students.  Students involved with the Bulldog Cafe have helped test the recipes that will be featured Thursday night.  They will also be the servers at each of the restaurants.  Music at each restaurant will be provided by the school music students and local musicians.

Reason #2 - The Geneva Market, Friday, September 23rd and Saturday, September 24th

Does anyone else love the "Only in Your State" lists?  Well, I sure do and I am proud to say that Franklin County's, The Geneva Market, made the 6 Must-Visit Flea Markets in Iowa Where You'll Find Awesome Stuff list.  

The best parts of this fun, antique, vintage, upcycled market is that it happens in both the spring and the fall (the fall market happening this weekend) and the money raised through booth rentals and the $3 admission fee goes to the Geneva Betterment Committee.  The Committee is currently working on repairing the Geneva School Auditorium, where they plan to host future markets, as well as wedding receptions, family reunions, etc. after renovations are complete.

The Geneva Market is located at Mayne's Grove (west of Geneva and south of Hampton) and will take place on Friday, September 23rd from 10am to 7pm and Saturday, September 24th from 9am to 5pm.  Be sure to check out their Facebook page to get a look at some of the up to 100 vendors that will be there this weekend.  I have always come home with something fun from The Geneva Market.  This spring I bought two, neat, metal art flowers for my yard.  I bet this weekend there will lots of exclusive buys for your home, especially fall decor.

Reason #3 - Make-A-Wish Fall Ball at Enchanted Acres, Saturday, September 24th

Now this third reason is very near to my heart.  For the second year, Enchanted Acres, located outside of Sheffield, is hosting a Fall Ball for Make-A-Wish Iowa from 9am to 5pm.  A $5 per person gate fee will be donated directly to the Make-A-Wish North Iowa Committee, that will go towards helping wish families.

Besides supporting wish kids, you also get to have lots of fun!  Everyone is encouraged to dress up as your favorite character for the all day costume party.  Special attractions exclusive for Saturday include inflatables for the kids to play on, face painting from 9am to 1pm and Dragonfire Dancing Horses performances at 11am and 1:30pm.  To learn more about all of the activities, check out the Facebook event.

Enchanted Acres is a favorite fall destination for my family and I.  There are a lot of fun opportunities, while still having that close-knit, comfortable feeling.  Thank you to Enchanted Acres for hosting this event for the second year in a row!

***September 23rd Update - Due to the rain and flooding at Enchanted Acres, Saturday's Fall Ball is being postponned to Saturday, October 29th.  Sunday's Farm Crawl is still going on as planned.***

Reason #4 - Fresh on the Farm at Enchanted Acres, TownsEnd Winery and Carlson Tree Farm, Sunday, September 25th

The final reason to visit Franklin County is happening this Sunday.  The Fresh on the Farm, Farm Crawl has been happening the last few years and looks to be another great way to enjoy a beautiful, fall day this weekend.

The Farm Crawl provides the public a fun, interactive opportunity to get to know some local producers and to taste the flavors of fall.  At each farm there will be tours, food samples, and products to buy from Noon to 5pm.  You can start wherever you want, but you'll want to make sure to visit all of the sites.  This year's farms are Enchanted Acres, TownsEnd Winery in Hansell and Carlson Tree Farm in rural Hampton/Coulter.

So what's stopping you?  Be sure to visit my home this weekend for some great fall fun.  What event are you really interested in?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Time to Celebrate Caramel Crispix Mix

It is hard to believe that Mr. K has been back to school for eight days!  So far he has been loving Kindergarten.  Highlights of Kindergarten are that he gets to ride the bus to and from school each day, eating hot lunch at school, keeping a pair of gym shoes in his locker and learning how to read.  Today after school I asked him what his favorite part of the day was and he said it was getting homework...  While I'm sure that will change as he gets older, I just love how much he loves learning.

Mr. K waiting for the bus on the first day of school

The first day of school is always a fun time to celebrate.  We started the day with pancakes and after school I had Caramel Crispix Mix ready to go for a snack.  This Caramel Crispix Mix is a signature recipe of some of my family friends, the Lund's.  I have many memories of this snack associated with school - from snacking on it on the bus after a sporting game, to munching on it all day in the gym during speech contests.  The Lund girls always seemed to have a large batch to share and this Caramel Crispix Mix was a nice perk of being one of their friends. ;)

So I thought, what a perfect after school snack to make to celebrate being back at school, especially since the kids were going to neighbor's house that night.  This snack mix isn't just great for a school snack, but is also great for tailgating and the holidays.  You can make the mix festive and coordinating to whatever you are celebrating. :)

Caramel Crispix Mix 

(shared with permission from the Lund family, with slight adaptions)

1 - 12oz box Crispix
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) Butter
1/4 cup Corn Syrup
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
Your choice of Mix-Ins:  M&Ms, Peanuts, Candy Corn, etc.

Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in pot and heat until boiling.  Let boil for 30 seconds.
Add baking soda and stir until foamy.
Pour mixture over cereal in microwave safe dish.  Mix to coat squares.
Microwave on High for 1 minute.  Stir to evenly coat.  Repeat 3 times.
Spread on waxed paper to cool.
Get creative and toss with your choice of mix-in.
Enjoy!  And fair warning, this is highly addictive...

What are some of your favorite school memories?  Do you have any foods that you automatically associate with school?  How about your favorite school lunch?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Comments for a Cause - Make Our Day

It's September 1st and time to talk about Comments for a Cause!  In the month of August I had 31 comments, equaling at $15.50 donation to my church's VBS mission towards Global Ministries' Family Village Farm.  Thanks for helping me not only further the youth of my church's mission project, but also for helping the youth in this Indian village and school.

In the month of September I'm excited to be donating $0.50 for every comment made on my blog to Make Our Day.

I have connected to different Comments for a Cause programs through many ways - local connections, social media connections, and sometimes the connection is simply unplanned.  The latter is how I learned about Make Our Day.  Katie, founder of Make Our Day, had contacted me through her other job and she had noticed my Comments for a Cause program last month helped an orphanage and school in India.  She commented to me how much she respected that and that it reminded her of the orphanage she works and teaches at in Thailand.  From there, I continued the conversation and learned about her love and passion for these kids, which has resulted in her starting a non-profit, Make Our Day.  I asked Katie to share a little more about it, so hopefully all you can get a glimpse at the joy and devotion I've felt since first connecting with her.

What is your background - education, brief life story?
I majored in fashion in college.  Prior to coming to Thailand I was a Buyer for several years in the sports apparel industry.  So, no experience in teaching or non-profit work.  Starting Make Our Day was a complete 180.

What led you to Thailand?
When I was in college we were assigned the book, Not For Sale, by David Batstone, as required reading for the importance of sourcing fair labor within the garment industry.  Many of the more jarring examples of human trafficking and specifically child slavery, were rooted in Thailand.  Once I became restless with office work and made the decision that sitting behind a desk was not for me, Thailand was the first place I thought of.  I did zero planning.  Bought a one way ticket and that was it.  Leap of faith, or temporary insanity, the jury is still out.

What is special about Thailand for you?
I am a very restless person, impatient, always over-committing.  Thailand is so chaotic at times that it has a reverse effect on me and I feel uncharacteristically calm being here.  

What do you not enjoy about Thailand?
Ironically, the things that I do not enjoy, tend to be the things I value the most about my time here.  For example, I can't stand the inconsistency of their scheduling (transportation, schools, shops, everything) but it has taught me patience.  I don't like that lying does not have a negative connotation in Asian culture, but it's taught me to read people for their intentions and be more understanding.  I don't like the language barrier, but it's made me a better listener and a more concise communicator.

How did you get the idea for Make Our Day?  Was there a big "Aha!" moment, when you realized you had to do something?
You bet!  It was a Friday, last period of the day and I was completely exhausted.  I had been working at the school for six months (in Thailand) and was seriously thinking that that week may have to be the end of the road for me.  I decided to kill the last little bit of class by teaching the word weekend (with wild cheering and celebration to follow... or so I thought.)  Instead, several of the munchkins (a term of endearment Katie uses when referencing the children) started crying.  One ran to lock the door (as to keep me in the classroom) and another ran to the front of the class bawling and hugged me around the waist and asked, "Teacha will you stay here!!"  I told the munchkin no, so he responded (still crying), "Will you come to my house?"  Sure I said and we walked to his house, which turned out to be an orphanage.  I knew that was God's way of telling me, "Nice try... but you're not going anywhere."  Saturday Playdates started the very next day and Make Our Day was born.

If you had to sum up the project in one sentence - what would it be?
Make Our Day seeks to mobilize the minds of munchkins while putting smiles on their faces and courage in their hearts.

What do you hope the kids learn or gain from your programs?
A desire to learn, the ability to trust, and courage to ask for help when they need it.

What problems do the children face and how do you help?
Most, if not all, have been the victim of some sort of family trauma (physical or sexual abuse, drug addiction, abandonment, or orphaned by the 2004 Tsunami) and the coping mechanisms I see most often are anger, fear, anxiety or withdrawing.  The only way I know to help is to slowly, but consistently, build a relationship with individual children that makes them feel loved and shows them the way to love others.  This takes time, consistency and resilience.

I love reading your updates - in addition to touching me emotionally, they always make me laugh.  How do you maintain a sense of humor while dealing with such heavy issues?
As language is an obstacle, a love of fun and play is what really bonds the munchkins and I and makes a deeper trust and learning possible.  I'm a kid that never grew up and they've had to grow up too quickly.  I don't always know what the munchkins need from me, but I know they don't need pity.  It can get hard, very hard actually, but as with anything, love and laughter are the best medicine.

I have seen the Get Involved page on your website - is there anything specifically needed right now?
I am taking my initial program of playdates, adding my role as "Techa", and am opening a tutoring center in walking distance of the munchkins school in January 2017.  Our greatest need is for people to sponsor students on a recurring monthly basis to ensure they have a safe place to study with trusted adults on a consistent basis.  Consistency is the key to the success of the program.  You can sponsor a child through our Facebook page, Paypal (send to info@makeourday.org), or by Mail.

Anything else you'd like to share?
There is a platitude I often go back to that goes, "If you have much, give of your wealth.  If you have little, give of your heart."  Don't fall into the trap of thinking that money is all you have to contribute.  Money is necessary yes, but in the end, it is the people, not the money, that have the impact.  We need both.

So help me this month, help Katie and all of the munchkins in Thailand by commenting on any of my blog posts, old or new, and I'll donate $0.50 for each comment.  What was the most interesting thing that stood out to you about Katie or the Make Our Day story?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Country Fair Blog Party: September 2016

The fields are starting to change colors, I've been pinning apple recipes and our family is going to a football game this weekend - it must mean it is September 1st!  And the start of a new Country Fair Blog Party!  Before I share the link-up for this moth's Country Fair Blog Party, here are the Blue Ribbon Winners from the August Blog Hop:

During last month's Blog Party, Oak Hill Homestead's 10 Ways to Enjoy Summer Squash, was the most viewed post from the link-up!  Congrats to Kathi on getting the most clicks and receiving a Country Fair Blog Party Blue Ribbon!  My family and I have been eating zucchini and spaghetti squash weekly here lately so this post was perfect to check out to get some new recipe ideas!

My Readers' Choice Blue Ribbon goes to Farm Girl Cook'n's Pineapple-Mango Chili Jam!  This recipe sounds delicious and that it'd be perfect for a fall tailgate, spread on crackers with cream cheese.  Besides wanting to try this recipe, Mary makes me really excited and inspired to do more canning from her post.

My final Country Fair Blog Party Blue Ribbon goes to Southwest Missouri Moms's Get Involved post.  This a great read for any Mom who has kids going back to school.  I especially love the prayers and bible verse included in this devotion.

Thanks to everyone that joined our blog hop last month, and I can't wait to see what great posts get linked up to this month's Country Fair Blog Party.  Country Fairs are all about food, family, friends, farming, animals, arts and crafts, canning, baking and more.  And that is what our our blog hop is all about too.  Feel free to join our Country Fair by linking up to 3 of your posts.  This blog hop is a great opportunity to check out new blogs, and if you blog yourself, have your posts reach a new audience.  Be sure to visit some other party goers and let them know you are stopping by through the Country Fair Blog Party.

Also, be sure to visit my fellow co-hosts:
Jan of Tip Garden
Laurie of Country LINKed and
Nicole of Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom

We're excited to see everything you share this month!  What is your favorite link from this month's Country Fair Blog Party?  Whichever post is mentioned the most in the comments will receive my "Readers Choice" Blue Ribbon next month.  Remember to Comments for a Cause!

An InLinkz Link-up

Farmers Market Quiche

* This post has been compensated through the AE Dairy Blog Ambassador program.  All views and opinions shared are my own. *

One of my favorite things to do each summer is visit Farmers Markets.  If you live in Iowa, there is a good chance that you have one close by.  In fact, Iowa ranks second in the number of farmers markets per capita.  While I love exploring some of the larger city farmers markets like Des Moines or Clear Lake, my favorite one to go to is my local Franklin County Farmers Market.

The Franklin County Farmers Market
in Hampton, Iowa, August 2016

The Franklin County Farmers Market takes place every Tuesday and Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. from May through October at the Main Street Square in Hampton, located on the corner of 1st Avenue NW and 1st Street NW.  There are up to ten different vendors at the market who sell products that range from fresh produce, baked goods, jams and jellies, honey and flowers and plants.  August is one of my favorite times to travel to the Farmers Market because there is a large variety of vendors and produce available.  But I love visiting all season long to support my community.  Even though I plant my own garden, the Farmers Market offers a diverse collection of produce from what I grow at home and it always leaves me inspired.

After visiting the Franklin County Farmers Market last week, I was inspired to come home and make a delicious breakfast with the variety of vegetables I bought.  I don't know what it is about Farmers Markets but my first instinct is always to make something fresh and delicious for breakfast with my finds.  

Some of my produce finds
from the Franklin County Farmers Market

In order to make these vegetables into a savory breakfast I decided to create a quiche.  To start your quiche, you have to start with a good base, and by good base, I mean my recipe for lard crust!

A lard crust is the best base for any type of pie or quiche!

Then it's time for the filling!  I decided what would really bring my egg-based filling up a notch, and add that creamy texture and richness I was looking for, would be to include AE Dairy's Heavy Whipping Cream.  AE's Whipping Cream adds to the freshness of the dish, and helps makes the filling nice and smooth.  Just like how my Farmers Market veggies were freshly picked that day by the vendors, in less than 24 hours, the raw milk at AE dairy is changed into any number of AE's product line and is on its way to your local grocery store.

Besides being a quality product, I love how AE Dairy's
Heavy Whipping Cream comes in the perfect Half Pint sized container

To top it off, my inner pig farmer had to shine, so I added a bacon lattice!

Oh, yeah!  Give me some BACON!

So are you ready for the recipe?

Have I tempted you long enough?

Well, without further ado...

Farmers Market Quiche

9" Pie Crust

1/2 large Zucchini, cut into 14 slices

1/2 Onion, chopped

12 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1/2 Green Pepper, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, grated

6 Eggs

1 cup (Half Pint) of AE Dairy's Heavy Whipping Cream

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

8-10 slices of Bacon

Salt and Pepper

Prepare Pie Crust and place in pie plate or quiche pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes with foil or pie crust shield.  Then press down crust and bake additional 2 minutes with no crust shield.

While crust is baking, saute Zucchini slices with butter, salt and pepper.  After crust is baked, place 7 slices of Zucchini evenly on the bottom of the pie crust.

Mix Eggs and Whipping Cream.  Stir in Onion, Tomatoes, Pepper, Garlic and Cheese to egg mixture.  Pour filling into pie crust.  Place the final 7 slices of Zucchini on top of the quiche.

Bake quiche at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  

Take quiche out and assemble the Bacon lattice.  Don't be afraid if the bacon lays over the sides of the quiche as it will shrink some in the baking.  Place the quiche with bacon lattice back in the oven at 450 degrees F for an additional 15 minutes.  Place a baking sheet under the pie plate or quiche pan to collect bacon grease.

Slice and enjoy!

I love the layers of flavor in this quiche.  The crust, the veggies, the eggs with whipping cream, and the bacon all blend so well, and at the same time give bursts of new flavors in each bite.  I hope you get inspired by your local farmers market and make this quiche soon for breakfast (or dinner or supper...) soon!

Have you attended a Farmers Market this year?  What is you favorite thing to buy at the Farmers Market?  What's your favorite way to use Whipping Cream?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Comments for a Cause - Family Village Farm

Happy August 1st!  As a new month begins, so does the start of a new Comments for a Cause.  Before we get into details about this month's cause, let's go through last month's numbers.  Throughout the month of July there were 64 comments on my blog, creating a $32 donation to KaBOOM!  Thank you for helping me support this organization that works hard to support and inspire communities to "play."

In the month of August I'm excited to be donating $0.50 for every comment made on my blog to Global Ministries's Family Village Farm.

The first week of August is a busy one for our family because it is also Vacation Bible School week!  I have enjoyed being involved in our community's Vacation Bible School program the last several years and am this year's program's director.  My favorite part of VBS is bringing together kids from multiple churches and towns to discover something new about Jesus and be inspired to help others.  Each year's VBS has a strong mission component, and this year's "Journey to India" program is highlighting Global Ministries's Family Village Farm.

Family Village Farm is a home and community for orphans and impoverished adults in Kasam, located in Southern India.  Families are formed of ten to twelve children, a mother and grandparents living together in a cottage.  There are usually around 150 to 200 children living at Family Village Farm, along with around 15 mothers and 15 grandparents.  Creating these families gives the children and adults opportunities, housing and support.

One opportunity for the resident children is that they're able to attend the school (elementary through high school program) located at Family Village Farm.  The school and activities on the farm, help teach the children skills that will enable them to be self-supporting in the future.

Along with the school located on Family Village Farm, there is a bakery, poultry farm, feed mixing unit and dairy.  The young boys help with tending crops and fruit trees, and the young girls sew school uniforms and hospital linens to help support the Family Village Farm.

Support through Global Ministries goes to providing food, clothing, education and training for the children.  Donations also assist with improvements and infrastructure needs such as restroom upgrades and buses to transport additional children and staff to the school.

So help me continue the efforts of our community's VBS program and comment all month long to support Global Ministries's Family Village Farm.  Did you help with your local VBS this year?  What program did you do?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Country Fair Blog Party: August 2016

I know I say this pretty much every month, but how is it August 1st!  July was a busy month for my family; between 4th of July, family vacation, county fair and my annual girl's weekend - the time flew by.  August doesn't look like it's going to slow down either.  We have VBS, State Fair, a family wedding and school starts.  With so many things going on during the summer, the Country Fair Blog Party is a great way to share what you've experienced and how you like to enjoy your summertime.

Before I share the link-up for this moth's Country Fair Blog Party, here are the Blue Ribbon Winners from the July Blog Hop:

During last month's Blog Party, Best of Long Island and Central Florida's New York Push Cart Onion Sauce, was the most viewed post from the link-up!  Congrats to Linda on getting the most clicks and receiving a Country Fair Blog Party Blue Ribbon!  I have to admit, when I saw this post linked-up I clicked on it right away because I thought it'd be perfect to put on some of my homemade brat burgers.  I love how the "sauce" has both onion and red pepper in it.  This recipe is easy to whip up and a great topper to use this grilling season.

The next Country Fair Blog Party Blue Ribbon goes to another recipe that'd be great for your next BBQ - Cooking with Carlee's Ultimate BLT Pasta Salad.  My family and I are huge pasta salad fans.  I bet I make a pasta salad each week during the summer.  So when I saw Carlee's spin on Pasta Salad, I knew I had to make it.  The recipe has the typical BLT ingredients in it, plus two ultimate ingredients, that make this a perfect summertime side dish.

My final Country Fair Blog Party Blue Ribbon goes to Julie at Farming Grace Daily.  Her post, "But what if I don't want to farm, Mom?" is a great parenting post for ALL Moms and Dads.  My Farmer and I work hard so our kids have the opportunity to carry on our family's farming legacy, but at the same time - we aren't going to force it onto anyone.  We will work hard to give them resources to succeed no matter what path they choose to go down.  There is a reason why I tell everyone that I farm "corn, 'beans, pigs and KIDS" - because the most important "crop" I'm raising is our kids.

Thanks to everyone that joined our blog hop last month, and I can't wait to see what great posts get linked up to this month's Country Fair Blog Party.  Country Fairs are all about food, family, friends, farming, animals, arts and crafts, canning, baking and more.  And that is what our our blog hop is all about too.  Feel free to join our Country Fair by linking up to 3 of your posts.  This blog hop is a great opportunity to check out new blogs, and if you blog yourself, have your posts reach a new audience.  Be sure to visit some other party goers and let them know you are stopping by through the Country Fair Blog Party.

Also, be sure to visit my fellow co-hosts:
Jan of Tip Garden
Laurie of Country LINKed and
Nicole of Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom

We're excited to see everything you share this month!  What is your favorite link from this month's Country Fair Blog Party?  Whichever post is mentioned the most in the comments will receive my "Readers Choice" Blue Ribbon next month.  Remember to Comments for a Cause!

An InLinkz Link-up