National Dairy Month celebrates all things cows
How empty our lives would be without cows.
No milk for our cereal; no cheese for our pizza; no ice cream for our banana splits.
As we mark national Dairy Month the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board reminds us we have many reasons to be thankful for these beautiful bovines.
Did you know, for example, that it takes 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese? that Wisconsin produces 25 percent of U.S. cheese - nearly 2.5 billion pounds? or that each Wisconsin cow produces 19,546 pounds, or 2,273 gallons, of milk a year?
Here's some more cow trivia: the average dairy cow weighs around 1,400 pounds, about the weight of a small sailboat, and there are more dairy cows in Wisconsin (1.25 million) than people living in the Dallas metropolitan area.
Of course, ice cream and frozen custard are wonderful ways to celebrate our relationship with our cud-chewing friends, but if you're looking for other delicious dairy recipes, check out EatLocalDairy.com. There you'll find recipes for Grilled Pizza Sandwich, Wisconsin Mascarpone Waffle Sammies and Summer Fruit Dip. You can also download a free recipe booklet.
Here's the pitch: Chicago Cubs pitcher Sean Marshall trades his pinstripes for an apron for a cooking demonstration Monday, June 15, at Meijer Supercenter Store in Aurora.
Marshall will collaborate with Meijer Healthy Living Advisor Maribel Cabrales to present some healthy recipes. The demo starts at 5 p.m. at the store, 808 N. Route 59.
After the 45-minute cooking lesson, he will meet and greet fans. Fans are invited to arrive at the Meijer Aurora location as early as possible June 15; the first 100 people in line at 3 p.m. will receive a priority wristband, which ensures that they receive one signed autograph.
Culinary classics: Food historian Penelope Bingham will tackle the burning question, "Whatever happened to tuna noodle casserole?" during a talk next week in Wheaton.
Bingham, who considers old cookbooks windows on our cultural and political past, will talk about how the family dinner table has changed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at the Robert R. McCormick Museum at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m. in the Gold Theater. Admission and parking are free. Details at Cantigny.org.
Stirring it up: Boy has the Chef'n Emulstir stirred up a whirlwind of interest.
This handy device for blending vinaigrettes is a brand new product and hasn't found its way to area stores yet. According to the folks at Chef'n, their products are available at Kohl's and Bed, Bath and Beyond, so the Emulstir eventually will land on those shelves.
If you don't want to wait for it to get to a brick-and-mortar store, you can buy it (about $15) at chefn.com or at other online retailers, including amazon.com and chefsrecource.com.
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on "Restaurant Radio Chicago" from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM.