I have been cooking with garlic for many many years. It is not applicable for everything but I find it hard not to use it almost all the time. There are several mediums for using garlic, meaning, we can just us a garlic salt or powder in items but as I have grown in confidence with my cooking I have advance to first a minced garlic that you can find in most grocery stores to fresh.

Once I found this product I am going to feature I have no desire to return to any of my old stand by’s as this is the best of both worlds. When first attempting fresh cloves, I found it cumbersome at times depending on how much time I had to make supper that day. Even though I loved the idea of using fresh, it was not always practical for me and my timeline. I am still a busy mom with much to do every day and mealtime is always a “pressure cooker” time of day for me.

Yet, sacrificing taste and flavor was not something I liked giving up. Now I don’t know about most of you, but I love Aldi grocery for most of my shopping. They are economical, clean and offer most everything I need at an investment I can afford. They are bringing on new products all the time as the popularity has grown and this gem I discovered about 8 months ago.

In the fresh produce section I found a bag of fresh garlic cloves all peeled!!!! The best of both worlds. For all of my recipes I can grab as many out of the bag as I need, chop it up or use them whole, roasted, sauteed or baked and it delivers the flavor and aroma I am looking for. I have attached a photo for you of the bag I purchase. It is the best!

During the years past when I had three student athletes in the house it was so important to make sure that their intake was good. Meaning they could eat a lot… And at times I could get overwhelmed with the task for finding something that would fill them up. I decided to try a few new recipes that allowed me to utilize the resources I had an abundance of. We raise beef cattle and so ground beef is something we have access to on a regular basis. I wanted to create a meal that was not costly that would satisfy the masses.

We are a family of six. Currently, I have the farmer, four kids who are all still active and busy on the farm and three in college. When everyone is home this recipe does not disappoint even today. After hours of hard work outside I can always depend on this meal to keep everyone full and happy. Please see the recipe, photos and directions below.  When making this particular meal, I compliment it with a big Caesar salad and homemade french dinner rolls. When I am on the go, I utilize what ever bread I have in the drawer with plenty of butter.

“Baked Spaghetti”

Ingredients

2# of ground beef – browned and seasoned with salt and pepper

1/24oz. jar of spaghetti sauce

1can of diced tomatoes

4 cloves of fresh garlic diced

1 large container of small curd cottage cheese

3# bag of grated mozzarella cheese

12oz of dry spaghetti pasta – when cooked will be double

Directions:

You will need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating brown and season the ground beef. Add tomatoes, garlic and sauce to the ground beef and let it simmer on low. Add additional salt to taste.

Take a 9 x 13 inch pan and begin by adding a small layer of cooked pasta on the bottom of the pan and then spread half the cottage cheese on the noodles, then ground beef mixture, then mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering of each item in order so that you have two complete layers.

Upon completion, cover with foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle on another layer of cheese and let the dish set up for 15 minutes. Then serve.

When I married my “Man of the North” 19 years ago and became a part of a family farm, I realized very quickly that despite my education in agriculture and passion for the industry I had a lot to learn.  Living on a working farm requires a level of commitment that I did not truly grasp until I was directly faced with it.  I never looked back.

That being said, I recognize that it takes a special kind of person to be a farmer and a special kind of person to be married to one as well. My role as the farmer’s wife is one I am proud of.  I have embraced it to the fullest and have worked hard to foster the same work ethic and appreciation for the farm in my children as well. Statistically speaking, there are fewer children returning to the farm every year, which has resulted in less than 1.5% of our population, physically producing food here in the United States.

As I have watched my children grow and develop over the years, I have been hopeful that at least one would show desire to carry on the tradition and come back to the farm.  My husband and I both believe it needs to be their choice, that God’s plan for them comes first and we have put our trust in Him to guide our children to their ultimate purpose.  Of course we pray diligently for clarity in raising them, continually asking for wisdom and discernment, and last our prayer for the legacy of our farm is deeply seeded in our heart.

In the past year I have witnessed my oldest son Wyatt beginning to come of age.  He is 14 and I am so thankful for his true love for the farm.  He started driving farming equipment at age five, and spends every free hour of his life not committed to school or swimming, in his fathers back pocket learning and gleaning what he can so he can take over someday. I have the joy of watching the relationship between father and son grow deeper and deeper everyday and I am looking forward to the future.

Most of all, I am confident that Wyatt is answering his calling.  He is most at peace when out on the farm working for the future of agriculture.  And I know that our food supply is in good hands because my son loves what he is doing. He will be the fourth generation in his family to work the family farm.  For that I am rule thankful.