4 P.M. INTERVIEW: Alice in Dairyland

The 71st Alice in Dairyland, Kaitlyn Riley, talks about the Something Special From Wisconsin program.

The logo is a sign of a uniquely Wisconsin item. Businesses who take part in the Something Special from Wisconsin program guarantee at least half of the ingredients, production or processing activities came from Wisconsin.

One great tradition is creating delicious dishes with family and friends. Something Special from Wisconsin can help. For example, Palo Popcorn offers six fun flavors like ranch, jalapeno, bacon and white cheddar cheese. It is easy enough to create a popcorn party mix by adding pretzels, cheddar crackers and other favorites. Palo Popcorn is a family-owned company based in Sheboygan Falls that sells their hand-crafted popcorn across the country. They use real cheddar cheese in their recipes and their products are gluten free which helps family and friends with allergies.

Hot dishes, pasta and vegetable sides can have a new crunch of flavor with Savory Seeds from Porubcans LLC. The seeds are a unique blend of toasted parmesan cheese, sesame and sunflower seeds with Italian herbs. Use savory seeds to replace croutons on salads, top a baked potato or complete a green bean casserole.

For dessert, we can put a Wisconsin twist on any recipe with Soda Fountain Malted Milk Powder from CTL Foods in Colfax.

I’ve created a malted milk dip by blending cream cheese with hot fudge and Crave Brothers Mascarpone Cheese. Mascarpone is a fresh, sweet cheese use mainly in desserts. Soda Fountain Malted Milk Powder gives the dip a rich flavor. In 2016, the powder took first place at the 2016 World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest in the Innovative Products category. You can add the malt powder to almost any dessert to make it stand out. The final touch to this dip is simply malted milk balls.

What if we are looking for a gift that lets our holiday host or someone on our shopping list know we appreciate them?

Maple Hill Farm in Ladysmith has unique and useful gift ideas to show you care. They use milk from sheep on their farm to craft handmade sheep milk soap and lotion that is sold in their store and at various festivals. Their products are great for people with sensitive skin since they do not have any artificial fragrances or dyes. Plus, their soy candles invite anyone to sit back and relax.

Let’s not forget, most of the holiday season fun is about experiences. The Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association gives the perfect excuse to enjoy family time by selecting and decorating a farm-grown Christmas tree. They not only smell great but can also be recycled and will decompose, returning to the earth. Some Christmas tree farms also have options to make your own wreath which can make a thoughtful gift.

Malted Milk Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

-8 oz. block Wisconsin cream cheese

-4+ tablespoons Soda Fountain Malted Milk Powder

-1/2 cup hot fudge

-8 oz. Wisconsin mascarpone cheese

-1 cup malted milk balls

Instructions:

-Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add mascarpone and blend well.

-Mix in hot fudge followed by malted milk powder (extra powder can be added to taste)

-Place malted milk balls in a plastic bag. Smash the balls into coarse pieces.

-Add malted milk balls into mix leaving some for added garnish on top of the dip.