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June is Dairy Month and I almost missed it! It's the time of the year when dairy farmers celebrate the variety of delicious dairy products produced each year. I have a question for you. What are the four cultured dairy products? They are sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt and cottage cheese. When I lived on a small farm (we had just two milking cows) Mom would make cottage cheese but all I remember is that she would heat the milk and put in a rennet tablet. I'm sure some of you who farmed many years ago would know what this is. I'm thinking it was used to coagulate the milk. Mom would pour the cooked mixture into a cheesecloth bag, tie it tightly and would hand it to get all of the moisture out of it. She would crumble it and then add cream to it. Well, of course that's not how it's done in this day and age. I won't go there because I don't know how it's done.

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Anyway, today it's recipes using dairy products. Let's start with...

BREAKFAST SKILLET

4 slices bacon, fried until crisp, drained and crumbled

2 c. cooked, shredded potatoes, or frozen hash browns, thawed

2 T. butter or margarine

1/4 c. diced onion

1/4 c. diced green pepper

4 eggs

1/4 c. milk

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, melt butter, stir in potatoes, onions and green pepper. Fry until crisp but not too brown. In a small bowl, combine eggs and milk with salt and pepper; mix well. Pour over potato mixture. Top with cheese and bacon; cover and cook slowly; over low heat, for about 10 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve. Makes 4 servings.

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'SAY CHEESE' STRATA

8 slices bread

butter or margarine

2 c. shredded Cheddar, Monte-rey, sharp Cheddar or Mexican style cheese

6 slices of bacon, crisply fried, drained and crumbled

2 med. tomatoes, sliced

4 eggs, slightly beaten

2 c. milk

1/2 t. prepared mustard

1/2 t. salt

Butter a 9x9-inch pan or baking dish. Butter bread on one side and place 4 slices in pan, butter side down. Sprinkle with 1 c. cheese. Sprinkle with bacon; add tomato slices. Top with remaining bread, butter side up. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. in a bowl, combine eggs, milk, mustard and salt together, mixing well. Pour evenly over bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Bake, uncovered 1 hour at 350 degrees or until puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Note: You can add a 4 oz. can of mushrooms, drained if you wish. Add it after you've sprinkled the bacon over the bread.

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OVEN OMELETTE

2 T. butter or margarine, melted

7 eggs

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

1/3 c. dairy sour cream

1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. diced ham

1/3 c. diced Cheddar cheese

Pour melted butter into a 9x9x2-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, beat eggs; add remaining ingredients and beat again. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Test with a knife in the center to make sure it's set. Makes 4 servings.

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TFD: Anybody that doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog or said a bad word (when you were little)!

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