A Tale of Yogurt

You must hear about my latest venture.  A few weeks ago I had ordered a dehydrated yogurt starter culture to make my own yogurt.  It was enough for two batches, in case the first try didn't work.  It was a bit expensive, just to do a kitchen experiment.  If it worked it would be worth the money because the plain organic yogurt I buy is expensive.

Unfortunately, neither the first nor the second culture worked.  I pretty much gave up on that idea.  Obviously, there was some factor in my kitchen that was hindering yogurt making, and I wasn't ready to figure it out.  I'd just as soon continue buying my yogurt at the store, if it's going to be that much bother.  I've never been Susie Homemaker. You know what I'm sayin'?

Then recently I came across a recipe on a blog for making yogurt in your crockpot.  It sounded pretty straightforward, so I figured it was worth one more shot.  Well, guess what?  I made yogurt!  And a lot of yogurt, at that.  It's 2 quarts, and I'm going to have yogurt for the next year.  {Laughing}

After the big crockpot unveiling this morning, I put it in the fridge and thought about it the rest of the morning.  I wondered if it would taste right.  It sure smelled right, but I just wasn't sure about all this.  I mean, we're talking about milk that was left out all night and the bacteria growing.  You might not know this, but I'm sort of a germaphobe and worry about cooking food until it's done because I'm afraid of getting food poisoning. 

At lunch I put a little in a bowl and prepared it as usual with a little natural sweetener and some vanilla.  The yogurt definitely tastes right.  It has a very creamy texture and is quite a bit more runny than store-bought.  I ate a little, but I kept thinking about whether or not it was okay to consume.  I decided that's all I'd try and then wait until later to see if I die or something.  So far, I'm still alive.

If you're interested in making your own yogurt, you can find the instructions at Nourishing Days.  It really is very easy and involves nothing more than heating milk in the crockpot, stirring in a little of your own yogurt, and then leaving it to sit overnight wrapped in a towel.  I say you should go for it.

A Thanksgiving Recap

We had a terrific Thanksgiving with my family yesterday.  It included my parents, my grandmother, my sister and brother-in-law, their four kids, my husband, and me.

First, a note to self:  Do not make more than one can of yams.  My sister's family does not eat them, and you will have yam leftovers for a week.

Remember the pie dilemma?  Well, my sister had read my blog the night before, and she razzed me all day about my pie that was not homemade.  I think that at some point in the future I will have to make one again and prove to her that I am capable of making one without Marie Callender's help.  Honestly though, if you're gonna get help from any other pie baker, you might as well use Ms. Callender.  She makes a delicious apple pie.  I'm just sayin'.

After dinner the kids went off to play, and me and my sister went into the living room for our usual post-holiday-meal banter.  She went and found my mom's laptop and pulled up Tim Hawkins' web site.  If you haven't ever seen a Tim Hawkins video, you are missing out.  He is the most hysterical Christian comedian!  Kathy and I laughed so hard, and we would repeat the funny lines at the same time, only to laugh harder.

Awhile later it was time to cut the pies.  The kids all dove into the crustless pumpkin pie that my mom made.  She makes it crustless just for the kids because they always scrape the pumpkin off and leave the crust.  My Marie's apple pie was delicious, especially with the vanilla whipped cream I had whipped up FROM SCRATCH, and so was Mom's lemon meringue.  {I had just a small slice to taste.}  I had forgotten that I really like lemon meringue until I tasted it.

By the time we got home, just before 6:00, I felt like a zombie.  No energy to speak of and pretty much loafed the rest of the night.

Today has been recovery mode for me.  It meant getting on the treadmill this afternoon and watching my calorie intake all day.  Back to reality, I guess.  I know my waistline will thank me later.

A Losing Battle

I was tidying up a bit in my kitchen and food storage area, and I came across another contraband item that my husband smuggled in from the store.  Sometimes I wonder if he hates me.  {totally kidding}  This is what I get for being married to a man employed by a grocer.

Do you see what I'm up against?  CANDY CANE CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES!!!

Maybe I could have just one...

Pie Trouble

You've probably been checking my blog all day, waiting for a new post. Yeah, me too. I've been wondering what I'm going to write about tonight.

I guess I'll tell you about the pie I'm making to take to my family dinner tomorrow. I volunteered to make apple pie. I have done it several times in the last few years, so I figured I could do it again. The only problem is I'm trying to eat "real" food these days...you know, the things that are closest to nature...not man-made manufactured food. Well, that sort of throws a monkey wrench into the whole pie making process.

I've never been one to make a crust from scratch. {I've never been one to make anything from scratch.} I always use the very nice pre-made crusts from the little doughboy, and then I lovingly spread two cans of apple pie filling into the pie pan, sprinkle with my special Pampered Chef korintje cinnamon, dab on a streusel topping, and pop it in the oven. My pies turn out lovely.

So I had some options today:

#1. Make an apple pie entirely from scratch, which would include making a pie crust of which I felt doomed to fail, peeling-coring-slicing my apples, and then adding my spices.

#2. Go with my usual method of buying a pre-made crust and pre-made apple pie filling, which is full of high fructose corn syrup, which is bad bad stuff.

#3. Buy a frozen pie, bake it, and pretend I made it myself, in which I will throw all caution to the wind as to the preservatives and whatever else is in it that might contribute to my early demise.

I weighed all 3 options, and I finally decided I would buy a pre-made crust but make my own filling. It seemed like a fair compromise if I went half-homemade.

The only problem is that I have no zeal for baking. None. Nada. Zilch. Zippo. I'm sure trying to like it, but the feeling is just not coming. So this pie predicament has been weighing on me all day. I decided to put it off until tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll have more energy then, I thought. Maybe....

Yep, that's what I was gonna do... until about 4:00. That's when I decided to go with option #3 {translation=EASY!}. I went to the store on the way home from church tonight, and I bought a frozen apple pie. What can I say? I caved.

My thinking is, Thanksgiving shouldn't have to be hard or dreaded. It should be enjoyed. So I'm getting help from Marie Callender and plan to relax and enjoy.

I hope you relax and enjoy too!

*Photo courtesy of Microsoft clip art

Random Dozen - Thanksgiving Edition

1. Are you sticking to traditional Thanksgiving foods this year, or are you being culinarily adventurous?

We pretty much eat the same things every year.... turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, yams, corn casserole, etc... Hey, if something is delicious, why mess with the classics?

2. Tell me something concrete that you're thankful for. (Something you can literally touch, see, etc., not a concept like "hope.")

Family & friends

3. You knew the flip side was coming: Share about something intangible that you're thankful for.

I'm thankful that God keeps me. Every morning when I wake up I still have my faith. It's not something I have to go to bed hoping I still have the next day.

4. Share one vivid Thanksgiving memory. It doesn't have to be deep or meaningful, just something that remains etched in your memory.

I think I've shared this photo before, but it is what I think of every year at Thanksgiving time. When I was in kindergarten everyone in our class was supposed to bring in a vegetable for stew, and then we got to eat the stew together. I remember the school hallways were filled with the aroma. We made Pilgrim and Indian hats and tops out of construction paper. Here I am modeling the Pilgrim. Isn't my prairie apron with applique adorable?

5. What is one thing that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is going to happen this Thanksgiving because it always does, year after year?

I'm going to eat pie. That's the one and only thing that I'm absolutely sure of.

6. Do your pets get any left-overs?

We can't feed Dixie "people food" because she usually gets an upset tummy.

7. Does your family pray before the big meal? If so, do you join hands while seated, stand, repeat a formal prayer or offer a spontaneous prayer? Who does the praying?

We always say a prayer before the meal. We sit at the table, hold hands, and Dad leads it.

8. Will you be watching football in the afternoon? If not, what will you be doing?

My parents have never been into sports, so no we won't be watching football. A tradition of the past has been to watch a Christmas movie. One of our favorites is the musical Scrooge with Albert Finney. In our family's opinion, it is the BEST telling of Dickens' story A Christmas Carol.

9. There are two distinct camps of people on this issue: How do you feel about oysters in the dressing/stuffing?

I have never tried it, nor would I want to. I'm not sure I know anyone who has had oysters in their dressing, either.

10. Do you consider yourself informed about the first Thanksgiving?

I believe I have a pretty good grasp on the story of the first Thanksgiving.

11. Which variety of pie will you be enjoying?

Apple & maybe Pumpkin at my mom's. I'm hoping maybe I can snag a slice of Pecan at our church fellowship on Wednesday.

12. Do you feel for the turkey?? (This is a humorous throw back question related to the 12th question in another Random Dozen!)

Nope, not at all.

So glad you stopped by today. Please take a moment to visit Linda's 2nd Cup of Coffee blog. She's a fun lady.

Nov. 23, Thankful for Normal

I don't know why, but my energy level has come back. Just after I had the blood work done to check for a thyroid issue (no problems found), suddenly I'm feeling alright and not dragging anymore. Who knows? Maybe it's the cod liver oil that I started taking. Well, no matter. I'm just thankful that I feel normal again. (Whatever normal is.)

Blog Design Change

Yep, I did it again. I changed my blog background. When I found this little penguin, I just couldn't resist. I wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving, but his cute little penguin-ness kept calling out to me.... C'mon, Lizzy. You know you want me on your blog. So I went and grabbed his little penguin code and made the change.

If you are looking for a cute, free background, this is where I got mine.

Nov. 22, Thankful for God's Faithfulness

I'm thankful that God is faithful to me, even when I am unfaithful to Him. My heart and my thoughts were a mess this morning at church, and I responded sinfully at every turn. It's hard to believe that I prayed for my junior class with an emphasis on their need to honor God with their actions and words. I'm sure God must have been shaking His head at my own stubbornness and disobedience.

But He's faithful to chasten His kids, and He's faithful to forgive. I'm thankful for that because I sure do need His grace.