Bread and Yogurt

I'm not sure what happened to my bread. I used random grain ratios. It still tastes good though!

The yogurt turned out great! This is the recipe: (Sterilize all the equipment that you can)

• 1-L or 1-qt canning jar
• stock pot
• 2-qt pot
• ice
• candy thermometer
• washcloth or hand towel
• 1 qt of milk (you can add 1/3c dry milk for added protein/thickness if you want) &
  1/4 cup plain yogurt (should say contains live cultures and not be more than a week old, although mine was 3 weeks old and it still worked!)

1. Fill your large stock pot with water. (Enough to submerge pieces of equipment.) Boil water, sterilize equipment. I set everything on a clean towel on the counter.

2. Pour milk into 2-qt pot and heat without scalding to 185-195 degrees F. Stir, stir, stir! Mine still turned out even though I burned the bottom.

3. Meanwhile cool stock-pot water to 115 degrees F if you are going to incubate your yogurt on the stovetop. Fill your sink with ice water.

4. When milk has reached 185-195 range, remove from heat and place in sink of ice water. cool to 115.

5. Remove from ice water and whisk (without creating lots of bubbles) in 1/4c plain yogurt.
Pour into canning jar.

6. At this point, there are many ways to continue. What I did was place my washcloth in the bottom of the stockpot full of water, set the canning jar(sealed) in on top of the cloth, and leave the stove on low. I put the candy thermometer in to float in the water so I could keep looking in and checking the temp.

7. Others have done many things to incubate yogurt. You can leave it in the oven if you have gas, and just let the pilot light keep it warm. Anything that keeps your yogurt at a temerature of 108-115 should work! My stock pot water ranged from 104 to 125 while I was stumbling through the process, and it still turned out fine. But they say temps over 118 kill the culture, so try not to do what I did!

8. Incubate yogurt for at least 4 hours. I have read of people incubating it for between 4 and 12 hours. So it doesn't hert to just wait longer if it looks like your yogurt isn't setting up/ Or if you think it got too hot, cooling it back to 115 or 110 and adding some more yogurt with live cultures.

A bit of everything...

A bit of heaven is blooming outside our house.

I rode my bike to work twice this week. It feels so real to be out in the air.

Today I am going to make yogurt for the first time. I didn't know that a quart of milk =a quart of yogurt. I always thought it involved reduction! :) I am also making bread from flour I grind myself. I love homemade things.

This was last weekend's project. It must have been blessed because there were no frustrating mistakes. I have used the pattern twice in the past, but the third time is indeed a charm!

Cherry Crumble

For this Sunday's cherry dessert, I tried cherry crumble for the first time...the recipe is from "More With Less," a Mennonite cookbook. I think it turned out nicely, but a cherry crunch with an oatmeal and brown sugar topping might have been better.

1950's Menu

This post from Like Merchant Ships is soooo cool! She found a menu planner from the 1950's and followed it for a week, blogging through it and posting the results. Very interesting!!!

Cute Flop

Someone's going to get these as a Christmas gift! J won't eat them!

I was researching Great Depression Era recipes and came across this website. Tried the molasses cookies and they are ok, like graham crackers, only much grainier. I guess I needed to grind the oats more finely.

Applesauce at Mom's House

Mom harvested Grandma's apple tree. Peeling those tiny apples cramped my hands, but they smelled like heaven.

Mom in her home-sewn apron.







Ice cream and pecans can only make hot homemade applesauce better!

Hobbit Soup

I am just thrilled that it is beginning to feel like fall. Creamy chicken- or sausage-mushroom soup is one of my favorite things to cook on a chilly evening. The earthy color and flavor of brown mushrooms, the scent of thyme, stirring with a wooden spoon in a cast iron pot. I always feel like a little hobbit wife in a subterranian home at the edge of the woods when I make this.

This recipe is a favorite with my family:

3 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 lbs. sliced mushrooms (I use crimini)

1/2 c. chopped scallions or onions

3 Tbsp. sherry

5 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. dried thyme

4 1/2 cups of water

4 1/2 tsp. bullion

salt and pepper to taste

2 sausages sliced and browned in a skillet

(or add chopped cooked chicken)

heavy cream (to taste) 1/2 to 1 c.

1. Cook mushrooms & onions over med- high heat in melted butter/olive oil about 5 min.

2. Add sherry, flour, & thyme, reduce heat to low & cook, scraping pan constantly for 5 min.

3. Add water, bullion, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat to med and simmer 20 min.

4. Take off heat and add cooked meat & cream.
5. Ring the dinner bell!