Yogurt in an Igloo

There are lots of posts around the internet for how to make your own yogurt. Google away, and you'll probably find at least ten different ways to do it.

Some call for raw milk and others say that won't work because of the competing good bacteria. One calls for for powdered milk, another says you can use non-fat, 1%, 2%, or whole milk. Opinions vary from using a powdered culture to using store-bought plain yogurt. "You MUST hang your yogurt to get a non runny product". "Don't bother hanging it, it's just fine without". Different temps, use the oven, use a yogurt maker, use a cooler...

Yep. Lots of opinions.

And they probably all work just fine.

For myself, it's all about making it simple. And cheap. And deeeelicious.

I originally followed directions for using the oven and the results were sorta slimy. So then I tried using the cooler because, by golly, I was NOT purchasing another space taker-upper for my kitchen (as in a yogurt maker)!

The cooler worked great. But then, the stopper to my cooler broke off and got, um, misplaced. And the other cooler is huge and needs a good cleaning. And they took so much water and so much space while they did their magic.

So here's what I use and it is PERFECT:

Okay, so it's the brand Igloo. But "Yogurt in an Igloo" sounds so much
more fun than saying "Yogurt in a Drink Dispenser".

It perfectly fits four one quart canning jars (that's a gallon to all of you who maybe forgot). It doesn't take much water or space, and it makes the yogurt turn out creamy and delicious!

So, here's the skinny:

~ Turn on your tea kettle filled with water.

~ Sterilize 4 one quart canning jars and lids.

~ Bring ONE GALLON MILK to 175-180 degrees F. If you want to be precise, you really won't need the entire gallon. But pretty close, so mayizwell play it safe and just do the whole gallon. Then let it cool to 105-110 so the heat doesn't kill your squirmy little active cultures.

OPINION ALERT: If you are buying organic milk from a trusted source, go for whole milk. If you cannot afford that, get skim. I personally think that getting the proper amount of fat is healthy, especially for growing children. But research shows that toxins are stored in fat cells. So if you don't know what is going into the cow that makes your milk, try not to ingest the fat.

~ Pour the milk divided evenly between your 4 sterilized quart jars that have been allowed to cool. Don't get stressed about who gets more. The jars won't care. Just be sure you leave a few inches at the top so you have room for the cultured yogurt.

~ Drop in about a quarter cup of plain active yogurt into each jar and stir. Just plop it in, no need to measure precisely. Well, I don't. But my sister who asked for these instructions probably will, because she's a precise kind of girl. She'll be happy I told her a quarter cup instead of a plop.

~ Place caps on jars. Screw lids down tightly. You don't want watery yogurt do you?

~ Now, you are going to need to fill the Igloo to just below where the jar lids will be, with water that is between 105-110 degrees. I try for 110 or a scad (sorry about the non-measurable measurement Sis) bit higher myself. I fill it about halfway with faucet-warm water, then take it's temp and add boiling water or cold water until I get it right. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT put your jars of yogurt in first, then dump boiling water in, thinking you will cool it. It's gonna kill those active lil cultures. Water first, then jars.

~ Put your jars in the Igloo. If you've filled it past where the bottoms of the lids end up, drain some out.

No Silly. Not that Igloo.

See, what'd I tell ya? They fit perfectly.

The N on one lid was so I knew which one was which when I tried Nancy's plain yogurt for one
of the starters. It was a pretty nice starter, just slightly tangier than when I used the
powdered culture and every bit as creamy.

Make sure your Igloo is in a warmish area, or wrap it real good with some towels or a blanket. I put mine in front of a heat vent in the laundry room.

Now go have a glass of kombucha or kefir and read all about how healthy it is for you and your family to ingest as many good, live, cultured foods as possible.

Then, for goodness sakes, go to bed before the sun comes up. That yogurt is going to need a good 8 hours in it's bath. It is very shy, plus you don't want to allow precious heat to escape, so DO NOT OPEN THE LID.(Alternatively, I hear you can make it early in the day and let it sit for about 8 hours, then refrigerate. I have not tried doing that.)

Dream about bunnies and rainbows and unicorns. Or a pina colada on a beach in Bora, Bora. Or about one day having your entire house clean and your laundry done all at the same time for an entire hour. Whatever puts you in your happy place so you can get some good REM Zzzzs.

When you wake up in the morning and realize it was mostly all a dream, it will be nice to remember you really do have some fresh yogurt to eat for breakfast.

Take the jars out and dry them off. Open a lid and check on the consistency. Now is also a good time to stir in a little vanilla if you like vanilla yogurt. I am thinking you could stir in any flavor extract if you'd like. I love orange extract in other things, but I have only tried vanilla for yogurt.

It will probably be just fine to eat for breakfast, but if you want optimum consistency, only eat one quart and put the rest in the fridge for a few hours and it will set even more.

My favorite is plain, topped with some pure,
grade B maple syrup and a couple of walnuts.

What's yours?

If you try this at home, please tell me how it goes!

Spring Check In

Hi. It's Me.

Popping in for a visit at least.

Not making any promises.

We'll see.

I miss you.



Much to my delight, I/we went hiking three times this week. Spring has definitely sprung here in green Oregon. I would have gone a couple more times but it was just too wet to risk one of my kids falling. I am thankful this long winter is past and we have the next 6 or 7 months of being-outdoors-kind-of-weather to look forward to. I can't wait to get our first camping trip in!




Spring also means some shifting around for our last term of school. My girl's math is wonderful, but I have switched her to Aleks for now just to make sure she is ready for the same language and styles she will see on her first achievement testing coming up in May. I also started a couple of the kids in 4H for goats last fall so they are working on getting the goats used to being handled the same way they will be when they are shown. Two of my kids are just about to start play practice for Cinderella, and three of them are practicing, practicing, practicing for their voice recital in early summer. We have decided to drop our full day of outside classes, leaving only one morning per week for a P.E. class, so we can tie up some loose ends scholastically, work on "perfecting" our character (ahem), and also so we have more possible flex times for outside learning adventures. I am loving getting more acquainted with Charlotte Mason's thoughts on this.





I am also trying to get back into a routine for meal planning and more purposeful in our traditional style food habits. I have been spoiled with the meals I made when I ordered from Zaycon Foods. They have been so helpful during some tough times when meal planning was not on the top of my agenda, but I knew that telling the kids to "throw a Cheese Quesadilla on the George Foreman and grab a few baby carrots or an orange" should not be a daily happening.






This week I started a new batch of Kombucha and I am very much looking forward to the results. I also made Kefir and have yogurt and chevre multiplying their bacteria as we speak. I have a few other things burning in my mind that I'd like to make this week too, so we'll just see.

I am working on a compilation of the chicken recipes I used when I ordered 120 pounds of chicken breast the first time and 80 pounds the second time so my friends and family who ask will have one tidy place to refer to. I will be using my blog as the posting place so my faithful blog readers will see it first;).

Unfortunately, one of my main freezer shelves is broken and the food slides off each time I open the door and I have to be careful and strategic when trying to pile it back on so the door will close. I have nowhere else to put it, so I am going to have to plan to eat the things that take up the most freezer space first in order to get to the shelf and figure out what needs to be done to make it right again.








Well there's my blippet about life today.

Here's some of what we are planning to eat this week:

BREAKFAST:

Bob's Red Mill Oatmeal Pancakes (if I can locate the cord to my griddle. Urgh.) These babies are so filling that my big boys can usually only eat 2 or 3!

My Favorite Muffins

Baked Oatmeal baked in crockpot (using alternative sweetener, probably real maple syrup which is our favorite sweetener of choice) Baked Oatmeal was one of my favorites growing up and I have made it for my family from the beginning. But I have not tried making it in the crockpot, so this will be a tester.

Migas using truly free-range eggs . I might throw in some basil because I just love basil.

DINNER: (most of the links are the basic recipe, which I adapted so I could make them as freezer meals)

~ Enchiladas using the frozen Mole Chicken Burritos I made previously

~ Buffalo Chicken Mounds served on homemade buns (I have to let them raise longer where I live)

~ Praline Chicken

~Butterflied Whole Chicken Breast cooked on the grill, with mushrooms and asparagus

~ Chicken Marbella


(For tons more recipe links and menu ideas, visit www.orgjunkie.com, where lots of ladies like me link up every week to share ideas)

Finding The Stillness

Stillness is a word befitting of winter. We all have seasons where we are recovering from being really busy. Seasons when we are wrestling inside, or facing change – welcome or not. Times when your insides are all in a turmoil and you feel like you are falling short in even the most mundane things. We don’t feel still. At all. Those are the times when there is a lot of (sometimes raging) noise. Sometimes we don’t even know how to rest.

“Be Still and know that I am God”

Sometimes I don’t even know how, yet, in the midst of stillness is where my heart must take the time it needs to answer questions, to ponder deep thoughts, to evaluate, and to be silent.

Take a deep breath.

I remember my Grandma's words when, as a small child, she brushed my very tangled hair -- "SIT Still!" Of course I was squirming and squiggling my way away from the pain. But I just needed to be still and let the brush do what it needed to do in my Grandma's capable hands. Soon the knot was out, Dippity-Doo was applied, and rag rollers were in.

The next morning, as she unrolled the ringlets, I saw the pay-off.

I think back to a Christmas season not long ago, when we had alot of snow. I remember myself, dressed warm and cozy and comfortably, walking outside, all alone at night, in the snow. The moon overhead and the city lights in the distance were set against the pink tinged sunset and reflecting on the snow. That is when I took the picture above.

I live in the country, so what I was breathing in was fresh and clean with just a hint of bold evergreen making it's way through the frozen air. We had been sledding earlier and now I was all alone for those few quiet moments. I could hear only my footsteps in the snow and a brief greeting from the cow who spotted me heading her way. All the snow from one high branch fell down at once and the branch wobbled as it was freed from the weight. But it did not disturb. I marveled at how it made a noise that did not disturb, but only accentuated the silence. But it did make me realize how still my mind had been up to that point.

Things melting away. Things shifting. Knots untangled. Being set free.

Lord, please teach me to be still. Please help me find clarity and rest.

Where are All of the Round To-its?

Slip slidin' away.

Good golly, time is just passing by and my poor blog is getting a little dusty. Cough, sneeze, aaaaaachooo!

Ohhh, there's plenty to blog about. But I just have not been getting a round To-it. I have some square To-its, but the round ones are harder to come by.

Please don't forget about me. Because I plan to be back in the swing of things real soon.

Keeping It Simple

If you look at my menus for Thanksgivings past, you will see that I am keeping it simple this year.

There has been so much going on; we have icy weather, and our three youngest have been sick with bad colds all week as well, so we decided to stay quiet this year. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day as a family, with no extended family or friends, for the first time ever. My menu will be simple, but full of tradition for us.

I usually try at least one new thing but I am not sure if I will this year. I am trying to be mellow. But old habits die hard so, we'll see.

We all need some time to relax and just give ourselves permission to sit around and play games, do puzzles, play Wii or whatever.

If everyone is feeling well enough, we will have some company for brunch on Friday. I will make a breakfast strata I have made for years. This Farmer’s Strata is one of my favorites. Stratas taste wonderful and are convenient because you make it the night before, so your morning is pretty easy.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and be blessed!

Homemade Cranberry Salsa over cream cheese, served with a variety of crackers

Lemon and Tarragon Turkey (this just sounded good so I am coming up with a recipe)

Cashew Swiss Salad

Scalloped Potato Casserole or Frufru Mashed Potatoes (I will take a poll of my family) with gravy (one of my sons reminded me to make PLENTY of gravy!)

Dilly Rolls

Cranberry Apple Sausage Stuffing (and some with no cranberries for a few people)

Sparkling Peach Punch

Sparkling Juice

Pumpkin Pie with homemade whipped cream

Spice Cookies and dip (one of my faves ever!)

Coffee

Salted Caramel Cocoa

The Big Switch

I thought I'd chat about the curriculum switch we made for this year. We have enjoyed our core curriculum, Sonlight, for so many years, I sure did hate to leave it. I am hoping maybe next year we can go back to it. But we’ll see.

I just had too many kids in varying places in schoolwork and was getting overwhelmed with all of the reading out loud and at different levels, needing to adjust for each individual child, plus all of the other subjects being at different levels. It was taking way too long every day and there was no possibility of getting anything else done each day. Not to mention, I want my kids to enjoy school. If the load is too heavy, and if I am stretched too thin in helping them, or learning along with them, the fun and enjoyment stretches pretty thin too.

So, for anyone who may be curious, below is what we are doing daily. Keep in mind that we started out doing something totally different and have phased out the old and, slowly, in with the new, so we are still adjusting to getting everything done. Many days we can’t get everything done, but I aim for them to get Math, Handwriting, Dictation and Spanish done every day at least. If we have to give a little, it is usually something besides those.

Science (Lyrical Life Science for 4th and 6th graders, Apologia for 10th grader)

Math (Saxon 7/6, RightStart for 4th grader and Thinkwell Pre-Calculus for 10th grader)
Dictation, Spelling, Vocabulary, Narration, Handwriting Practice (Spelling Wisdom – This is a change for us too. Previously we were using Spelling Power plus doing dictation, which took more planning to locate passages. We are able to cover narration, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting and dictation all with one exercise. Plus they get some really great quotes and passages, which we discuss.)

By the way, I also purchased Laying Down The Rails as I have felt like we need to make a more concerted effort in this area; a refresher course on habits, especially for the younger kids, since we made a concerted effort with the older ones and some things mightpossiblymaybe have gotten a little rusty. We'd possibly be up there with wild Indians if it weren't for The 21 Rules of This House having become a permanent part of our home many years ago (and that's even a little creaky!).
Handwriting (we use Italic but they requested to learn traditional cursive so we are doing that right now then will go back to Italic)
Reading for at least one hour daily, (Misc. and/or pertaining to current History studies)
History/Bible (Loosely based around the Story of the World, Child’s History of the World and Engermeier’s Bible Story Book, using this chart and this chart for assistance and adding in my own hands-on activities) and age appropriate Bible times for each
Spanish (Rosetta Stone)
Plus assignment completion from their once a week classes (including Creative Writing, Communications, Speech, Vocabulary, Shakespeare and/or Literature, depending upon the child)
Twice per week we do a Nature Walk and once per week we aim (operative term to date) to do nature journaling
Once per week we focus on a new Lyrical Life Science song. They are wordy and informative and we just added this a couple weeks ago, so we have not gotten very far yet.
Once per week the boys have a full day of classes outside the home, my daughter takes two of them. This has been a huge help!
Once per week they have a PE class
They have other activities through church and 4H, basketball starts soon, and they have chores around the house, property and for the animals plus learning cooking and other Home Ec type skills. We have put piano, guitar and voice on sabbatical. We have no extra time!
I am still streamlining and trying to figure out how to balance all of this. This is the first year in 16 years of homeschooling where I do not have any two students doing the bulk of the same work. Plus I have a 4 year old who also has his own little learning times.
I’ll post again in a month or two with a progress report because many days I still feel like there is just too much, especially with high school requirements, to get everything done!

A Cluck of A Deal!

One of my wonderful friends told me about a great deal on chicken breasts for $1.48 per pound! Zaycon Foods is new to me but, at that price, I bought a ton. Well, not literally, but 120 pounds sort of felt like a ton when I was elbow deep in raw chicken all week. Because you know there was no way I was just staying in the kitchen until it was done. There is school to teach, driving kids to and fro, dinner to forage for, blogging, LAUNDRY, appointments -- and then there is sleeping and eating somewhere in there.

But I am quite happy with the result. I bought 120 pounds of fresh, all natural, boneless, skinless chicken breast meat. Do you have any idea how much raw chicken that is??!!

I bought three 40 pound boxes

This is half of one box

I bought additional groceries at Costco and Trader Joe’s and used things I already had in my pantry (from buying in bulk and through my co-ops).

For this I got:

over 30-15+ serving casseroles,

5 dozen+ pre-made meaty burritos,

30+ individual servings of either BBQ or buffalo shredded chicken for easy-to-grab take-away meals for the boys who are in college and as needed,

over 30 seasoned and seared substantial breast pieces for the kids to use for quick protein on the George Foreman grill,

about 2 dozen additional substantial breast pieces I trimmed and froze plain for later use and 3 bags of broth mixtures to use in soups later.

That’s about $.68 per serving. And each serving should be substantial enough for a meal because I included a lot of meat in each recipe.

If I include buns and/or produce that will be needed to complete some of the meals, I am still under or right at about a dollar per meal per person, if I figure amounts, servings and figures correctly.

So yes, I am pretty happy about my stocked freezer.

And I am breathing a big sigh of relief that I have so many meals made ahead just before Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was dreading the “rush”. But now I am so looking forward to all of the fun things we are going to do for school and for holiday fun.

I’ll be sharing the recipes I used and some pictures of the process during the next couple of weeks. Mostly because I want to keep my notes for next time!

Have a great week!