And I should remember...

...that if I'm feeling low, playing trains with Mozart, followed by the making of blueberry pie and a batch of yogurt, can lift my mood :D

And I just learned something useful, though I haven't tested it to be sure.  Apparently, in order to make yogurt, you have to use non-homogenized milk (the kind with the cream at the top).  Very hard to come by in the U.S. unless you get raw milk.   I will test this sometime and report back...

Perfect batch!

The fourth batch of yogurt came out the best yet!  It is still thinner than your average grocery store yogurt, but it is perfect for us, and the taste came out just perfectly.  Mozart has given it the proverbial thumbs up. 

Cake Master and Lashes are coming over for dinner this evening and bringing a box of Lashes old clothes, and if we're lucky, some extra train tracks.  If the kitchen is clean in time (ahem - I say nothing) then I will make blueberry pie to go with dinner.  I generally buy my pie crust, but being in the lack of extra funds mode, I think it's time try making my own.  I've always shied away from it because so many say that it is tricky...  Well, I'm up for it.  Biscuits were supposed to be tricky as well, and they turned out fantastic!  If the easy looking recipe I found really is, then I'll post it.  In the mean time, I suppose I should clean up the rest of the house for the 3rd time this morning - it is amazing how quickly a small child can take out every toy he owns!

3rd time's (almost) a charm.

Indeed, this yogurt batch was much, much better.  This one didn't have quite as much tang as I'm looking for, but it was definitely drinkable.  I keep seeing that you have to keep the milk at 185-195 for about a half to gain the natural thickness, but I haven't yet had the patience for that.  And frankly, I quite like the convenience of drinking it.  For both my and Mozart's sake - and how cute is a kid with a "go-gurk" mustache?!  Still want to try for the thinker kind, but I'm pleased with the last outcome.

I am wiped out from today. I think I may have had about the most productive Monday I've ever had at work.  Constant go, go, go in a million different directions and, although I really did get a lot accomplished, I didn't truly finish anything.  Sometimes I feel all full of futility in cases like this, but today I felt - mostly - satisfied with the progress that I did make! 

Beginners Luck?

Alright, so the yogurt is on the 3rd try.  I am hopeful.  I have put it in a water bath of exactly 100 degrees, wrapped it for extra insulation from our cool house, and set the timer.  Will report results tomorrow.  I'm not so picky about how thick it is as I like both kefir and yogurt, but it must be consumable to the Boy. 

As we sometimes do, Mme. Child shared our dinner this evening.  This time at our house (this happens much less often then us going over there).  She called while I was out getting milk for the aforementioned yogurt project this afternoon and since I already had a chicken thawing, and an idea of sides, she and Goose got an invitation.  On the menu was roast chicken with potatoes and shallots and butternut soup.  Mme. Child provided broccoli rabe.  As I was about to sit and await their arrival I decided biscuits were in order.  I have made biscuits about three times in my life, so Dr. Google was my assistant in finding a recipe.   I liked the sound of Easy Biscuits with 4 1/2 stars. 

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients (Makes about 12 biscuits):

• 2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions:

• Mix dry ingredients.
• Put oil in measuring cup and add milk. Do not stir.
• Add to dry ingredients. 
• Mix lightly to moisten ingredients and knead one or two times to form ball.
• Roll out between two sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/2" thick.
• Cut into 2" biscuits.
• Bake on an ungreased pan at 475F for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

Never able to leave well enough along, however, I substituted the oil - of which I am sure the good cook used canola or vegetable oil - with coconut oil (2/3) and olive oil (1/3), still equaling 1/3 cup.  As the coconut oil is solid this time of year, I warmed it on the burner to liquify, topped it off with the olive oil, followed the other instructions, and voila!  Mme. Child thought they were excellent (here, again, is were I beam with pride) as did Goose, who recently is on a bit of a food strike, so that means something as well!  You can taste the coconut if you are looking for it (the Wife does not care for coconut, pour soul, and so she pointed this out), but it is subtle.  We, of course, had them as regular dinner biscuits, but I think they'd go quite nicely as the shortcake in strawberry shortcake! 

So hey, apparently, I can make biscuits!  Or maybe it's just beginner's luck, but I'll take it!

The impromptu spread.

Yogurt Making Fail

Ok, so the first batch was fantastic, but the second batch... mmmm, not so much.  I made one quart instead of two, and put the heating pad around it right away, but then forgot about it and maybe the heating pad was too much heat, or maybe I left it too long, but it was a runny and grainy tart mess in the end.  Mozart, a kid who has loved every previous yogurt I've ever given him, wouldn't even drink it.  He took a sip (because there was no way it could be considered food - definitely drink) and kind of looked at me as if I was trying to trick him.  I tried it and, indeed, it was very tart.  And the texture was just off.  I've been trying to figure out if I can use the same batch for a starter for the next round (I think I'll skip it and start from scratch again), and found a Food in Jars (a site I will surely return to) post that I may use to guide my next try.  I'm a bit miffed about wasting a quart of milk, but hopeful that my next batch will be better.  

It snowed last night. It is nearly 10am. I need to shovel, and have stalled long enough...

Happy New Year!!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, indeed!  The Parents have come and gone, along with Globetrotter.  We have our house back and Mozart is re-acclimating to the quiet - no small feat for one so small - and feels he must make up for it by way of constant talk (cute), whining and screeching (not cute). 

I rang in the New Year in my dreams - try as I might I did not make it to midnight.  This morning was invited, along with a couple others, to Mme. Child's for breakfast while the Wife slept in.  I brought homemade yogurt that I declared done when I woke up this morning. 

Who knew yogurt is so easy to make?!?

Honestly:

Heat the milk to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix in 1 Tbsp live yogurt (or packet of culture) per quart of milk. 
Maintain temperature of between 95-110 degrees for 4-8 hrs (heating pad, hot water bottle, next to wood stove...

That's it.

Literally.

Seems too easy, right?  I got a yogurt maker for Christmas, so I tried it, but really, all you need is milk, a pot, thermometer, and heating pad or the like...  I will make many more batches.  This one was a bit thin as I let the temp drop too much.  I tried to bring it up with the aforementioned heating pad, but still thin - more like Kefir.   But Mozart LOVED IT.  Seriously - 6 servings (progressively smaller each serving, of course) and wanting more!