Making Yogurt

 

Homemade yogurt has become a staple in our house.  We have a bowl every morning for breakfast.  Yogurt is amazingly simple to make. All you need is some milk and some starter.  After making it a couple of times a week since January, we have got it exactly the way we like it.

Let's start by putting the milk in the pan, start heating it.  I'm using 5 cups of whole milk - you can use 2%, soy, almond, whatever you want - those will take a longer time to grow.  I'm using this amount because that's what fits in my maker.  If you want to use a heating pad to grow your culture you can start heating a half gallon milk.



 

While the milk heats you want your starter to sit out and get room temperature.  I have read varying amounts to use from 2 tablespoons up.  I use one small container of Dannon Oikos Plain Yogurt.  You can use any PLAIN/unflavored yogurt.  I've had good success using the same small container when making a half gallon as well.

At some point while your milk if heating you'll want to add in about 1/4 cup of dry milk.  This just helps make the yogurt thicker.  If you like thinner yogurt you can leave this out.



 

Get the milk to about 190 degrees Fahrenheit, whisking frequently.  When the milk gets near ready, turn your yogurt machine on to preheat a bit, OR, if you're using a heating pad, plug it in and turn it on medium.  Remove from heat when it reaches temperature.  At this point, you can let it sit and check it periodically until it reaches 105-110 degrees, OR, since this takes about an hour, I have found a shortcut. . .



 

Partially fill a sink with cold water (add ice if you like) then take your pot and sit it in the cold water.  I whisk the milk while it's cooling.  Doing it this way cuts the cooling to about 15 minutes or less.  I like to remove it from the cold water when it reaches 109 degrees.

Whisk in the starter yogurt.  Once you have made yogurt you can use some of it for your start next time.  I generally use what I've made for 4-5 times then get a new starter.



 

Pour the yogurt into your jars, cover and set the timer to 9 hours.  I really like how it turns out at 9 hours.  If you're using 2%, almond, etc, you will need more time, most like 10-12 hours, you'll have to play with it to see what you like.

If you don't have a maker you can leave your yogurt in the pan with a lid on it.  Sit the pan on the heating pad set at medium, cover with a bath towel or two and leave it be for 8-9 hours.  Once the time is up just pour it into containers and refrigerate.



 

When the time is up, put lids on the jars and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before enjoying.  It will last up to 10 days, never makes it that long around here though.



 

I add a scoop of protein powder to my yogurt, then whatever fruit I'm in the mood for.  I usually combine more than one fruit as you can see, and I chop up a couple of Brazil nuts to toss in.  Get creative and find what you like.  Great way to start the day!

Macro Monday Spaghetti

One of my favorite things about this summer - freshly made spaghetti.  Everything on the plate is homemade from scratch. :0)



It's long been a desire of mine to try making spaghetti noodles, however, I was afraid to. Well, I found an inexpensive pasta roller so thought it would be a great time to try it, figuring if I liked the taste I would invest in the pasta parts for my Kitchen Aid mixer.



Well the noodles are great! Easy to make, quick to cook and taste just as good after being frozen which means I can make up huge batches and only make the kitchen a mess every now and then. :0) I don't even think I need the parts for my mixer now, this little hand one is working fine.



All of my wonderful tomato plants are keeping us in such a steady supply of tomatoes that we can also make our own sauce, with fresh herbs too.

Macro Monday is easy to play, snap a macro (or any close-up) photo, post it on your blog and come back here and sign MckLinky. :) MM started on Sept 29, 2008 - THANX to all of you for helping make it such a fun start to the week!

The New Bed

While I was working on these log cabin blocks. . .



. . .my husband was shaping these hickory boards into a bed frame.



While I was pinning the layers of the joined blocks, batting, and backing, to make a quilt. . .



. . .my husband was planning the headboard of hickory and aspen.



While I was quilting my first quilt (wow, what an experience!). . .



. . .my husband was staining and assembling the headboard and attaching to the bed frame.



Together, we created our new bed.

Sidenote - All the photos were taken with my cell phone - the most convenient camera while crafting, lol.

Second sidenote - Although the head/horns had been hanging above the bed for about 4 1/2 years, the wire recently broke and the horns crashed onto us - they are no longer there, lol.

Homemade Pizza

We have taken to making our own pizza instead of going out. This way we know what's in it. I rally don't know what has gotten into me, I keep worrying about what is in things and looking for better, healthier ways. Restaurants don't care about my health, but I do. I found a simple dough recipe, I throw the ingredients in the bread machine and an hour later it's ready for us to divide and conquer.

This one is mine! I used pepperoni fresh from the deli, sausage and ground beef as my toppings. The pizza sauce is from a recipe I found, then altered a bit. :0) I'll include it at the end in case you want to try it out.



Check out that crust! yummy!!



We spent a couple of days searching high and low for pizza stones right before Christmas - we made individual pizzas for Christmas dinner. When we couldn't find any nearby I started googling and duh! You can use any unglazed quarry stone/tile. These were 46 cents each, so a significant savings over the label pizza stone. AND these are much easier to store when you're not using them.  Our pizzas are baked at 550 degrees for about 15 minutes.

My Pizza Sauce

1 Big Can of Tomato Sauce or Diced Tomatoes

12 oz can of Tomato Paste (I add this a bit at time, checking the consistency - of course if you get it too thick just throw in more sauce)

1 tsp chopped garlic (I use jarred organic garlic)

Shake in some Dried Onion (I think I use 2-3 tsp)

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt (this sauce is not at all salty)

1 tsp sugar

1 large bay leaf

2 tsp fennel seed

I just throw all this in a saucepan and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  This makes enough for about 6 pizzas - since there's three in our family I just freeze whatever is left after the first use.

A nice surprise!

First. . . Happy Birthday, Dad!!

It's been well over a week now since I opened my mailbox and found this - I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, and it must have confused my mail lady too, because she left my neighbor's mail on top of the bottle and my mail under the bottle, lol.

As I continued to examine it, I discovered it was from my friend, Cathy, and I recognized it as ornaments she made! How neat! (Btw, I still have not figured out what to make her, know what I want to make, working out the details, I'm slooooow) I was momentarily confused, wondering if it was designed to stay in the bottle, lol. So many things ran through my head - I never knew I could mail a bottle - what a great way to recycle, what would people think if I started mailing everything in bottles - I would never have to buy envelopes again, lol.

After careful examination I discovered there was a little door hidden under the label.

Aren't they cute?! Thanx so much Cathy! They'll look great on the tree!  Promise, I'm working on yours, you'll be surprised when they arrive. :0)

What kind of soup?!

Forget the $1.25 burger, give me som' uh that HO-MADE soup please, but only if'n I can meet the ho tha' made it. I forget if this is technically in Monitowoc or Three Lakes, but it's somewhere between the two, and every time I see the sign I laugh and think I should get a photo. This time I had the point and shoot ready as Dennis sped past. I think I embarrass him sometimes, but he's learning to live with it.

Did you notice the seagull?  Maybe he's tomorrow's soup?

Tutorial for a headboard (under $100)

Yesterday I promised you a tutorial on how to make this headboard. I used the little tiny point and shoot camera for these photos so I know they aren't the best but it was easy to stick in my pocket in between steps.

Supplies: Amounts will vary according to what size of headboard you want to make. We spent about $87 on our supplies. The fabric was the most expensive thing. We made one for a King Size Bed so we bought:

• 1 2'x8' ½” plywood (could go with 3/4”)


• 1 4”x4” 8' post


• 2 post caps


• 3 2”x2” 8' boards


• box of 1 1/2” screws


• box of 3” screws


• 3 buttons to cover


• batting


• upholstery fabric

These last three items were purchased at Hancock's Fabrics, while the other items were purchased at our local lumberyard, Menards.

Measure and cut your fabric to size. This fabric will cover the end posts so I need two pieces.

While I was cutting the fabric and one layer of batting for each post, Dennis got our supplies ready and started marking the 4x4, makes sure your lines are straight.

We just cut it in half, to make two four foot tall sections. Make sure to cut straight.

Next we laid the fabric out, wrong side up, along with the batting, then laid the post on top. We tacked one end down along the side of the post, making sure to leave some fabric at each end. Then we wrapped the post tightly, making sure there were no wrinkles. Make sure your batting is not too long or it will bulge on the end and your headboard won't stand up right or it will have a bumpy top. We left ours down from the top just a bit so the cap would fit on without issue.

We used an air stapler to attach the fabric but you could use a hand stapler or even upholstery tacks. We folded the cut edge of fabric under to give it a more finished look, then stapled it. If your fabric is not very heavy you will probably want to use some cardboard in this folded edge to help prevent fraying. Once you've done both posts just set them aside. We'll do the ends later.

Next we attached a 2x2 to each long edge of the plywood with 1 1/2” screws.

That done, we measured and cut 2x2s to fit on each end.

Since the screw will go all the way through these 2x2s we pre-drilled the holes to help prevent them from splitting.

Then attached these pieces to our nearly finished posts with 3” screws at the height we wanted the backboard to be. We left some room at the top to allow for our caps and made sure the backboard was low enough to be below the mattress. Be sure to measure accurately so that the height is the same on both posts.

You will notice the stapled edge of our fabric covering, that is the back of the post, the part that will be against the wall. We placed our 2x2s at the very back of the post but you could do it anywhere you want.

Dennis used this neat little tool to make sure the post and board stayed flush.

Now it's time to attach your end post to your backboard. The 1 1/2” screws can handle this job. Make sure the boards stay snug together while you're screwing them in place.

We pushed against the boards to keep them snug. Me at one end and Dennis on the other, both pushing to keep things tight.

Finally, we finished the ends of each end post by folding the fabric like you wrap the ends of a present and stapled them down.

We did the same thing to the tops.

We cut two layers of batting to fit the backboard. It needs to fit lengthwise perfectly, and be wide enough to wrap around over the top and under the bottom to be affixed on the back. I think you can see where we stapled the ends. Make sure to keep this layer smooth, your wrinkles will show up through your fabric.

Next you cover the batting with your fabric. If it has a pattern like ours does then you'll need to keep an eye on that pattern. Make sure to pull the fabric taunt and keep it smooth.

Wrap it all the way to the back to attach it to those top and bottom 2x2s. We simply folded under the ends, next to the posts and while you could glue them down or something we haven't found any problem with them being simply folded. This headboard has been in use for over a month now.

After covering our buttons in fabric we drilled three holes evenly spaced where we wanted them in the backboard and used small cording to attach them. I happened to have these small spools around so we tied the cording to them to keep the buttons on.

This is the point that if you wanted to you could finish out this back with fabric attached to all 2x2s, but we just left it open as it's going against a wall.

Stand it up and admire your work. This is the point you may want to pre-drill some holes to attach your frame to. Make sure to measure accurately, you don't want your bed to hover, or you headboard for that matter.

We finished off the top posts with the post caps, you could actually use these on the bottoms of the post if you wanted too.

So there you have it a headboard completed in just a couple of hours for under $100. We're using this one in our guest room so of course we had to go out and buy new bedding to coordinate.