My Little Corner

Monday, March 27, 2006 -
How to make yogurt with a lighbulb...

Homemade Yogurt

Scald 2L of milk (whole milk works best, but use whatever % you like). Stir frequently so you don't burn it to the bottom.

Cool entire pan in a sinkful of cold water, stirring until milk is lukewarm (like for rising yeast).

Stir in 2 teaspoons plain yogurt, mixing it in thoroughly. If you use a wisk, your yogurt at the end will be bubbly (like mousse, kind of). Using a spoon results in smoother yogurt.

Pour mixture into whatever containers will be most convenient to store in the fridge later on (old margarine or yogurt ones work well-- whatever you use make sure there are lids). Cover lightly. Place in the oven with LIGHT ON ONLY. If you put them on a cookie sheet it's easier to take out. note: if it spills all over the oven, it's a really sticky mess. Don't do this.

Leave in oven for 6 hours, or overnight. Next morning, or whenever the 6 hours are up, take out, cover, and put in the fridge to cool for about 4 hours (or until cooled all the way through).

The watery stuff that comes when you spoon out yogurt is the whey and can be saved for cooking. Also, if the yogurt for whatever reason doesn't turn out quite right, you can use it in baking as well. Just like buttermilk.

And that's it!

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Saturday, March 11, 2006 -
An ode to Gena's gardening future

... Posted in Recipes and Food how-to

I did have this started over at Gena's but I gave up and put it here instead. Gena asked 3 questions- one about canning stuff, one about gardening, and one about something else I'll have to go back and look at before I publish this entry.

I can some things. Pickled beets, green tomato chow, cucumber pickles, pickled eggs, broth, tomatoes.... I've never tried jam, but my stepmom cans everything and she brought lots of jams, pickles, and tomatoes, and antipasta (AWESOME stuff, but oily)

I cheat, kinda. I put stuff in the jars really hot, and whatever doesn't pop down (lids), I re-heat in the microwave, and stand it on its head til cooled, then when I turn it right side up, it usually pops for me. Whatever doesn't pop down goes in the fridge.

My version of pickled eggs is to put the peeled hard-boiled eggs in the brine leftover from an empty bottle of dill pickles (homemade-- store bought makes the eggs go a yellowy-greeny colour. Ewww). It is really VERY good. Beets are really easy, and so is chow, although everything gets really sticky when you make that.

Now for my garden... I plant a little in the ground, and lots in those huge Rubbermaid containers. Basic items include tomatoes, cucumbers, beans (yellow and Scarlet runner), squash, radishes, peas, and sometimes beets, potatoes, and carrots. It's amazing how much you can squish into a small space.

We didn't get any pics of last year's garden, but we have some of the year before.
Here, and here, and better ones here.
Last year we moved stuff by the fence and we had scarlet runner beans, cukes, and even squash climbing up the fence. Real pretty but a curse to take off in the fall. (to be kind to the lady who lives behind us)

Oh yes. Lastly was a mutton question. I have no idea.

By the way, it is warming up... a few degrees above freezing, and the snow is melting. Which means that backyard of mine is going to be a swamp until about the end of June. Hello, mosquitoes... once they thaw out.

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 -
Faithfulness remembered

... Posted in Recipes and Food how-to

Ten years ago, we were in bad shape financially. I mean, realllly bad shape... next to no money coming in from anywhere, and the grocery situation was desperate. We had 2 little girls, and I was either pregnant with our son, or had just delivered. I remember at one point just praying.... "Lord, if you can clothe the lilies, and feed the sparrows, please provide some food...the cupboards are so empty..." The Lord answered my prayer almost instantly... the doorbell rang, and it was an older couple we hadn't expected to see due to winter roads....their trunk was FULL of groceries. They had been out for a drive and "just decided to pick up a few things" for us. The Lord is faithful enough to answer a prayer almost before you pray it! These people were obeying the Spirit's nudging even as I prayed.

It was this woman and her sister who showed me the "trick" of making my milk budget stretch, and each time I do this, I am reminded of the Lord's protection and faithfulness. The "trick" is to use one of those big gallon juice jugs, well washed, and mix together regular whole milk and milk powder (reconstituted to fill the jug). Here in Canada our 4L bags of milk have 3 bags inside, about 1.33L each. You use one of those bags, and then roughly enough milk powder to fill a Tupperware gravy mixer thing, and fill up the rest with water. Works best if you do it at night, to let it mix well overnight. You do get used to the taste.

I had a discussion with a couple of ladies the other evening about how much money you really save by doing it this way. Their estimate was maybe 11 cents per litre-- I figured it had to be more, but since it's been awhile since I last figured it out, and prices have gone up, I didn't argue. Much...lol

ANYWAY......

Here's what I figured out, based on the jug being 3.78L, and assuming I get the proper measurements out of the bag of milk powder.

--2.5kg bag of milk powder is currently $19.99 (NoName, from Superstore, makes 25L milk). Per litre cost: $0.80

--4L whole milk is $5.99 (again, from Superstore) Per litre cost: $1.50

At 1.33L of whole per jug, and 2.45L powdered, it costs just less than $4 per jug. IF we use one jug per day, which is average (family of 7), that equals 113.4L per month. Based on the per-litre costs, using whole milk (or 2%, anything from the store, because it's all the same price here) exclusively, would cost us $169.82 per month. JUST for milk. Our mixed price would be (is) $119.40. That's a savings of $50.42!!! If we used only reconstituted milk, it would cost us $90.67.

I guess I'll just keep mixing my milk and using that 50 bucks for something else.

By the way, 10 years ago that same bag of milk was $11.99. Wow.

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Sunday, January 29, 2006 -
yummmmmm

... Posted in Recipes and Food how-to

Ahh, Timbits.... they go so well with the coffee over on the side!!!