Archive for » July, 2006 «

Homemade Yogurt

10 Jul 2006 by

The last couple of weeks I have been researching making our own yogurt.  After reading about it on Danielle Bean’s website I became a wee curious.  Then I found out my kindred spirit, Misty, had started making her own yogurt. AND our houseguest, Katie, had also made her own yogurt before. 

Well, feeling the need to keep up the “Molly Homemakers” out there.  I decided we should give it a shot too.  After doing my research, talking to Misty, and witnessing how Katie made a batch, I thought I would look into getting a yogurt maker.  Even though Adam gave me the green light to get a yogurt maker, being the cheap-skate, financially responsible person that my husband has taught me to be, I thought I better make sure we actually like homemade yogurt first! 

Last week I made my first batch, without a yogurt maker, and it came out quite yummy.  It was very easy too.  Here’s the recipe and process I use:

Ingredients: 

  • 1 quart milk,
  • 1/3 cup powdered milk (*optional for extra firmness),
  • 1/4 cup starter yogurt (i.e. plain yogurt with live cultures). 
  • You’ll also need a thermometer, glass jars to store it in, and way to incubate the yogurt for 4-8 hours.

Process:

  1. Sterilize your glass jars if you haven’t done so already. 
  2. Mix milk and powdered milk in a sauce pan. 
  3. Heat milk to 180 degrees. Then allow it to cool to 115 degrees. (Cooling take about an hour.)
  4. Add starter yogurt and mix thoroughly. (You can use your homemade yogurt as starter upto about  4 generations. Then you should buy store yogurt again.)
  5. Pour mixture into glass jar and seal.
  6. Next you will need to incubate the yogurt for 4-8 hours in a warm place.  The “incubator” should be kept between 90 and 110 degrees.  I use a small “cooler.”  After I sterilze the jars, I used some of the water in the cooler.  I add tap water to get it to about 100 or 110 degrees.  This cooler does a good job keeping the temp.  I check the water at around 3 to 4 hours and add warm water if needed.  I use enough water in the cooler to go to the level of the yogurt in the jar. 
  7. Refridgerate your yogurt and enjoy!  You can enjoy with fruit spread, maple syrup, fruit, etc.

From a budget standpoint, this could save you a lot of money if you go through a quart a week.  I priced the ingredients for organic yogurt:  $8.50 (w/o powdered milk, $11.50 w/).  This will make 4 quarts plus your starter.  Buying organic plain yogurt comes out to $17.50 for 5 quarts.  After you have a starter, you only pay $5 for a gallon of organic whole milk.  I also firgured if you only eat two quarts a month, you’d only save $1.  So you’ll need to decide if all the trouble is worth it.

 

 

Category: Budgeting, Recipes  Leave a Comment

Rockin’

09 Jul 2006 by


Category: Family  5 Comments

The dark side of Soy

07 Jul 2006 by

Does soy have a dark side?

That is what I’m currently trying to research.  It is promoted as a “healthy” alternative to animal-based products (e.g. tofu vs. meat; soy milk vs. cow milk).  But I’ve discovered that soy is in so much more than just soy milk and tofu!  And quiet frankly I’m concerned.

Soy is being used as a “filler” in many of our foods.  Don’t believe me, read your labels!  Peanut butter that is not “organic” or “natural” has soy product in it.  Infant cereals such as Gerber have soy products too.  Even granola has soy in it!  Right now I’m vexed with the food industry for misrepresenting many of its foods. 

Although soy is toted as a “health food,” even people from Asian countries eat no more than 10 grams per day and always with a meat protein like fish.  Studies have shown that since soy is an estrogen booster, it is good for women who are premenopausal. 

One resource I found lists some of the dangers of soy being:

  • Inhibits the absorbtion of calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and copper
  • Infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day.
  • Pediatricians are noticing greater numbers of boys whose physical maturation is delayed, or does not occur at all, including lack of development of the sexual organs.

  • Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

    • Finally, women who are at risk of breast cancer are highly discouraged from eating soy.  And this is just the tip of the iceburg.  So before embracing soy as a healthy product, think twice and do a little of your own research. 

Category: Family  3 Comments

Ford’s Not-so-Bold Move Ad

02 Jul 2006 by

I’ve seen Ford’s Bold Move ad titled “Fallen Tree” a number of times during NASCAR events and I have to say the more I see it the more it irritates me.

The synopsis is that a man driving along a highway in his new Ford F-150 comes across a fallen tree over the road. He proceeds to drive off the road (using 4-wheel drive no less), around the tree, back on the road and continues on his merry little way. Seconds later he passes a Ford Mustang heading in the opposite direction and catches the eye of a beautiful woman sitting in the passenger seat. He immediately hits the brakes and reverses back to the tree. He gets out, throws a chain around the tree, and mustering all the horsepower his truck can produce drags the tree off the road. At this point we learn from Ford that “Bold does the right thing”. The clincher however, is that after the driver of the Mustang thanks the gentleman for clearing the road, we discover that the woman in fact knew who he was — her ex-boyfriend — to which her companion is surprised.

What is suppose to be a humorous twist to the story instead conveys to me that the man only did the good deed to spite the woman’s new interest. This is a safe assumption considering he was driving off purposefully leaving the tree in the middle of the road where it could of caused serious injury to an unsuspecting motorist. This was not a “bold move” — yet unsurprisingly considered as such in light of Ford’s idea of moral values.

Allow me to rewrite the ad to what would certainly have been the “right thing”.

After driving off-road around the tree (not losing the opportunity to showcase 4-wheel drive ruggedness) the man takes the chance to help his community by clearing the road without any human recognition. After a job well done with his 200+ horsepower truck he continues down the road. Seconds later he passes a 2006 Ford Explorer (another Ford vehicle promotion) heading in the opposite direction. Looking over he notices the driver is a mother with an infant and a 4 year-old girl in the back-seat. At the last moment, the little girl waves to the man — just for kindness sake, totally oblivious to the good deed he had just performed. The man smiles to himself knowing that it was indeed a “bold move.”

Category: Faith  2 Comments

Need that extra kick in the morning?

02 Jul 2006 by

Opa’s Jalapeno with Cheese Smoked Sausage with scrambled eggs. Perfect combination. (Note: It’s not as expensive at HEB as it is posted on their site. Last check was $3.47/lb.)

Category: Family  One Comment
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