Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!

We honored Dr. Suess with "Cat in the Hat" stacks for lunch.  

Smunchie is Eleven Months

Smunchie is eleven months old.  Wow. That means that in one month, she will a whole year old!  How did that happen?

She is growing and learning every day. She is able to pull herself up, clap her hands, and crawl like a feind.  She also loves to "sing" and has about 8-10 words and phrases.  She is a wonderful  addition to our family.

Lil G decided to help with pictures.  He's so sweet. 

Just like Mama

 I walked into the living room the other day, to see Lil G attempting to use my breastpump. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me he was "making milk for his baby".

Such a sweetie.

First Popcicle

Smunchie is growing, growing, growing!  She has always loved food.  Well, a few days ago, we had homemade spinach/banana/peach popsicles for dessert and Smunchie was not left out!  She enjoyed hers with the best of them.  She even figured out how to hold it, after watching her big brother.      

Helicopter Hi-jinx

 Uncle Rodger came to visit for Lil G's birthday.  He brought Lil's G's favorite toy....his remote controlled helicopter!  Lil G loves watching his uncle fly the helicopter in our house and REALLY loves when they take it outside to zoom.  Such a sweet bond.  

Snow Days

We had snow!  Not nearly the blizzard that was predicted but we did have snow!  Lil G loves to play in the snow, so he and daddy built a "snowman".  This involved hauling buckets of snow, so they could construct their friend, whom Lil G named "Bryan".

This past weekend, we ventured to visit family in Nauvoo.  They had a lot more snow there!  Enough that the kids both got to go sledding for the first time!  Lil G had a blast.  Smunchie tolerated it but did not enjoy the snow nearly as much.

 Sled ride together....

 Followed by a wipe-out!

 Post wipe-out, Smunchie is still A-ok.

Recipe #15: Yogurt 101

I have had multiple requests for a tutorial on how I make yogurt.  I have been making my own yogurt for about three years and I pretty much have a system down, that works for our family.  So, I can share it with you!  

First, some general "yogurt" information, which will, hopefully, guide you on your journey.  Basically, yogurt is controlled curdled milk, made when bacteria ferments in milk, causing it to coagulate.  It has may probiotic benefits but many times, the benefits are overshadowed by the insane amount of sugar in commercially produced products.  Add in the antibiotics/hormones in non-organic yogurt and the benefits quickly disappear.  Therefore, we attempt to eat unflavored, local yogurt, which has a tangy flavor that works beautifully in oatmeal, with fruit and on it's own.  It also doubles as sour cream, and can be substituted for buttermilk in recipes. Unfortunately, the aforementioned local yogurt is hard to come by, especially in the quantities that we consume.  So, yogurt making is a must around here!

Ok, on with the tutorial.  Some things to remember:

• Yogurt is made from other yogurt (i.e.- you need a "starter")
• The bacteria in yogurt is "active" at temperatures between 90 and 110 F.  Colder and the bacteria becomes dormant.  Hotter and the bacteria dies. 
• The longer you ferment, the thicker the result. 
• Yogurt can be finicky.  The bacteria do not like to be disturbed.  Therefore, don't move around your yogurt a lot during the fermentation process.

The players:

• One large pot.  Big enough for a gallon of milk
• A "starter" of yogurt.  You only need about 1/2 cup.  This needs to be organic, if possible.  I find that Stoneyfield works best, as they seem to have the most active cultures
• A gallon of full-fat milk.  I highly recommend that you find grass-fed, local milk, if you can.  The flavor is amazing. 
• Powdered milk.  I know, I know....not the best.  But, it helps thicken the yogurt and is fairly natural.
• A whisk
• A ladle (not pictured)
• A small bowl (not pictured)
• A thermometer.  This one works so well for yogurt making.  It allows you to monitor the yogurt's temperature without disturbing the yogurt (remember how the yogurt is finicky and doesn't like to be disturbed?)

• Take your milk and dump it in your pan, over medium to high heat.  Make sure you shake your milk well, if it is non-homogenized.  Whisk in 1/2 cup of powdered milk per gallon of milk.
• Heat your milk to 180 degrees.  Use your handy thermometer!  Whisk often, to make sure that your milk doesn't scald on the bottom and to make sure that all the milk is uniformly heated to 180.  Tip: keep your milk at 180 degrees for a little longer if you want thicker yogurt.
• Now, cool your milk down.  You need to get the milk down to about 90 degrees (or lower). You can do this by simply letting the milk cool on the counter (it will take a couple of hours).  My preferred method is to put the pan into the sink and put cold water/ice around it.  
• After you milk is cooled to at least 90 degrees, take about 1/2 cup of your yogurt and put it in your small bowl.  Then, ladle in about 1 cup of milk.  Whisk until there are no lumps.  
• Pour the whole shebang back into your milk.  Whisk it well. 
• You can keep your yogurt in the same pan to ferment it.  My preferred method is to go ahead and ladle into the liquid yogurt into jars.  One gallon= 4 large, quart jars. 

Now you need to keep your new yogurt baby warm!  You have a few options.  You can:

• Put your yogurt in the crockpot.  Run in on low, checking frequently with your thermometer.  Make sure you turn off your crockpot when you hit your target zone! Otherwise, you will have burned milk goo.  
• You can put your yogurt in a cooler with a heating pad.  Again, check the temp frequently. 
• My preferred method: Use your oven.  You place the yogurt into the oven, with the thermometer in one of your yogurt containers.  Turn your oven on to it's lowest setting (mine is 170).  Set the alarm on your handy thermometer to 100 degrees.  When the alarm goes off, turn off your oven!  The temp will likely keep increasing to about 110.   Recheck in about two hours and turn on your oven again, if necessary. 

Once you decide your method of keeping your yogurt warm, remember your goal:  Keep it between 90 and 110 for as long as possible.  I find that starting the yogurt in the morning/early afternoon and monitoring all evening, and then letting it go overnight works great.  I end up with delicious, grass-fed yogurt, that is quite akin to Greek yogurt in consistency.  

Enjoy your yogurt making!  Please leave a comment if anything i said was unclear. r