Tag Archives: recipe

Time Munchers and Pancakes

Pinterest and Facebooks are time munchers.

Just imagine that little Pac-Man mouth, gobbling away at little bubbles of free time – that’s what happens to time when I open Pinterest or Facebook.

What’s a girl to do about that?

It’s a double-edged sword, for certain.

There are positive aspects of both sites, but the negative will easily outweigh those positives if I’m not careful.

The positive things about Pinterest:

  • my boards are easy tools to find those items that I’ve pre-screened as “keepers”, especially food or household recipes;
  • my favorite links have led me to find new blogs that I now follow on Facebook.

The downside is that I was not looking for those recipes or those blogs, although I’m glad they’re available.

Compare Pinterest to a giant shopping catalog.

Remember those Sears catalogs?  Everyone in our house would take turns, flipping dog-eared pages and marking our favorite “wants”.  The pictures create a longing in us for things that weren’t on our mind before we saw them.

Then there’s Facebook.

Facebook can be a useful tool:

  • to keep in touch (if you can equate type to touch) with dear friends and family who are also living busy lives;
  • there are family photos that I can easily access to make prints;
  • it’s also easy to create groups for high school reunions, or special interests.

I’ve added resourceful pages to my news feed and joined groups that allow me to connect with people who share the same interests.

Initially, Facebook was a mind sucking daily soap opera,  with a barrage of game ads and requests.  I was lured for a while by the daily dramas played out, but that quickly grew old.

I felt the need to counter the drama with my own placid version of life, then would be left with the comparisons of who liked what I said.  It created an emotional void, where the lack of interaction was deemed just as strong a representative as those likes and comments.

There came a point where serious changes had to be made:

  • first I adjusted my settings, so I only see what I want to on each site;
  • then I had to refrain from giving too much time to the sites, allowing a 20 minute block twice daily to catch up on what might be missing in my life.

I know.  You’re wondering:  Is there a point to all this?

But, of course!  :)

A few months ago I found this homemade baking mix on Pinterest.  It was right around Passover, so I knew that with the Days of Unleavened Bread it would not be something I would make soon.  So I bookmarked it for later.

Uh-huh. Yep.  It’s later.

I made up the batch a few weeks ago and stored it in the fridge, ready whenever I got around to it.

Of course, being the health nut that I am, I improved the ingredients slightly, using aluminum free baking powder, raw sugar, and mineral salt – and there was definitely organic butter included.

I finally tested the biscuits and they were delicious!  Light, airy, tasty, crunchy.  Good stuff Maynard!

The only downside:  they crumbled when we bit into them or tried to butter them or spread jam on them.  I’m guessing it’s because the mix is stored in the refrigerator, so next time I will allow the mix to warm to room temperature before they are baked.

Then, I made the pancakes.

You .  have .  to .  try .  these .  pancakes.

Seriously.

They are that good!

I wanted to taste them while I was still making them, but just had to have a bit of syrup for the real taste test.  Half the plate later, Hubby came in to see if his plate was ready.

Oh, oops!

Seems I got carried away with the tasting.

Just call me Miss Pac-Man.

Got Milk? Make Yogurt

yogurt and berries

I’ve got a confession to make.

I have a habit.

It’s a daily habit…

It’s an obsession…

It’s not something I’m going to stop doing any time soon…

I eat yogurt for breakfast every day!

I do!

Yeah, okay.  Not earth shattering.  Not even worth all the suspense.

But it’s big for me.  It’s something I’ve incorporated into my healthy eating routine that keeps my gut healthy, which I believe helps to keep my inflammatory response issues subdued.

This daily habit means that I consume a half cup or more of yogurt every morning.  I use it instead of milk with my homemade granola, often tossing in whatever fresh fruit I have on hand.  It’s my favorite food start of each day.

It’s become a costly habit.  I’m very particular about the type of yogurt I eat, and my favorite brand is only available in the next town.  At almost $4 per container, add the time and gas for travel – it adds up quickly.

For a while, I’ve felt that I should make my own.  But it intimidated me.

It’s been about two years now and I finally got up the nerve to make my own.  I can’t believe I’ve waited so long!

When I first thought I might attempt homemade yogurt, I was hooked on the nonfat vanilla variety.  Now, I eat plain whole milk yogurt or none at all.  That made it especially easy for me.

I read several recipes and then did what I usually do – improvised.  I didn’t change ingredients, but I did incorporate methods from three different recipes to attempt my first batch.  It was a resounding success!

I like my yogurt thick, almost as thick as the Greek style yogurt, so my focus was on reaching that consistency.

The basic method to make yogurt is to heat milk to 185 degrees, then cool it down to 115 degrees.  That creates the culture medium.  The yogurt starter is added once the milk has cooled, then the mix is placed in a warm location for the cultures to set.

Here’s my method:

1/2 gallon whole milk – raw milk would be best

1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt with active cultures – the best type is that with six active cultures (I used Stonyfield)

Preheat a crockpot by filling it 1/3 full with hot tap water, place the lid on and set it on high heat for 15 minutes or so.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat to 185 degrees over medium heat, stirring frequently.  I didn’t have a candy thermometer, so I used a meat thermometer.  It’s not as handy, but it works.

Check the water in the crockpot by dipping a finger in it – if it’s too hot to leave your finger in, turn off the crockpot with the lid still on and allow the water to sit while your pan of milk rises to temperature.  Once the milk is at 160 degrees, take the lid off of the crock of water to allow it to cool to about 115 degrees.

Once the milk has reached temperature, turn off the burner and set the milk away from the stove to cool.  The milk won’t take long to cool once it’s removed from the heat source.

While the milk is cooling, pour out the water in the crock and put the lid back on to hold the heat.

When the milk has cooled to 115 degrees, add the yogurt to the milk and stir well.

Pour the milk mix into the warmed crock.

Cover the crock with a clean towel, leaving the lid off.

Set the towel covered crock into the oven and turn the oven light on.

Leave the crock for eight hours.  Check the consistency by poking a clean finger into the yogurt.  Mine was not quite as thick as I’d like, so I let it set for another hour and it was perfect!

Spoon the yogurt into clean jars and refrigerate or freeze.

Oh!  Don’t forget to enjoy your batch of homemade yogurt!