Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Yogurt, etc.



..might be the last snow for the season though in recent years we had a blizzard in May and a good dusting in June before Buffalo Gnat season which is right before fire season. not much white stuff and that’s okay by me. I like snow but thankful for a mild winter, as compared to my current header picture. over 5 feet (compacted) snow. golly. my garden awaits more temperate temps whereby i can test the soil and amend if necessary. most likely necessary. last year wasn't a particularly great garden year .. for many in my parts.



yesterday i incubated yogurt in my mini instant pot.  the wee pot is for our trailer but i like putting it to use in our home kitchen as well. it's so cute. every couple months we venture to the land of people for 'big shopping' which includes the big box store(s), trader joe's, natural grocers, hobby lobby etc. sometimes all the places and sometimes only one depending on our needs but nearly always trader joe's.  since i make yogurt nearly every week i use the culture from the last week. after a number of weeks fresh culture is needed for the next 6-8 batches. i use trader joe's "thick and creamy greek yogurt" for my culture. it's delish and produces an excellent homemade yogurt without fail. below is a pic i took mid-incubation.

here's a link to this adorable mini instant pot.




once the eight hours are complete i take the yogurt container from the instant pot base and after putting plastic wrap over the top it goes into the fridge overnight.

the next step is spooning it into my strainer for a day, and into the fridge, 
releasing a decent amount of whey which 
i can use in baking - so it doesn't go to waste. 

here's the link for the strainer:



the whey begins its release quickly.
once this is done i scoop the yogurt into a mason
jar to use throughout the week.


in other news, we've been invited to dinner 
at the home of the professor & the ‘super.’.
the professor tends chickens.
i buy the eggs.
farm fresh perfection.
in addition to dinner she's making
a chocolate angel food cake,
her Nanny's recipe.
we leave in an hour so i best get a move on.
it'll take me that long to apply
my lippystick.

love,
.sherry.

 

Monday, March 10, 2025

and on this monday.



here's a peek at one area of my hutch and corner
nearest a west facing window. our wedding picture
is on the lower right - 37 years coming up in july.

my great grandmother Lula's tea set sits just to
the left of our picture. the vintage coffee pots
were found at a garage sale for $1 each.
i have more, but of course.
they came with electric cords and the whole
lot is in excellent condition, 
making the smoothest coffee ever.


*

there are four pounds each of frozen ground beef
and frozen ground chicken on my countertop,
 thawing in tepid water. my plan is to cook them
into crumbles (separately, of course) this afternoon
 then portion/freeze for future meals. 
it's a time saver when assembling a main meal. 
once thawed which takes little time,
you can reheat the crumbles with
a good drizzle of your sauce choice or 
seasoning, depending on your main dish
and preferences. 

there's a small beef roast thawing alongside the lot
mentioned above, for tomorrow night's dinner 
that will provide leftovers for a day maybe two.
i'm trying to get back to cooking three times
a week rather than a new meal every day.

a great sale on boneless skinless chicken breasts
offered an opportunity to purchase a couple
large'ish flats of the meat. tomorrow i'll flatten
it to about a quarter inch thick, season, and 
fold into bread pans to bake. i saw the tip
on pinterest (chicken shawarma) and figured
it'd work with different seasonings as well.
once baked and cooled a bit i could invert
the chicken to a platter and cut slices
for the dish i'm preparing or to portion
and freeze for a later date.
it's an experiment and i'll share my findings
after the fact. regardless, that chicken's going
to get baked and it'll be yUm. 
i hope. that's my plan.


made salmon and asparagus the other night.
.fail.
too much seasoning on the salmon
and too much salt on the asparagus.
it happens - fails.

it's noon'ish.
a cup of coffee is at my side along
with a cookie made yesterday.
once this blog post is published i'll
continue working on my study topic of
*contentment*
due to be delivered Saturday morning.
a cookie helps. 
as does coffee.
strong, please.

a storm is expected, beginning late tuesday night
and continuing through the weekend. 
so they say.
i'll believe it when i see it.
yet i'm a little ticked we've been experiencing
a false spring - tulips and daffies are
reaching for the sky. no buds or flowers
yet so hopefully they'll be safe just in case
the storm is substantial.

until next time,
.sherry.

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content."
Philippians 4:11






 

Friday, March 7, 2025

a muffin & powdered greens.



 Aspire to live quietly,
and to mind your own affairs,
and to work with your hands.
I Thessalonians 4:11

*

on a recent early morning i came across
a recipe for apple-oat muffins and decided to give
it a try. once the hubs was awake and 
settled in his comfy chair in the
loft, coffee in hand, i set to work. 

the recipe calls for oat flour. 
i have oats in the pantry 
thanks to Azure Standard 
so i simply put some in my food processor,
grinding to a fine powder.
(no need to purchase the flour)
if you have a fancy dancy high powered
blender it'll be quicker job
than a food processor.

the recipe came from Gimme Some Oven
which i'll link at the bottom of this post.
i did make a slight alteration of using
whole milk rather than almond milk.
the muffins were wonderful
and i'll gladly make them again.
one addition i'll make at that time
is raisins along with the apple.

a pat of butter on the muffin, along with a small
dish of greek yogurt mixed with protein powder
and topped with raspberry fruit spread,
and a cut up mandarin orange..
enjoyed while doing my devotions.




last summer's harvest 
{from my garden & farmer's market}
was enjoyed in its fresh state
and i decided to make good use of the
remaining leaves. no sense in tossing.

you've most likely seen and possibly
even purchased *super greens* or similar
products - a good way to add more greens
to your foods - baked goods or smoothies.

i dehydrated and vacuum sealed the greens
then into the pantry they went. 
i used them here and there through
autumn and winter:
soups and baked goods.
this morning
i chose to condense the lot into one
jar by making the greens into a powder
mentioned above. easy peasy!

no longer have i the
need to purchase powdered greens
as a nutrition aid.
a big plus is that it came mostly from our
garden ..... with a couple from
the farmer's market. 
an additional plus being i used
the entire plant. no waste.

here are the empties:
swiss chard, beet leaves, kale, carrot,
sorrel, bok choy, radish leaves

our swiss chard grew SO well last summer,
i plan on growing double 
the amount this coming season.



and here is the 1.5 pint jar holding the powder.
you can see the layers before i mixed it up.
nearly 3 cups of edible greens
a scoop at a time.
thankful.
thinking a protein shake of
blueberries, banana and greens
would be yUm on a warm day
lounging on the front deck in early afternoon.
or on the back deck in morning
after tending my garden plots.
... planning ahead ...



thank you for visiting, friends.
hoping your day brings unexpected joys.
with love,
.sherry.



below is the link for the apple-oat muffins.
sure hope you try the recipe.
if you do, let me know. :)

there's a butternut squash muffin recipe
i plan on trying soon. i have a few butternuts
still to use up so will roast the squash
for a meal then use what's left over 
for the muffins.