I am a lover a soups. My favorite would be the classic chicken soup. I make it every couple of weeks or so. It is always different because I make it with what is in my fridge. I made chicken soup two days ago and this time used one whole raw organic free range chicken and the bones of the same kind of chicken that I had roasted the day before. I would have to say it had the best flavor of all my chicken based soups so far. I got the idea from watching an Oprah show. She had one of her favorite chefs on, I can’t remember her name at the moment. On the show, they were making several things a couple of things out of chicken. I remembered the chef mentioning that the best chicken stock is made with roasted chicken bones. So that is what I did. It is true. If you want to make the best chicken soup or stock, use roasted chicken bones.
On a side note, my husband Rick said that he loves that we use everything when cooking. Bones do not go to waste unless there is not enough bone to make a soup base. I was proud as well. This might sound silly but it makes me feel like I’m living like a woman a hundred or more years ago that let nothing go to waste. Remember Little House on the Prairie? When I was a little girl I used to pretend that I had to make everything by hand. I would pick wheat in the fields around our house and pretend to dry it. Then take the bird food we had and separated out each grain and made my own “flour” by grinding it between stones I found. I felt so romantic.
That little girl only looks older. I love feeling like a romantic heroine in a story when I cook and make sure that everything has a purpose. As crazy as it sounds, I can hardly wait until we have a home. I will start canning things and stock them away in their Americana Mason jars in my own “cellar”. I may even be lucky enough to have an old enough house that has a real root cellar. They are great fun in the summer.
Happy cooking to all! Remember, the “real” Americans were not nearly as wasteful as we “modern” Americans. We should take lesson from our past.
Notes on Chicken Soup
Breakfast redone
Everyone loves breakfast. The kid in me loves to have it for dinner. Usually it’s yogurt and bacon, eggs and toast. This time I put a different spin on it. You’ll need eggs, bacon, chicken thigh, lettuce, grated parmesan, avocados,and salad dressing.
• Scramble the eggs, use seasonings coriander, salt, red pepper, basil and oregano. Add a little water, as it evaporates it seems to make the eggs lighter and fluffier. Instead of using Pam use organic butter.
• Frye the bacon slowly to desired crispness.
• I made baked chicken thighs the night before so I just warmed up the two left over. It is of course organic and free range so it has the best flavor and I’m supporting being kind to your food and the environment.
• Cut up an avocado, place in a bowl for when the salad is ready to be adorn.
• Organic romaine lettuce is the most nutritious and best tasting in my opinion. Tear into bite size pieces. Add the avocado. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and your favorite healthy salad dressing. One of mine is Annie’s Naturals Tuscany Italian Dressing. It is gluten and soy free and vegan. They have other great dressing.
• Use sea salt for chicken and eggs.
This dinner is high in protein which is important for me because I am very picky and don’t eat a lot of meat. But this appeals to the kid in me while still being nutritious. The romaine and avocado provide lots of vitamins. Enjoy with a glass of distilled water, or organic sparking cider.
Organic Banana Split!
I’m a huge fan of dessert. I almost always have something sweet in the house. My definition of “sweet” has change a lot in the last few months. There is no candy left in our apartment. My sweets are fruits dried, frozen or otherwise and the occasional loaf of freshly baked raisin bread.
Tonight was the first night in a long time that we had a “typical” dessert, a banana split. It was not however as horrible as some treats can be. It was almost completely organic and free of dairy! I used our Coconut Bliss Dark Chocolate Ice Cream and one little scoop of the cappuccino flavor with Santa Cruz Organic Chocolate Flavored Syrup and of course a banana. I didn’t have organic bananas for this picture but to make it completely organic it’s an easy fix.
So if you are trying to be healthier or can’t eat certain ingredients there are options out there. You don’t have to suffer.
Related Posts:
Coconut Milk Ice Cream
The Dark Chocolate Flavor
Organic food switching
In the last few months I’ve been spending more time looking at ingredients in foods I buy and more time in the organic produce section. I’ve heard that some foods should be exclusively bought organic, as they are the most commonly contaminated or treated with pesticides. At the business meeting I attend one day last year the chef talked about what foods to buy organically: apples, strawberries, grapes (Chilean), cucumbers, green beans, bell peppers, spinach, cherries (US), spinach, peaches, cantaloupe(Mexico), celery and apricots. I try, but don’t always do as well as I’d like. It’s the effort that counts and the more I try the better I’ll get.
I have also taken a look at what we eat a lot of here. We eat a lot of homemade yogurt, made by yours truly. Butter is a big one as well; I cook with it and use it on bread and boiled or steamed veggies. Proteins like poultry and steak for Rick.
A week ago I decided to buy organic butter. Oh it was so good. It tasted differently, but was still good. Organic Valley
was the brand. I also bought organic half and half and whole milk of that brand to make my yogurt. I just made it so I’m not sure how it will taste. I’ll let you know.
I’ve been fighting with myself about eating meat for some time now. I don’t want to become a complete vegetarian. I don’t have the time or devotion to put into eating healthy as a vegetarian. I’m just trying not to think about what it is that I am eating.
When I went to my favorite grocery store Central Market I took a closer look at my chicken options. I’m not a huge fan of chicken but right now I’d prefer it to steak. I buy a couple of different brands, or did. Foster and this other brand Mary’s something. Taking a closer look I found that it wasMary’s organic free range chickens and I preferred it to Foster. The flavor was so much better.
I’ve been reading up on regulations surrounding animals raised for food. It is appalling to find out that some things have no regulations. But as far as free range organic chicken meat goes, there are regulations that must be followed by the farmers. So I’m sticking with that. I saw an Oprah show
where her “resident” reporter Lisa Ling did a piece on this subject. I didn’t get to see the whole show. I did however see the part showing the chickens that were not free range. It was deplorable. There were up to 6 chickens to a tiny cage in a small building where they were stacked upon themselves and had little if any natural lighting. Seeing that, in good conscious I will no longer be able to eat regular chicken.
I’ve learned a lot and will continue to make food decisions that will be healthier for us and better for the environment. Think about it, organic may be slightly more expensive but it’s so much better for mind and body.
The staples of our daily diet
· Bananas
· Filtered or distilled water
· Frozen Strawberries
· Frozen blueberries
· Homemade yogurt
· Steak for Rick
· Poultry
· Squash, winter and summer
This post I will address bananas and squash. Right now in fact it would be strange to not find bananas and a couple different kinds of squash. Bananas for us are a great simple breakfast. Rick hates eating breakfast and is actually one of those people whom will feel sick if he tries to eat a “real” breakfast just after arising. He’ll actually start to feel sick. Thank goodness for bananas or he would be whining about how to take his pills. I’m kidding, I don’t mind too much. I am not going to make huge bacon and eggs breakfasts everyday.
For me, because I’m always rushing around in the morning to get ready to go into work, I need something simple, as I don’t always have enough time to sit down and eat breakfast.
First of all, most people know that bananas are very rich in potassium. It is imperative for good muscle health. Aside from the obvious skeletal muscles that can be affected by nasty cramps, your heart must have potassium to function properly. It is a muscle that is sadly neglected by our society’s eating habits.
Bananas contain about 400 mgs of potassium. The recommended daily dose is 4 g. One or two bananas a day will get you that much closer to maintaining and even improving you body’s health. According to an article I’ve read potassium suppresses the amount of calcium excreted in urine and thus that can decrease the risk of osteoporosis. So ladies eat up!
We’ve all heard of tryptophen that is commonly thought of in conjunction with turkey. It is also found in bananas. It isn’t a huge amount but every little bit helps. Trypophen aids in producing serotonin that is a calming chemical in the brain and a mild sedative. In short it can help stabilize your mood.
Bananas contain B6 vitamin. We’ve all heard that B vitamins are very important. Why? B6 helps to convert tryptophen to serotonin and helps to make hemoglobin, which is an important part of your blood. In fact, as Rick and I found out last year while he was in the hospital, low hemoglobin can mean anemia; which can mean that you blood is not carrying enough oxygen to the rest of your body. Rick having very low hemoglobin meant that he was easily winded and fatigued with physical activity. He wasn’t getting enough oxygen to be able to handle the increased need of even climbing stairs. Though please keep in mind he has an autoimmune disease that lead to that and could still cause problems. An average person like me shouldn’t be so severely anemic unless this person is loosing blood regularly through irregular and long periods or does not eat healthy. Eating the proper foods like bananas instead of fast food is in your control so take it!
B6 does other wonderful things that I will not go into in this article as I want to take about other things. I will however add the links from where I got my information, though some of it was learned from Mom and school. Us massage therapist in Washington are reasonably well educated if we pay attention. ( I did.)
Bananas are considered part of the BRAT diet that is recommended for children or adults recovering from gastrointestinal issues, be it the flu or in Rick’s case a flareup. The BRAT diet is composed of bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. These foods help to solidify loose stool.
Bananas are high in dietary fiber that we have all heard about in preventing heart disease and type 2 diabetes and also (poop yet again) helping to aid in regular and smooth bowel movements. As much as we don’t want to think about “#2” it is imperative to a healthy person. If you don’t get it out you will get sick.
So if you are shopping at your local grocery store grab a bunch of bananas. For us a normal sized bunch of about 5 or 6 bananas last about 2-3 days if we are lucky. They are a staple in our diet because they taste good and are very beneficial for us; especially for Rick whom (not to be dramatic) is in a constant struggle to maintain proper levels of vitamins and minerals and even hemoglobin benefits greatly from this “super food”. One thing I love is you don’t have to use a knife cut them into smaller pieces or to peel them, which cuts down on dishes, which I loathe. So go and eat a banana today and improve your health!
Reference: 6 Awesome Health Benefits of Bananas
The health benefits of bananas
And now squash
I’ve always loved squash. I introduced Rick to different kinds of squash. At first he wasn’t too thrilled. Then when we changed his diet and his pallet was cleaned he started to love it. I believe that we have had it almost every day since it started showing back up in stores. For purely aesthetic reasons it is sweet and has a soft smooth texture and satisfies our taste buds. I always knew that it was nutritious and so bought it. I did not know what made it so nutritious. I decided to look it up. For sometime my body seemed to crave it. I’ve always thought that if we listened to our cravings then we would feed our body’s needs. Back when I was just starting my monthly cycles I couldn’t get enough of raisins. My mother did some research and found that they are high in iron. As I was now loosing blood regularly like I had never before my body took over and told me that I needed something. Though I will say that not every craving is a good one. Or maybe it points to a negative thing going on in your body; such as thirst with diabetics.
Anyway, on to what I learned. Winter squash is very high in vitamin A which most of us will remember benefits the eyes. It is also very high in vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin A is actually a broad classification of nutrients from retinal to beta-carotene. Vitamin A is needed by your retina which once light is passed through it the retina senses it and transmits it to be interpreted by the through nerve impulses. Without a retina you won’t be able to see. Vitamin A also helps to aid in allowing cells to become highly specialized. It also helps in the production of white blood cells that fight off disease. It also helps to promote healthy lining in your eyes, urinary tract, and respiratory and intestinal tracts. Without healthy linings it is easier for pathogens to enter your system and attack. ( For Rick this is important because he has UC the lining of his colon is being attacked by his own body. Anything to help him make or maintain his lining is important.( In short it helps to prevent disease in a variety of ways. We all need that especially during flu season. On a side note smokers and those exposed to second hand smoke tend to be vitamin A deficient. Help prevent and eat a squash.
Winter squash also contains quite a bit of potassium, which I’ve already stated is incredibly important for muscles and nerves. It also contains omega 3 fatty acids that are important for brain function, joint health, injury repair and decreased inflammation. Dietary fiber of course and vitamins B6, 3,1 and 5, manganese, copper, tryptophen, and folate are included in the nutrients you will find in a winter squash. I’m not going to go into their benefits right now as I am fast loosing steam.
There are many kinds of winter squash. I prefer the sweeter ones such as acorn, delacata, and buttercup. It is quite simple to make them up. Cut in half, remember they are quite tough so you’ll need a sturdy knife, scrape out the seeds and the stringy stuff. Place them open side down onto a plant and microwave until they have reach your desired texture. I usually cook for 4 minutes then check and then 4 more minutes and then go down to 2 minutes each after that to make sure I don’t over cook them. You can also steam and bake them. I use the microwave because it’s faster.
Reference:
Vitamin A
Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin A and Carotenoids
Experts tout the health benefits of winter squash
Nutritional Benefits of Squash
The Incredible Health Value of Acorn Squash
Health Benefits of Winter Squash
Vegetarian Moments
Sometime within the last month I had my first “vegetarian moment”. That night I had made two turkey breasts for us. Because we have no kitchen or dining room table we ate on the couch. We were watching TV of course. I had taken one blissful bite, it wasn’t dry at al, very flavorfull. I have become quite a fan of turkey recently. It’s cheaper than most red meats, not as heavy and is truly nutritious. Well, I went to cut off another piece when right in the line of sight, lining up exactly with my piece of turkey was Xiann my sweet doggie. I looked at her and looked at my turkey and back at her. My mind went straight to this: she has the same things as this turkey did, I could never eat her or any dog. I was almost nauseated. I finished my veggies and took my hardly touched turkey to the kitchen. Couldn’t eat it.
A quirk on a bad day is what I thought so I went on, eating healthy as I pleased, everything cooked from scratch of course. A couple of weeks later the same thing happened over steak this time. Rick was not disappointed at all. He had more to eat because I couldn’t. I was however rather upset. It seemed that I was no longer able to eat meat. Okay fine, decided to not eat meat. So the next time I was at the store I got Rick a steak and me salmon. It sounded awesome. It had been some time since I wanted fish, had been turned off it for a while. This does happen with foods some times. We sat down and had dinner while the TV was on again as is our habit. I may have had three bites of the salmon when I noticed the way it separated. I saw it as muscle not food. I saw it as a grey colored salmon with dark empty eyes flopping around dying on a boat floor or a river beach. Couldn’t finish it. Two nights in a row I went to bed hungry.
Now, to be honest, I am really quite surprised that Rick and I are not vegetarians. Neither of us find it easy to step on an ant or a pill bug. Rick explains his view, it’s out of sight out of mind. I think he blocks his thoughts from going down that road. I grew up on a farm of sorts. I am very familiar with the whole circle of life, the science part of it, how we have incisors for a reason. I know that there are some nutrients that are found primarily in meats, whole proteins for instance, that take some more work to get without meat.
If chickens ruled the world I can’t say I would begrudge them doing as we have done. Raising a live creature only to kill it and eat it. Though they would probably just genetically alter beetles and worms rather than eating humans. I also was a vegan for a short time in high school as an experiment. It didn’t last because frankly I didn’t believe in it and really loved cheese. Still do, it’s a staple around here. Why after all this time of eating without thought do I suddenly get assaulted with horrible thoughts and guilty feelings? Shopping mostly at Central Market where their meats are better quality and not from questionable sources helps me feel a little better. No hormones or cruelty. I buy organic when I can.
I was incredibly frustrated when I realized what was going on. I don’t need this right now. I can barely summon the energy to cook most if not all of our foods from scratch. I cook every day for almost every meal. It really sucks some times. Takes a ton of time out of my day. The last thing I need is to create more work for myself. That is what giving into my vegetarian moments would cause.
Since then I can’t say I’ve had a lot of meat. I have had chicken and one piece of bacon and eggs. The eggs come from my parents’ house. Those are some very spoiled and free-range chickens. Not feeling guilty about that. To be honest though, I don’t really like eggs. We have them a lot because one of Rick’s favorite meals is breakfast for dinner: Eggs and bacon and sausage and fruit. Had eggs for dinner yesterday because I wasn’t going to have steak. I could barely choke them down. If it weren’t for the cheddar cheese I would have given up. To be very honest I’m a bit concerned about my nutrition. I haven’t been eating like normal. Need to eat to feed my brain. I do have a business to run after all. I’m barely keeping up with every thing I have to do. It would be very bad to rob my body of what little energy I have left.
What I’ve done since is eat a lot of rice and beans and cheese. I’m going to try to eat chicken every couple of days. Try fish again. I hate the idea of making food so unpleasant to eat or deal with. It’s strange. It is sad and ridiculous that for body I have to go against what my mind is telling me.
The beginning of our adventure
I’m going to try to do this so that it makes sense and isn’t such a muddle of random things. I want it to follow a sequence, so that you can see our lives in an orderly fashion.
First the whole reason we made the big change is because Rick has Ulcerative Colitis. He was diagnosed about 3.5 years ago just after we moved in together. He knew there was something wrong before then, having symptoms that a healthy person should not exhibit. As I don’t want to gross anyone out I won’t explain what some of those symptoms were. They did impact both of our lives. After a while he quit going places where there might not be a bathroom. That cuts out so much of the world.
He tried one doc and that left him bitter and no better. After a stubborn stint of no health care seeking he went back to a doc after he had a blood transfusion last July (’07). It was time to get some help. He was put on some meds and it helped a little. Luckily he now had a new job with a boss whom understood most of the time what was going on with his body. You have to make exceptions with people with health issues.
After a few more months he reached a plateau. One morning he woke up and used google and discovered a diet that was specifically designed for those with Crohn’s, Colitis, and IBS. After doing a little research and reading up on it. I went to the bookstore to get the book that went with it. Of course by now Rick rarely went shopping with me. I read through it, explained it to Rick and over the coarse of two weeks we finished all our “old” food and started buying acceptable food.
Then we officially started the diet. For about one to two weeks you have to follow a very strict diet. Everything is laid out, what you can and cannot eat. In the book there is a bunch of recipes. There are chapters about the science behind the diet. Everything a person would need and the website is wonderfully extensive.
After the first couple of weeks you slowly add a few things back in. If something bothers Rick we wouldn’t make it again for a while. It was very discouraging for me to go grocery shopping because everything has something “bad” in it. The only sweetener he can have is honey (He could have saccharin if I could find it.) So that cuts most things out. No gluten, no corn, no starches period. Fruits and veggies had to be cooked down for a time; I’m not sure how long, maybe a month or more. The idea is to let the bowel heal, you don’t want it to have to work too hard, so you do some “digesting” before you eat it, such as cooking it. For a long time he couldn’t eat carrots. He could eat proteins such as steak (Oh he was so sad. J), fish, and poultry.
A very important part of the diet is homemade yogurt, made with out a certain bacteria, as it may aggravate not help to balance the bacteria in the colon. That was an adventure. I had to buy a huge pot with a pasta cooker/ drainer thingy, muslin, starter, a warming plate and milk of course. I took pictures of each step. I may take pictures of my equipments alone so that it is more detailed. We’ll see.
Months later I am an awesome yogurt-making machine. It isn’t hard to make, just takes a few minutes here and there and it doesn’t happen quickly. But it is worth the one and a half days it takes to make it. It is by far the best yogurt I’ve ever had. It has a completely different texture and consistency. I use half and half and whole milk so it is very thick and creamy. It does have a high content but you can always use something with less fat, though you will get less yogurt.
It is supposed to help rebalance the good bacteria level in the colon. It helps with the whole body. It helped me as well, clearing up the problem the problem that I had been having with yeast imbalances of my own. It did that in less than a week. Thank goodness.
I decided to eat well around Rick so that he wasn’t as tempted to eat something he shouldn’t. I cleared out the whole kitchen throwing away what I didn’t like and putting the food that I might want later in the bottom cupboard. Rick doesn’t look for food in cupboards that are on the level with his ankles. It would be safe. I blocked the front of the cupboard with my burlap bag of basmati rice. Rick isn’t a rice person, that was the next “protection” from him.
I also started reading labels. There is so much crap in food that lasts longer than a week. Did you know that Top Ramen has MSG in it? Do you know what MSG does? It’s a neurotoxin; it stimulates brains cells so much that it can kill them. Scary.
Another thing Rick can’t have are preservatives. They are in everything, dill pickles for instance. He can’t have artificial anything really, no MSG, it isn’t natural, no artificial sweeteners, no corn syrup, or high fructose corn syrup (this actually messes with your ability to tell when you are full).
Did you know that when you quit eating all these things, especially sugar you go through something like a withdrawal. Rick was one angry hungry man the first three or four days. He whined and grumbled about how much it sucked. He felt sick. It won’t be worth it! He’d say. I smiled and comforted him and scratched his back when he needed it.
I used to smoke, and had a nasty caffeine addiction a long time ago. Kicking smoking was one of the hardest things I’ve done. If you have quit before you know. Your body goes through so many different feelings in just a short time. It’s awful. I felt badly for Rick but knew that it would be over sometime. I tried to make it easy on him cooking everything, making sure that he stayed out of my kitchen. I try to share but really the kitchen in mine now.
About a week after “the change” Rick remarked that he felt so much better. His colon was still having trouble but other than that he felt amazing. He didn’t realize that he didn’t feel well all over until all the bad stuff was gone from his diet. His beautiful hazel eyes were clearer, he just looked more alive. I was so excited!
Cooking was not my strong point a year ago. I did my own little rendition of mac and cheese and that meant adding real cheddar cheese. Half the time I cooked the noodles too long. Quite often I burned things very badly. Burned broccoli smells like a burned and rotting garden and dirt. It’s horrible. The problem was I didn’t have patience. I quickly learned to use what little patience I had to keep the higher quality food I was buying from burning. I wasn’t about to keep scrubbing burnt food off the bottom of pots. I cannot waste something that cost me $15 versus something that cost me $3.
I googled better ideas and constantly went back to the book and the website. Telling Rick that I was not about to spend double the time in the kitchen using old lame or too small pans. I was not going to have to struggle to make things work in the tiny kitchen with ugly pots that didn’t have lids. The end result was new shiny, pretty mostly matching pots. Awesome! I love things that match. I am an artist; I like it when things are aesthetically pleasing to my eye, especially if I don’t like doing it.
Along with changing diet very slowly we have become more conscious of our environment. What else can we do that is good for us and the world? Other changes have been made as well, more slowly, but made non-the less.
Along with the diet change came an accident weight loss achievement for Rick. He noticed that his clothes fit a little more loosely. Jeans were not nearly as tight which was good for him because anything pressing on his abdomen causes discomfort in his colon. He weighed over 200lbs before the diet and now hovers around 185lbs. He has not been so “light” since before high school.
Months later he feels much better, has close to “normal” days. He’ll still complain that he misses mac and cheese. He also says that he doesn’t think he could ever eat the way he used to. He feels so good and wouldn’t want to trade that for all the McDonalds McChickens or Big Macs in the world.
Now he actually will go out and do things with me, grocery shopping, regular shopping. I got him to the beach one day. I have the man I didn’t have in the beginning. It isn’t as lonely anymore. It doesn’t feel hopeless.
Here is the link to the website feel free to check it out.
Here is my husband and I out at the beach. Without this diet and the good food I don’t think this day would have been as fun or memorable.
Food is a beautiful thing that should not be bastardized and is too often by large companies and ignorance allows it. I prefer it in a pure state without unnatural additives and chemicals. I’m so excited to show you my yummies!
More food yummies
Applesauce
Yesterday, I was a cooking fool and got a chemical burn from jalapenos. It’s fine now, no blistering or open skin. Today, I thought I would play it safe and deal with things with which I am more familiar. I have to work tomorrow I don’t want to have to cancel because I burned myself again. Can’t massage with wounds you know. I did almost cut my palm with a knife though. Thank goodness it wasn’t sharp.
Today, the boys (hubby and my brother) had steaks. Rick seasoned them and he made pasta. I was really tired, haven’t been sleeping well at all since business has slowed. It seemed like a good idea to have Rick give me a hand. I watched the steak once it was broiling though he did have to remind me to turn on the timer. Forgetfulness and impatience is why I burn things so often.
I made myself, white basmati rice, black beans. It became American Mexican food. My dinner plate consisted of the rice and beans, guac and pico that I made yesterday and cheddar with chips. Yummy. I didn’t take a picture of my plate. I was too hungry and tired.
My pride is in the applesauce. It’s so simple and so scrumptious. My mom gave me some apples from the transparent tree. They were too ripe to eat alone or with peanut butter, but they were perfect for mushy stuffs. I used only those apples and raisins added after the apples had soften a little. It didn’t need anything else. It has wonderful flavor and fantastic tang (I love tangy foods) and just the right texture. The raisins sweetened it and add their own rich flavor to it. Perfecto!
Yogurt Making
How to make the best yogurt ever! As I said in my previous post I make my own yogurt for Rick and I. I have pictures of the different stages. I’ll walk you through it.
First, you are going to need the following, a large deep pot (if you don’t want to make as much you can use a smaller pot, but for my recipe you need a big pot.), a pasta drainer that will fit that pot, foil or a lid, a candy thermometer, a warming plate, cheese clothe or muslin cut to fit the pot, milk of course, and yogurt starter (I use Dannon plain whole milk yogurt, you can find it at QFC), and something with which to stir.
First step, make sure your pot is clean. I use two half gallons of half and half and one half gallon of whole milk. Pour it in the pot and put the candy thermometer. I turn the burner on med or just below. It takes a while to warm the milk up. Stir periodically to keep the milk from scalding. The goal temperature is 220 degrees F. You raise it to this temp to kill anything in the milk. I know that it is pasteurized already, but you want to make sure only the right kind of bacteria will grow.
Once the milk has risen to proper temperature take it off the heat, place in the freshly cleaned sink and fill the sink up with cool water. You can put ice in the water to help it cool down quicker, I don’t so it takes a little longer. Cover the milk to keep out dust and other things. Cool the milk to about 100 degrees F. Once it has reached that temperature it’s time to add the starter. I use two or three heaping tablespoons of Dannon whole milk plain yogurt. Mix it in thoroughly. Place on warming tray. I set the temp on the tray just above low. You want to maintain the temperature between 100 and 110 degrees F for 24 hours. Why 24 hours? Lactose is a sugar and on his diet he can’t have it. Fermenting the milk mixture for 24 hours helps to make sure that the lactose will break down into a monosaccharide, which is okay. It’s the complex sugars that can allow the imbalanced and bad bacteria to go nuts they feed off it.
After the 24 hours take the budding yogurt off the warming tray. You need to sterilize the muslin. Place the cheese clothe or muslin cloth( one lady used a bread bad that she got from BB and Beyond, I use muslin cloth I got from a fabric store.) place it in pasta drainer. When Rick isn’t around I put a big plate in the sink and set the pasta drainer in it, making sure that nothing touches the sink. Now you get to pour in the yogurt. Be very careful, things can splash and it is still hot. Then I place a little tuperware container in the bottom of the pot to hold the pasta drainer off the bottom a little more. Then place the pasta drainer into the pot and put on a lid on. You need to drip the yogurt for about 6 hours. All the liquid needs to drip out. With the liquid goes any left over sugars and even some lactic acid. What is left is a thicker yogurt than you’ll find in the store. It is almost as thick as cream cheese. It’s yummy.
Below are pictures of one of our first efforts. Turned out well.
First you’ll see Rick pouring the yogurt.
Here is the yogurt starting to drip.
Here is the dripping stuff after I’ve taken out the yogurt.
Here is the liquid left over from the dripping. It has a yellow tint and looks really gross.
And the finished product, I was amazed at how thick it was.
The yogurt has saved us. We use it for everything. It can be used just like store bought yogurt adding honey to sweeten and fruit. It is one of my favorite breakfast items. I’ve also used it to make salad dressings. It of course is a staple in smoothies, which are the perfect summer quick lunch or treat. We also use it to frozen yogurt. We bought an ice cream maker that does not use salt and ice, but rather a tub that has a freezable gel in its sides. I’ll take pictures the next time I make it and post them with ingredients and directions.
Please remember since I use whole milk and half and half the fat content is rather high so if you need to avoid fatty foods you may want to use 2% instead. Something you should know about it though, the less fat in the milk the less you will end up after you drip it.
The best frozen yogurt
What you will need: homemade yogurt, fruit of choice (in the pictures I have blueberries, strawberries and nectarines), orange juice(you can use apple juice or any juice really if you want a different flavor), and honey.
In Rick’s diet he is only allow to have 100% juice not from concentrate. There are different laws as to what can go into a concentrate did you know?
Orange juice by far is my favorite. Though Rick prefers apple juice. Since I make it I choose. Unless of course Rick’s tongue is irritated, if he eats too much fruit it gets burned.
Get your blender out, add the yogurt( as much as you want), fruit and juice and honey ( I add the honey when it is in the ice cream making).
Blend, does not have to be perfectly smooth, just no large chunks. Pour it in the ice cream maker when it is running.
Making Frozen Yogurt
Then let it go. Check out the “action shot” I got with the mixture spinning.
Frozen Yogurt
Check it periodically until it reaches the desired consistency. Then serve and enjoy. If you put left-overs in the freezer realize it will free pretty solid, there are no stabilizers or preservatives to give it ability to stay semi-soft. But is it still good!
Frozen Yogurt
If you decide to pick up the ice cream maker remember of course it will come with directions, though it is very simple to use. It also comes with recipes. I haven’t tried them as I am lactose intolerant and milk makes my tummy curse like a sailor. And of course Rick can’t have milk.
Here is the a close up of the maker.
Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt/Ice Cream Maker
I’m sure this is way more information that you wanted to ever read. If you read it all the way through good for you. Also, sorry about the different picture sizes. I use my photobucket and myspace to host the pictures and they size things differently.
Jalapeno Burn
I added another blunder to my cooking experience. I had a ton of energy today. I also really wanted to eat some very specific things, pico de gallo and guacamole. I went down to the QFC to get yogurt making stuff and my dips.
Tomatoes, cilantro, onions green and red, some other things and two kinds of peppers. A small green pepper and a little red jalapeno for the heat element. Yummy.
I got home and started to clean the kitchen and get out everything that I needed, the bowls and knifes and cutting board. I made the pico de gallo first. Near the end I started cutting up the peppers. They cut so nicely; very crisp the way they are supposed to be. I finished the pico, testing is several times, having Rick test it. Then I made the guac. When I was almost done with the guac when I noticed that my thumbs and fingertips felt a little warm. I disregarded it as my skin just being sensitive because I had washed my hands a lot.
I made the trout and the veggies. My thumbs got really hot, very fast when they where close to the pans. I ran them under water. But in just a few minutes I kept going back to the cool water. And then it was painful. Shoot. I was dumb. I couldn’t believe that I had not thought of the fact that jalapenos can burn, they burn your mouth why not your thumbs.
I hopped on line to google what to do for it. My laptop was a little warmer than normal and it made my fingers hurt even worse. According to a couple of sites vinegar was the answer. Rick reminded me about what Tyler Durdan in Fight Club says about bases neutralizing acids. He poured vinegar on the narrator’s burn (Edward Norton’s character for those whom aren’t as pathetic as I am) and it quit burning. So I marched into the kitchen trying really hard not to think about my skin bubbling and scarring over and not being able to work for a little while. I poured a little bit in my hand and thought better. I grabbed a little bowl and poured some in. Ahhh. I took them out to feel if how it felt out of the cool vinegar. They started to burn again. I stood with my fingers in the bowl for a few minutes. But my dinner was waiting, so I took them out and set it down for later.
I ate and finished dinner, sitting with an ice pack on the couch for my sore fingers. After a little while I didn’t notice it anymore. And now they don’t burn at all. However my skin feels a little thin. I decided not to do any scrubbing or hard cleaning tonight. I might spring leaks in my hands. But it does work. Vinegar will stop a jalapeno burn. I just don’t plan on using that information ever again.
