Rachel on Muffins

I was making blueberry muffins this morning. Yum-o. I had a little helper (term used very loosely). Rachel loves to sit on the stool and help, or watch or make trouble and generally gives a running commentary about whatever is being made, life, movies, sleep and whatever else is on her mind at the time.

As I was spooning the muffin batter into the muffin tin (although I don't know why I'd call it a tin since mine is a muffin stone) Rachel's question is:

"Mom, are those going to grow up to be muffins?"

Awesome. Love it. Can I get a snuggle and a nuzzle and a kiss please?

Fun With Dairy

A couple of weeks ago, the boys and I did experiments with dairy for school. It was a blast! I posted on my Facebook status that we had experimented with dairy, and Marie said I should blog about it. I didn't get many pictures of half of the project, but here it is anyway! We made yogurt and butter that day, and since then I have also made cream cheese (which has a byproduct of whey, which comes in handy for me, too!). I'll save the cream cheese for another post, though!

I saw a post about making butter over at Angry Chicken (I just love that blog, but I really don't get the name...), so I decided I needed to try it. I searched for instructions that would allow me to use my Kitchenaid, because I'm a wimp and didn't want to churn by hand or shake a jar for a ridiculous amount of time. I found these instructions, and we got busy. I bought a high quality organic cream to make this, I think it was the Organic Valley brand, and I only used a pint. It took a little bit longer than I thought it would from reading the butter-making accounts I found on the web, but it worked beautifully.

Washing the butter was a bit weird, and I wasn't sure I had done enough (which I did because this butter was used long before it spoiled) but in the end I got one cup of butter and about one cup of fresh buttermilk. The butter was smooth and sweet. It tasted great, melted perfectly, and was even better because we knew we had made it. The buttermilk was not like the thick, cultured buttermilk which you buy at the supermarket (which isn't actually a byproduct of butter making, but milk with a culture added), it was fresh and sweet/tart. Now I understand when I hear people say they loved drinking a glass of fresh buttermilk when they were young. It wasn't anything like what I picture when I think of buttermilk!

Of course, what do you do with buttermilk other than make buttermilk pancakes? Ooh, these were sooo good made with the fresh buttermilk and topped with our fresh butter! I usually put peanut butter on my pancakes, but these were so good even plain, that I couldn't bear to tarnish their purity with the peanut butter, so I used some fresh butter and pure maple syrup. I cannot wait to make these again when I have fresh buttermilk again! Making butter is no cheaper than buying it, but getting the fresh buttermilk makes it a worthwhile endeavor!

Yogurt making was not new to me. I used to make plain yogurt all the time. It was one of Ethan's favorite baby foods. I had gotten out of the habit of making it, though. Here's what you need to make yogurt:

• a yogurt maker (or you can use your oven - instructions below)
• 1 quart good quality milk
• commercial yogurt starter or 1/2 c. plain yogurt (high quality and fresh, room temperature)
• candy thermometer

First, heat the milk gently until the thermometer reads 180 degrees.

Remove the milk from heat, pour it into the container that comes with the yogurt maker and cool to 110 degrees. You can do this in the refrigerator to speed the process, but watch it closely because it cools quickly once it gets under 120. Once cooled, stir in the yogurt starter. If you are using the 1/2 cup yogurt, stir about a cup of the cooled milk into the yogurt, then stir this back into the rest of the milk.

Place the container into the yogurt maker and process as directed.

I like to process mine for a shorter time, because then end product is milder. I can actually eat the homemade yogurt unsweetened because it is mild. It is great in smoothies and with a bit of fruit or jam, too. If you don't have a yogurt maker, you can pour your mixture into a shallow glass, enamel or stainless steel container. Then place the container into a warm oven (a gas oven with a pilot light or electric oven pre-heated to warm and then turned off) overnight. Your yogurt will be ready in the morning. I've never tried this method, but I've read that it works.

Mmmmm, yogurt. Other than being able to control the tartness, the only other difference between homemade yogurt and commercial yogurt is that homemade is generally runnier than store bought. Really, if you have milk and plain yogurt, there is no reason not to try this! I tried using the 1/2 cup yogurt instead of the starter this week, with not so great results. But that is for another post...

Funny

As a family, we are slowly, sometimes learning German. :) Today at dinner, Ethan asked, "How do you say 'y'all' in German?"

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!! This kid cracks me up!

Tuesday Morning Randomness

The after-dinner clean-up is always a little bit intimidating around here.

The two oldest like to get Lily involved. They pick her up and help her "put away" dishes, especially the silverware. I find things in the oddest places though. It's nice to give this most hated of jobs away to the kids who think it's fun. Now for the folding of clothes. Yuck.

Easter. What's with that look on Ella's face. I don't get it.

And that's as random as it gets. I'm coming up blank otherwise. The getting up early thing is kicking my rear. My brain function is severely retarded. Maybe it's because I have not fed it coffee this morning. But I'm about to take care of that.

Petitioning God

I was reading a devotional today and a couple of lines really struck me. The devotional was on asking God for help, and was based on I Peter 5:6-7. Are you like me, and find yourself waiting until you have tried every other solution you can think of before going to God and asking for help? This isn't always the case, but most of the time, I go to God and ask for help after I am at the end of my rope, rather than as soon as a problem arises. What pride! I suppose that is why the verse right before we are commanded to cast our cares on God tells us to humble ourselves before God.

The writer of this devotional makes an excellent point about why we pray and ask God for help. It really isn't about getting the solution we want. He says,

"The point is that it really doesn't matter how God decides to solve the problem. By asking God for help, you have admitted that you need Him, and that is what really matters. How God decides to deal with the issue is immaterial, but rest assured He will intervene in the best way possible. God does not want you to depend on a particular solution; He wants you to depend on Him. "

How often I depend on the solution instead of Him! Jesus modeled this for us when he prayed before he went to the cross. The writer points out that the purpose of Jesus's prayer was to connect with his father.

"But what is perhaps more surprising is that Jesus is asking for something He knows He cannot have. When Jesus asks, "Let this cup be taken from me", He is perfectly aware that it is the Father's will for Him to proceed, so why even ask? Jesus speaks these words not to seek a result, but simply to express His anguish and anxiety. Jesus is not asking for a reprieve; He is asking for comfort."

I really needed to read this today. There is one thing I have petitioned God for help with throughout the years that is still a problem for me. Many times now I don't even petition any more, because I think God intends for me to depend on him through the tough times rather than remove the difficulty from me. This is encouragement for me to continue to pray. I need the prayer in order to depend on God! Not that I think God will change his answer (though he could), but because I need His comfort and help.

Wonders Never Cease

This afternoon, "He-who-shall-never-ever-ever-sleep-during-the-day" took a two hour nap. Two. Hours. This has never happened in the 151 days since he was born. And there was much rejoicing.

I'm not a huge fan of medicating children, but I am praising God for Zantac today. This is the second child of mine who went from sleepless and screaming, to some sleep and less screaming with this drug. There's something to be said for that. You know, like, "Praise the Lord!"

Hey, Guess What!?

First I would like to announce that I'm getting wiser. I have proof. See?

We had Passover last night. From a Messianic standpoint, it is an amazing feast! Jesus ate the Passover meal the night he was betrayed and then he became our Passover lamb. It's amazing. If you ever have the chance to go to a Passover meal I highly recommend it.