• Um, rick rack in a dish towel? Yes please.

• Can’t believe I haven’t posted this yet, but a couple months ago Jim’s band, Pineapple Crackers, released their CD at an epic CD release party at the Mesa Theater. The show was fantastic.  Sometimes it’s surreal to watch Jim being a rockstar on stage with crowds screaming below. But  when he’s on stage with his guitar, he’s the most himself and it’s amazing to watch. Their CD is available through itunes.

• I bought these amazing toggles from a yarn rep today. Now I must design a sweater around them.

But I really like these fabrics together and July is blanket month at Tangle, so… really I DO need another project. Plus, nearly all of these fabrics are discontinued, so I should get them while the gettin’s good.  Right?

I was thinking the other day about how many unfinished projects I have.  It’s something so embarrassing that I don’t want to dig them out and count. I didn’t used to be a project starter, but it seems that I am one now.  I think in my old age I’ve gotten a little ADD. How will I be twenty years from now? It worries me, for sure.

But there’s something about the lure of a shiny new project – the way the yarn looks at me on the shelves or the way fabrics just happen to be together… it’s hard to resist. And then, before the last project is finished, another one will call to me, and another, and another, and another… And here I am, a big pile of things to finish and something cute and new calling my name.

hmmm….

1 head cauliflower broken into small florets
1 small jar green olives, drained
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 package turkey pepperoni
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients. Its better if it sets in the fridge for couple of hours.

I love that my list of homemade things to eat keeps on growing.

I started making sprouts a couple of winters ago, got really into it and then randomly stopped. But it’s the easiest thing and I think kind of brilliant if you are wanting fresh, local greens in the wintertime. (especially if you could find local seed.)

At vitamin cottage, our local health food store, they sell the lids for the jars and just about every kind of sprouting seed you could imagine. The seeds come with specific instructions but basically the seed need to be soaked overnight and then rinsed and drained two or three times a day for 3-4 days, depending in the temperature in your house. I store mine in a ziploc lined with paper towels and they last at least a week in the fridge (they often end up being eaten before that).

These are a “protein blend” and will be a little heartier than the basic alfalfa sprouts. I think they will be especially good in salads.

So, there’s a few reasons why I decided to start making my own yogurt. 1. Yogurt is cultured in the cup, which means it’s cooked in a plastic cup for at least 5 hours at 110º. mmmm, that plastic infused yogurt has GOT to be good for you. 2. I can make it with local milk which helps the local economy, saves on transportation costs and is organic. 3. Less waste – we’re not going through 10-15 plastic cups a week that we can’t recycle.

So here’s the basic recipe I’ve been using.

8 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup plain yogurt, first time I used organic greek yogurt, second time I used brown cow cream top which isn’t organic
crockpot

*The recipe says to use full fat yogurt and milk but I’ve had good luck with 2% and lowfat yogurt.

Place 8 cups of milk in crockpot for 2.5 hours on low. After the time has elapsed, turn off the heat, leaving the lid on and let set for 3 hours.
At this point, if any skin has formed on the top of the milk, carefully skim it off. Next take about a cup of the warm milk out of the crockpot and mix thoroughly with 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. Return the mixture to the crockpot and mix well. Wrap the entire crockpot up with a towel or two and let sit for about 8 hours. (My last batch was 6 hours and it wasn’t quite thick enough for me. The first batch, I let sit overnight.) Make sure your crockpot is in a warmish place, so it can maintain it’s temperature for the 8 hours.

Homemade yogurt will be a little thinner than store bought because most store bought will have a thickener in it. So after the yogurt has cultured, I like to drain out some of the whey and make greek yogurt which is a thicker, creamier version of yogurt. I line a colander with a clean linen napkin, pour the yogurt in the colander, set the whole thing inside a big bowl to catch the whey. Cover the entire thing with plastic wrap so the yogurt doesn’t take on the flavor of the fridge as it sets. 3 hours of draining in the fridge will make greek yogurt, 18-24hrs will make sour cream. I’m letting my batch go 48hrs to try to make a soft yogurt cheese. If you find your yogurt gets too thick, just mix back in some of the whey.

And voila! you have yogurt! I like to store mine in a mason jar and sweeten it with honey or fruit as we eat it (I actually prefer plain anyway.) I think it’s so easy to make! More than anything making yogurt is a waiting game, rather than time consuming.

Monday: grilled pizza with homemade ww crust, salad
Tuesday: ww pasta with green beans, tuna and cherry tomatoes
Wednesday: Asian noodle salad with chicken and cilantro
Thursday: yogurt marinated chicken, salad
Friday: ?
Saturday: tuna steaks with lemon and tomatoes, salad
Sunday: skirt steak with poblano relish, spicy slaw, rice, black beans

Snacks: hummus/veggies, watermelon, hard boiled eggs, almonds and dates

Breakfasts: yogurt/granola, cereal, mini ww bagels

Lunches: wraps, pasta salad, burritos, pb&j’s, healthy ramen

*well the twins have come and gone and I hardly took any pictures of them. I’m always amazed at the hectic pace my sister’s life is with twins. Basically all she does is feed them. It makes me exhausted thinking about it. They are entering the age that I love for babies – when they start doing tricks and their personalities start to emerge. It was sure fun to see them, Ashley and Gerardo too.

*Eden made it safely back from camp and had a wonderful time. When I asked her if she would like to go back next year she said, “duh.”

*I found this handy little calculator for calculating the calories in chipotle food. Since Chipotle is the only restaurant in town that serves free range/hormone free etc. meat, we will be eating there a lot.
chipotle calculator

*I’ve been turning on the sprinklers to water my garden and therefore haven’t looked at it closely in a few days. Yesterday I went out to discover I have a whole lovely row of green beans. There is nothing like accomplished feeling of growing your own food.

*today, if I can muster up the energy, I’m going to paint a fresh coat of blue on my front steps. We’ll see.

In a few minutes I’m going to start my first bible study. It’s going to be with some girls I love, but I’m feeling just a little apprehensive. I think it’s because going to a bible study couldn’t be a more adult activity – I remember my mom doing bible studies when I was my childrens age and thinking she was so old. (Jim pointed out the other day that my mom was 36 when he met me.) Or because it couldn’t be a more “Christian” activity.

I’m actually not worried that these girls will be “religious” but I’m thinking the tequila will help it not feel cliche.

* my sister, bil and the twins arrived tonight. They are so big! I can’t wait to play with them more! We will spend tomorrow at the lake – our first wednesday trip of the summer. And, I think, the twins first time swimming.

* today we dropped Eden off for camp. She was pretty excited up until we started driving to the church to drop her off. She then told us she was ‘half and half’. But she got sent off without any tears – from any of us. I left feeling really grateful for the opportunity for her. I think it will be a time she will never forget. This was a new emotion for me. I mean, I’m really thankful for a lot of things in her life like her school and her friends. But this was different. Somehow I feel like this could change her life – in a good way – and I just feel really excited about what’s in store for her. She comes home Friday.

* with working, camp, meal planning, house guests, family dinner over here tomorrow and going to the lake, I’ve been a little overwhelmed. But I’m still making time to work out. I feel pretty determined about the whole thing. This morning, I ran, even though my legs were so damn sore that I could hardly move. Just don’t ask me to traverse stairs. (squats=torture) I think being sore is something I’m gonna just have to get used to.

* I made my first batch of homemade yogurt last week. It was so delicious. I will blog about it in more detail soon – with the really easy recipe.

I think today I’m going to paint my front door with chalk board paint. After pictures soon.

It only took me about 20 minutes. Now I can leave notes on the door like, “just mopped, please remove your shoes.” Gotta do whatever I can to keep these white floors clean.

Now all I need is a new knocker and door nob.

(as always, please excuse the cell phone pics, it’s the best I can do these days. I wish I could take pictures with my nikon and send them to flickr magically.)