Blue Yonder

Homemade Yogurt

As I mentioned last week, we have issues with breakfast. I'm not a morning person and my children, crazy little buggers, like to eat at the crack of dawn.

So, I've been earnestly seeking quick healthy alternatives to high fructose cornsyrup either toasted or in a bowl.

So, when I came across homemade yogurt, I had to give it a go.

It was easier than I imagined, and actually tastes really great!

Here's the recipe that worked for us:

Heat your oven to around 100 degrees. (for us, this means turning the dial about a half inch before any actual numbers show up)

3-3/4 cup warm tap water
1-2/3 cups instant nonfat dry milk
2 to 4 tablespoon store-bought, plain yogurt with active yogurt cultures (read the label to be sure) You can freeze the rest of the store bought yogurt in ice cube trays to use in later homemade batches.

In a large saucepan combine the tap water and dry milk powder. Stir it very well, and let it sit a few minutes. Then stir it again. All of the dry milk should be dissolved. Heat the milk over medium low heat until it reaches 180°. This kills off any competeing bacteria so that the yogurt will respond better to the acidophilus cultures. Remove from the stove and allow to cool to 115°. If the milk is any hotter than this then it will kill off the yogurt cultures. Add the store-bought plain yogurt to the warm milk. Stir well. Allow it sit for a few minutes and stir a final time. This should dissolve the store-bought yogurt completely.

Turn your oven off.

Carefully pour the mixture into a very clean canning jars and put screw on the tops. Put all the jars in a shallow pan, and place in the oven over night (or 6-8 hours). The next morning, pop them in the fridge until chilled, and then you can doctor them as you wish. We add a couple of teaspoons of sugar and a half teaspoon of vanilla to each jar.

Ours was a little soupy - the texture of "real" whole yogurt. In other words, not as thick as Yoplait or Dannon or store brands, more along the lines of Stonyfield Farm yogurt.

It was delicious, and blissfully free of corn syrup, so I'd call it a success. Plus, my kids thought I was a super rock star. They had no idea that a regular old mom could actually MAKE yogurt! Frankly, neither did I!

Find the source of this recipe here, along with a whole bunch of other yogurt and frugal foodie tips.

The Great Breakfast Dilemma

This is my child, who knows that his mother is just this side of comatose in the mornings.

He says, "I want jelly toast and popcorn for breakfast!"

I say, "Sure, why not?"

It is not until I'm placing the plate before him that I think, in all my glorious morning mama wisdom, "Wait! What am I doing? The most important meal of the day should not be popcorn and toast!"

I gave it to him anyway. It's better than sugar cereal, right?

I took a picture so that when he's 14 and tells me that I never let him do anything, I can say "Well how many mothers do you know who give their kids popcorn for breakfast?"

I'm sure this will help. Surely he'll back down and say "you're right mom, I don't need to pierce my elbows or spend Spring Break in Rio, not with a cool mom like you! How about I do some laundry and mow the lawn instead?"

Or something like that.

I had to draw the line though when he asked for cookies. Of course he had eaten three before he asked, so really the drawing of the line was kind of pointless. Peanut butter has protein in it, right?

So, when I came across this I started to feel a wee bit guilty. Lots of people are struggling to feed their kids. Lots of people have really few options in the way of fresh, healthy foods for their little students. Me, I;m just not a morning person, and that's a lame excuse for not offering anything more creative and healthy for breakfast than toast and the occasional muffin or waffle (in my defense, I do make a pretty darn good waffle, in an iron and everything).

But what's a girl to do? They don't eat eggs in the morning, only at night and covered in ketchup. Go ahead make the face.

They do like french toast, so that's something - something whose health benefits seem somewhat negated by the lake of syrup in which it sits.

I thought maybe it would help if I planned ahead instead of trying to come up with a stellar breakfast in my pre-caffeinated morning state. So, tonight I made some breakfast cookies (a la Erin Baker's), and at this very moment we have some homemade yogurt incubating (which sounds kind of scary if you ask me) in the oven. Hopefully that will go into smoothies tomorrow morning.

I'll run it all by my kitchen testers tomorrow and let you know how that goes.

What do you feed your kids for breakfast?

Sweet as Pie

Well well well! Your mamas sure had a lot to say, now didn't they?
I have gotten such a kick out of all the responses to our little contest. Keep 'em coming!

I wanted to share something with y'all, that I just know you're going to love.

Last week a sweet blog friend, Collins, sent me a recipe for a pie that I knew I had to try right away.

I did, and sure enough it's every bit as good as it sounds and THEN some.

It goes like this:

Vidalia Onion Pie

1 1/4 cups ritz cracker crumbs
2 cups thinly sliced vidalia onions
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk (full fat, of course)
3/4 t. salt
dash of pepper
1/4 - 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Mix together cracker crumbs and 1/2 stick of melted butter. Press into a 8" pie plate. Chill. Saute onions in 2 T. butter until soft. Spoon into crust. Mix lightly beaten eggs with milk, salt, and pepper and pour over onions. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Of course, Collins is a Georgia girl, so when she thinks "sweet onion" she thinks Vidalia. Being a Texas gal myself though, I was hoping to use 1015s or Noondays, but found neither. I settled for something called a Texas Dandy, and was really pleasantly surprised. The result was a very mild, yummy savory pie.

We ate it with steak and salad for dinner, and then all by itself for lunch the next day. Heaven. Pure D.

So, in honor of all things pie, and in the hopes that more of you will dig out your pie recipes and share them, I've created the new Blue Yonder Pie List over on the side bar.

Got a pie you love? Post it on your blog, then leave a comment here or over on the pie list, and I'll add you to the list!

If you don't have a blog, but you DO have a wonderful pie, email the recipe to me here: blueyondergirl (at) mac (dot com). We'll try it out and post it up!

Now, get out those recipe boxes!

Mmm mmm mmm

(note... somehow the original entry on this pie was deleted. I don't know how or why. Sadly, all of your sweet comments went with it. Anyway, I wanted to recreate it to the best of my memory because, well, it's pie, it's chocolate, it's mint ice cream. It just needs to be here :-)

Now that our mint has grown to the size of a Cadillac, we can put it off no longer...

It's Mint Ice Cream time!

Of course, seeing as how I made promise, and you know, a promise is a promise, I felt it would be wrong to make only the ice cream, and not a pie on which to put it.

Enter, the Brownie Pie.

Friends, can I just say that this might be God's gift to the pie world? I mean you know me, I love a good pie... peach, strawberry, blueberry, apple, pecan, even peanut butter, but this one, this one might be the crowning glory.

Oh! The way it rises up, all souffle like, fills the house with the aroma of good, dark, molten chocolate... for a moment I knew not if I was on earth or gone to my sweet reward.

I'd love to share the recipe with you, but since it is the creation of pie guru Ken Haedrich, I guess I better just tell you to buy his book. I've made MANY of his pies and they are all good, but even if they weren't, this one alone would be worth the price of the book. It's that good. Honest.

I'd also love to show you a photo of how our ice cream looked, all lovely and melty on top of the warm pie, but mostly it just looked like an empty plate and a licked clean spoon.

My Just Desserts

Well I trust that you all had a lovely weekend.

I think that April might be the sweetest month God ever made. Don't you?

All the doors and windows are wide open, and even though I'm sneezing my fool head off, I'm enjoying it to the fullest. It will be hotter than seven kinds of hell in a heartbeat, so I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts.

Thank you, to everyone who has wished me well with my battle against the oak trees. They are still all caught up in their crazy yellow love fest, but thankfully, it rained, and that's settled things down a bit, for now.

So, since I was feeling a little bit better over the weekend, and since the husband got a bee in his bonnet to launch into spring yard work, I thought I'd take on some spring cleaning indoors.

As I've said though, I'm kind of sedentary by nature. It's just that I can think of so many things I'd rather do with my time, besides scrubbing floors and organizing closets. Some people love that stuff. i do not. Plus, when you have three little boys, cleaning seems so utterly futile.

It was time though. It just was.

So I gave myself a little incentive.

First, I made a pie and downloaded an audio book.

THEN I set to work.

I scrubbed my floor on my hands and knees, getting up all that gunk that clings to the edges, up under the counters and behind the fridge. I scrubbed all the splatters of God only knows what off every cabinet in the kitchen and laundry room. I cleaned all the walls, the vent over the stove, the chair railing, the table, under the table, the chairs, the pantry floor and shelves, the doors and around all the light switches.

And it wasn't half bad, scrubbing, listening to my book, and knowing that pie was in my near future :-)

You wanna know the sad part? I am SORE!

S - O - R - E! My arms ACHE! Is that not pitiful?

Well anyway, my cabinets and floors and walls are shining like a new dime, and there's pie calling my name...

If you've got some cleaning of your own to accomplish, let me suggest that you first make the easiest pie in the world, and pop it in the freezer to set up while you scrub.

Here's the Peach Cloud:

3 containers of Peach Yogurt (lime works well too)
1 container of Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust (buy one premade if you must, but I maintain that a homemade graham crust is essential. For that, you just mix 1/2 stick butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 2 cups crushed grahams, then press into the pan)

Mix the yogurt and whipped cream, throw it on the crust, and pop it in the freezer for a few hours.

Set it out on the counter for 20 minutes or so before you want to eat it, so it will soften just a little.

Sometimes, we even make it in ramekins, so we can just take out a little bit at a time.

Happy new week to you!

Evil Has a Name...

... and it is oak pollen.

There is fine yellow dusting covering our cars, trash cans, driveway, and, in fact, my mood. Spring has showered gorgeous flowers and weather upon is, and now she is exacting her payment.

I cannot breathe. I cannot think straight. My head is going to explode, and I'm about ready to claw out my throat, ears and eyes.

I thought maybe some comfort food, in the way of Blue Yonder's "Drunk and Ugly Biscuits" would help (buttermilk biscuits made with a splash of beer). Maybe I'll pass on that recipe later this week.

And some spinach and ham quiche(known in these parts as "Eggie Pie") too.

Nothing tastes good though.

So I went to bed early (thank you Papa) and watched a movie on the computer. The Hours.

Note to self: when you are already in a dark and twisty, "I can't breath" sort of mood, a movie where everyone cries, contemplates suicide and/or walking away from their families, does not help matters.

NyQuil, how I love thee.

If - You Cook With Three Young Fellas

.... there are a couple of essential bits to know.

1. They go BONKERS if you don't crack the eggs very very carefully. You see, they have plans for them.

2. You have to wear a hat. It isn't really so much about hygiene. It's all about style. I know this because while the hat is essential, pants are entirely optional.

Oh my.

Dinner and a Movie

Today is the one day a week that my guys go to school. Oh, the anticipation of a party day!

They had all their little valentines covered in crayon scrawl and smushed into paper bags. They were in the back seat, excitedly discussing the potential of cupcakes and sprinkles at school.

And then we heard that commercial on the radio again.

I stand corrected. It doesn't say, "don't be a loser, be the guy who buys her a diamond." It actually says, "don't be the guy who sleeps on the couch, be the guy who buys her a diamond."

My guys got really quiet and listened intently (they know how I feel about this commercial). I saw a(nother) discussion coming on, all about what love really means, and how sad it was that the man would feel like his wife would be mean to him if he didn't buy her an expensive gift, or that the woman would think she wasn't loved if he didn't.

Know what I heard instead?

First, conspiratorial whispering.

Then, "Mama can we sleep on the couch tonight?"

That kinda says it all doesn't it?

So, that's the plan.

When they get home from school we have a really special project to finish (more on that to come). Then, we're going to dip strawberries (sans chili, thanks) and make dinner together. Then, we're going to treat ourselves to a family movie night.

There won't be any diamonds, and all the men in my family will wind up on the couch. :-)

I hope your Valentine's Day also involves being squished into a very small space with the people you love most!

p.s. What's your favorite family movie? We're taking suggestions for our Netflix queue!
p.p.s. I love being surprised by this kind of Valentine, don't you?

Bringing Cozy Back

Sunday is:

The one day that we have to wake up early.

The sky was grey and cold, and not a single boy was easy to persuade from his warm blanketed cocoon.

Sunday is begging for doughnuts, and settling for cinnamon toast, because we are late, as usual.

Sunday, is the one day mama curls her hair and puts on a dress.

Sunday, we see friends we've missed all week. We say things like, "we should get together," and know that busy lives mean we probably will not.

This Sunday, I'm struck that each little man greets his class with smiles and anticipation. Gone are the days of tearful, wary, clinging goodbyes.

Sunday is a million stories all at once, pouring from the backseat on the way home.

Sunday is famished young men dancing around the kitchen making lunch requests. "Peanut butter and jelly, please." "Peanut butter and honey for me!" "Do we have chips?" "Can I have a smoothie?" "Can we play Wii when we're done with lunch?"

Sunday is full of stories to read, laundry to fold, puttering at projects and rolls rising.

crust making,

and a little boy, who eagerly awaits the moment when the peas that have served as pie crust weights come out of the oven, so that he can toast his little hands on them, run his fingers through them, stuff his pockets with their warmth.

Sunday is nostalgic eating.

For Daddy, it's pea soup.

For Mama, sweet potato pie.

Sunday is three lamps lit on the table. Three, so that each boy can blow one out when his plate is clean.

Sunday is having enough soup, rolls and pie to share with unexpected dinner guests.

Sunday is warming toes by the fire, and listening to Daddy's friends swap fish stories.

Sunday is sending friends home with bowls of soup and pie, to go.

Sunday is crawling, at long last, back into those blanketed cocoons, reading stories by lamplight, making plans and promises for the week to come.

Revenge of the Fishermen

If you are vegan, you should stop reading right now.

No, really.

Come back tomorrow, and we'll have a nice little chat, but today, friend, you'd better be on your way.

If you eat meat, but would rather not think about where it came from, you'd best be moving along too.

It's okay, really. I don't mind.

See, I've got this husband, who likes to fish.

And since I'm his wife, and it is my sworn duty to be a pain in the butt now and then, just to keep him young, I have to talk lots of smack about how catch and release is code for "didn't get a bite", and how as much he goes fishing you'd think I'd actually see some fish now and then. I have to say things like, "do you actually drop your line in the water, baby? Or is this just a good excuse to drink beer with a nice view?"

Truth is, I know good and well that he catches fish all the time and throws them back, less out of a good-hearted conservationist spirit, and more because neither one of us wants to clean them.

Every now and again, though, he has to prove a point.

He has to line up stinky, flopping carcasses.

Which, of course, my boys think is grand.

I think it's a good reason to buy stock in Purel antibacterial hand wash.

He has to turn my driveway into a processing plant.

I know where my food comes from, and that's okay by me, but as weenie-fied as it sounds, I really don't want to look it in the eye before I eat it.

I have a freezer full of yummy fish now though, and will be making the best ever fish tacos tomorrow, so I'm clearly not all that opposed to stinky, flopping fish, now am I? Plus, it *is* kinda cool, having just begun reading "Farmer Boy" with the guys, to know that if need be, our Papa can head out into the cold, blustery wilds and bring home sustenance.

It will be a while though before I make a wisecrack about the empty live wells. A long, long, LONG while, because next time, he says he's going to teach me to clean the catch.

Heavens.