Did you know? ….

 

Did you know you can make your own buttermilk?

I am not talking about making sour milk by adding lemon juice or vinegar, I am talking real buttermilk.

Take  1 cup of cultured buttermilk and put it in a quart jar and fill the jar the rest of the way with plain milk (whole or 2% ) put lid on and leave on counter top for 24 hours then refrigerate . Will keep up to 2 weeks . When you are down to your last cup of buttermilk add milk again and repeat. It is bottomless!!

 

Did you know you can make your own yogurt?

Crockpot Yogurt

You don’t need a yogurt maker, just a Crockpot and 1/2 cup yogurt ,

--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized.--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)
--thick bath towel
The Directions.
This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.
I used a 4 quart crockpot. This is so exciting. Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.
When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.
Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.
In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.
Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch. If you  want greek style yogurt, after it has been refrigerated put some cheese cloth in a strainer and and pour in yogurt  set up over a bowl to catch liquid. Put in fridge and let it set for a day ,discard the water that has drained off. The yogurt will be nice and thick. You can now flavor with fruit ,but I find it is better to do that as you are getting  ready  to serve . Just add chopped fruit and a little bit a of honey ,such a good tasty and healthful treat!

 

Did you know …. You can make your own Granola?

 

It is so good! Much better than what you get in a box and the money you save is crazy!!

Homemade Granola
3 1/2- cups uncooked old fashioned or quick oats
1 - stick + 1 tablespoon real butter
1/2 - 2/3 - cup honey (your preference)
1/4 - cup light brown sugar
1/4 - teaspoon salt
1 - teaspoon cinnamon sugar
1/2 - cup wheat germ
2 - tablespoons flax seed
1/2 - 3/4 - cup almond pieces
1/2 - 3/4 - cup pecan pieces
1/4 - cup sunflower seeds
1/2 - 3/4 - cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit
1/2 - cup raisins
First melt the butter in a 3 - quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the honey and salt and briefly heat with the butter until foamy and bubbly. In a separate bowl mix together the oatmeal, wheat germ, nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon sugar if adding dried cranberries and raisins add them as well. Turn off the heat and add the oatmeal mixture. Stir until everything is coated. Pour the mixture onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
Spread the mixture out evenly and pat down. Bake it at 375° for 10 minutes (watch carefully) It will be a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes using a spatula or flipper slide it under the granola to loosen it a bit so it does not stick. Let cool on the baking sheet about 30 minutes then break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

So easy and the possibilities are endless. I did not have wheat germ and did not put it in,I just increased the oatmeal. You can change the kind of nut you want ,just any combination YOU like.

 

I love the combination of pork and apples with onions,so good and it is sweet but savory.

I made up a recipe with pork spare ribs and apples and put it it the Crockpot,So yummy! You could also put in a cast enameled pan like this:

 

My new pan from Paula Deen!!!  Did you hear me scream??? Okay back to the recipe!!

4 pork spare ribs

3 or 4 apples (cored and sliced)( I used home canned apples)

1 large onion sliced thin(I used home canned caramelized onions)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup chicken broth

salt /pepper

fresh thyme

If using the enamel pot , use a bit of oil and brown(salt and pepper) the ribs till brown on both sides,remove from pan and  and sauté the onions and garlic until they are Carmel colored. Add apples ,thyme and cook until tender.  Place the ribs on top  and add the broth and put lid on and place in 325*  oven  for  hours and check to see if the meat is fall off the bone tender. If not then cook for about 30 more minutes.  I served this with fried potatoes and Greens would have been really good with it.

If using Crockpot ,put apples and onion ,garlic ,thyme in and place ribs(salt and pepper) on top. Add broth and cook for 6 hours on low and 4 on high. Mid way thru submerge the ribs down in the apples. Cook till the ribs are falling off the bone.

So good!

 

Tonight for dinner I made up this recipe for Queso Chicken soup. It was so creamy and spicy good!! It is a keeper!

Queso Chicken Soup

 

2 cans rotel tomatoes

2 cans chicken stock

1 onion chopped

1 large garlic clove chopped fine

2 chicken thighs

1 jar of  Monterey Jack cheese mexican cheese sauce

1 can black beans(drained and rinsed)

1  1/2 tsp cumin

salt/ pepper

1/2 a brick of cream cheese in cubes

 

This recipe is for a 4 quart slow cooker.

Put chicken,rotel,onion,garlic, cumin, beans, broth, salt and pepper in crockpot and cook on low for six hours.

take chicken out and let cool to de-bone. While chicken is cooling add cheese sauce and cream cheese. Stir to combine ,taste for seasonings and adjust.  Add chicken back in and let it heat back up. Serve with chips ,add hot sauce if desired.

This was really good! Loved it!

 

Enjoy!

Until next time!

Nana Nita