My Kitchen Sink

When I stand at my kitchen sink I think of a million and one things I want to blog about. The topics run the gamut. Some nights it is religion, others it is about motherhood - the ups and the downs. I have thoughts on sugar, eating more naturally without being extreme, waking up early, my favorite recipes, where the name "The Fruit Room" comes from and how I can eloquently describe it. I imagine how my blog will evolve as I post all of these thoughts and as people read them and share them and relate to them and feel better about themselves rather than feeling unhappy or dissatisfied because my life is not your life. Such a blog is one of my life time aspirations.

And then I stop.

It's hard to become a blogger if I am absent for months at a time.

But, hey. One post, here and another post there. Someday I'll make it.

What's my point? Accountability. The ultimate conclusion I came to tonight, at the kitchen sink, is that I need to set a goal and have people hold me to it - Leslie, my dear auntie, and Mom...I know you are out there! My June 28th resolution is to post once a week about something. Can you help me?

Ok. It's kind of weird to blog about blogging - it's kind of like when you write in your journal that you haven't written in your journal forever...ya.

So moral of the story: perhaps my internal kitchen sink banter will make its way to this blog.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

This wholesome goodness is hard to pass up. I wake up in the morning wanting these pancakes because I know they are easy and will taste so delicious (if I actually measure the amount of salt correctly). They are light and fluffy and NOT gritty, which I was entirely surprised about. Whole wheat is notoriously dense and course. If that turns you off to whole wheat, you can still make this recipe!

We have kind of got ourselves on a "wholesome" type kick. This story about sugar published in National Geographic got my nightly-ice-cream-consuming husband to take a step back and consider what he was eating. Not only are we consuming less sugar in our family, but we have ramped up our veggie and fruit intake along with whole grains. And it is making a difference in our general well being!

These pancakes topped with a bit of Greek yogurt and some fruit are simply divine. A spoonful of strawberry jam doesn't hurt either. (We are eating less sugar, but it still makes an appearance here and there.)

Please. Go blend these up and be prepared to be amazed.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

If you have a normal blender - one with the blades at the bottom - you can double this recipe and make enough pancakes for 4 - 5 average people. If you have a Ninja, this recipe really doesn't work unless you have a single serving jar thingy with the blades at the bottom. This recipe is designed for that. It makes about 8 - 12 pancakes, enough for 3 average pancake consuming people.

1/2 C whole wheat berries
1/2 C buttermilk (or milk with 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice)
1/4 C milk
2 tbsp of canola oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp baking powder

Add wheat berries and buttermilk to blender. Blend until mixture becomes thick and wheat berries are gone (in the Ninja single serving this takes about 1 minute of blending, for a regular blender I have read that it can take 5 to 8 minutes). Add milk and blend again until milk is well incorporated.

Add oil, egg, salt, and baking powder. Pulse until well blended.

Pour onto a hot, non-stick griddle.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I have toyed around with the idea of using already ground wheat flour - weight for weight amount of whole wheat berries - so that you can make more in the Big Ninja...Mom...but I have not tried it yet.

Family Home Evening

We had family home evening - or family night - tonight. We do this on Mondays. Erik and I have done it since we were first married. It is a time for our family to come together and talk, laugh, pray, eat, and play. We review family goals, sing a song, say a prayer and have a short lesson about something gospel related.

Each week Alyssa either "plays" the piano or "ducts" the music. She usually picks the song - "I Am a Child of God" or "I Love to See the Temple".

Tonight it was Alyssa's turn for lesson. Erik helped her plan it. She invited her whole "family" to come. She set them up so they could be good listeners.



Then she and Erik went into the bedroom and planned the lesson. Alyssa made her lesson plan.

First she talked about how Jesus was obedient to Heavenly Father when He got baptized. Then she talked about Jesus being obedient to his earthly dad, Joseph. She loves to show dozens of gospel art pictures. It is her favorite form of a lesson. She kept it to two for tonight, though.

She moved the picture (Jesus and Joseph as carpenters) so fast it became transparent!

Next we watched a movie about when Jesus gets baptized - her favorite and most requested Bible movie.

Then she read a scripture with Erik's help.

Finally we all bore testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus and their love for us.

Family home evening is important for our family growth and for Alyssa's spiritual growth. She amazes me each week with her enthusiasm family night. It usually lasts less than twenty minutes, but it is important to her. I am grateful for family and the home. In our homes with our families is where the most significant learning and growth takes place. I am grateful for the family I grew up in and the principles I learned that I am using with Erik as we teach Alyssa, and in many instances, learn from her as well.

Faith in Christ

I had the opportunity to step out of nursery (church class for 18 months - 3 year olds that I normally teach each Sunday with Erik) and teach Relief Society this past Sunday. I love the opportunity to teach because in reality, I, as the teacher, become the student as everyone who sits in front of me makes excellent, inspiring, and faith-building comments. It is truly wonderful that we are able to talk and teach together each Sunday.

The topic I taught was faith and repentance from the teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith. Faith in Jesus Christ and repentance are the first two principles of the gospel - seemingly the most basic and fundamental doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet, they also carry a depth which is profound and even overwhelming.

One of the questions I asked was, "What does it mean to you to center your faith on Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father?" I had no predetermined answer. I wanted to know exactly what it means as well! I know faith is a belief, but it is also more. It is a trust or confidence in someone or something (BD), it hope in something not seen, but is true. Faith is also an action word. It leads us to do something because we believe something. So having put all these definitions of faith on the table, I opened it up to what it truly means.

The answers that came taught me and strengthened my faith. The sisters in my ward put into words what I feel and how I live. The answer that struck me the most was this:

"Faith in Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven is a sure faith."

This sister then went on to explain that we know that they will never change and that the promises they have made are sure promises. We may have faith in other things or people (Santa Claus had been mentioned) but our faith in deity is sure. We believed and had faith in the plan the Father gave us before we came to earth and we can have faith in it now. We may do something that removes us from Jesus Christ and the promised blessings, but He will always be there, still willing to grant us those blessings if we will repent. We work towards eternal life by living the principles and doctrines of the gospel because we believe Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. That work combined with that belief constitutes our faith in them. And, thus, we live with faith in Christ.

Image Courtesy of lds.org/media

We need to not forget that Jesus Christ is central to our faith. He performed the Atonement and offers us grace that we might be saved. We need to add to that our own works that we may be receive eternal life with Him. All that we do is to show our faith and love for Him. He is our strength, our Savior, our Redeemer.

Yogurt From Your Kitchen

It took me awhile to get on the "plain - maybe Greek - yogurt" bandwagon. I think I was convinced when I realized just how much sugar is in not plain yogurt...especially if you buy the el cheap-o kind. To be honest, though, I still bought it. But then I saw on Mel's Kitchen Cafe that I could make my own yogurt! Well, the little chemist/bacteria grower inside of me (I spent a whole summer growing e.coli) decided that I would do just that!

The end result? Delicious. Creamy. Wonderful! It has become a highly versatile staple in my kitchen, making its way into pancakes, coffee cake, cookies, butter, frosting, bread, my daughter's stomach...pretty much everything! I do have to say there is something quite remarkable about the fact that I can get my daughter, who is two, to eat it with very little sugar. 

I do have to say, I am not sure if this is legitimate Greek yogurt. I use Greek yogurt as a starter, but my kitchen is no Dannon food processing plant. I do know that if you strain it long enough, it is very very thick and that, to me, is the greatest indicator of it's wholesome delight!

I have now made yogurt for almost a year and I am sold that it is the most affordable way to make it. It also is yummy and healthy I'm not going to pretend that I know all the health benefits. I am not the nutrition facts label, but I can tell you that there is no high fructose corn syrup or loads of artificial sweeteners and yet it still is edible!

(This post is for my mother. Love you, Mom! It is not in its most refined form. If you really want to make yogurt and are confused, comment or call me and I will help you straighten out our worries.)

Yogurt

You must plan ahead to make this delicious stuff. It will take about 6 hours to prep the yogurt, 8 hours to culture and another 4 - 6 hours to strain the whey. I usually begin at 3 PM, let the yogurt culture overnight, and strain it in the morning.

1 gallon of milk (I have used everything from skim to whole)
1/2 C powdered milk
1 6 oz cup of plain Greek yogurt - I just get whatever is cheapest. You want it to say that it has life cultures in it. If it names the life cultures, even more legit. If it doesn't, but does say "live active cultures" then it will still work. But get Greek.

Cheese cloth or flour sack dish towel

Begin at 3 PM.
Pour 1 gallon of milk into a (at least) 5 quart crock pot. Turn the crock pot on high and allow the milk to warm up to 178 F. This is the pasteurization step. First you must kill all the unwanted bacteria before you can put the wanted bacteria in. This can take anywhere from 2 - 4 hours.

When the milk has reached 178 F, remove the stoneware portion of your crock pot from the heater portion. Remove about 1 C of milk from the crock pot to a bowl, add the powdered milk, whisk until dissolved and pour back into the crock pot through a strainer (catching any clumps that did not dissolve).

Allow the milk to cool until it reaches 125 F. You can aid this cooling process by stirring it every so often or putting it on a cold cast iron pan to help draw the heat out - just in case you are anxious to go to bed.

It will probably be around 8 or 9 o'clock PM before your yogurt cools.

Again, remove about 1 C of milk from the crock pot and pour it into a bowl. Add the Greek yogurt starter to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture back into the crock pot and mix into the milk.

By now your yogurt should be between 112 F and 119 F. This is the temperature you want to incubate it at for 8 - 10 hours. If it is a little cooler than 112 F, don't panic too much. You can reheat it, or just leave it. The rate of growth of bacteria will be slightly slower. If you do reheat, don't kill your bacteria friends in the process!

Put the lid back onto your crock pot. Wrap your crock pot in a heavy beach or bath towel. Line a cooler* that is big enough to fit your crock pot with a heavy blanket - like fleece or heavier. Place your towel-wrapped crock pot into the blanket lined cooler, wrap the blanket around the crock pot and let it incubate for 8 - 10 hours. Your little bacterias will be as happy as a clam in salt water and they will produce delightful yogurt for you.

When you awake the next morning, pull your yogurt out of the cooler. Line a strainer or colander with the cheese cloth or clean flour sack towel and place it on a large pot - like a stock pot. Transfer the yogurt to the strainer and put the strainer/stockpot combo into the fridge. I like to drain the whey for at least 4 hours. If the yogurt gets too thick, you can always add whey back in.

When the yogurt has become chunky and thick, remove it to a blender or a large bowl and blend it or whisk it with an electric hand mixer until it becomes smooth. This process will also thin out the yogurt. Be careful not to over blend or over whisk. Blending - 2 or 3 pulses, maybe 4 - 5. Whisking - until it looks delicious to you.

Pour your yogurt into storage containers. I use glass jars with canning lids because yogurt can easily take on the taste of whatever used to be in your storage container (garlic yogurt makes great sour cream!)

You can also save all that great whey to use in your pancakes and bready items - just don't do a 1 to 1 substitution for water. You can also add a bit to smoothies. We think it has protein nutritional value - but we have only speculated.

So there you have it! Yogurt.

Let me sum up.

Heat milk to 178 F.
Add powdered milk.
Let cool to 125 F.
Add yogurt starter.
Temperature should be between 112 - 119 F.
Wrap in towel and blanket. Put in cooler for 8 - 10 hours.
Drain whey off through cheese cloth/towel.
Blend until smooth.
Enjoy!

*If you don't have a large cooler, then you can use your oven. I would warm it up to about 200 F and then turn it off before you put your towel and blanket wrapped crock pot in it. It will help to keep the surroundings warm.

If you want to do this but feel nervous, do just 1/2 gallon of milk. No one can cry over 1/2 gallon of milk if it doesn't work...but a full gallon at $3.78 a gallon. That is something to cry over. :)

And as far as eating it goes - I find that a couple of sprinkles of sugar, some lemon juice and a few berries, especially black berries, makes for a delightful combination. You can also add any sort of jam (homemade strawberry), syrup, honey...you name it, try it! The lemon juice takes some of the edge away and results in less sugar to help it taste delicious.

courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe with a revamp of the incubation process

Bodacious Blueberry Muffins

It is my mission to share the best things I know in life with others. These muffins are near to the best thing, so I had to share! I like a good muffin in the morning. I always have. When I was in 5th or 6th grade I would make a box of Jiffy blueberry muffins before I went to school as often as our supply would allow. I have to admit, I love the little purple sugar ball blueberries in those muffin mixes. Mmm. They were so good.

Times have changed, though. I don't always have the muffin mix in my pantry, (and, truth be told, they may not be the best muffins in the world) so sometimes I have to improvise. A little internet searching along with a few additional personal preferences have lead me to these babies! They are delightful, my friend, and so so simple to make. In fact, if you just skip down to the recipe, I won't be offended because you really should try to make them as soon as possible. You can have them out of the oven for an after-school snack before I can say "Bob's your uncle"!

Anyway, a secret to much of our breakfast making is the usage of self-rising flour. My dear Erik served a mission in Argentina and learned about the glorious self-rising stuff and he has been pretty insistent throughout our marriage that we have some on hand. I grew up with Bisquick and it took me a while to be persuaded, but alas, I am convinced (mostly because of cost). 

So here's the thing, for smaller batches of things that are bready like coffee cake, waffles, pancakes, biscuits and muffins, SRF is just the ticket if you don't really like to follow a precise recipe (as in you don't like to measure salt and baking powder). For Erik, it allows a measure of good tasting creativity in the kitchen, which is exactly what he prefers - no recipes for him. I, personally, follow recipes, but I still find it quite convenient to use SRF every now and again and these muffins are such an instance. 

If you aren't convinced that SRF is for you, that's ok. I have added the actual baking powder and salt measurements at the bottom. But by the time you are done reading my blog and you witness the plethora of ways to make delicious food with SRF, I am sure you will skip over to Kroger and by some for yourself!

Blueberry Muffins

Yield: ~ 9 bodacious muffins

1 1/2 C self-rising flour*
1/2 C sugar

1/3 C oil
1 egg
1/3 C - 1/2 C milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 C fresh or frozen blueberries (or raspberries or blackberries or all 3)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line muffin tin with 9 muffin liners or grease the tin well.

In a mixing bowl mix self-rising flour and sugar.

In a measuring cup that measures at least 1 C add oil, egg, vanilla, and enough milk so that it fills 1 cup. Mix these ingredients together with a fork.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and scoop and fold until only a few small patches of flour remain. Add the fruit and fold in, completing the mixing process of the flour as well.

Scoop into muffin tins. Each muffin tin should be full.

Sprinkle the top with sugar because it makes them ohhh sooooo delicious and beautiful.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Adapted from inspiredtaste.net

*If you do not have self-rising flour, then do not fret! You can add 2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of salt to the dry ingredients.

Being Who I Am

I have a challenge in my life. It has something to do with comparing and judging and feeling really inadequate and all that nasty stuff. Sometimes I almost paralyze myself because I am so worried about what other people think of me. I am worried that I will bring the wrong side dish to a dinner party. I fear that I won't fit in because of the clothes I am wearing. I often hesitate to invite people over because I haven't successfully taught my daughter how to share her toys and it is such a headache to make sure that everyone is happily playing all the time! It seems like too much. And it becomes depressing and anxiety inducing and a big stumbling block to me.

However, I am blessed to know that I am a daughter of God. And this simple nugget of knowledge diminishes my fear and calms my anxiety. My time on this earth is between me and God. Sure, there are things He wants me to do. He has expectations for me and a divine potential to fulfill. But He always loves me. And He, alone, knows how hard I am trying and what struggles I face and what mountains I have already climbed.

It doesn't matter if our homemade dinosaur-shaped biscuits aren't the prettiest food at at the BBQ. It doesn't matter if there is a quarrel between two two-year-olds. It doesn't matter if my daughter doesn't recognize all of her letters and numbers or isn't potty trained yet. It doesn't matter if I'm a little socially awkward and don't know what to say (seriously, guys, I will rack my brain for things to say, but I'm an engineer, so please forgive me and be happy if I at least noticed your shoes). It doesn't matter if my furniture is used and my decorations don't really exist. It is just the way I am!

There is right and wrong in the world. Righteous living is important. But many of these inadequacies are not sins. They are part of our character. If I was the same as the next person and she was the same as the next and all of our children were perfect because they perfectly reflected all of our efforts, that would be boring.

As women we have the potential to effect so many for good! We are a moral force for good in this world! We shouldn't be hatin' on ourselves, rather we should magnify our talents and the good we contribute and uplift others so they can do the same!

So what does matter? It matters that I am a child of God and He loves me. It matters that I am trying my best. And it matters that I am happy.

Us - being HAPPY and totally ourselves (I was teaching Alyssa how to take pictures)

And just remember - you are a child of God, too. Let Him love you and love yourself and let the feelings of grotesque self-loathing dissipate as you do.