Old Style Diary Archive - AUG 05

apprentice_tycoon

Zziggi wrote:

Am having a busy morning. I went bramble picking last night on some waste land that's nearby. I had a field day! Soooo many. I can home with cartons full of brambles so this morning is being spent preparing them for freezing - if i have any space left in the freezer. I can't believe people use the waste land as a short cut but clearly don't go back to pick the fruit that is clearly visible and available.

Got the BM on making a herby loaf and washing already in the machine.

Seen as i have loads of fresh brambles i think i'm going to have to have another go at making HM yogurt. Last batch didn't work out. Can anyone advise me please? Below is the request i posted on another thread but no-ones got back to me yet....

---

Am going to have a go at making HM yogurt. Can i just check with you seasoned home-yogurt makers that i'm going to do it right?

1 litre of goats (UHT) milk
2 tbsp goats yog (bio)
2tbsp skimmed milk powder (optional?)
1-2tbsp sugar (optional?)
Bought a themometer and i've already got a MR slow cooker.

Firstly, do i need to "scorch" the milk if i use UHT? If so, what is "scorching"?

Put the milk in the slow cooker and switch on covering with just a tea towel and heat it until 41-43 celsius. Switch the slow cooker off. Then add the yogurt.

Questions:
1) Do i remove the crock pot from the slow cooker before adding the yogurt?
2) What do i do after adding the yogurt? - leave it in room temperature? refridgerate?
3)How long should it take before i have yogurt?
4) can i freeze the remainder of the bought goats yog to use as a starter for next time?
5) does the slow cooker method work or would it be better to dig out the old soup thermos that i;ve got somewhee at the back of a cupboard?

thanks in advance

Hi Zziggi - I saw your post but as I have never yogged in the slow cooker I didn't know if you had the right idea or not so I held back to let someone else have a go. I've never worked with goats milk either.

BUT having said all that your recipe seems fine to me (I've never put sugar in though) and you don't have to boil UHT becausee it has already been boiled (the reason you boil normal milk is to kill bugs that will kill the yogurt bacteria) so if it wasn't right then I think that it will have been to do with the yogging process and temperature rather than the ingredients and amounts. If you PM ted hutchinson I'm sure he'll advise.

edit - I just saw your mention of a soup thermos, that's one of the ways I've used in the past with excellent results, and since you have a thermometer I'd use that next time.

greenlogo

afternoon all - at work all day and rushed off my feet so only a really quick hi :hello:

I'm cataloguing my freezer tonight so I can start meal planning with the stuff from the back (rather than the stuff I can see when I open it :eek: ) so I'll probably have lots of questions tommorrow

Pooky

Good evening all

Had a wonderfu lie in this morning. Couldn't decide what to do today as the forecast was terrible so packed the kids off to mothers for a few hours. Popped off to the shops to pick up some wood to make new shelves in the kitchen to hold all the baking trays that I seem to have now. Got to the shop and realised we'd probably got some wood in the loft that would do!!!! Picked DD's up and took mother out to the craft shop - she's very stressed as her house move isn't going as she'd hoped - an hour in the craft shop soon helped her out and bagged me some stickers and stamps for xmas cards.

Home for a quick 20min blitz of the floors - decided to hire a carpet cleaner machine next week to give the carpets a good going over (not very OS but the carpets are a light beige and are looking rather manky at the moment)...made chicken and bacon pasta for DD's from left over frozen pasta and a pack of bacon we found lurking at the back of the freezer.....made a chicken and bacon and broccoli lasagne for our dinner later.....can't wait!

We've still got 14 meals left in the freezer from our plan, plus another 1 as we had left over curry last night - well enough to go on top of jacket potatos anyway....but as they say - every little helps!!!!

Hope you've all had a productive day.

FrankieM

Went into town to do school uniform shopping... :eek: what a nightmare!
struggled to find what I wanted and at this rate eldest DD will be going in a long jumper!!
Went to Wetherspoons for lunch £10 for 3 meals and drinks...

Bought some lunch boxes for children. Cool bag ones reduced from £3 to £1.50 :T . Older 2 girls just wanted tupperware type boxes 75p :T
and while I was in there the guy stacking the shelves came across 3 chipped plates and gave them to me for free :T :j

How cool is that!!
Cottage pie and brocolli for tea. Girls had donated tinned fruit cocktail for pudding.
That chicken and bacon pasta sounds lovely, so does the lasagne. Are they on the receipe thread?

Penny-Pincher!!

Morning All :wave:

Another bad night :mad: Have seized up this morning but the weather is damp and makes me worse, already taken me steroids, tramadol & Lupus medication and not even 5.15am yet :wall:

Were suppose to be going over Thurrock today but am really not well enough. I feel so guilty as I havent done much with DD these holidays. So asked her last night what she would like to do. DD suggested that we choose a coupld of films, get some popcorn in and just doss on sofas :rolleyes: Sounds perfect too me..lol.

Have the new cleaner starting at 8.30 for 3 hours this morning and have drawn up a list (basically whole house top to bottom thoroughly)its only a smallish 2 bed semi so this should not be a problem :T Will report later on how she did Have got all the cleaning stuff out for her and marked bottles so she knows whats what

1st washload in, dd bedding needs stripping when she gets up, 2 more wash loads and hopefully weather will be ok to put on line, all downstairs is tidy (easier for cleaner to get around-dont want her wasting precious time moving clutter-I hate clutter :rotfl: )Dishwasher will be on after breakie. Not alot more as thats what the cleaners coming for...gooing to weird not doing or delegaing it myself.

OH is taking a mate too Paddington at 6am so he can get train through to Heathrow, hopefully be back within an hour. Friend is leaving his posh car on drive with a full tank of petrol and has said we can use if we want. Our car is abit knackered but works come next April we will be looking at a newer more economical smaller car...once all debt is paid :dance:

DD spent 3 hours yesterday doing her bedroom and looked great. Completely clear of all junk-she had also sorted some bits for ebay. Have a ton of stuff on ebay at the moment and is selling well. Have listed a few bits we need and once money comes in-I will buy whats on the list. I use a seperate account for ebay so all funds go in there when items are paid for (i accept cheques/postal orders only-coz of high paypal costs)but use this account to pay for things through paypal...if you know what I mean. I also sold a book on social work yesterday through Amazon and made £4.25 after fees and postage :T

Anyway, hope you all have a great day.

Penny-Pincher!!
xxx

pink_fairy_7

Hi PP :wave:


Looks like we're both up early. Sorry you not good this morning. I hope the cleaning lady works out ok.

Work up early probably cos I've got lots to do today. Back to work Monday so have about 3 hours admin to do before then. Also in the middle of clearing DD's bedroom at the moment!! It's taking longer than I thought. :eek:

I've also got loads of stuff on Ebay and Amazon. Both are selling really well. I've been really ruthless in clearing and we won't have any books or dvd's left soon. All money going towards the debt mountain. Also ready for another car boot, possibly this Sunday depending on the weather.

Oh well more :coffee: and on with the jobs.

Pink Fairy

apple_mint

'Morning Penny Pincher and Pink Fairy :wave:

Sorry to hear you are not good today Penny Pincher - having a cleaner will make the world of difference to coping with the house. Take it easy and relax with your family. Watching DVD's is a favourite in our house too.

Cold and damp here this morning. We had a big tidy of the house earlier this week and we are managing to keep on top of it by doing a quick tidy each day. Hoping to keep up this routine when we return to work next week :rotfl:

I bought 10 lemons for a pound earlier this week. Normally I make lemon curd, but I thought I'd have a go at the Be-Ro book recipe for Lemon Merangue Pie - OH's favourite. Will probably be enough lemons for lemon curd as well.

We are planning to go see eldest daughter sometime over the next 2 days (she has moved into her student digs ready for the start of next term), so I'll be baking for her (flapjack) and taking along one of our home made loaves (breadmaker). Like most Mum's I'll be taking along a bag of shopping too

If the weather picks up, we'll be going blackberry picking sometime over this weekend. More jam and desserts.

See you all later - have a lovely old style day

Bargainloverbec

Morning all! So glad it's Friday, I'm really looking forward to a long weekend and catching up on lots of jobs. Slow cooker is on, didn't dare put the washing out due to the weather so it's draped all over the house at the moment. Am off to work for hopefully a not too busy day.

Am planning an ironing in front of the tv night - borrowed a DVD from a friend so a nice cheap and hopefully productive night in. You lot have inspired me to have yet another declutter and see if there is anything else that can go on Ebay so that will keep me well occupied over the weekend.

Have a good day everyone.

ancasta_2

Morning my lovelies

Dunno if anyone had noticed but i havent been actibve on the board for a few days, ive been really suffering with tonsilitis and im stuck at work atm as there is no one else here but me so really come rain or shine i have to come in. Coming down with a very nasty bug too but i have such a low immune system i get everyhting going and ten times worse

Nothing too much OS today, we will be having left overs from the freezer for tea as im too wiped out to cook, i mean, its 8am, ive been up for 90 mins and im physically exhausted... damn bug.

Going to have a picnic on monday somewhere and then MIL is taking us out for a chinese buffet on sunday evening (she better be paying cuz its a LONG drive to her house on a sunday night) lol

Will report back later on, if i dont fall asleep in the loos, or get sent home for being poorly.

Much love to you all, and take care over the weeeknd xxx

moggins

Morning all, Penny I hope your cleaner is better than mine was. In two hours she only ever managed the kitchen and bathroom.

I've been up since 4.30. Taken DH to catch his coach. That's him gone until Tuesday night. I've put one load of washing on, one out to dry and folded the dry stuff to put away. Waiting for DD1 to finish messing about in the kitchen and then I can really get started for the day.

How come when I have a good nights sleep I feel shattered the next day? Last night I got 4 hours and I'm bursting with energy.