4/3/18
Revival
I haven't posted much for the last few months, but I intend for that to change in the near future. I have a couple posts that should have been posted in January, but never made it out. I also hope to continue posting to keep you all abreast with the wonderful things going on in my life. ;) I'm sure you are very excited!
1/11/18
Snow Day!
This winter has been a fairly dry one, but we got a sprinkling to snow at last! What is more, ice and rain came along with it, so even though the snow barely covers the ground, schools let out for a school day.
1/4/18
Mug Cake
Ingredients:
- 4 T all-purpose flour
- 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 3 T granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp. (pinch) salt
- 3 T milk
- 3 T vegetable oil
- splash of vanilla extract
- 1 T Nutella/peanut butter OR 3 T chocolate chips (optional)
Method:
1. In a bowl mix dry ingredients.
2. Whisk in milk and vegetable oil with a fork until no clumps remain.
3. Pour batter into a large (14 oz. +) mug.
4. Add 1 T of optional ingredients.
5. Place mug in microwave on top of a paper towel. Cook for 70 seconds (950 watt microwave). Enjoy!
1/2/18
A Christmas Budgie
Several years ago, our first parakeet, Petey, died. He was much beloved and the house missed his chirping and chatter. This Christmas talk was circulating about getting another budgie.
The thing is, when we were kids my brother and I got a hamster for Christmas. It was a very big surprise Christmas morning when we came down to see a cage with a new pet in it. We referred to it as the Christmas hamster. Mom debated getting another Christmas hamster, but decided a budgie would be easier to care for in the long run. Besides, she could always pawn it off on my brother and I when she got tired of it.
And so Pax the Christmas budgie came to be!
The thing is, when we were kids my brother and I got a hamster for Christmas. It was a very big surprise Christmas morning when we came down to see a cage with a new pet in it. We referred to it as the Christmas hamster. Mom debated getting another Christmas hamster, but decided a budgie would be easier to care for in the long run. Besides, she could always pawn it off on my brother and I when she got tired of it.
And so Pax the Christmas budgie came to be!
11/2/17
The Origin of Yogurt
Yogurt, or substances similar to it have originated in cultures across the globe. Where there has been dairy, there also has been yogurt. However, the first area to discover the tangy dairy variation was probably in the Middle East. In his book "On Food and Cooking" Harold McGee states, "Yogurt and its relatives are native to a broad and climatically warm area of central and southeast Asia, and the Middle East" (1984: 45). The word for yogurt comes from the Turkish language. McGee states, "...it is the Turkish word for milk that has been fermented into a tart semi solid mass; it comes from a root meaning 'thick'" (1984: 47).
Why and how it originated remains a mystery. Many think it occurred by accident. Most likely a wild strain of bacteria was introduced to raw milk and the mixture fermented in a warm place, producing yogurt (Muskevich, 2015). The discovery of yogurt was a welcome find. Milk is high in nutrients, but it contains a sugar known as lactose that is often difficult to digest (McGee, 1984: 44). Although they had been fed milk as babies, many adults had difficulty digesting milk as it was. The fermentation process of milk to yogurt turned the lactose into lactic acid, a substance that is more easily digested (Muskevich, 2015). This allowed societies to take advantage of the easily accessed proteins and nutrients provided by dairy products.
In order to make yogurt, milk must be heated, then cooled to a temperature conducive to fermentation. At this point bacteria is added and the milk is left to sit and ferment. As the milk ferment is shifts from a liquid state to a gel and becomes yogurt.
Yogurt as an ingredient quickly traveled to the countries surrounding Turkey, however it was not until the 20th century that became more widespread in the Western world. In the 1940's Dannon (originally a French company) introduced yogurt to the United States when it began manufacturing yogurt in the Bronx (Muskevich, 2015).
Culinary-wise, yogurt in considered a probiotic food. It contains bacteria that helps to maintain a healthy gut. In America many people eat it with breakfast or as a snack. Yogurt is also incorporated as an ingredient in marinades, soups, smoothies, and baked goods.
According to Worlds Top Exports, Germany is the highest exporter of yogurt (Workman, 2017). I found it interesting that France, where the company Dannon originated from, is now the highest consumer of yogurt in the world.
References:
McGee, Harold. (1948). On food and cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen. New York, NY: Scribner.
Muskevich, Adam. (2015). We didn't build this city on rock 'n' roll. It was yogurt. The Salt. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/16/422684872/we-didnt-build-this-city-on-rock-n-roll-it-was-yogurt on 10/04/17.
Workman, Daniel. (2017). Top yogurt exporters. World's Top Exports. Retrieved from http://www.worldstopexports.com/yogurt-exporters/ on 10/04/17.
Note: This was an assignment for my Language of Food class.
Why and how it originated remains a mystery. Many think it occurred by accident. Most likely a wild strain of bacteria was introduced to raw milk and the mixture fermented in a warm place, producing yogurt (Muskevich, 2015). The discovery of yogurt was a welcome find. Milk is high in nutrients, but it contains a sugar known as lactose that is often difficult to digest (McGee, 1984: 44). Although they had been fed milk as babies, many adults had difficulty digesting milk as it was. The fermentation process of milk to yogurt turned the lactose into lactic acid, a substance that is more easily digested (Muskevich, 2015). This allowed societies to take advantage of the easily accessed proteins and nutrients provided by dairy products.
In order to make yogurt, milk must be heated, then cooled to a temperature conducive to fermentation. At this point bacteria is added and the milk is left to sit and ferment. As the milk ferment is shifts from a liquid state to a gel and becomes yogurt.
Yogurt as an ingredient quickly traveled to the countries surrounding Turkey, however it was not until the 20th century that became more widespread in the Western world. In the 1940's Dannon (originally a French company) introduced yogurt to the United States when it began manufacturing yogurt in the Bronx (Muskevich, 2015).
Culinary-wise, yogurt in considered a probiotic food. It contains bacteria that helps to maintain a healthy gut. In America many people eat it with breakfast or as a snack. Yogurt is also incorporated as an ingredient in marinades, soups, smoothies, and baked goods.
According to Worlds Top Exports, Germany is the highest exporter of yogurt (Workman, 2017). I found it interesting that France, where the company Dannon originated from, is now the highest consumer of yogurt in the world.
References:
McGee, Harold. (1948). On food and cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen. New York, NY: Scribner.
Muskevich, Adam. (2015). We didn't build this city on rock 'n' roll. It was yogurt. The Salt. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/16/422684872/we-didnt-build-this-city-on-rock-n-roll-it-was-yogurt on 10/04/17.
Workman, Daniel. (2017). Top yogurt exporters. World's Top Exports. Retrieved from http://www.worldstopexports.com/yogurt-exporters/ on 10/04/17.
Note: This was an assignment for my Language of Food class.
10/19/17
Sometimes Life Gets Dirty!
Here is a short photo montage of some of the projects I have been working on for school.
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| This one is made out of spoons! |
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