Homemade Yogurt

Cooked bacteria... My FAVORITE!!!  

Ok, in science I'm studying bacteria.  Did you know that your body is covered in microscopic critters, both inside and out?  Yup, it is!!  We also eat bacteria...   (Yummm...)

Now, I know you probably are ready to barf up your lunch by now (aren't you so glad you had that cottage cheese/cheese on your sandwich?)...  But please, try not to...  Because there are different types of bacteria.  There is the good bacteria, the ones in your yogurt, cottage cheese, and some of the ones inside your body (like your intestines).  These little guys help fight off the pathogenic bacteria... you know, the bad ones.

So, just for the heck of it, we made our own bacteria!  One is edible.  The other one might help you in a very unpleasant weight-loss program.

The edible one is... YOGURT!!!
I love yogurt: so yummy, and squishy, and so easy to make.

While the other one is... BAD BACTERIA!!!  I like bad bacteria.  It's so easy to make... a little too easy, in fact.

Anywho, our yogurt will be ready to devour at ten o' clock tonight, so I'm excited.
The pathogenic bacteria is... ummm... also... errr... ready.

Hmmm... I wonder which one would cause the most physical pain?
A) Yogurt
B) Pathogenic Bacteria.

I vote B.  If A is the answer, at least I die while eating something yummy.

Homemade Yogurt

1 quart milk (or 1 quart hot water and 4 servings powdered milk)
1/2-1 packet yogurt starter (or 1/2 cup yogurt)

1.  Heat milk to 180 degrees F, stirring constantly!  OR... To use up stored powdered milk, combine powdered milk with hot water in a blender.

2.  Allow the milk to cool to 104-113 degrees F.  This takes a while...

3.  Put a little cooled milk in a small cup and add yogurt starter; stir until completely dissolved; stir mixture into the rest of the milk.

4.  Pour milk into a yogurt maker, cover, and wait 8-12 hours.

5.  Put lids on yogurt and refrigerate until ready to eat.  When you are ready to enjoy it, feel free to eat it plain or add in fruit, jam, honey/agave/stevia/sweetener, etc.  Add it to cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, whatever your little intestine bacteria desire!  Go healthy gut bacteria!!!

Super simple!!!  And super yummy!!!

Question of the day:

Would you rather eat this yogurt?

Or this pathogenic bacteria (you can call it bad bacteria)? 

Me: 

I vote for the yummalicous yogurt.          

Great-Grandma Pestana's Cream Puffs

Today, I got to have a little baking day with my Great-Grandma Pestana!

She taught me how to make her famous Cream Puffs.
First, we made the pastry.  It took forever because the mixer was being a little temperamental...
Next, we put chocolate pudding as the filling, then we smothered the pastries in whipped cream (YUM!), and finally, we topped them off with a dollop of chocolate frosting...
AGAIN YUM!
I think Mom would call it "death in one bite"...
Oh well, It was sooo worth it!!!
Sorry, I did not get a picture of the final product because they looked funny.  Thanks a lot temperamental mixer!  Next time...

Great-Grandma Pestana's Cream Puffs
Preheat oven to 400.

1c water
1 cube butter
Bring to boil
1c flour (all at once)

Stir until the batter forms a ball.
Put in the mixer and mix until thick.
Put on a non-greased pan (in blobs).
Bake until a nice crispy brown.
Cool on the pan.
Cut each pastry in half and fill with pudding, custard, whipped cream, nutella, whatever your little heart desires.  Enjoy!!!!

Question of the day:
What is your favorite pastry dessert?

Alli's Milk-Free Hot Cocoa

That's right! I made up my very own recipe for the first time... and it is REALLY GOOD!

I call it:
Alli's Milk-Free Hot Cocoa


This is the recipe for the hot cocoa I was talking about yesterday.
This is a little dark but not too dark.  Trust me... I don't like dark hot chocolate, but this stuff is good!

Alli's Milk-Free Hot Cocoa

1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp xylitol
1/2 tsp (2 packets) powdered stevia
Very scant 1/8 tsp salt
1c hot water

Mix dry ingredients in a mug; then add hot water...
Now sit back, relax, and enjoy some chocolate yumminess!

Question of the day:
What is your favorite type of hot chocolate?

Mine:
Peppermint hot chocolate.

Zucchini Muffins New and Improved

Today, I made Chocolate Covered Katie's zucchini muffins.  Again, it's even better than my zucchini muffins recipe which I thought was unbeatable... apparently it isn't. The only thing I added to the recipe were some Hershey's Cinnamon Chips... Because everything tastes better with them... well... almost everything... that would be disturbing to put them in your green smoothies or something.

 

Anyways, after eating dinner, I went to Young Womens.  We made baby shower presents for a lady in our neighborhood,  I helped quilt and create cute little bibs/spit-up cloths for the baby (It's a boy!).  When I finished, I hitched a ride home with one of my Young Women's leaders.  It was sooo cold outside!  Because of how cold it was, I made home-aide hot chocolate... it was so good! But, unfortunately, I can't remember what I did, I just remember that it was really good. 

Question of the day:

What is you favorite zucchini recipe? 

Chocolate Covered Katie Pumpkin Bars Recipe

Today, we made Chocolate Covered Katie's recipe for pumpkin bars... I think I might like them a little more than our default recipe!  Those of you that have tried our recipe know first hand that those are hard to beat!!!  We followed her exact recipe and added two tbsp of mini chocolate chips. :)

They were so good that, after about 10-20 minutes, the whole pan had been licked clean!!!  They were that good!!!  (Just for the record, I had help from my cousins too...  I promise I didn't eat the whole pan myself!  But I wish I could have!)  As you can see, they didn't last long enough to get a nice, pretty picture.  Bummer.  Guess we'll have to make some more...

After that, I took the kids swimming.  Aiden would run around the pool, stop, roar like a dinosaur, repeat. Meanwhile, Audrey decided to clip on her shark fin lifejacket and swim around the pool singing the Jaws theme.

Question of the day:
What is your favorite dessert?

Mine:
Magelby's Chocolate Cake...  Mom claims that it's "death on a plate," but somehow, I don't think it would taste anywhere near as good if it was 'healthified'.

Last Day

Today, is MY last full day here at Grand Cayman.

*Sniff sniff*

I'm excited to see my friends and start acting and tumbling again.  But, I'm going to miss the warm weather and the new friends I've made.  

During my stay here, I have developed a love for snorkeling, paddle boarding, line dancing, boating, and finding new things to see and do here.

Meanwhile, Audrey has developed a love for... Jaws?  

Yes, Audrey the three year old adores Jaws...  She is the child of no fear.

Aiden, on the other hand, has a passion for hitting things with sticks.  It is extremely rare to see him without a stick in his hand...  

And, he thinks he's a dinosaur, he's quite "ferocious".

Question of the day:

What are your passions?

Mine:

Drawing anime

line dancing

paddle boarding 

snorkeling 

tumbling

 acting

 boating 

 cooking

 baking

 swimming 

 tubing

 sledding

 snow boarding

 goofing off 

 hanging out with friends 

 reading

 writing

 (My list could go on) 

DONE! DONE! DONE! :)

GUESS WHAT!?

Choices:

a) I'm done with my math book (Only one Test left)!!!

b) I cut open my first coconut with a machete

c) I went paddle boarding again

d) I made chocolate ice-cream (looked more like a runny italian ice)

e) Scored 100% on my science quarter 2 test!!!

f) Finished my grammar book

g) All of the above

Correct answer... g... :)

I'M SOO HAPPY!!!

It's the most wonderful day of the year! :)

a) I finished my math book? AWESOME!!! I only have one test left and then, I'm moving on to an 8th grade math book! Maybe by the time everyone else is in 8th grade, I'll be onto 9th grade stuff!

b) I cut open my first coconut with a machete... I was so scared that I would cut off my hand.  It's definitely harder than it looks... but way better that cutting it open with a hack-saw.

I couldn't believe how much water was inside that sucker... but there was only a little bit of meat.

c) I went paddle boarding again... of course!!! I love it!!!  Perfect way to start the day.

d) I made chocolate ice-cream that resembled an extremely runny italian ice (frozen hot chocolate flavor).  It was still yummy though.

e) Whoop whoop!!! I don't have science all week!!!

f) I finished my grammar book... SWEET!!! I only have to finish my report on the Cayman Islands. :)

OH MY GOSH!!!
BEST DAY EVER!!!
(I just barely sounded like Rapunzel... LOL)

Question of the day:
What's your good news?