Prayer Request

Visit the blog Praise Through the Storm to read about a truly inspirational young mother who dearly needs prayer as she grieves for three children who never drew a breath here on earth.

She is my dear friend and sister and has been searching for God's will in her life even through the pain of losing her precious little ones. She and her husband have been blessed with being able to raise two amazing, sweet spirited children, but it doesn't make the loss of the other three any less devastating.

I can't even begin to express her faith and strength, or her struggle now in the midst of a new trial. Please go and read for yourself and please, most of all pray for her. She and her husband are grieving their latest loss, an angel baby girl named Natalie Hope whose spirit was taken from her mother's womb just a few days ago, 14 weeks into the pregnancy.

Thank you for your prayers for Wendy and her family.

Hummus, Sour Cream and Paneer

We had some raw milk about to go bad, and after a couple of quick internet searches I was able to find a few easy ways to make it last longer by making sour cream and paneer! Since I was in a creating mood today, I also decided to whip up some hummus to go with the fresh veggies Hubby picked up the other day. Yum. I love hummus.

You can see the recipe I used to make sour cream here, and the paneer recipe is here.

 Click here for a delicious (and simple) hummus recipe.

All these homemade goodies are good news for the celery sticks, bell peppers and cucumbers in my fridge! The sour cream can be used to create a homemade ranch sauce and  other nutritious dips for veggies, or served on the ever popular baked potato. It's also an ingredient in some of the tastiest coffee cakes.

Homemade sour cream :)

I think hummus is the perfect savory veggie dip or mayo substitute in sandwiches. And it's packed with iron too. It turned out lemony with a beautiful sesame flavor and just the right hint of garlic.

And of course I had to sample a little during lunch.

Clockwise from the top: One jalapeno pickle, fresh cucumbers for dipping,
hummus with a little olive oil and black pepper, spicy thai cucumber salad,
and some sweet gherkins. So GOOD!

I've never made paneer before but love it in Indian dishes. Now I can try making a vegetarian dish with paneer here at home. I'm so excited!

From over 1/2 gallon of milk, I got 1 cup of paneer and 4 cups of liquid.

I can't wait until we get more raw milk so I can try my hand at making a small amount of butter and then cream cheese after our next yogurt batch. Who knew milk could be so much fun?  I know it may seem like I play more with the milk than anything else, but we do actually drink tons of it too :).

Homemade Yogurt from Grass Fed Milk

We bought grass fed whole milk for the first time and I couldn't wait to taste it and then try making yogurt. The milk itself is so rich and I can't believe I've never had it fresh before! It's totally worth it, especially with it being unpasteurized so the healthy enzymes are still present. Well, here's our first ever yogurt made with raw cow's milk:

-Place 1/2 a gallon of whole milk into slowcooker on low for 2 hrs 30 min. Turn off slowcooker and unplug.

-Leave covered and sitting in base for 3 hours.

Milk with the cream floating on top.

-Stir in 1/2 cup of yogurt starter. Whisk in well.

-Replace lid. Remove crock pot from base and wrap in a few thick towels or a thick afghan.

-Leave in cold oven for at least 12 hours.

-After 12 hours, remove afghan and check consistency. If all was done right, yogurt should be ready!

Look how rich and thick it is! We like it with a little honey.

Voila! Half a gallon of yogurt :)

This is the best tasting yogurt yet. The yogurt we made regularly with store bought whole milk was really delicious, but this is a hundred times richer and creamier and all around tastier. 

Next, I want to try making clotted cream with the grass fed milk. We'll see, I might have to wait until our next order. Until then, Baby Boy and I are really enjoying having this yogurt every day :) 

Lock up your yogurt or this guy might swipe it!