Sourdough Starter; Not as Hard as I Thought!

 Throughout my 30 some odd years of running my own household, despite taking on challenges of bread making, canning, etc; one thing always struck fear into my heart: The dreaded sourdough starter.   I'd tried a few times and they all died.  Just like those that say they have a black thumb, I stopped trying so as not to become a serial starter killer.  I'd resigned myself to always needing store bought yeast and baking powder to have a successful result.  

BUT!  All is not lost!  My wonderful niece in Tennessee gifted me some of her starter.  Her starter had come from someone else's, and so on and so forth all the way back to Italy centuries ago.  It was a really strong starter.  Surely I couldn't kill that!  Yea.  Not so fast.  I did!  Mrs. Ox, if you're reading this, don't hate me!  Totally not my fault!  I kept it going for a while.  So much so that I needed to take a rest from the starter.  I checked online and it said you can freeze sourdough starter.  So I did.  Problem is when I took it out it was weak!  

I fed it and worked with it and finally got it back to okay, but it wasn't the original starter.  It never was right again(Sigh).  So the bad news is that starter has gone to that big crock in the sky.  Fortunately, my niece still has hers so it goes on through the next century.  The one thing good that came out of this experience was the feeling that I could, maybe, just maybe start my own starter!  So I did.  Apparently I had learned enough in keeping him alive( yes, he was a guy; Ceasar.  Et Tu Brutes?) to begin again.  I say ALLLLLL this to share how and also the fact that sourdough doesn't have to be scary!  Let me save you from that worry at least. 

 

So here goes!  

1.  First off, I didn't want to have to buy distilled water to do this.  With having city water, I'd need to do that first.  Or do I?  I'm into saving money and convenience.  So since I didn't want to buy water, my first step was to fill a glass jar ( any size with a lid, but even that is optional. Plastic wrap is an option as well) with water from the tap.  Sit the lid on top or loosely cover with wrap.  Let sit out on the counter overnight.  This allows chlorine to dissipate from city water treatment.  This water can be used anywhere distilled or filtered water is called for.  

2.  The next morning, measure out the flour.  Doesn't have to be much; about a half cup or so.  Put the flour in another glass jar or crock( not the one with water).  A quart size mason jar is a good choice.

3.  Add the "distilled" water to the flour you just measured out.  Add enough water to make a batter about the consistency of pancake batter.  Start with a little water and add more as necessary.  It just needs to be the consistency of pancake batter.  

4.  Cover loosely with either a lid, wrap, or towel. 

5.   Let it sit on the counter about 12 hours.  I've always heard 24, but it stays warm in my house during the summer.  As a result the yeast forming is very active and needs food.  When it stops bubbling, I feed it again.  In colder months this will be longer.

6.  TO FEED IT:  You don't have to discard starter to feed it again, but realize you will need to add enough flour and distilled water to match the amount of starter you have already in the jar.  If you don't want to discard, I suggest moving your starter to a bigger glass container or crock.  If you do plan to discard, I have some easy recipes to use the discard.  Discard or not, to feed the starter simply add enough flour and water to match the amount in the container and keep it about the consistency of pancake batter.  Repeat this process for a few days until your starter is good and strong.  You will at some point have to discard and use it, but see below for two things to do that aren't bread.  They are very good, and easy.  

7.  DON'T USE METAL.  It reacts for some reason to the starter.  Keep it glass or a crock.  

8.  If you don't want to have to use/ feed it daily, you can put it in the fridge for up to a week between feedings.  

USES FOR DISCARD

1.  Sourdough Pizza.  Easy!  Put cast iron pan in a cold oven.  Preheat to 375 degrees.  Once your oven is preheated so is the pan.  Remove the pan and pour in a little olive oil.  Spread it around to coat the pan.  Pour about 1 cup of sourdough starter into an 8-9 inch cast iron pan.  Use a fork to help spread it if needed, but sometimes you can just angle the pan to spread it around.  Top it with a little salt.  Put it back into the oven to bake.  It won't take long, maybe 10 minutes.  Prebake it until it's no longer shiny.  Remove from oven.  Top it with whatever toppings you want and put back into the oven to bake as usual

2.  Sourdough crackers -  1 cup flour, 3 TBS olive oil( or oil of choice), 1 tsp salt, 1 cup of starter.  Mix all together.  Put in the fridge a few hours.  Roll out as thin as you can.  I use silicone baking mats to roll mine out and then pick up the mat and put it on my cookie sheet.  So much easier this way.  Cut the crackers before baking.  Salt the tops and roll the rolling pin over lightly to press the salt in.  Bake 350 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.   I've varied these a lot.  I've added  Tbs of my homemade spaghetti sauce mix to the crackers instead of salt.  I've used cornmeal instead of the cup of flour to make a tortilla chip substitute.  I've used coconut oil(in place of olive oil), 1/3 cup of sugar, and a tsp of cinnamon to this recipe then made graham crackers.  Just use your imagination.  

I'm still learning about all t his, so any tips or trick would be appreciated.  Please comment below!  What works for you?  

One of the Best Things to Save Money

 FRUGAL TIP!  Make your kitchen a place of projects!  Whatever you're able to make yourself, saves money and is healthier over what is bought at the store.  I had this thought today as I was making coffee, feeding my sourdough starter, mixing sourdough cracker dough, grinding wheat berries for flour, making yogurt and sweetened condensed milk ( for coffee creamer), plus putting up the jars of tomato sauce and tomato juice I canned last night.  These were projects in my kitchen.  Many of these projects were short in time.  Others were short in hands on time.  All of them save me in some way at the store. 

Your grocery needs aren't mine, but the more items you can make from your grocery list with basic ingredients, the better off you'll be.  I also understand time constraints.  Working a full time job can make this hard to do, but it isn't impossible.  Everything I do now was done prior to quitting my full time job to come home in 2015.  We had to know we were going to make it on my husbands income, which was around $35,000 then.  We lived off of his income alone;  Mortgage, utilities, groceries, etc. came from his check.  Mine was used to pay off debt; a car, credit cards, and a student loan. In addition, many of the things I've learned I've learned from online research, BOOKS, and asking questions.  There are so many things we just assume we have to buy at the store in order to have them for our use.  That just isn't the case.  Time doesn't have to be an issue to get started.  

Short in Time

Chocolate syrup

Pancake syrup

Making spice mixes;  Spaghetti sauce mix, Taco seasoning, Pumpkin pie spice, Poultry Seasoning, White sauce mix, Biscuit mix, etc.

Mixing up freezer biscuits (way better than store bought)

Making mayonnaise/ or salad dressing

Feeding sourdough

Mixing sourdough crackers

Making coffee creamer( with already prepared sweetened condensed milk)

Short in Hands on time

Mixing bread to rise.  It will have two rises.  One 30 minutes, then punch down, rest 10 min, shape, and final rise to double in size.

Making cookies or crackers- these doughs can be mixed ahead of time and then wait in the fridge for later baking

Making granola (to replace cereal)- takes minutes to mix up.  Then just a matter of 20 minutes in the oven. 

Things that take time

Pressure canning- Prep time, but mainly because you have to stay close to keep the pressure gauge steady

Water Bath canning- the actual prep of the items you're canning.  Then getting it to boil and setting the timer.  Once it boils you can go do other things until the timer goes off.  

Baking the bread, cookie, or cracker dough-  Just in watching to make sure they don't burn! 

Making tortillas-  mostly in cooking each one.  Other than night, not too bad.

Making yogurt.  Have to get the temp to 180 and keep it there for 30 min.  Then it has to come down to below 110.  You can do other things while you check the thermometer periodically.  Then it just sits for 10-12 hours.  The bulk time of making yogurt is in getting the temp right.  The rest is just a culture process

These are just examples.  These can be mix and matched easily.  You can do many of the quicker tasks while working on the longer tasks.  Many things can be done ahead of time such as mixing bread dough and putting it to rise in the fridge until you can get to it after work.  

                                                    Chocolate chip chocolate Pumpkin cake    

                                                                     Canned Carrots

                                                                          Ketchup

                                                                    Refried Beans

Tortillas

Crackers

                                                                             Yogurt

Fresh Bread

I say all of this to emphasize my point that it is possible to save even more at the grocery store than with store sales alone.  Start with the small things and work your way up.  But start!  It's what I did.  The object is to start.  Please share pictures of your own projects!  I'd love to see and read about them in the comments below.  Thanks!

SO NOW YOU'RE QUIET?

   For centuries women the world over have fought to be more than second class citizens.  In many countries that battle is still waged.  I never thought, until this year, that the US was one of those countries.  Oh sure, you can kill your baby up until it's born.  Only now you have been put to the back of the line.  Men are the women now.  

It's the answer every misogynistic boss dreams of.  I mean he can be all inclusive now and still hire only men!   

Okay, so a ho hum beer company has decided to have a Man in a skirt ( I will never refer to them as woman in any form) be their spokes person.  My question is; what's your demographic?  I mean any real man is going to shy away from a beer endorsed by a Man who thinks he's a woman.  I know other than men drink Bud Light, but let's admit who the  majority is: men; MOSTLY REAL MEN.  So  yea, that's really a dumb move for that company.  Go woke go broke is the mantra I've been hearing.  Sales are down for this company 80% from what I hear.  OUCH!  But you know everyone has the right to be stupid!  I eye roll, and move on.

BUT WHAT BURNS MY BUTT!?  When Nike hires the same MAN to model WOMEN'S SPORT BRAS!  The MAN has no need for a sport bra!  Good grief!!!!!  So there aren't enough fit women out there to endorse a Nike Sport Bra?  I guess it's okay as well to don black face and take a Black part in a movie or even a commercial?  How's that get ya?

But the loudest feminists remain silent.

Men "Feel like a woman" and join women's sports teams.  Not only are these real women forced to endure the presence of a naked man in their locker room as they change, but then they have to compete against that or another man of like persuasion who is physically stronger than they are by way of genetics.  

Not a peep from the feminists.  

These girls are told to go to counseling to talk through their problems with men in locker rooms.  Cause it's their problem, not the Man's.  

Feminists SHAME ON YOU!  If you stay silent in the face of this you're as bad as the culprits.  

I will never refer to any man as a her, she, or woman

I will go to jail before I do so.  Happily

Guess what all you guys in a dress.  I can wear jeans, a ratty t shirt, no make up, no jewelry, sneakers, and unshaved legs (it was winter.  Don't judge), and I AM STILL A WOMAN.

You can parade around in whatever caricature you think makes you a woman, you can cut off your junk, and throw some silicone in your chest.  It makes you a MAN with a self mutilated body; to put it mildly.  Genetics don't change regardless of how many hormones you take, surgeries you have, or dresses you wear.  

Feminists have backed themselves into a corner with their mantra of women can do everything a man can.  Now they're trapped.  I've never claimed to be as strong as a man.  I'm stronger than some, but weaker than others.  My brain is top notch though, and I'll put it up against any other man.  Men can do things we woman can't, but we women can do things they can't.  It's a trade off, and one I welcome.  

Feminists are backed into a corner.  I'm not.  I WILL NOT BE SILENT!  

Game Changer Paying for Healthcare!

 Good morning!  

I know it's been a while.  I've had a lot on my plate, but I had to share something I just discovered!

***This is my disclaimer.  I can't say all insurances do this.  Ours does.  I can say it's worth it to give them a call, and it's worth it to price compare between paying for a medical service yourself or having your insurance pay it for you.  What follows has been a slow start to a rapid eye opener I can tell you.  

You guys know I switched to a new Primary care physician about 8 months ago.  I haven't regretted it at all.  He doesn't file insurance, but is instead a direct pay for services physician.  It's amazing the kind of care you get when the Doctor in question knows his livelihood is dependent on doing a good job.  Plus he's awful nice and just a good all round doctor.  

Anyhoo, I've had bad circulation in my legs for years; my left leg being the worst offender.  Ah the joys of motherhood, obesity, and jobs requiring long hours on your feet.  The bad circulation got to the point where my left leg was aching and heavy.  My Doctor referred me to a vascular surgeon in my area.  My husband and I have a health insurance plan that's a High Deductible plan with a Health Savings Account.  That means our insurance does very little until our deductible is met.   It does, however, have negotiated amounts with physicians in their network; what they call "Usual and Customary".  Mistakenly, this vascular surgeon's billing office filed a claim with our insurance company, even though I was referred as a self pay.  The claim was around $450 for the doctor visit and $430 for the leg scan.  The insurance came back with a negotiated amount of $330 and $327.  $657!!!!!  Of course when I noticed this, I spoke to the Vascular Surgeon's office about it.  One of the best moves I've made!  The office corrected the mistake, and instead of the $657 the insurance said I should have to pay, my bill became.....$236.  I saved $421 dollars by NOT filing with my insurance!

BUT!  It gets better!  The procedure to fix my leg would be a self pay amount of $1268.  That's high I'll grant you.  Fortunately we have the amount in savings and some in our health savings account.  Not gonna lie, it about wiped out both.   Got to pull out the Black Belt Frugality measures to refill the emergency fund as fast as possible.  The repair needs to be made, however, because, with this bad circulation, I'm at risk for blood clots.  So there is that.  I knew I was going the self pay route, but hated the thought of so big a bill not going towards my deductible.  So I called the insurance company.  I asked if I can submit the receipt to go towards my deductible.  I was told I could, but to do so I would need to file a claim.  This means I get the best of both worlds.  I get the discount of being self pay, and the payment for services going towards my deductible!  In fact, had I paid more than my deductible, they would reimburse the difference!  

Why aren't customers told this!!!!!!!

So lest I lose you with a bad explanation; my point is this:

1)  Always ask what the price is for a self pay patient. Self pay is usually less than what insurance says is owed

2)  If you opt for the Self pay route; check with your insurance carrier to see if you can file a claim yourself to have the amount paid put towards your deductible.  

3)  Health Savings accounts are awesome things.  

A)The money comes out of my husband's paycheck pretax.  That means it comes out before they figure the amount of  taxes for that pay period.  It lessens the amount of income we're taxed on.  That means the $150 we have taken out of his check for a HSA isn't reflected in $150 less on his paycheck.  It's like paying $120 for a $150 gift card! 

B In addition, that money is never taxed as long as we use it for Medical/Dental/ Prescriptions, and even some over the counter things.  

C)  Also, as with any saving account, we do accrue interest if we leave it in the account.  We'd like to get back to that, but for now, the account still serves us well.  

D)  This account will go with us where ever we go.  When my husband retires, that account is still ours.

It's worth checking into.  

We're doing this from now on!  

Congratulations Ladies!

 This is a word to all women shouting your abortions, fighting for the rights over your reproductive health, yada, yada, yada.  I'm happy to announce that all women ( and I mean women, not birthing people) have total control over their bodies and their reproductive choices!

It wasn't bestowed upon you by 9 supreme court judges, mostly of whom are old white men.

It wasn't bestowed upon you by 435 members of congress (Senate and House), most of whom are old white men.

It wasn't bestowed upon you by executive order!

It isn't bestowed upon you by the state you live in!

It was given to you by God.  God gave you the ability to make choices about your own body.  

What isn't bestowed upon you, by God or anyone else, is power over the life of another.  That is not your choice to make, and it never will be.  

Your choice is made when you choose to have sex, protected or not, with a man.  Surely adulthood hasn't been reached without a basic understanding of how babies are made.  Hmmm, maybe not, but that's another post.  When you choose sex, you are taking a chance, and another persons life shouldn't have to be sacrificed on the alter of that choice.  I can talk.  I had an affair with a married man.  HUGE MISTAKE!  Was on the pill.  Got pregnant.  I could have ended the pregnancy, pretended it never happened, and kept the whole thing secret from everyone; including my parents. Instead, I carried that baby to term and never regretted it for a minute.  She's one of the best things that's happened to me.  I love her more than life.   She has never been a mistake.  

I said "Choose to have sex".  I AM NOT  talking about women that are raped.  I'm not talking about victims of incest.  That's a straw man argument pulled out of the air to justify what has now become a women's right to an abortion up until birth?  Really!?  

In fact if you tally up abortions due to rape/incest, health of the mother, birth defects, social economic issues, and mental health of the mother; they only total 3.5% of all abortions performed in the U.S.  That means the other 96.5% of abortions are for convenience!  

Regardless of the reasons espoused to defend abortion in general; there should never be any defense for a late term abortion.  If a woman is in the last trimester(6-9 months gestation), that "Late term abortion" should be called a "delivery".  Everyone should be able to admit at that point it's a baby, and U.S citizen.  That baby is entitled to all the rights and privileges of U.S citizenship.  I recently heard an interview where the news anchor asked " shouldn't late term abortion be allowed to save the life of the mother?".  I'm like "DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF!"  If there is ever a time when a doctor could even try to say they're performing an abortion to save the life of the mother, let me ask this question:  If the mother is in such dire straights that she has to undergo an abortion in her last trimester; why is she not able to go thru a c section or delivery?  What's the difference?  Both procedures can be physically taxing, and stressful to the mother.  Both could be invasive.  Why does an infant have to die at that point?  If the baby has already died, we're talking about the delivery of a still born, not an abortion.  If, in an emergency, a baby has to be taken early, everything is done to save that baby once it's born.  In the case of an abortion, that baby is left to die.  Why?  What changes?  The life of the mother has been saved.  Why does the child now have to die?  Someone please explain this to me.  

Ladies you have full control over your bodies.  Your mouth can say "no" just like everyone else.  If you like sex, fine.  Don't want to use birth control, fine.  You get to choose the level of risk you are willing to take.  You do you.  But if the dice doesn't roll your way, and you end up blessed with a new life to carry; guess what?  It's no longer your choice.  It isn't your body any longer.  You aren't the one that has to do the dying.  If you can't afford a baby, don't have time for a baby, need to finish school, etc; don't put yourself at risk.  It's really that easy.

For all the feminist out there spouting women's rights; might I remind you that at least 50% of babies aborted are girls.  Girls who never even had the basic right to live, much less protest how mean people are to think they should have to be a responsible adult.

Now that was my announcement to those "proud of your abortion", women.  I have another announcement for women who believed all the lies and had an abortion thinking that would solve everything only to find out it didn't.  To all the women who were told it wasn't a real person, but you now know different.  To all the women who once stood with the "proud of your abortion" crowd, but now see things differently.  I can't imagine how you feel or what you go thru each day.  My heart breaks for you and the child that was taken.  My announcement for you, ladies is that I serve a God who heals, forgives, strengthens and restores.  His love is without condition, and He will accept you as you are.  There is no distance you can go that He isn't right there.  There is no sin He won't forgive.  You have but to turn and find Him there.  He loves you with a never ending love.  You don't have to hide your grief behind bravado.  Let Him free you.  

The battle doesn't end with Row Vs Wade being over turned.  Yes, that's a small victory, but it just means the each state gets to decide.  There will be states who ban abortion totally, and some who allow it up until birth.  Other states will be somewhere in between.  

The battle isn't over until the unborn have a voice, have rights.  

 

The Old Fashioned Baby formula (recipe)

(Sigh)  Part of me can't believe things are a crazy as they are, but then another part of me isn't too surprised.  

I haven't waxed political in a while.  I mean where to start!  There isn't time!  The hits keep coming from this administration, faster than I can write.  

While I think things through, I did want to share something to all of the parents, grandparents, caregivers out there who are going crazy trying to feed a baby.  What follows is a recipe for "Baby Formula" that my Mother, Aunts, and pretty much any baby on a bottle at the time was raised on.  Do with it what you will.

First I will say this formula isn't "fortified", so what mothers did then, and mothers can still do now, is buy the liquid baby vitamin drops at the store.  These are, thankfully, not in short supply.  You can either give these separately, or mix them in with the "Formula"

Now on to the recipe:

Baby Formula "The Old Fashioned Way"

1 12 Oz can of Evaporated WHOLE Milk

2 TBS Karo Syrup (the clear kind)-This helps with constipation in babies and adults for that matter.  This is NOT High Frustose Corn Syrup.

20 oz of distilled water; nursery water, filtered water, etc.  

Liquid Baby vitamins- to be used separately or mixed into the formula.

Mix it up and divide into 6 bottles or as many as you would use for 33-34 oz of formula.  

Now if your baby needs soy formula or some other special needs formula, this won't work.  Sorry.  An option could be Goat milk?  For a child with a special diet I would speak to your pediatrician.  He/She may have samples on hand to help, or can put you in contact with a resource for you.

DO NOT let the powers that be tell you that using cows milk is bad.  Many non-soy based formulas are cow milk based and so the transition shouldn't be too hard.

I freely admit you will need additional vitamins.  Mothers needed them then, mothers will need them now.  DO NOT use this unless you get the vitamins.  

Babies 10 months and older can begin to transition from formula to whole milk.  

DO NOT use fat free or lowfat milk for this.  Babies need the fat in whole milk.

Now look, I'm not a doctor.  I don't claim to be one.  I am a mother, and while my kids are older now, they have at times, used this recipe when they were babies.  I can say with conviction, I would give this before I let my child be hungry.  

Hope this helps.

I can tell you the price for Evaporated Whole milk at Walmart is .67 when in stock.  The price at Kroger is $1.

Well I'll be darned!

 I know, I know, your eyes aren't deceiving you, I am posting for a second time this week!  It's been a rarity I'll admit, but I just had to share the news!  We have big little news!

So I believe we've shared the fact that we had several hens brooding on eggs.  We'll they have all hatched!  17 baby chicks running amuck!  Here's a sampling

But that isn't our great little news.  

We've been running an experiment of sorts here on the homestead.  

We have a Bantam Rooster named Eli in our Bantam run.  Bantam chickens are about a third the size of regular chickens.  Seen below with his previous main squeeze Moria; another regular size chicken.  She is no longer with us, unfortunately.

Last year we ended up adding a regular size Black Australorp Hen to the bantam coop because she was being picked on unmercifully by the hens in the regular hen coop.  We named her Ossy because the way she dealt with the bullying was to hide her head in the corner of the run; head down to the ground.  So Ostrich like we named her Ossy.

Well Eli likes Ossy very much!  There were times, while we were in the yard, that we would be privy to how much.  

What happens on the farm, stays on the farm!  Well that is unless it's our farm and I have a blog (smile).

A little over three weeks ago we had one of our Bantam hens (Big Mama) go broody and want to sit on eggs.  I let her sit on two of Ossy's eggs and one other bantam egg just to see if anything had some of it.

Well HE DID IT!  That little fella, a third the size of the love of his life, actually produced two cute little baby chicks with Ossy.  

While these are Ossy's eggs, Big Mama is their mother as far as they, and she, are concerned.  She's Bantam as well, and a very good mother

So there you have it.  It can be done!  Not sure what size they'll be til they're grown, but we do know Love conquers all, and apparently can climb mountains!