Wind Damage and Building update

Wow, that was some storm..........I was in the house (thank goodness) and the wind came up strong, it was so loud that I ran to the back of the house, to get away from the windows. Thank goodness I had seen the storm moving in and had closed up all the windows and doors, it had been such a beautiful afternoon. You know what they say about the weather in Wyoming....
If you don't like the weather just wait 15 minutes.....sigh. Well our shed did not fair so well, below is a picture of were it was and were it landed, after it tumbled 5 or so times. We retrieved all the contents (in the forground) and now we have to get access to the property next door so we can collect our 'trash'.















Now on to some good stuff.............more dirt moving, and it was alot of dirt!















The forms are going down. The in floor heating has been ordered, as well as the insulation. We had to work out some placement of plumbing but I think we have it figured out. Hopefully we will begin the concrete in a couple weeks.
















The area that is formed up will be part of the shop, the area behind the two windows will be the new master bedroom, the studio, guest room and another bath will be above.

It Has Begun

Construction has begun! We will be adding on to our little 800 sq foot Tin Shack, this summer.

Here is a picture of the site last year, with my rock and wine barrel garden and the 5th wheel guest room. We have cut the "lem" loose, cleared away the rocks, wine barrels and stairs.

In its place will be a new master bedroom, studio, guest room, bathroom, plus an addition to Kirk's shop, we will later rearrange the living room, dining room and add a little to the kitchen. I will update you as we move along. The goal is to have it livable for Christmas, to house all our kids and grandkids. WaHOOOO!!















Kirk started moving dirt and like a kid in a candy store could not stop, LOL. Good thing the skid steer has head lights.














This is the same area after 1 1/2 days of moving dirt. Construction is exciting, and we are ready. We got our first delivery of building supplies today.















To the right you can see the existing house, the addition will go right next to it and between the hill there, then up to a 2nd story.

Stay tuned for the saga as it unfolds.

Got Cheese?

I almost forgot to get pictures of this first batch of cheese, but it works out ok because you really didn't need to see me mixing the milk with the citric acid or rennet.

So here is the process;

1 gal. milk (I used raw whole cows milk)
1/2 to 1 cup cool non-chlorinated water
1-1/2 tsp. to 2-1/2 tsp. Citric Acid (depending on milk type)
1/4 Rennet Tablet. (1/4 tsp if using liquid rennet)
1 to 2 tsp. Cheese Salt (to taste)

Note: I found this kit at www.cheesemaking.com and you can see Ricki making this Mozzarella there in much more depth then I am sharing here.

1. Crush 1/4 rennet tablet into 1/4 cup cool water until dissolved, set aside.

2. Into a 4 qt. pot pour 1/2 cup cool water and stir in 1-1/2 tsp citric acid until dissolved.
Pour in 1 gal. milk stir and heat to 88 degrees over medium heat. At 88 degrees take your pot off the burner and add your rennet solution, stir gently for 1/2 minute. Allow the curds (solids) to set for 5 to 8 minutes. At this point the entire curd will look like custard and will leave a clear yellow whey (liquids) when cut with a knife. (If the curd is still to soft, let it set for a few more minutes.)

3. With a knife that reaches to the bottom of the pot cut curd into about 1" cubes.















4. Ladle the curds into a microwavable bowl and pressing the curds gently together with your hand pour off as much whey as possible.

I used my hands for this process instead of the ladle, it was easier, the ladle was helpful once there was more whey then curd in the pot.















At this point, and what takes the most time, you knead the cheese and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Here are the instruction in the recipe.

5. Microwave your curds on high for 1 minute, drain off any excess whey. Knead quickly with spoon or hands into a ball until cool. Microwave again for 35 seconds, drain, knead as you would bread dough, and reheat for another 35 seconds. continue to drain your whey and work your cheese into a ball. As the curds cool, reheat as needed for stretch. For a proper stretch the curd must be at least 135 degrees F internally.































6. When the curd is shinny and stretches like taffy it is done. You may add 1 to 2 tsp cheese salt to taste while kneading and stretching.

I used 1 tsp salt, but we think it needs more salt, so next time I will do 2 tsp.

7. When your cheese is smooth and shiny, place it in ice water until cooled down. It is now ready to eat.
















Below is the kit I ordered from Ricki at www.cheesemaking.com
It includes the cheese salt, citric acid, diary thermometer, vegetable rennet, butter cloth and recipe book, I also got her DVD and book.















The process of making this cheese is easy and it produce a tasty product. Thank you Ricki for your website and the kit.

OH RATS

Well, I got so wrapped up in making my yogurt that I forgot to take pictures. I tell you some days...............it was my plan to share this with you all.

I have a cheese making kit coming, this is my next learning experience. I will share with you the process (if I don't forget!).

I have taken up the study of herbs again and I will be sharing some of the things I learn there as well. Heck, I have so many plans I think I am wearing myself out. Sigh. LOL.

That is it for today, thanks for stopping by and for sharing your ideas with me.

God Bless!

Raw Milk Ice Cream

Another thing I have been doing with my raw milk is making ice cream. I know there is nothing new about homemade ice cream, but this is with raw milk, raw cream and fresh eggs.
Oh yummmm. I got one of those new ice cream makers and I just love it.


I was not sure about these that you freeze the bowl.
I did however have another problem, the nearest place
to get ice is 40 miles away......LOL.

I was watching the Food Network, and Sandra Lee on Simi-homemade was using this one. She seemed to think it
was good so I figured I'd try it. I had looked at so many and
all the reviews were good.

I like the style of it, the only thing....they were out of the
red on, so white had to do.








Here it is apart, (excuse the background mess
I was to lazy to take it into the other room.












The first recipe I made it in was with sweetened condensed milk (1 can) and 2 cups milk. Could not be easier. We like it and Kirk is a sweetened condensed milk fan, I don't care for it.

Then I tried one of the recipes in the book the make came with.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean (about 6 inches in length)
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar

Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan. Use a sharp knife to split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the blunt edge to scrape out the "seeds". Stir the seeds and bean pod into the Nil,/cram mixture. Bring the mixture to a slow boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer (or wisk) on medium speed to beat until the mixture is thick, smooth and pale yellow in color, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean pod form the milk mixture. P our out 1 cup of the hot liquid. With the mixer on low speed, add the cup of hot milk to the egg mixture in a slow steady stream. When thoroughly combined, pour the egg mix back into the saucepan and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly on the custard, and chill completely.

Pour the chilled custard into the freezer bowl and let mix until thickened.

This is a very yummy recipe, I hope you will enjoy it.

This is one of the things I am doing to ready myself for bad times, learning to make things myself and not rely on grocery stores that can close their door without notice. We may not need ice cream, it is of course a luxury but it is silly to think we can get by without them also. Who wants to just eat beans, after awhile depression sets in if we don't have some of the things that comfort us.

Please share what you are learning to do for yourself?