Notes From My Kitchen

Sometimes my kitchen feels like a farm!  Feed the kefir, feed the sourdough, feed the worms... oh wait, those are in the basement thankfully.  The kitchen tasks never end, but I do enjoy cooking and baking for my family.  Here are some random notes from my kitchen lately:

- I'm on sourdough starter #2.  My first one was bubbly and happy, but I didn't feed it often enough and it started growing some mold on top.  Since it was still young I decided to toss it and start over.  This time I signed up for GNOWFGLINS and am working through the sourdough course.  Lots of interesting stuff there, but I hardly have enough computer time to get through it all.

- I've had my dairy kefir grains for several months now and have successfully kept them alive!  I do tend to put it in the fridge from time to time if we end up with too much kefir.  I use my kefir in smoothies or in recipes that call for buttermilk.  Tammy's Recipes has some great posts about kefir.

- Our worm composting bin is surviving.  I brought it in to the basement, where it still chilly, but they seem to be doing okay.  I just give them a bit of food every week or so.

- My blender broke recently and I ended up purchasing a Vitamix.  Best kitchen tool ever!  I'll be posting more about this soon, along with a code for free shipping.  :)

- I am always trying new recipes, some fail, others make it into my recipe book.  Spaghetti squash casserole was a big hit the other day.  The picture above is Esther sobbing because we told her there wasn't any more casserole left for her to eat (after she had gobbled down plenty of it)!  I'm still trying to get my hummus recipe just right, it tastes bland no matter what I put in it.  Whole wheat crackers were a success, but no one liked the lemon poppyseed bread I tried.

- On my "to do" list are making bagels, trying homemade yogurt, and several other recipes that I have printed out and ready to try.

What's going on in your kitchen lately?