Making yogurt and buttermilk, trying to work out the kinks and hiccups.

Ok, I'll admit it, I am pretty skilled in the kitchen. I have well developed knife skills, I know how to chiffenade. I spent 9 months of my life studying pastry in all shapes and forms at Le Cordon Bleu. But, I have hit the culinary wall. I struggle with making my own buttermilk and yogurt. I have tried and tried and there are times I feel that I am beating my head against the wall. So now that I am seeing results, I thought I would be sharing some of the tips and tricks.

When you first don't succeed....try, try again.
This has been my mantra through this whole process. Learning to make yogurt can be difficult, and yes it has been testing my patience. Thanks to the community at www.eatnourishing.com and www.culturesforhealth.com I have learned some tips and tricks for success.
#1. Read milk labels. Most organic milk is "Ultra-pasteurized" which means all bacteria good and the bad have been killed off.  There is no feeding ground for the cultures that is being added. The result? NOTHING, NADA, ZIP, ZILCH. Use whole milk, low-fat or reduced fat milk is no bueno.
#2. Temperature. Use a reliable thermometer. You have to provide the best climate for  the culturing process. I use a candy thermometer that I purchased from Pampered Chef, www.pamperedchef.com. I admit it, I bought it for the box. I have a very nasty habit of breaking every candy thermometer I have ever owned. The sturdy box keeps it nice and safe.
#3 Incubation needs to be consistent. I have used my slow cooker, but have found that my dehydrator works better. It has a setting for yogurt making. It keeps it at a constant temperature. I set it and then I forget it. Well, OK not quite. I do turn it off after about 8 hours.

Making buttermilk, a simple process.
What is buttermilk? Buttermilk is the by product of making butter. I learned to make butter many years ago, as part of the history lesson I was teaching to my students. As a teacher I would teach my children to make butter using a jar and cream. The students would take turns shaking the jar until the fats would separate from the milk. Then I would strain it and viola we had fresh butter.
Then I discovered the wonderful world of Creme Fraiche, thank you Julia. Adding buttermilk to cream causes the cream to culture making this wonderful creamy goodness that puts store bought sour cream to shame. Finally, I through research I learned that churning creme fraiche would make the most wonderful butter in the world. After straining the butterfat, I had a great by-product buttermilk. It would make about 1/2 a cup. I then would repeat the cycle using the newly created buttermilk. Very frugal and very tasty.
As you can see by the photo below. Oh look at the bread in the background!

I hope these few words of encouragement will help you explore the yogurt making and culturing process. Check out recipes at www.eatnourishing.com There are several great recipes that will get you started.

Making the Switch, and getting the kids to like it.

Several years ago I was with my family at a wedding reception. At that time I had only 2 small children who were eating solid foods, wow that was a long time ago! The dinner was being served and the waiter asked if the children would be eating salad. I responded with a yes and place the dressing on the side. My cousin and her husband were sitting at the table with us. They had two children who were the same age. They both looked at me like I was from another planet. "How did you get them to eat salad?" my cousin asked me.
"We just keep offering it to them. We make it available to them," was my response. The salads came and after lightly dressing the salad they both devoured the leafy green goodness. In fact, my middle son asked if he could finish mine. Both my cousin and her husband just stared in disbelief.
I recalled this situation when we made the switch to a healthier eating program. I was afraid that I would have a major rebellion on my hands. In some instances I did (sourdough bread, I'll explain). My children were older now, and had developed specific eating behaviors. They liked their Kraft Mac and Cheese, Hamburger Helper, and Bisquick pancakes. They must have thought I had lost my mind, though they would never voice it. They may act upon it (again, sourdough bread).

Me and my salad-loving crew.

I am writing this blog to encourage those of you who are new to this eating program, and may be having eating issues. Hopefully my tips will encourage you and your family through this process.

Tip #1: Be truthful to your child about what they are eating. Six years ago I was visiting my in-laws, who did not eat refined flours, and we were in the process of making breakfast. This breakfast consisted of buckwheat pancakes, which looked dreadful according to my children. I hear a voice sitting at the table exclaim "EEW, What are those?" Unfortunately, my sister -in-law responded "Chocolate Pancakes." I could see my children as well as hers push their plates away with wrinkled noses, because those were the WORST Chocolate Pancakes they had ever eaten. And no amount of syrup or jelly was going to kill the taste. I did something that probably may have pissed off my sister-in-law, but I refused to lie to my children. I threw out the already made pancakes, walked over to the pancake batter, found the cocoa powder, and added a 1/4 c. to the mixture. I had to thin out the batter with more milk, but I made "Chocolate Pancakes." So when they were fried, they looked like chocolate, and tasted like chocolate. They ate them, may be not as many as they normally do, but they ate them. Lesson learned? Be honest with your children. They are not use to the texture, flavor, or consistency of traditional foods. By being honest with them they develop a trust with you.
Tip#2 Three bite rule. My youngest son's favorite line when he does not like something is, "I'm not hungry." He is my pickiest eater, and because of this we have incorporated the Three-Bite Rule. They need to take three bites of the said offending food item. First bite helps them get over their aversion. Second bite helps them test the waters, and third bite determines the like dislike factor. By bite three, he finds he normally he likes it or at least will tolerate it.

This Mr. Picky. He's too cute.

Tip#3 Make the food available. When  introducing new foods, make the foods available. What I mean is let the children help. Have them help them prepare foods. Teach them the process. Let them pick fruits and veggies. If you have a garden let them pick what to grow. My daughter learned about gardening in her first grade class last year. We have always had a small garden, but this last year was different. We had volunteer squash appear. They came from seeds that were in the compost, and they sprouted. I was going to thin out the patch that had started, and this little voice shouted "NO, Don't!"
I turned and looked at her and said, "If you want all them, you will have to take care of them."
To make a long story short after a summer of watering and caring from them we had over 100 squashes! She proudly gave them to friends and teachers. She also learned to eat squash. We ate it in soup, roasted, and risotto. She loved every bite of it. Knowing that she grew it, took care of it, and loved it made the eating of it all the more fun.

The squash-grower extraordinaire.

Final Tip#4 Sourdough. This is a tip all of its own, and I saved it for last. The biggest reaction to traditional food process was the hugely negative reaction to sourdough. I love it, but the kids disliked it immensely. I mean they would throw out their sandwiches at school. They would rather eat extra veggies or fruit, which they packed in their lunch, than a sourdough sandwich.
So one day I asked, "Why don't you like sourdough bread?" There were several responses almost in unison. "It's dry. It's crumbly. It's heavy." Based on the criticisms I began the recipe process. I added more oil or eggs to improve the texture. They now eat sourdough in everything. They now like pancakes, waffles, and pizza crust. By letting them play food judge, they feel in control of what they eat. You also teach them to eat healthy. However, their are days I feel like I am the TV show "Chopped."

I hope this gives you some words of encouragement, especailly with children who aren't use to eating traditional foods. Let them be become a part of your experience. They will appreciate all that you are doing for them, and they will be active in their own health.

Kitchen Tools to use: Part 2 (Fall in love with your slowcooker.)

OK, I'm devoting one blog post to one of the most useful kitchen tool I own. It is my slow cooker, yep you heard me right my slow cooker.
Whether you call it a Crock Pot, Slow Cooker, or a Multicooker it does the same thing: makes eating wholesome, healthy meals easier. I use mine two to three times a week just for meals. It is so easy to prepare a healthy meal, place it in the cooker, set it and go.
I own two slow cookers, 1 3 quart and 1 5 quart. They both have ceramic insert, my 5 quart is a little more sophisticated however. It has a timer. I use my 3 quart all the time. Whether you make a pot roast, soup, or chili this cooker makes a busy life a lot easier. I am going to share with you some of my ideas that will help you develop you very own love story.

This is my Pot Roast Chicken made in my little green machine. Can anyone say umm, yummy?

Reason #1: Slow cooking stocks. I roast my bones in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes along with vegetables, then I place cooked bones a vegetables in my slow cooker. Cover the bones with water. It is that steady heat that makes wonderful stocks, and the great thing about it is I can leave it. So if I have errands to run, I can leave it. My 5 quart works the best for my large batches.

Reason #2: Busy night dinners. I work most evenings until 7 PM. Which makes for late night dinners for me and my family. Before I go into work, I prepare my meals and by the time I get home a hot meal is waiting for me and the crew. It is also easy for me to transport dinners. My friend Annie watches my kids for me when I am working. So, I just take the slow cooker with me.

Reason #3: Helps me maintain our healthy eating patterns. My slow cookers keeps me on the healthy eating path. I hear a lot of times that life gets in the way of families eating healthy. It is easier to stop by a drive through on the way to a game or some event. Having a meal waiting for you when you get home, keeps those urges off my radar. It helps me keep the temptation at bay.
So, these are my three top reasons for investing in a slow cooker. If you don't have one, where do you find one? Most department stores carry them. Check out websites: www.rivalproducts.com, www.hamiltonbeach.com, and my favorite www.vitaclaychef.com. (One day I will own one of these).

My little green machine, making Autumn's Bounty Pork Stew.

Do your research, choose the one that suits your needs. Then plan to use it regularly, incorporate it into your meal plans. Enjoy the romance!

**Note: All the recipes that I have mentioned in previous blog posts can be found at www.eatnourishing.com.

Kitchen Tools to Use, part one.

Hello, my name is Dea Warskow and I am a kitchen gadget addict. I love kitchen tools, utensils, and cookware. I admit it, I can't get enough. I love walking through Sur La Table, Williams Sonoma, and flipping through the Pampered Chef Catalog. It inspires me, fuels my curiosity, and gets those creative juices flowing. I am always coming home with a ton of ideas.
People ask me all the time, "What do you use in your kitchen?" Well I am going to share some of "secrets".
For cooking:My mother used these pans all the time, and now I use it all the time, my cast iron. I have quite the collection. Several dutch ovens, a griddle, and several frying pans. I just recently purchased the corn stick pan. So why do I love my cast iron? Here are the reasons:
1. It is the first non-stick pan. With proper seasoning** and care cast iron out performs nonstick any day. **Seasoning: the proper application of oils and heat. It gives the iron its black color.
2. Heat conductibility. Heat transfers easily through cast iron. This provides even cooking temperatures.
3. Iron. When my oldest son was younger, he was anemic. It was at that time that my family physician suggested that I prepared all his meals using cast iron. Iron will leech into the foods you prepare, giving you that added mineral supplement. To me that sounds a lot better than the other chemicals you can get from non-stick cook wear.
So where do I purchase my cast iron? Most department stores have a few pieces in their cookware section, however not many varieties and sizes. Outdoor supply stores, such as Cabela's (www.cabelas.com) or Bass Pro Shops (www.bassproshops.com) are me favorite places. I can always find the larger sizes of pans, and unique cast iron items. They are affordable as well. Just word of advice, if you are ever at an estate sale, flea market, yard sale and you see cast iron cookware, BUY IT. Unfortunately, too many people do not understand cast iron.
If you want to research cast iron I highly suggest visiting the Lodge (www.lodgemfg.com) website.

This is my trusty 14 in skillet, with my Sweet Tomato Sauce simmering away. Ahh I love it!

For Baking: I cannot stress this enough, STONEWARE. This is another natural product that I rave about. I first heard about using stoneware at my bridal shower, of all places. My mother and my sister hosted a Pampered Chef (www.pamperedchef.com) show. I fell in love with stoneware. I purchased a pizza stone, and loaf pan. That began my adventure. I now own several pieces of shapes and sizes.
So why stone?
1. It seasons like cast iron. New pieces of stoneware come coarse and pale. After repeated uses oils absorb into the stone, darkening and smoothing the surface. It too becomes a nonstick surface.
2. Stoneware retains moisture during the baking process.
3. Baked items on stoneware does not burn.
4. Clean up is very easy, however DO NOT use soap. Stoneware is porous and will absorb the soap.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Pizza on a well-seasoned pizza stone. Yummy!

The best pieces of stoneware I own all have come from The Pampered Chef, (www.pamperedchef.com). They have an excellent warranty, five years full replacement. I have broken only one piece in the 16 years and they replaced it very easily.
As I continue to unveil my kitchen supplies I hope you fall in love with kitchen gadgets as much as I am. We may have to create a support group, but I guess that wouldn't be that bad.

Keeping it together, plan first.

My husband asked, pleaded, and maybe even begged me to write a meal plan for the first 10 years of our marriage. Believe it or not, I refused. I felt it would stifle my creativity in kitchen. Well, let me be the first to say it didn't. It actually increased my dependence on processed foods. I would come home from work and pull something out of the pantry and cook it up. Maybe I would add a salad, or add a canned vegetable. This thought process led to unhealthy eating patterns, which led to weight gain (especially with me), and finally led us to be very unhealthy.
So what made me change my mind? Well, actually it was Rachel Ray made me changed my mind. I know, I know, many of my foodie friends are rolling their eyes. I really wanted to purchase 365 Meals: No Repeats. He made me a deal I couldn't refuse, buy the book and cook every meal from it. OOH Deal! As soon as I got the book I went to work right away, but I was confused. Where do I begin? What do I do? There were so many recipes and variations, and I'll admit it I was lost. So I took I deep breath, and started to scour the book, with a calendar in hand, and mapped out each month. The most amazing thing began to happen, I became addicted. You can ask my husband once I started there was no stopping me. I would plan for special events (birthdays, anniversaries, church potlucks), and eventually after 1 1/2 years we ate our way through the book. I mean this book travelled with us to New Orleans! There were times where we did have take out and left overs night; time constraints, kids' activities, and meetings (hence, the 1 1/2 years instead of 365 days).
So how do you start? You will need the following: 1. a calendar (I use my publisher program's calendar setting) 2. recipes or ideas for recipes. You can plan all of your meals a month at a time, or a week at a time. You can use recipes from websites. www.eatnourishing.com, www.nourishinggourmet.com (the Pennywise Platter is awesome), and www.tastykitchen.com are some of my favorites. I recently found a meal planning website called www.foodonthetable.com that I am researching. I look forward to keep this addiction going. If I find recipes I will post them in this blog. In the meantime enjoy organizing and planning. You will find meals on the table will get easier, and healthy eating gets simpler.

Taking the leap, one simple step at a time.

Eating Fresh? Real Foods?

 What is that?

It is the elimination of over-processed, highly industrialized foods. No more Hamburger Helper, and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Hello fresh vegetables, and home cooking. It is also educating oneself on what is best to put on the dinner table for your family.
I started this process about 6 years ago, after the birth of my daughter. It actually started with a dare actually. I can't believe that I am saying this, but I wanted to buy Rachel Ray's 365 Meals: No Repeats. My husband said I could get it, if I cooked every recipe from the book. I said deal, and almost 1 1/2 years later I finished cooking from that book. We noticed some amazing things that were taking place. First, my second son who had been plagued with sinus issues and ear infections were becoming more and more infrequent. Second, energy levels and activity levels increased for all members. Finally, dramatic weight loss. I lost 40 pounds! Before this I worked out and wouldn't have much of the impact. When I started this real foods process and exercise the weight came off slowly but steadily. I am now at the lowest weight of  my life, and have kept it off for 5 years. This got me asking a lot of questions. What else can be doing to improve the health of my family? So I began to conduct more research.
First, I started by searching websites. One of the first websites I was led to, was GNOWFGLINS, from there I found Nourishing Gourmet, and Nourishing Days. Three great blogs that I suggest reading. I also looked into the Weston A. Price foundation. It has been a real learning experience, and absolutely fascinating.
Second, I learned to plan meals. Meal planning is essential. I will be sharing my experiences with you in my next post.
So what does this all mean? I am going to share all that I have learned, including recipes, and tips to make you meal planning success. Can't wait to share my next post, take care for now.