Homemade Yogurt

It's so easy. Especially with this maker and this thermometer/timer.

1. Heat 40oz of 2% or Whole milk in a saucepan until it starts to boil (180*F) for a couple minutes.
2. Let it cool to lukewarm (110*F). If you're in a hurry, put the saucepan in cold water, but it doesn't turn out as good.
3. Stir half the milk in a bowl with 3/4 cup of plain yogurt. You'll feel it start to thicken already! Add the other half.
4. Pour into cups. Leave alone for 8 hours (for Whole) or 9 hours (for 2%).
5. Refrigerate and enjoy!
   
   You can add fruit, jam, or other flavorings before filling the jars, but I don't. We like to add our own flavorings afterward. I mostly eat it plain or sprinkle some cinnamon on it. We love to eat it with rice and curry.

Just make sure you start it at a reasonable hour or you'll have to set an alarm. Oh, and don't use Skim milk. Learning to wife!

How do you make/like your yogurt?

Hot or Cold: Can't we all just get along?

Are you task-oriented or relationship-oriented? Do you focus more on doing or being? Do you tend to think objectively or subjectively? No right or wrong answers.

Josh and I are taking Perspectives, an in-depth study on the World Christian Movement. Absolutely phenomenal. It is some of the best training I've received in preparation for missionary service.

Anyway.

I had a learning to wife moment in class last night.

We were looking at the generalized characteristics of the world's two cultural "halves." This refers to the concept that the world can be divided into two cultures: hot and cold. Read this. Westerners tend to be cold-climate cultures and the majority of the rest of the world tend to be hot-climate cultures. We received a handout that described both "cultures." Its purpose was to self-evaluate and understand from where we're coming when entering another culture. Josh and I of course charted our way down the list. As expected he leaned cold, and I leaned hot. What can I say? I'm a TCK (third-culture kid) from Bangladesh. Of course I wasn't across the board hot... but Josh conveniently was hot on areas I'm cold.

Weird.

Examples:

• I multitask and feel time is limitless (hot), and he focuses on one thing at a time and prioritizes efficiency (cold). 
• I am time-oriented (cold), focusing on punctuality and goals. Josh is event-oriented (hot), focusing on completion, quality and solutions.

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

It was fun getting to know each other a little better, but the instructor brought a valuable point to the discussion. It's not about judging what's the right or wrong way to be. There are no right or wrong "cultures." God has beautifully created the diversity.

I'm reminded that God has made Josh and me very different.  

We see the world from opposite angles in a lot of ways, but we're excited to see the way God is going to use us as we bring our "cultures" together under Christ. After all, isn't that was he's doing with all the nations? All those cultures are going to be represented before the throne one day. I think we'll get along just fine.

Ham & Cauliflower Bread Bowl

Ham & Cauliflower Bread Bowl  

Ruthie Wagner

1-2 ham bones with a little ham on them

6-8 cups water
several brown or red potatoes

1/2 large yellow onion

1 c. of carrots, chopped

1 c. of celery, chopped

1 T. garlic

1 head of cauliflower

sourdough bread (the round roll kind)

grated cheese (preferably the strong and hard kind)

1. Boil and simmer ham bones and water in a large saucepan. The water doesn't need to cover the bones. I boiled them for at least half an hour.
2. Pull the bones out of the water, and leave the liquid in the pot on the stove! Cut the meat from the bone and set aside. Throw the bones away.
3. Chop and add to the liquid the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
4. Cook on medium until veggies are soft. Pull the veggies out of the pot and puree in blender (or food processor) with a little liquid.
5. Add ham pieces, cauliflower florets and puree mixture to the pot. Cook until florets are done but still slightly firm.

To serve:

1. Cut out the inside of the sour dough roll to make a bowl and set the bread insides aside for later soup dipping.
2. Ladle soup in bread bowl.
3. Top with grated cheese.
4. Enjoy!

Notes: I like to freeze ham bones with some meat on them until I'm ready to use them. Then I can use two for one soup. Hint: Men like meat. Hint hint: My man likes to share so one BIG bread bowl makes for a romantic dinner as you can see from the picture above. It's difficult to eat bread bowls with good manners. Oh well. It's delicious.

Dominion

This is what some of our dates look like.

Love it!

P.S. The game is Dominion.

P.S.S. Sometimes we invite others. 

Sometimes we want others to invite themselves. *hint hint*

Squirrel vs. Josh

Squirrels are not welcome in our apartment.

Josh woke up early to enjoy the morning with a cup of coffee and his laptop. It's a beautiful day today - no snow, hail or tornados - so the window was open. While he was sitting there, a squirrel jumped into our apartment through the window, a few stories off the ground! They were probably equally thinking, Oops, probably shouldn't have done that.

After chasing him for awhile, Josh came and gently woke me up to join the fun. I'm so glad he didn't wake me up while said squirrel was in the bedroom. Oy. That squirrel ran around the apartment and found clever hiding places to catch his breath. There was a lot of squirrel-jumping, pot-banging, broom-wacking, furniture-climbing, light-shining, shelf-emptying, chair-standing, and squeeking. I must not have been that threatening because it ran across my feet and legs multiple times. (I've felt squirrely all day!) In the end, after an hour and a half, Josh was the conquering hero. The squirrel climbed back out the window defeated. Now to find the window screens...

Our home is not your home, Squirrel.

Yes, that's a cellphone light.

Attack of the Charley Horse

My calf tried to kill me last night.

The last time Charley Horse attacked was two years ago when I was racing Josh across a pool in North Dakota. Sooooo not fair. Anyway. Last night was more abusive then said pool attack as Charley grabbed my leg in my sleep. Taken completely off guard, I sat up, promptly let out a yelp, leapt out of bed, and stomped on it--which gave me the upper hand. Oy!

My poor husband. It took some explaining this morning.

Know why it's called a Charley Horse? 

Because it feels like you got kicked by this.

(among other reasons, I'm sure)

Here are some other names for it:

USA: Tommy Horse

UK: Deadleg, Grand Daddy or Chopper

Australia: Corked Thigh or "Corky"

German: Pferdekuss - "horse's kiss"

Norway: Lårhøne - "thigh hen"

Netherlands: Ijsbeen - "ice leg" 

France: Béquille - "crutch"

Portugal: Paralítica - "paralyzer"

Japan: Komuragaeiri - "cramp in the calf"

Northwest Italy: Vecchia - "old woman" or Dura - "hard/tough one"

South Italy: Morso di Ciuccio - "donkey bite"

Israel: Regel Etz - "wooden leg"

(wikipedia)

I find this interesting. I'm a linguist.

God-Mother's Day

Yesterday Jacob, my dashing godson, called me on Skype

to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. 

My heart melted. 

Wouldn't yours?

These were the highlights of our conversation:

Green
Funny faces
Preschool
Trains
Brushing Teeth

Being 4
Uncle Josh

Just in case you wonder what a godmother and godson talk about.

You can find out more about him on my sister's blog.