Kefir gone wild!

Update on our Kefir project - we're now fermenting about 3 cups of milk per day with our kefir grains! It's nuts! We have to use a half gallon container for it so it's got room to "breathe" while it ferments. So far we probably have about double the grains we started with, and soon we'll be able to start sharing it. We've got two friends who've asked for it already, so apparently we're not the only crazy ones in town!

As for the kefir itself, Paul is a HUGE fan. He makes a big smoothie for breakfast every morning, with fruit mixed in. I have been mostly sticking to yogurt, but the kefir is starting to taste better as it grows. At first, it was really yeasty tasting, like drinking sourdough starter. Now it's less so, but still a big more tangy than yogurt flavor. Apparently it takes time to "mellow".

International Delights in Ohio

Yesterday my friend Jackie and I drove out to Cincinnati Ohio for some international shopping. While Cincinnati doesn't conjure up images of a cosmopolitan utopia, between Ikea and Jungle Jim's you sure can get a lot of international loot! It's only a 3 hour drive from here, so it is totally do-able as a day trip. And even more fun when you go with a friend!

Here's a sampling of my shopping results:

• Cheese from Sweden, France, Switzerland and New York
• French wine from the Corbières, Sake from Japan
• Red bean daifuku from Japan
• Swedish herring and Swedish caviar
• Moroccan olives

household stuff:

• Small trash can from Italy
  
• Storage boxes from Poland
  
• Lamp from China
  
• Scrub brush from the Czech Republic
  

It was so nice to get out of Bloomington for a day! I only have classes once a week this semester (my 3 classes are all on the same day), so I've been going a little stircrazy being around the house all day. When I realized I talk to my dog more than with people, I decided it was a good time to go out and do something besides sitting at home and reading and writing papers!

Adopting bacteria

Paul and I have just adopted some bacteria. Yup, we paid some place called Yemoos for bacteria. Why? Well, as many of you know, we've been making our own yogurt for the past year or so, and we love it. Recently, as we were in the local Bloomingfoods organic market (shopping for a picnic in the park that got rained out) I found a package of dried "kefir" starter. I'd never had kefir before, but it's a drinkable sort of yogurt that's supposed to be really good for your digestion (there are also some Internet rumors that it lowers cholesterol and prevents cancer, but I wouldn't bet on that). We've made it a few times now, and we like it so much that Paul went and ordered some live kefir starter culture.

Here's what we got:

We still need to choose a name for it (the little card says you're supposed to give it a name). Any suggestions?

Here it is in the jar after I strained it with some milk

And, here's how it'll look for the next 24 hours while it grows in the cabinet. After that, we'll strain it and re-grow the grains in fresh milk for another 24 hours before we actually try it.

Can't wait to try the real deal! And if you're local, let us know if you'd like some starter once we get it going!

Semlor

With all the talk about Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday last week, I started craving the traditional Swedish Fat Tuesday buns, called Semlor (singular 'en semla'). Since there aren't too many Swedes in Indiana, or at least none who have opened a bakery, I realized that if I wanted some, I would either have to drive 4 hours each way to Andersonville in Chicago or make them myself. With the price of gas these days, making them at home seemed the better option.

First I had to make the buns. These have 2 sticks of butter and 5 cups of flour for only 16 buns!


Next, I sliced off the tops and hollowed out the middle. The black flecks are not pepper, but cardamom seeds that I ground up.


Then,I mixed up the breadcrumbs I had removed from the buns with some almond paste and milk until it was like a thick pudding.


Filled the buns...

and topped with freshly whipped cream!

As the Swedes say, mums!