Sourdough Starter: A Review and a Giveaway

by Merissa on February 22, 2012

Sourdough has always intrigued me. I have heard wonderful things on the benefits of it and really wanted to try it out for myself. I wasn't sure that it would be something that I could master or keep up with. It turned out to be something that I can actually do.

We received a Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter culture from Cultures for Health. They carry a wide assortment of different type of sourdough starters. I wanted to try Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter, as I mill my own wheat flour and thought this would be the best option and healthiest for our family.

The shipping from Cultures for Health is super fast. Here is the how the culture comes and how it is packaged with directions. I wasn't able to start up my culture right away, so I did store the box in the refrigerator until I was ready.

There is some prep to getting the culture going. You need to be able to "feed" your culture on a regular basis. It is important to figure this out ahead of time, so you will actually be home for these regular feedings to take place. For equipment, all you need is a clean, glass jar, room temperature water and your whole wheat flour.

The directions are excellent and give you step by step instructions on activating your starter and maintaining it. Once you get your routine of discarding a small amount and replenishing with flour and water, you are on your way to a starter that will be active very soon.

You will need to watch for the signs that your starter is ready....which will be a nice, bubbly, yeasty smelling brew.

It took my starter exactly 7 days to be at a state of being ready to use in baking. Once it was at healthy state of development, I was ready to try and use it in my baking schedule.

I made these English Muffins. My family loved these. The taste and texture are wonderful and this is something that I wasn't sure that I could duplicate from the store. They have become our go-to for breakfast, toasted, and also have been great to slice and use for sandwiches.

They turned out beautifully using my week old starter.

I am excited to try new things with my sourdough starter. There are several recipes included in the directions and also at the Cultures for Health website.

I won't be cooking with sourdough at every baking time, but I will be able to maintain my starter in the refrigerator and activate it when I am ready to use it again. The directions for doing this are also included with your starter culture.
I think sourdough is something that the novice and expert baker, alike, can try. I am glad I had the opportunity to try and get started my own starter culture. Cultures for Health definately takes the guesswork out of getting started with this and puts it in your hands as easy and do-able.

Until next time, Julie

We are also giving away a Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter from Cultures for Health! To enter just click the link below to fill out the form. Good luck!

Sourdough Starter Giveaway Form

You can get extra entries in this giveaway by:

Liking the Little House Living Facebook page.
Following Little House Living on Twitter.
Getting Little House Living site emails.
Sharing about the giveaway.

Julie is Merissa's mom and she's committed to living a frugal and simple lifestyle. Julie grows her own herbs in her garden and enjoys making things at home. You can now find her home remedies and ideas here at Little House Living.

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Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange 2/21

by Merissa on February 21, 2012

I love discovering new recipes as I’m sure most of my readers do. So if you posted an awesome recipe on your blog this week, link it up here! If you have a recipe to share and you don’t have a blog just post it for us in the comments! I’ll be hosting this exchange every Tuesday so don’t forget to mark your calendars! Here’s the rules:

The link posted must go directly to the recipe or weekly meal plans not to a homepage or a search category. All incorrect submissions will be deleted.
And please link back to the recipe linky so everyone can join in the fun!
In your linky please post a pic of the food(or something pretty) and the name of the recipe.
Link up as many recipes or posts related to food as you like!

I will be featuring my favorite recipe that's linked up the following week! So make sure you link up lots of recipes and let your friends know so they can too!

My favorite recipe posted last week was this Chocolate Mousse Banana Bread Trifle. Yum! I'd use my homemade banana bread and chocolate pudding recipes in that trifle:)

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Why We Fail at Meal Planning

by Merissa on February 20, 2012

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Last week I did the cooking for 2 weeks. I'm not a super woman that makes all perfectly portioned meals but I like at least having part of the meal cooked ahead of time so it doesn't get to be 5 o' clock and hubby starts wondering what I'm going to be making...

And in the last week I didn't have to cook once. Well, maybe I did a few things to add to what I already had frozen to make it a meal but I didn't actually even have to turn on my oven.

And it was AMAZING.

I don't know about you but trying a cook a meal from scratch after working a 10 hour day and taking care of a baby isn't really one of my dreams. I love cooking and baking....just not when I'm tired, overworked, and full of spit up.

So then why is it so hard to do meal planning? The end results are so worth it but still, something tends to get in the way of us doing it each week. Here's my theories on what it might be.

1. Meal planning takes time. As much as I love drooling over Pinterest food pictures, I somehow don't like to find the time on Sunday to sit down and make a meal plan.

2. Meal planning takes supplies. Maybe you are one that can come up with a fabulous meal plan and then already have all the stuff to make it work that week. I'm not one of those people. I "shop" once a month when I order from my co-op. Trips to the grocery store during the rest of the month are rare. So my meal planning has to be based off what I have on hand from that one shopping trip, and often it's not very inspiring.

3. Making new dishes is fun, but sometimes we just want the old standbys. When I first started meal planning I loved added new recipes to my weekly plans...and then when it came to be the day to make them all I was craving was the tried and true good stuff. So there went my meal planning...right out the window.

So what is the solution I've come up with to help with these "unmotivated to meal plan" problems?

First of all, I changed my prep day to Saturday. I used to do my make ahead foods on Monday and honestly I'm not sure what I was thinking. Why would I want to have a hectic Monday and then spend the rest of my afternoon cooking? Saturday's work much better because they are an all around slower paced day. I have time to actually do that cooking and baking and I don't have to feel rushed.

Second, I stopped trying to plan whole meals. We always seemed to change the plans anyway. At least if I had the main item or meat for the meal ready or planned, we can finish making the meal that evening with what we feel like having. I always have staples on hand like beef, chicken, ect, so I know I don't need to make any trips to the store. My plans use what I have and only what I have.

And lastly, I stick with the old standbys. I know what we like so why not make it? Even if I do feel motivated to try something new I won't have wasted anything because I cooked just staples so we can make a "new meal" around those. easy!

What are some things that help you meal plan? For what reasons are you unmotivated to meal plan?

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Pigs In a Blanket

by Merissa on February 18, 2012

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I discovered this idea in an old Taste of Home Cookbook. I decided it needed a little tweaking since there wasn't enough cheese to my liking Plus the original dough was too soupy. Hubby absolutely loved the soft bread shell of my version and I loved the combo of the hot dog, cheese, and bread. Enjoy!

What you need:

1 1/2 t. yeast
1/4 c. sugar + 1/2 t. sugar
1/3 c. warm milk
1/4 c. warm water
1 egg
1 T 1 t shortening
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 c. flour
5 hot dogs
8 slices of cheese

Mix together the warm water, yeast, and 1/2 t. of sugar. Set aside in a separate bowl.

Mix together all the other ingredients. Then add in the yeast last. Add enough flour to the mixture so the dough is nice and soft and workable.

Knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes until if forms a smooth loaf.

Set in a warm place and let rise for about an hour of until it doubles in size.

After the dough has risen take it out of the bowl and form it into 5 balls. You may need to add a little more flour so they don't get sticky. Then roll out the balls into rectangles about 6"x 4" depending on how big your hot dogs are.

Take an uncooked hot dog and wrap 1 1/2 slices of cheese around it.

Place the wrapped hot dog on the flattened dough.

Roll up the dough with the cheese wrapped hot dog inside. And seal the edges and ends the best you can.

Place the sealed edge down on a greased cookie sheet. Place in a warm area and let rise for about another 10 -15 minutes. Then bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm. Yum....these didn't last long!

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The Keys to Good Negotiation

by Merissa on February 17, 2012

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Ever had a bill that didn't seem quite right? Get some extra charges that you don't believe you should be paying for? There is a chance that you can work your way out of unnecessary charges and payments if you know the right tricks. Now I will warn you, I'm not very good at this yet. But what I've learned I've learned from my hubby who is excellent at knowing what is a valid charge and what's not. Here's some tips to help you avoid paying extra on those things and to help keep or get that money back in your pocket.

1. Know what you are talking about. if you were going to make a dispute on say, a rent charge, you need to know what you signed up for and what your rights are. If a landlord is being unfair about lease terms but it clearly states in your contract what your lease would be, don't let them argue with you. The proof in this case would be in the paper.

2. Don't be afraid to ask. Did you pay your credit card payment one day late and they assessed a late fee? They might be able to take the fee off, you just have to be willing to ask! Just remember that the worst thing they can say is no.

3. Be persistent. If you are trying to work out a deal on a bill and the company is ignoring you or not taking your calls, keep on calling. This is the one time when being a little bit annoying might pay off! Don't let the issue go until you've at least talked to someone that could do something about it. Which brings me to my next point....

4. Talk to someone that can do something about it. If you talk to just a customer service rep, chances are they may not have the power to do what you are asking. Ask for a manager or someone in charge and if they tell you that person isn't available make sure you either leave them a message or find out when they will be back so you can contact them.

Do you have any tips for good negotiation? Have you tried any of these before and have they worked?

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Living Like Theses Happy Golden Years: Managing

by Merissa on February 16, 2012

"There you have it, Laura!" Pa said. "It's all in that word "manage". You might not get far with Clarence, even if you were big enough to punish him as he deserves. Brute force can't do much. Everybody's born free, you know, like it says in the Declaration of Independence. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink, and good or bad, nobody but Clarence can ever boss Clarence. You better just manage." - These Happy Golden Years p. 54

In this part of the book Laura was frustrated with her situation. She was unable to take charge of the kids at the school she was teaching and she wasn't sure how she was going to get by for the rest of her term.

I'm pretty sure we've all been there. What sounded like a good plan in the beginning isn't turning out the way we hoped and situations get out of our control. We like having that control and when we realize it's slipping out of our hands we get confused, frustrated, and maybe even a little desperate.

That's why Pa's advice here is golden. Even though we can't always be in control of our situation (And let's face it, do you really want to have to be in control?) we can still manage it.

If your finances spiral out of our control, let's say unexpected medical bills come pouring in putting us deeper into debt. We may not be able to control the medical bills but we can try and manage our finances by creating a budget, getting an extra part time job, or even selling homemade crafts to help pay off those debts.

Maybe we are trying to sell a house and we just aren't finding a buyer. Can you control someone's actions and make them buy it? No. But you can stage the house or use local resources to place more classified ads for it.

Just a good thought to remember today. We may not be able to have control, but at least we can try and manage.

Do you have an encouraging story of a situation that was out of your control but within your management? Share with us below!

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Baby Pillow

by Merissa on February 15, 2012

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I saw this cute Baby Pillow picture uploaded to Pinterest the other day and I thought that I needed to make that for baby to lay on so he lay next to me with I'm working. It was an easy and fairly inexpensive project to make. Try and buy fleece in the winter when the fabric stores always have it on sale.

What you need:

1 yard of fleece total (can be two 1/2 yard pieces of different colors)
Scissors

You want to make an oval from each piece of fleece. To do that I just folded each 1/2 yard piece in half and cut off the sides at an angle.

Then I used the first piece as a template for the second to make sure they would match.

Cut your fringes all the way around each piece. I left my fleece layered like you can see in the picture above so I was cutting through all 4 pieces (2 pieces of fleece but still folded in half) as I went. I made the cuts about 3 inches deep.

Do this all the way around the cut sides of the fleece. Not along the folds.

Then it's time to tie the 2 halves together! Once you are just left with a small opening, fill with pillow stuffing.

Perfect! Now baby can just lay right in the middle of his big soft pillow and feel cuddled

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Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange 2/14

by Merissa on February 14, 2012

The link posted must go directly to the recipe or weekly meal plans not to a homepage or a search category. All incorrect submissions will be deleted.
And please link back to the recipe linky so everyone can join in the fun!
In your linky please post a pic of the food(or something pretty) and the name of the recipe.
Link up as many recipes or posts related to food as you like!

And something new...I will be featuring my favorite recipe that's linked up the following week! So make sure you link up lots of recipes and let your friends know so they can too!

My favorite recipe linked up last week were these Vanilla Apple Muffins. They look like a good muffin to freeze!

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Valentine’s Day Recipes Roundup

by Merissa on February 13, 2012

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Here is a roundup of all kinds of yummy treats that might be perfect for a special Valentine's Day! Are you making something sweet? Let us know in the comments section!

Chocolate Cheescake Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Ooey Gooey Brownies (Egg and Dairy Free)

New York Cheesecake

Chocolate Pudding (Egg Free)

Best Bad-For-You Fudge Ever

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Meal Plan Monday 2/13

by Merissa on February 13, 2012

We had a new foster arrival at our house last week. So this weekend I focused on getting as many meals into the freezer as I could. Instead of having a meal plan this week we just have all these meals and foods in the freezer to pick from when we need them! Here's what I made:

Banana Crumble Muffins

Cream Cheese Danish x3

Chicken Nuggets

Cooked Chicken (Enough for 4 meals)

Roast Beef (Enough for 2 meals)

Chicken Broth

Beef Broth

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Beef Sausage (Enough for 5-6 meals)

Meatballs (Enough for 3 meals, I made these similar to the sausage above but minus the curing time and I added bread crumbs to stretch the meat a bit.)

Pigs in a Blanket (Enough for 2 meals)