Kefir & Painting

I finally made it over to my Mom’s house and EVEN remembered to get the Kefir my Aunt left for me.  My Aunt visited from Louisiana over the 4th of July holiday and was nice enough to bring me a start of Kefir.  I had no idea what it was, but was interested because it’s healthy.  Simple enough, right?  She made a few different “smoothies” with various fruit combinations, and it was glorious.  I really enjoyed them!  After she left, I was to take some home for my own Kefir making, but managed to forget to bring any home the next few times I would visit at my Mom’s house.   But!  This past Monday, I remembered the Kefir!  I’ve not learned everything there is to know about this stuff, but I know enough to be very excited about the health benefits from using it.  It is an amazing probiotic that has too many health benefits to count, so I’m in!  Anything that boosts the immune system is great.  So, I had my first batch of Kefir ready to use this morning, and I decided to document the process.

First, you start with a tablespoon of Kefir grains.  (I started with a bit more.  Whatevs.)

Put the Kefir in a 20 fl oz glass jar and fill it 2/3 full with milk.

Let the jar sit at room temperature anywhere from 12 to 48 hours.  (The longer it sits to ferment, the more sour the taste) As the mixture sits, it ferments and creates more Kefir.

It had been about 18 hours for this batch to sit. I haven’t explored new recipes, so I just made a smoothie similar to the ones my Aunt made.

I drained the liquid part of the Kefir mixture into the blender. What is left over in the strainer is the Kefir to save for your next batch, or to separate and give to a friend. This website breaks it down simply with instructions for making your Kefir and storing it.

Use the left over Kefir however you choose; I just put mine back in the jar with more milk for tomorrow. For the current batch, I added some strawberries and blueberries and blended them in.

Behold, a delicious and super healthy smoothie!

There you have it.

…

I’m also working on this painting.  Every time I see my Aunt she encourages me to start painting again.  I did quite a lot of painting in highschool, then stopped.  John also thought I should start up, again.  So, I’m taking their advice.  I plan to start with duplicating photos we have of the boys and family.  Here is my first (unfinished) project.  (I WILL finish it, Zach!)

2 Responses to “Kefir & Painting”

1. Sally says:

   August 12, 2010 at 12:03 pm

   Wow Katie, you’re good!
2. Mama Kate says:

   August 12, 2010 at 2:33 pm

   Thanks, Sally. I’m slowly making progress. Jackson and I just started making Archer’s nap time our painting time. He’s getting pretty good!