foods

I've made my fourth consecutive batch of yogurt! Or some variety of fermented milk product, starting from a yogurt culture. I don't know if the way I heat my milk is "real yogurt" or not. It's varied, anyway, but tend to be mild warming, then a long 'cook' in the oven with the pilot light on. I had one batch I heated to be hot and held that for a while, and it came out much curdier than usual, almost like yogurt cottage cheese especially on top. OTOH this latest batch I just heated mildly, and there was still curds or grains on the surface. I wonder if some yeast got in and I'm making a sort of kefir.

For most of my life, cruciferous vegetables have been broccoli. I gagged on my parents' Brussels sprouts, and never saw the point of cauliflower. A while back I started getting into kale ("so nutritious! superfood!"), either frying it in a pan or heating it in a bit of water in pot (steam-boil?) Occasionally microwave, but ehhh.

This week I finally bought a head of cabbage. ("Cheap! Robust!") Still working on what to do with it; first batch (mostly outer leaves) I did the pot thing to. Second, more chopped up, I fried in olive oil, adding a bit of Worcestershire sauce and sriracha and black pepper. Ended up feeling pseudo-Korean. I liked it.

I've also gotten good at grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, it's not hard. Still, it's a new thing. Now I wonder if I could make patty melts. (My burgers lean that way anyway, since I never buy buns, but I rarely try grilling the bread or some onions.)