Making milk ,yog and other white stuff

Almond milk in the machine

Yesterday I made Almond Milk in the soymilk machine.
It was quite easy.
A little cup of soaked Almonds, water up to the line.
Turn it on.

The milk hasn't got a strong flavour ,I think it is closer in flavour and consistency to Skimmed cows milk than the soy milk is.

Soy Yoghurt from home made milk

My soy yoghurt making has improved.
The last batch I made also had about half a cup of rolled oats added to the milk machine to add thickening.

When it was done, I added a Tablespoon of sugar and let it cool till it was yoghurt warm.
Then added the yoghurt left over from last time to start the new batch.
I put it in a jug, put the jug in an insulated picnic bag and left it for about 8 hours.

This batch was much much creamier than last time and had less whey on the top when it was done.
It was much closer to the shop soy yoghurt that I bought to use as the first starter.

Tofu from home made milk

I also made Tofu.
This started with making the soymilk as usual and then while it was still very hot, straining it and adding 2 tablespoons of  Epsom salts (bought from Boots the Chemist in UK for £1.25).
The milk curdles into a mass of little curds and thin whey.
You must leave it around 15 minutes and then line a mold with something to hold the curds while allowing the whey to drain.

I made a mold from a take away container with holes punched in it.
The liner was some clean material (tights/panty hose).
Then when the mixture was poured in and the mold put onto a cooling tray over a bowl, I put another take away container into the first, on top of the mixture and put some canned food on top as weights.

The Tofu is sitting in the Fridge till dinner time when I will make a Tofu scramble to have with salad.
I suppose it is about 1/2" thick by 4"x6" and cost me about 30 pence to make not including (20 minutes) electricity for the milk maker machine.

The pulp left after making the milk is Okara and can be used to add to foods in various ways.
The whey is also useful. It is quite sweet and tastes good in a risotto when used as part of the liquid or in porridge.

There is a little pot of Almond Meal left after making the Almond Milk which can be used in baking also.

Cheese trials

I made some cheese with cashews about a week ago.
The recipe required tahini which I had made in advance but my sesame seeds had been a long time in the cupboard so Im not sure if they were a little soured.
Anyway the cheese is quite firm although not really gratable.
I can just about grate it but it doesn't melt and the grater is very gooey afterwards.

It looks like red leicester because of the tomato paste used for colour.
When I had some on pizza,I found the flavour a bit too sesame seed like which might be because of the age of the seeds.

As a sandwich filling, it was hugely successful.
It goes great with tomatoes and cucumber.
I think they detract from the sesame taste.

I have a good stash of cashews so when all my cheese has been devoured,I will have another go with a different recipe.

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Hot and  muggy in July, who knew

The weather has been hot and muggy.
In the UK there is very little predictable weather.
I mean you can tell it will be cold in winter and warmer than cold when it isnt winter but after that, it is a guessing game.

It isn't unusual to see people in t-shirts and shorts and flip flops, walking around in the pouring rain,they are determined that it is summer and so dress accordingly.

In the winter, people tend to have a coat with them but could still be wearing trainers and no hat or gloves.

I think it is why the weather is such a common subject of conversation here.

People have lost the plot.

When I was a child, we would wear wellington boots to school in very rainy or snowy weather and then at school ,change into the plimsolls that were kept there for PE.

Hardly anyone had extra shoes so that they could just get soaked feet and then wear dry shoes next day so it was very practical.

In the 60's and 70's School children had gabardine raincoats when younger and blazers when older ,which were usually wool and most had an outdoor coat with a hood when it was winter,worn over the blazer.
My younger sister was a teenager in the 80's and was determined to be trendy which meant walking to school,rain or snow in a school  pullover ,her coat and gloves and scarf left at home because they were not cool.

We always had a 'mac' when we went on sea side excursions.
They were often sold from machines on the promenade too just in case . You put in your penny and out would come a little pack all folded tightly. Then when you opened it,there was a thin but waterproof transparent mac with a hood. It was quite embarrassing to be wearing a hug plastic bag shaped like a rain coat but not as embarrassing as walking around soaked to the skin and wrapped in your own arms for warmth that is so often the sight now.
 
A lot of materials were natural ; wool ,cotton ,leather and kept the weather out and the warmth in.

Some of the clothes that are for sale now as hard weather gear, are ridiculous.
All nylon,acrylic  and PVC .
I remember watching a documentary in which some youths were staying with an Inuit family and the head of the family laughed at their expensive clothing  then had them kitted out in real cold resistant garb.

I suppose the more modern materials are cooler in summer.
They are certainly very nice for keeping fit.
All my running clothes are some sort of man made fabric and much nicer than the airtex shirts from the 70s that often stained with sweat and became unwearable .

Swimming costumes are also much better these days providing you go for the ones which have low elastane content.

Anyway as Billy Connoly says 'there is no such thing as bad weather,only the wrong clothes'