Monday, August 18, 2008

Welcome to Homemaker Monday! Why don't you stop on by!

Welcome to...


If you're new to blog carnivals, you might want to check out how it works HERE.

This blog carnival is a bit different from others you might have seen. As stated in the graphic above, I will be featuring "YOURS, MINE, and OURS".

YOURS: Each week I will feature my favorite post from the previous week. If I pick you, you can grab this button if you want...


Grab the code below...



...and put it on your sidebar.

MINE: Pretty self-explanatory. I will give you my tip of the week.

OURS: Enter your posts into Mr. Linky and share your know-how with all of us! Old posts are okay, too!

Don't forget - there will be a monthly drawing for all who are part of this carnival. Go over the rules HERE to make sure you qualify for the drawing.

Let's roll!

YOURS:
Picking the "YOURS" post was very difficult, as there were so many well thought out entries. Many of you went to a lot of work to produce your post, but since I could only choose one, I have chosen...

AMANDA B. for her post on how to make chocolate mint brownies with kids!

This post is both imformative and very funny, and has lots of great pictures! We all LOVE pictures, so be sure to add some into your posts!
Not only does she do a great tutorial on how to make a delicious dessert...


...she shows us how to get the kids...




...and even the dog...


...involved! Read her entire post HERE. Thank you, Amanda B. for a job well done!

MINE: Extremely Delicious Chocolate Milkshakes
I've always wanted a cow. By the time our fourth kid came along, we were drinking a gallon of milk a day. Back then it was about $2.50 a gallon, so it cost us $75 a month just for milk! But alas, we lived in the city, where cows are not permitted.

After my first husband passed away, I met John in the city. He married me with my six children and we were happy there until I came here to Mexico to meet his family. I fell in love with the tiny town and asked John what he thought about raising our kids here. We prayed and fasted and received the answer that, indeed, this was the place for us.

Currently we are in the process of building a home on three acres of land here in our small Mexican farm town. We are living in the attached mother-in-law's quarters which were finished last November... and designed for two people. There are ten of us. But that's okay. We're getting to know each other very well. In the midst of this construction, John, seeing how a large family goes through milk, and seeing that our large family has grown by three in the three years we've been married, suggested that we get a cow. After calculating the cost of the cow and the hay as compared to the $4.50 per gallon we pay here, I agreed! (Our cow is pictured on right. I'm so grateful to her!)

It is wonderful to have fresh, raw milk every morning. It has a rich flavor and I can hardly drink pasturized milk anymore. However, our cow produces about three gallons of milk each day. Our family only consumes about five quarts a day, so I knew I had to think of more ways to use dairy products. Since our cow, Daisy, came along, I have learned to make butter, yogurt and ice cream. And ice cream. Oh, I already said that. I love ice cream! This is the machine I use and love...


This baby has a built in compressor, so all I have to do is mix up the ingredients, put it in the bucket and turn on the machine. It's amazing and really too easy. Perhaps that is why I haven't earned my girlish figure back yet after having the twins.

Another thing our family loves are chocolate shakes. Here is a recipe that is to die for. What I do is whisk up a mix, store it in the fridge, then when the kids want a shake, I pour a couple of cups of the mix into the blender, add a few ice cubes, and serve it up! This mix will stay fresh in the fridge for three or four days and it makes making chocolate shakes so easy! Again, too easy!

Here's what you'll need...


5 cups milk
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup chocolate cocoa powder (we like the dark chocolate kind)
3 cups cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch salt

1. Pour the milk, sugar, and chocolate cocoa powder into the blender. Mix on medium speed for about a minute. This will help the sugar dissolve and get rid of any lumps in the cocoa.

2. While the above mixture is blending, pour the cream, vanilla and salt into a medium-sized bowl.

3. After the milk, sugar and chocolate has blended, pour this mixture into the bowl and stir until blended.

Your shake mix is done. Now you can put it away in the fridge to save for when your kids get home from school or you can pour a cup back into the blender, add three or four ice cubes, and enjoy your gourmet shake before they come home! Just try to save them some, okay? (I couldn't take a picture of the final product because the kids drank it all too fast.)

Just to make sure you caught that, use about a cup of the mix plus three or four ice cubes per serving. Enjoy!

OURS:
Okay, it's your turn! Remember, if you're not sure what to do, go HERE for specific instructions, then come back to this page and enter your post. Archived post are okay, too! Thank you for your entry, don't forget to leave a comment, and have a Happy Homemaker Monday!

18 comments:

Busymama Kellie said...

Your story is so interesting, can't wait to hear more about your life! The milkshakes sound delicious, I will put that on my must-try list.

Anonymous said...

wow...i am seriously so jealous!!! i wish i lived where I could have a cow!! one day i will.....

laurice. said...

Yummy! I swear you make the best ice cream ever!

Krissy said...

MUST. MAKE. THAT. MUUUST MAKKKEEEE THHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!!! LOL

And dang it Jen!! Now I WANT A COW! LOL

Amanda B. said...

Wow! How very cool! :):) Thanks for highlighting me! :) Thanks for your comment- couldn't wait to check it out once you left your comment. Thanks so much! :) I will have to think about more things to post...

Love the chocolate shakes info. That looks so yummy. I could also use a cow. We go through a TON of milk also. Probably just under a gallon a day. (We use about 10 gal. in a 14 day period...) Not sure where we would put a cow on our city block here though.... Oh well. I love the idea of a shake mix- I just might do it! :) Yum!

Thanks again for sharing my post! :)

HDMac said...

This sounds like fun. I just posted an encouragement this time... in time, hopefully I will come up with some ideas! lol This will be fun!

The Farmer's Wife said...

Love your post! and I totally love the cow...Daisy! Do you deliver milk to Dublan???;) hehe, I am totally going to make the shake! yum. Love your new homemaker Monday...darling idea and I will certainly join!

Rae said...

A cow? Yes, I would love a cow too. I would love a farm!! I don't think our half acre can handle a farm. Therefore I must live vicariously through you!!!

Tammy and Parker said...

I've been reading some of your blog. I think that you are taking the experiences of several lives and squishing them all into one.

You are blessed to have such opportunities. And a cow. Can't forget the cow. :D

CJ, The Purple Diva said...

Such a pretty cow! If cows are pretty! TOO FUNNY!
I love some chocolate milk! I will have to make some when Krissy comes! :-)

Stephanie Wilson she/her @babysteph said...

Oh, I need some chocolate right now!!!

Steph

Amanda said...

Oh, now I'm homesick for Berti and some fresh milk every morning. And the cream, oh the cream. We have talked about getting a cow. Alas, I have no Ramone to milk it. I like Daisy. Ours was Lana Anderson...

The Apron Queen said...

I think I'm gonna go make a milkshake. Right now. For breakfast. Who needs coffee anyway? :)

Gret new meme idea. I'll be back.

Confessions of an Apron Queen

Lucy Stern said...

A really good book to get would be "There's a Cow in the Kitchen". It has recipes for yogurt, cheese, sour cream and anything you can do with milk....

Jarmeg Family said...

Looks like fun, I will have to join in next monday when I can figure this all out!

Anonymous said...

Wow a Cow! I enjoyed your post, easy enough that I will even attempt to whip it up. thanks

Anonymous said...

Sorry! I was so busy this week and I missed it! I'll try again next week. :) Thanks for the invite!

Controlling My Chaos said...

My good friend, Janae, also has nine kids. All girls. Can you believe that? I keep telling her that I want to be a fly on the wall at her house at dinnertime because I want to see how she feeds that many people at once. She thinks I'm a dork.

I think you are very smart to have all your kids doing chores. There's no reason for you to have to do it all, and you are teaching them life skills. Thanks for sharing your day-to-day with us.