Hahaha
On the bright side though, we're halfway through March and almost done with the three worst months of the year.
Not too much to talk about when you're busy just trying to survive. LOL
With love,
Mama Hauck
.
Monday, March 12, 2018
Just Another Day
The look on my face when I accidental step in dog poop....in my slippers....and track it in the house, the kids are fighting back and forth over who gets to wash their hands first and in which sink....who got more pretzels for a snack....and who gets the sharpened pencil (instead of one of the dull ones.....), my phone is ringing, Timothy went poop and needs help because "it's a wet one", I realize I can't do 5th grade fraction and decimal math homework, the dog is mauling the cat, the cats are eating the Easter basket fake grass, Molly is belting out Journey's "Don't stop believing" for the 12th time in a row, I have the worst back ache and I'm on the verge of a headache, the microwave has been beeping at me for 10 minutes telling me my tea is still in there....now cold again, there's three loads worth of laundry piled on the couch (fuck it, everyone can go naked), I think the awful stench in our bathroom is a dead mouse in the vent, someone dripped yogurt on the outside of the trashcan, all I have to feed the kids for dinner is hot dogs (without buns) and carrot sticks because....well, because. And Sam walks through the door and says he's going on a quick run.
Hahaha
On the bright side though, we're halfway through March and almost done with the three worst months of the year.
Not too much to talk about when you're busy just trying to survive. LOL
With love,
Mama Hauck
Hahaha
On the bright side though, we're halfway through March and almost done with the three worst months of the year.
Not too much to talk about when you're busy just trying to survive. LOL
With love,
Mama Hauck
Monday, February 26, 2018
Rendering Tallow (For Soap Making!)
Over the summer, when I told Sammy that soap making was on my bucket list, he went out of his way while on a trip to MT to pick me up some gorgeous beef fat from a butcher! Why? So we could render our own tallow! Why tallow? Because tallow does a great job of giving soap a nice rich creamy lather and good conditioning properties. Tallow also helps create a hard bar. Tallow is where it's at.
Rendering our own tallow was a fun adventure. If you're going to make your own soap, you mine as well jump in with both feet and do as much of the process yourself as possible, right? If you can.
If you're looking for more detailed step-by-step directions, I suggest you click that link and check out The Spruce's website on how to render tallow. I'll show photos and summarize my own way below.
Since we had a lot of beef fat, it seemed like a good idea to do this process outside on our propane burner in a big stock pot. We could do it in two big batches as opposed to many smaller batches on the stove, and we wouldn't stink up the house. Win-win.
Step 1 - Dump your beef fat into your stock pot. For this rendering, our beef fat already came in small chunks. If yours are not in manageable chunks, or is attached to some pretty large pieces of meat and gristle, chop off the large meat chunks and then run the fat through a grinder (if you have one) or ask your local butcher if they can for you. Smaller chunks will render easier. We had to do some chop and grind on some beef fat we got from a friend this past December when we needed to render more tallow.
Step 2 - Add enough water to just cover the fat, and about 1 tablespoon per pound of fat. We had 10 pounds of beef fat and broke it up into two batches. So it wound up being about 5 pounds of beef fat per batch.
Step 3 - Time to start the flame! Heat the mixture to boiling, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer, simmer, simmer! The chunks will start to release liquid fat. Continue to simmer, stirring often, until the mixture is just melted fat, meat, and gristle. Go ahead and use a masher to mash the meat to help it release every little bit of liquid fat it can. Simmer time will depend on the amount of beef fat you are working with, and the size of the chunks.
Step 4 - Strain the meat. When you are left with just chunks of meat and gristle with no more attached fat to them, you are ready to strain. We used a colander first, mashing the meat with a masher to get every last drop of liquid fat out, and then strained again using a sieve.
Round 2! We set the first batch aside, and then since Sam took the reins on the first batch, I followed steps 1-4 again and did the second batch myself.
Step 5 - Let the fat cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge overnight. The next time you look at it, you'll have a pretty white disc of beautiful tallow on top! (Water and yuck will be at the bottom, you won't need this).
Step 6 - Separate the tallow. We used a butter knife to loosen the edges of the tallow from the pot until, when we tipped the pot, the tallow eased right out. Rinse the tallow under cool, running water, then pat dry.
Step 7 - Cut your tallow for storage. The smaller you make the tallow chunks, the easier it will be for use in soap making, so take your time and cut it well. My chunks were smaller than Sam's, lol, and later, when melting for use in soap, my chunks melted quicker.
Store the tallow in an air tight container or ziplock in the freezer until you are ready to use, for up to a year.
For 10 pounds of beef fat, we wound up with just about 6 1/2 pounds of tallow. Not too shabby! Each bag contained about 3 batches of soap for me.
Rendering our own tallow was super fun and super easy. And the pride I felt knowing we rendered the tallow that would go in my handmade soap for my family to use? Priceless and worth the little bit of effort.
Happy tallow rendering!
With love,
Mama Hauck
Rendering our own tallow was a fun adventure. If you're going to make your own soap, you mine as well jump in with both feet and do as much of the process yourself as possible, right? If you can.
If you're looking for more detailed step-by-step directions, I suggest you click that link and check out The Spruce's website on how to render tallow. I'll show photos and summarize my own way below.
Since we had a lot of beef fat, it seemed like a good idea to do this process outside on our propane burner in a big stock pot. We could do it in two big batches as opposed to many smaller batches on the stove, and we wouldn't stink up the house. Win-win.
Step 1 - Dump your beef fat into your stock pot. For this rendering, our beef fat already came in small chunks. If yours are not in manageable chunks, or is attached to some pretty large pieces of meat and gristle, chop off the large meat chunks and then run the fat through a grinder (if you have one) or ask your local butcher if they can for you. Smaller chunks will render easier. We had to do some chop and grind on some beef fat we got from a friend this past December when we needed to render more tallow.
Step 2 - Add enough water to just cover the fat, and about 1 tablespoon per pound of fat. We had 10 pounds of beef fat and broke it up into two batches. So it wound up being about 5 pounds of beef fat per batch.
Step 3 - Time to start the flame! Heat the mixture to boiling, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer, simmer, simmer! The chunks will start to release liquid fat. Continue to simmer, stirring often, until the mixture is just melted fat, meat, and gristle. Go ahead and use a masher to mash the meat to help it release every little bit of liquid fat it can. Simmer time will depend on the amount of beef fat you are working with, and the size of the chunks.
Step 4 - Strain the meat. When you are left with just chunks of meat and gristle with no more attached fat to them, you are ready to strain. We used a colander first, mashing the meat with a masher to get every last drop of liquid fat out, and then strained again using a sieve.
Round 2! We set the first batch aside, and then since Sam took the reins on the first batch, I followed steps 1-4 again and did the second batch myself.
Step 5 - Let the fat cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge overnight. The next time you look at it, you'll have a pretty white disc of beautiful tallow on top! (Water and yuck will be at the bottom, you won't need this).
Step 6 - Separate the tallow. We used a butter knife to loosen the edges of the tallow from the pot until, when we tipped the pot, the tallow eased right out. Rinse the tallow under cool, running water, then pat dry.
Step 7 - Cut your tallow for storage. The smaller you make the tallow chunks, the easier it will be for use in soap making, so take your time and cut it well. My chunks were smaller than Sam's, lol, and later, when melting for use in soap, my chunks melted quicker.
Store the tallow in an air tight container or ziplock in the freezer until you are ready to use, for up to a year.
For 10 pounds of beef fat, we wound up with just about 6 1/2 pounds of tallow. Not too shabby! Each bag contained about 3 batches of soap for me.
Rendering our own tallow was super fun and super easy. And the pride I felt knowing we rendered the tallow that would go in my handmade soap for my family to use? Priceless and worth the little bit of effort.
Happy tallow rendering!
With love,
Mama Hauck
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Gorge Community Music Student Showcase
Last night, Gorge Community Music (GCM) of The Dalles, OR, celebrated their 2nd year in business by holding a recital for all the students that take lessons there! It was a full house! Anthony and Molly performed with their music teacher, James, and we are so, so proud of them!!!
Right from the get-go, Anthony was all about performing at the recital! He has progressed so much since starting sax lessons with James back in September and is really loving it! He did so well last night! He even had to perform a little improv in the middle of the song, which I'm sure was a bit scary in front of a crowd!
Weeks ago, when we were told about the recital, Molly said she didn't want to participate. I totally got that. It's hard to be up in front of a crowd. However, with some gentle encouragement from James and myself, she ultimately decided to go for it. And wouldn't you know it, she was amazing!! Molly and James performed "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" and "I Believe I can Fly."
We are sooooo proud of you, Molly! You were so brave getting up there in front of everyone! I'm so happy you had fun. You are the sweetest little song bird! You totally made Grandma Cathy cry! Had I not been worried about shaking the camera, I would have bawled too, lol! You've been doing your voice lessons for almost a year now.....we can't wait to see where you'll be in another year!
We are very thankful to have GCM, and especially James, in our lives. Here's to making more sweet music and wonderful memories!!
With love,
Mama Hauck
Right from the get-go, Anthony was all about performing at the recital! He has progressed so much since starting sax lessons with James back in September and is really loving it! He did so well last night! He even had to perform a little improv in the middle of the song, which I'm sure was a bit scary in front of a crowd!
"Cool Blues"
We are so proud of you, Anthony! You got right up there on the stage and nailed your performance! I am so happy you enjoy playing the saxophone so much! We are excite to watch you grow and progress with your playing. Great work, Anth!!
"Sitting on the Dock of the Bay"
"I Believe I Can Fly"
We are very thankful to have GCM, and especially James, in our lives. Here's to making more sweet music and wonderful memories!!
With love,
Mama Hauck
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