Failed yoghurt, thank yous, and 11 questions

You may remember that I recently found coconut yoghurt (that reads a bit like I found religion), and that I had high hopes for using the yoghurt as a starter for making non-dairy yoghurt myself.

People, my hopes are dashed.

The above pictures don't really do justice to the failure that was this yoghurt. It didn't set. At all. The texture remained runny, and also separated, and it smelt odd. I couldn't even bring myself to taste it.

It is possible that the problem was combining coconut yoghurt with almond milk. I used sweetened almond milk, knowing that yoghurt cultures like some sugar to feed off, but would have used sweetned coconut milk (of the tetrapack rather than canned variety) if I could find it. Sadly, the stores I used to see it in no longer seem to stock it. Another explanation is that I'm just not very good at non-dairy yoghurt making. I may try coconut kefir (akin to drinking yoghurt, but non-dairy) instead.

If anyone does have ideas for how to improve my yoghurt outcomes, I would love to hear your thoughts. I did the above by combining 1/3 cup of the coconut yoghurt with 3 and 2/3 cups of sweetened almond milk, shook them together well, and put the container in a boiling water 'bath' in my yoghurt maker. I left it for 12 hours.

From yoghurt failures, I am moving to catch up on some blog acknowledgement over the past 6 months. I owe Cassandra of Food My Friend two thank yous, for her mentions of Bite-Sized Thoughts in relation to the Reality Blog Award and Best Moments Award. I might not have been very pro-active in following the mentions up, but I do appreciate them!

I am also grateful to Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe, for her mention of Bite-Sized Thoughts when she did her Liebster Award in March of this year. Johanna provided 11 questions to think about, and I have had fun contemplating my answers. I hope you'll enjoy seeing my responses, and thinking of what your own might be.

1. Who was your childhood hero?

I'm not certain I had one. I remember loving Noni Hazlehurst from Playschool as a 3-year-old (it was the only TV show I was permitted to watch at that time), Laura Ingalls Wilder as a 5-year-old (her stories were the first novels I read alone), Norah in the Australian Billabong books as a 10-year-old (I still love her actually), and Isla Fisher from Home and Away (an Australian soap opera) as a 13-year-old (she comes from Perth and went to my high school, so I felt an affinity). I will grant them hero status or at least the closest to heroes that I had!

What is your favourite mechanical kitchen implement?
Definitely my food processor. 

What is one song that you have sung in public, where did you sing it and why this particular song?

My main singing experiences came from compulsory participation in my annual high school House Arts Festival, held at the end of term one with each house contributing a choir (what you were in by default), mime, and play. There were also art and cooking contributions. Not being into acting, or in fact anything that required me to be on a stage, my contributions were always through the compulsory choir. I once made a cake too, and remember the thrill of eating cake over lunch in the sunshine - with friends, lest you think I ate it all alone - once the judging was over.

These memories aside, the song that has remained with me most strongly from my choir singing years is California Dreaming by The Mamas and The Papas.
 

What is the best costume that you have worn to a fancy dress party (or if you haven't worn one, then what would you love to go as)?
A confession: I loathe and fear fancy dress parties. I find regular parties challenging enough, never mind throwing in fancy dress! See also above about my dislike of being on stage...I'm not one for calling attention to myself.

What is your favourite green food?
I love this question. Currently, green smoothies. If they don't count, edamame beans. And brocolli.

What is your ideal birthday cake?

I don't have a standard answer for this, but anything vegan and not chocolate tends to be a winner. I love apple cake, carrot cake, cakes with stone fruits and/or berries, and cakes with vanilla hues and spices like ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Do you have any giraffes in your house (knickknacks, clothes, pictures etc)? If so please tell me about one.
I don't, but my Mum has several wooden giraffes in an African style. She loves giraffes and African-type figurines. I bought her a small wooden giraffe from a market in Salzburg, Austria, when I was there for a conference three years ago.

What fictional character used to terrify you as a child?
The man (human presenter) in Sooty and Sweep. I have just worked out he was probably Matthew Corbett, and seeing his picture brings back horrid memories even now. He was mean to Sooty and Sweep and scared me terribly!

Do you back up your blog? If so, how?
Not as often as I should. When I do, I just export it from Blogger and save it to my computer. (This is probably a terrible approach.)

What is your favourite vegetable or fruit that you have grown in your garden (or what would you like to grow if you haven't grown anything)?

Currently, I am loving the simplicity of herbs after a dismal summer of burnt sizzled vegetables. We have basil, parsley and mint doing very well. I also have some lemons forming and I'm waiting for those with eager anticipation. 

Where did you last have a picnic and what did you eat?

This one is easy - Mother's Day, with the food shown here!

Tell me - what would your answer be to any one of the above?
And do you have any tips for my yoghurt making efforts?!

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