Kefir And The The Mad Scientist -

Little ol' me.

My little buddy, Melanie, sent me my first batch of Kefir Grains.

We call them, "her offspring". Which makes me feel really bad, when even just one of them goes down the drain! I'm sooorrryyy!!

I'd never heard of them before Melanie told me about them.

They're weird little things.

They're not soft, or hard. Kind of in-between. Put them in a clean glass jar and rinse them with Spring Water, only. And never touch them with anything metal!

These are the supplies you'll need, if you ever decide to make Kefir Water.

(Which is supposed to be really good for us!!)

You'll need four of the jars. Wash them really well, but without soap/detergent.

Put 1/4 cup of the Organic Whole Cane Sugar into the bottom of the glass jars.

Try to make two batches at a time.

Then add about 1/4 cup of the Kefir babies on top of that.

I feel like such a mad scientist at this stage, because I know they'll multiply like crazy!

Fill the jars to within an inch from the top, with Spring Water.

Put on the little coffee filter 'bonnet' and secure it with a rubber band to keep out any gnats,

flies, or whatever.

Set them somewhere warm to help with the fermentation.

I sat them on the window sill, but ended up moving them, because that window gets the full afternoon sun, and that's not good for them. It'll do 'em in. Oh, the guilt!!

After forty-eight hours, the drink is usually done.

It's fun to see the outcome after that time, because they've eaten all the sugar

and seriously multiplied! Very cool.

Strain the Kefir Water into a clean jar and put the Kefirs back into the jar they came from.

It hardly has any taste, so add a few slices of dried fruit to give it some flavor. I chose apples.

Put a clean bonnet on it and stick it in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours.

Pour the Kefirs back into the jar and rinse them with the Spring Water.

See how they've multiplied?! Crazy!!

Add enough water to cover them and put them in the refrigerator, unless you're making more right away. If you're making more, just follow the same directions as the first batch.

If you're waiting between batches, put the bonnet on first and then the lid.

(Because you can't use any metal.)

After twenty-four hours, the Kefir Water you put in the refrigerator is ready.

Remove the apple slices, or they'll get mushy and messy...

And enjoy!

This is a great article about Kefir; it's health benefits, in-depth directions on how to make it, where to order it, and fun stuff like that.

Let me know if you make some!

For another healthy drink, you may also want to try, Rejuvelac.

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

A Night With Los Lobos, Eric Clapton - And My Buddy Melanie

Los Lobos and Eric Clapton in one night! How awesome is that?!

They played at the Gibson Amphitheatre, at Universal City, in California.

I went to meet my buddy, Melanie, at her house, because she was going to drive.

(I get lost in my own back yard.)

And there was her poor little cat, recuperating from surgery. Poor, pitiful guy.

And here they are - Los Lobos! I love this band!!

Cesar on guitar, Conrad on base, Cougar playing the drums, Louis on guitar...

David on guitar and Steve playing the sax. I love the sound of the sax!

David and his angelic voice. Beautiful.

Steve playing the keyboard.

Steve playing the whatchamacallits. ??

My mother had a pair that she used to play around the house -

Just to drive me crazy, I do believe.

The last song and away they went. I could have listened to them all night long!

I love their new CD. I'll give you the info at the end of this post.

And then it was Eric Clapton's turn.

He sang two of my favorite songs; "Layla" and "I Shot The Sheriff".

The colors were fabulous too.

Everywhere you turned, there was a sea of people.

Loved the music, loved the colors.

There's one in every crowd, isn't there?

"Down in front."

It was an awesome show!! They both rocked the place!!

Leaving the theatre.

I'm trying to keep up with Melanie, who is not only a fast walker,

but is wearing comfortable footwear!

Which way do we go?

Some of the sights at City Walk. The place is huge!

For the sports-fan.

The things I do for my six year old grandson.

George is curious as to why anyone would park so far away from the venue!

I'm following Melanie. She seems to know where the car is. I haven't a clue.

Yup. She zeroed in on it.

Hey! Wait for me!

Traffic is always crazy there. And we were some of the last people to leave.

Note to self: If you wear these...

You will need these!!

This is the new CD by Los Lobos, which was nominated for two Grammy's!

"Tin Can Trust". Available for purchase on their website.

And here is the great ERIC CLAPTON'S website.

My friend Melanie is the namesake for my tiny buddy, Mel-Mel.

You'll find her in several of my posts. If you'd like to read more about her,

just type in Mel-Mel on the top-right of the page. Thanks much ~

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

(Thank you.)

Signing off for now,

gabriele