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My Winnings in the Half-Billion Dollar Power Ball

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deluxestogie

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I know. The likelihood of winning the Power Ball jackpot is roughly similar to the probability of developing a variety of tobacco that spontaneously rolls its own stogies. I usually resist buying lottery tickets for the petty payoffs--ten million, fifty million, two hundred million. But a half-billion was just too tempting.

I spent $10. One of the five sets of picks (generated with a random number generator) matched the power ball. So, with my windfall, I was able to purchase a gallon of milk. Despite my winnings, no friend or stranger has called to ask me if I could share some of my milk.

Bob
 

johnlee1933

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I know. The likelihood of winning the Power Ball jackpot is roughly similar to the probability of developing a variety of tobacco that spontaneously rolls its own stogies. I usually resist buying lottery tickets for the petty payoffs--ten million, fifty million, two hundred million. But a half-billion was just too tempting.

I spent $10. One of the five sets of picks (generated with a random number generator) matched the power ball. So, with my windfall, I was able to purchase a gallon of milk. Despite my winnings, no friend or stranger has called to ask me if I could share some of my milk.Bob
Poor baby -- Even with all that only the regulars love you. (We love you any way.) {Is there any comfort in that?} -- John
 

Knucklehead

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A gentleman asked my uncle one time what he would do if he won the big jackpot lottery he was buying a ticket for. My uncle responded " I suppose I would just continue farming until the money ran out." Wonderful response and says alot about the plight of the American farmer.
 

Knucklehead

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I spent $10. One of the five sets of picks (generated with a random number generator) matched the power ball. So said:
Bob-- hang on to that milk. The way the prices are skyrocketing you may come out with a profit yet.
 

BigBonner

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I spent $12 on tickets to . I know it was a shot in the dark . But as I laid in bed that night I was thinking about "IF" I won that I would have given all my tobacco to the posting members here on FTT .
Sorry you all lost to .
 

deluxestogie

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I've just used half of my winnings to set up a half-gallon of yogurt.

  • I heat milk in a water bath to 185ºF, then hold it there for 20 minutes.
  • After cooling to 115ºF, it goes into a half-gallon bubba-style insulated mug.
  • I stir in 2 Tbsp. of the previous batch of yogurt, close the lid, then let it sit on the counter for 12 hours.
  • Tomorrow, I'll put it into four 1 pint jars, then into the fridge.
I consider it a form of investing. Four pints of yogurt cost about $10, plus I still have the remaining half-gallon of milk!

Bob
 

ne3go

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You could also make cheese from the rest of the milk. Even better investment!
 

istanbulin

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... plus I still have the remaining half-gallon of milk!
You could also make cheese from the rest of the milk. Even better investment!

You may get only 10-12 oz of regular cheese by rest of the milk :) If it is a goat's milk you may get a little bit more.

BTW, I love pairing goat cheese and raki :)
 
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deluxestogie

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The smallest quantity of milk for cheese making that I have used is 1 gallon, and that only for making soft cheese. To make a hard cheese, the minimum recommended starting quantity is 2 gallons of milk, although I have made a number of hard cheeses using 1.5 gallon quantities.

The problem is that common hard cheeses often sell in the markets for $4 a pound (which is about what I get from 2 gallons of milk). Although homemade hard cheese usually--not always--tastes better than factory cheese, it involves a heap of work: making the curd, cooking the curd--both at carefully controlled temperatures, draining the curd, pressing the curd, either brining or waxing the pressed cheese, aging the pressed cheese in a controlled environment for 1 to 12 months. Making feta is easier, but again, unless it is made from raw goat's milk or sheep's milk, it tastes pretty much like store-bought.

On the other hand, making a soft, spreadable cheese is fast and easy. If it is made into an herbed cheese (like Boursin, Rondelle, Alouet, etc.), the taste is always better, and the cost differential is dramatic.

By the way, any novice can make a presentable soft cheese by simply pouring a pint of any store-bought plain yogurt into a colander lined with three layers of common cheese cloth (or a single layer of butter muslin), tying the corners of the cloth to make a bag, then suspending the bag from a bungee cord above the sink overnight or for ~12 hours (or when the liquid whey drips at 1 drop per 20-30 seconds). The resulting soft cheese is then dumped into a bowl and blended with a little salt and the herbs of your choice (for Boursin, that would be garlic powder, dill weed, black pepper and basil). Another blend would be a little salt, sugar or sweetener, and crushed pineapple. It keeps in the fridge for a week or so. Spread it on crackers, a bagel or a slice of toast.

Bob
 

Jitterbugdude

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Bob, I've made tons of cheese using 1 gallon quantites. For some of the harder cheeses like cheddar the rind is thick enough that after I cut it down there isn't much edible cheese left though. Farmer's cheese works out real well with a 1 gallon batch of raw milk. The other nice thing about raw milk is that you can make a real nice spreadable cheese exactly the way you would using yogurt.

I've also made tons of Mozarella cheese with a 1 gallon batch of milk. It only takes about 20 minutes to make (by cheating and using citric acid).

Randy B
 

istanbulin

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By the way, any novice can make a presentable soft cheese by simply pouring a pint of any store-bought plain yogurt into a colander lined with three layers of common cheese cloth (or a single layer of butter muslin), tying the corners of the cloth to make a bag, then suspending the bag from a bungee cord above the sink overnight or for ~12 hours (or when the liquid whey drips at 1 drop per 20-30 seconds). The resulting soft cheese is ...
Bob

We call it "süzme yoğurt" (strained or filtered yoghurt) not cheese. If you add garlic (or garlic powder), dried or fresh mint (chopped), chopped cucumber (peeled), salt, black pepper and some olive oil in it, this is called "cacık" (a kind of meze). But your recipe is good to me.
 

ne3go

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For greek feta the recipe is: 4-5 litres of sheep milk gives about 1 kilo cheese (1 gallon milk ---> 2 pounds of cheese).
The problem is that it's not pure sheep milk, so will taste like the bought one....
 

deluxestogie

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For greek feta the recipe is: 4-5 litres of sheep milk gives about 1 kilo cheese (1 gallon milk ---> 2 pounds of cheese).
The problem is that it's not pure sheep milk, so will taste like the bought one....
Sheep milk has much higher fat and milk-solids content than cow milk, so will yield a higher weight of cheese per gallon.

Bob
 

istanbulin

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Raki = Licorice flavored gasoline ;)
Dan

Dan, yes it may be strong for the beginners or first time drinkers, I think you tried homemade raki in Adana it's undrinkable for me too because it sometimes contains 60-65% alcohol. I call it Turkish absinthe :D But raki is not licorice flavored, it's anise flavored distilled beverage with 45-50% alcohol (vol).
 

wazzappenning

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I've just used half of my winnings to set up a half-gallon of yogurt.

  • I heat milk in a water bath to 185ºF, then hold it there for 20 minutes.
  • After cooling to 115ºF, it goes into a half-gallon bubba-style insulated mug.
  • I stir in 2 Tbsp. of the previous batch of yogurt, close the lid, then let it sit on the counter for 12 hours.
  • Tomorrow, I'll put it into four 1 pint jars, then into the fridge.
I consider it a form of investing. Four pints of yogurt cost about $10, plus I still have the remaining half-gallon of milk!

Bob

can you use storebought yogurt for the 2 Tbsp, and start making your own from there?

ive been looking at the possibility of making kefir, but i think you need raw milk (illegal here)
 
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