Homemade Yogurt In Your Crock Pot

Okay. So quick back round on this....I was a helper parent on my sons field trip and we were having an indoor picnic ( due to yucky cold wind and rain ) and as I was eating my yogurt when another parent mentioned that her friend makes her own yogurt in her crock pot. What!!!???.... Did your tires just come to a halt like mine did ? ( And yes, I have even heard mentioned that you can make it in a jar on the fridge....??? Didn't research that one ) So intrigued and curious, and after thawing out from the outdoor walk on the field trip I decided to dig into this and see what I needed to do to make this stuff. I came across this invaluable website that has a ton of crock pot recipes with everything from yogurt to play doh to Greek spare ribs. And so here it is and this is my experience.....

You will need:8 cups or half gallon of whole milk. DO NOT use ultra pasteurized. Homogenized and regular pasteurized are fine. Also, it is recommended that you start with whole milk until you get the hang of making yogurt.

1/2 cup store-bought, natural, live/active culture plain yogurt. This is your starter for the culture in your batch. Once you have made your own you may use that as your starter.

Flavoring. So fruit or honey is fine. Honestly this got eaten so quickly that I only had the chance to try my newly purchased , naturally flavored , hazelnut agave nectar in it. That was yummy!

Thick bath towel

So here we go!

First off, to tackle this you need to be home to monitor your yogurt. So set a day aside when you are able to be around. Next, grab your 4 quart crock pot and plug it in and turn to low with your 8 cups of milk poured in and let sit for 2 1/2 hours with the lid on. After your 2 1/2 hours is up, unplug and leave the cover on and leave it for 3 hours. After that has passed , take out 2 cups of your warm milk and whisk in you 1/2 cup of store bought yogurt. Place it back into your crock pot and stir in. Lid still on and still unplugged get your bath towel, or in my case beach towel, and wrap it up for the night or about 8 hours. Place in your fridge in containers and it should last for 7-10 days....that is if your family doesn't gobble it first! Save 1/2 cup for your starter for the next batch.

The Outcome:
Although the consistency is not as thick as store bought it definitely looked like yogurt. It also was not nearly as tangy or sour tasting as the brands you can get in the store so I definitely liked that! A solution that I have read is that if you want to use a lower fat content milk you can either use a packet of unflavored gelatin and stir it in when you are mixing in the culture, or you may add skim milk powder to it . As pictured, I had flavored and sweetened it with the agave nectar and the kids went crazy for it! I didn't even get a chance to try something else as polished that batch off too quickly. Maybe the next one. I have to say it was fun and I am already trying batch number 2. If you want a YOP type yogurt drink you can try adding fruit juice to it as well. All the best!!

December 23, 2009

Well it's Christmas Eve, Eve if that makes any sense at all.....and boy do we have snow!!! It is expected that we will get 10-20 cm of snowfall in two days. That's right folks! We get issued a "snowfall warning" here but we never get snow days no matter how much it snows or how cold it gets. It's amazing really. Regardless, I thought the kids, the new pup and I would get out and enjoy the abundant fall of flakes. And then had some homemade hot chocolate to finish a wonderful time outside !For the recipie I used the basic Fry's Cocoa recipie but altered it to my own:
5 tsp cocoa powder
8-10 tsp organic sugar ( to your taste )
1 tbl vanilla extract
1 c. cream
4 c. milk
I also added a dash of nutmeg. You can take out the cream if you like and just use milk, however, we all know cream makes it taste better!
Take a couple tablespoons of the milk and mix it with the powder mixture and then add it to the milk. Heat on stove and voila!

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

December 22, 2009

As Christmas Day approaches ( and quickly at that! ) I wanted to share something for people who love to entertain or just simply love Olives! This is how I stumbled upon this most delectable olive....... My husband had so lovingly gone to get groceries at the store ( normally this is something I do ) and picked up some very different things that I would not have normally picked up. It's not a bad thing, only I noticed a lot of spicy type stuff that I can really make the kids for snacks or meals. Sigh. However, I like the refreshing change when he goes, because sometimes I get in a shopping rut. Anyways, among his purchases were these olives that I have never seen or tasted before. And oh my goodness! one taste of the Lemon Twist stuffed olive and wanted to eat the whole jar! I have never tasted an Olive like this before.

Now that I was hooked, I decided to venture on to their website http://www.olivelovers.ca/ to see what they have to offer.... And talk about selection, you need to check out the yummy olives they have! They have Jalapeno and Blue Cheese, Almond stuffed and even one called Temptation. Another cool thing is that they are a Canadian based company out of Mississauga, Ontario. Whatever your entertaining need this Christmas be sure to seek these out and keep them in mind for your New Years bash. They also have a number of recipies posted as well! At only 25 calories for 4 large California olives it sure beats the 400 calories for a mere 1/2 cup of mixed nuts!

December 4, 2009

Just wanted to share with you some modern gift wrap ideas for Christmas - or any time of year really! It is true that the wrapping gets ripped off anyways so why bother right? Well, there is something about a well wrapped gift that is a gift in itself! It makes it an experience. The anticipation, the excitement, slowly pulling off the layers and taking it all in until the moment when you get to see what was carefully wrapped up inside. Taking the time, effort and thought conveys exactly that to the recipient. People clearly see that you did all this for them and it can make someone feel very special because it says ' you were worth my time, my effort, my thought, etc.' I mean, let us just say that there was a jaw dropping box all prettied up and it had MY name on it, I think I would turn 5 years old again. I would be so giddy and excited, I mean wouldn't you? However, there is something in the giving act that makes us feel special too. Acts 20:35 says that " the Lord Jesus himself said 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.' While, all the gifts and such may be so nice to give ( and get ), remember to give the most important gift of all...LOVE!

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December 1, 2009

The first day of December.... but first, lets reflect on this November

Well, strangely enough we have experienced bizarre, almost tropical type weather....for here that is. True, sometimes in November it is not uncommon for us here in Regina, Saskatchewan to experience horrific sub zero temperatures and blizzards. For instance last year, my husband and I got back from Mexico to discover it had been blizzarding and about -37 degrees Celsius ( which would be around -35 degrees Fahrenheit) This November on the contrary , we had days of +17 - 20 degrees above zero ( about 62-68 degrees Fahrenheit ) and were wearing NO jackets of any kind! I didn't believe my kids when they came in and told me that it was too hot to wear their down jackets, my mind was going tilt! Weather here literally and I do mean very literally changes at the drop of a hat. One day can be roasty toasty and the next you are bundled up in every layer imaginable. So, now that I have highlighted the warmth of this November I have to say I was missing something. It is the something that is usually here by now. SNOW. Yes, I was actually missing that stuff. Maybe it is because my lawn got ripped up this fall and was left with a big mud hole and wanted it covered up, or maybe it is the beauty it brings as it highlights every branch on the trees and provides a satisfying crunch below your feet. That is what December brought. It snowed all night with big puffy snowflakes layering the vehicle with almost a foot of snow. Wonderful!

For my first post I wanted to share some of the items on Etsy that I adore! Clearly I like peacock feathers - I know! And yes, I realize that it doesn't really go with the snow thing either :)