Homemade Yogurt - Oh so simple, Oh so delicious!

Making yogurt has been on my list I think since last year. Anything that we consume a decent quantity of, I naturally think, I can make this better and for half the cost (and reduce our impact on the landfills) all at the same time.

I never stick with my first attempt of a recipe. I modify or make exact and don't like and have to modify on the 2nd or 3rd attempt. Whenever you make something new, plan for the next few times to be better.

The first yogurt making attempt came from this blog, which I really do think is cool and go back to for any slower cooker recipe or ideas but, I'd say "nope" on making yogurt in a slow cooker. There are a few reasons which I'll share so you don't have to go through the same trial and error. I made the first recipe with my slow cooker and the second with a heating pad. I highly recommend the heating pad method.

Temperature is super important, VERY important. Some may disagree and some may heavily agree, what I do know is that when I worked a different recipe (after lots of googling) and payed close attention to the temperature during the different stages - night and day difference.

The second lesson learned is once you have cooled your soon to be yogurt mixture down to 100 degrees, DO NOT fuss with it. Unknowingly, I stirred my first batch a few times here and there thinking I was doing some good - no, not good. The cultures / bacteria are hard at work, stirring disturbs them; do not disturb the cultures.

Third, do not try to thicken with milk powder after your yogurt is done. This is something to be done during the first step.

Last but not least, get a kitchen thermometer. Some people use fancy ones with alarms, bells and whistles.. why spend the money? Get a cheap-o $5.00 thermometer at target and call it a day.

I also tried with my first batch using fresh fruit and placing yogurt & fruit in the food processor, big mistake. My end result was thin, bubbly smoothie like yogurt. I did keep it and we've been drinking it (tastes good, just not thick enough to spoon).

Some people sterilize their equipment prior to making the yogurt, I didn't I will next time since it's a good idea. Follow the below directions and you'll have awesome yogurt ~ enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Gallon Organic Whole Milk 
• You can use 2% or skim I suppose but don't, why? Whole milk yogurt is glorious and so good for you; worried about the F word in whole milk? Talk to the French women, they drink it all of the time and are still fabulous.
• 2/3 cup Organic Nonfat Milk Powder
• 1 cup Organic Plain Yogurt (to be used as your starter)

Step 1: Sterilize Your Equipment

• Make sure everything you're going to use to make your yogurt is extremely clean!
• The easiest way to ensure that your equipment (saucepan, bowls, heatproof yogurt containers, utensils, etc.) is scrupulously clean is to run it through a dishwasher with a heated drying cycle.
• Alternatively, wash your containers and tools well in warm water with dish detergent and let the dishes air-dry.
• Then fill containers with boiling water and let them stand until you are ready to fill them with yogurt.
• Bring your starter (yogurt) out of the refrigerator so it can reach room temperature.

Step 2: Heat Your Milk

• Even if you use pasteurized milk, it will require sterilization due to the bacteria it contains.
• Pour milk into large sauce pan; Add nonfat powdered dry milk.
• Heat milk slowly, stirring continuously with a metal spoon, until small bubbles gather around the perimeter and steam rises from the surface.
• The temperature of the milk should be between 180 degrees F and 200 degrees F.


Do not allow milk to boil. Check temp often to get a good read at how fast / slow it is heating.
• Keep milk at this temperature for approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently with a metal spoon.



• Be sure to stir up from the bottom of the pot so the milk at the bottom doesn't scorch

Step 3: Add the Culture

• Once it has been sterilized, you must bring the temperature of the milk down so that the heat doesn't kill off the beneficial bacteria in the warmed starter culture.
• Turn off heat, let milk cool.
• Keep checking the temperature every five minutes or so, takes about 10 - 15 mins to cool.
• You don't want to add the starter until the milk has dropped to below 120 degrees F, but do not let the milk fall below 100 degrees F.





• The ideal temperature at which to add the starter is approximately 110 to 112 degrees F.
• When the milk reaches 115 degrees remove about a cup of the milk.
• Stir 1 cup plain yogurt with live active cultures into the cup of milk.
• Stir this back into the pot of sterilized milk.
• Your milk has now been cultured, or pitched.
• Cover the cultured milk.



Step 4: Incubate the Bacteria

Incubating the beneficial bacteria in your yogurt is the trickiest part of the whole procedure. If the temperature of the milk mixture is too low, the bacteria won't grow enough to produce yogurt. If the temperature is too high, however, it will kill the bacteria. There are a few methods you can use to regulate the temperature of your milk mixture as it turns to yogurt. Whichever method you choose, be sure to keep an eye on the temperature (use your thermometer!) to make sure it stays within the necessary parameters. Also, for the best results, your developing yogurt should be kept as still and undisturbed as possible.


Oven Method

• Turn oven to 170 degrees F.
• When oven comes up to temperature, turn oven off, wait 5 minutes, and place milk mixture inside.
• For ideal incubation, maintain a temperature of about 110 degrees F inside the oven.Use an oven thermometer or your candy thermometer to monitor the temperature inside the oven.
• Do not let the oven temperature drop below 100 degrees F.
• Let incubate for 5 to 7 hours.

Slow-Cooker Method

• Preheat the empty slow cooker (with the crockery insert in place) on the warm or low setting for 10 minutes.
• Place covered containers of yogurt in the slow cooker insert.
• Turn off the slow cooker and cover with a folded bath towel to insulate.
• Turn the slow cooker on warm or low for 5 minutes every hour to maintain temperature.
• Let incubate for about 5 to 6 hours.

Heating Pad Method



• Place a dry cutting board on a sturdy table or countertop.
• Set heating pad on top of cutting board and plug it in
• Turn the heating pad to medium heat.
• Place bowl of milk mixture on top of the heating pad.
• Let sit, undisturbed, for at least 6 or 7 hours. (I recommend 7)

I used the heating pad method and it rocks! I placed the heating pad (fuzzy cover off) onto the counter, turned on to "pre-heat". Put the pan right on top, set to medium and wrapped 3 towels around the pot to insulate. It kept the temp at 100 the entire time. Check your temp on your first go round to make sure you heating pad is warm enough or to ensure it is not too warm.


It is a lengthy process but once you have your milk incubating, there's nothing to it. My end result was fresh, thick, delicious and not too tangy. I can't see ever buying yogurt again. 

• 
  
  
  
  Flavoring:
  Fresh fruit
  Vanilla Extract, start out with a cap or two full and go from there
  Agave nectar to sweeten
  ...anything else your heart desires
  Please share what's worked best for you or any changes that you've made that have worked (or didn't)

Summer Salad Dressing

I've had this a million times at my sister-in-laws house and have always loved it. I decided to finally start "making" it at home and haven't gone back to store bought dressings. #1 the regular run of the mill dressing is loaded with garbage and #2 the organic / natural dressings are expensive and just as easy to make yourself.

This is sort of a slacker recipe however, I've decided to put some time back into sharing what I've been up to in the kitchen and figured I'll start up slow.

So, the best and easiest dressing for all of your summer salads take three ingredients:

* Olive Oil

* Lemon (or Lemon Juice)

* Kosher or Sea Salt

I'm on a greens kick these days which is perfect timing, right before our CSA starts up, happiness!! I've been using Swiss Chard (any color), Purple or Green Kale and some Romaine. 

Wash greens well, throw in bowl. Drizzle olive oil onto greens. Squeeze a lemon or two (or pour in some bottled lemon juice) and sprinkle with Sea Salt - mix and enjoy!

For a hearty addition throw in some wheat berries or spelt - Yum!

Perfect Pumpkin Spice Muffins

My sister loves everything pumpkin; lattes, pies, cookies, pumpkin butter. She recently drove in for a visit and I thought I'd surprise her with fresh baked muffins. The recipe that I first used was out of the norm for me, calling for 1 cup of brown sugar and vegetable oil - not really the way I look to start out my day. So as usual, I switched things up a bit and am happy with the results. I also replaced the 2 large eggs with additional pumpkin. Eggs, not really needed (click here for perfect egg subs).

These muffins take 5 minutes to whip up and are an awesome way for you to start out your morning - no refined sugars, no white flours and everything that treats your body good.

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 cup warm water
• Rolled oats
• Some raisins or dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease muffin pan with coconut oil.

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat agave and pumpkin in medium bowl until blended (I do this with a fork), add water and vanilla, stir. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Add a handful of raisins, stir. Fill muffin tin with batter. Sprinkle each muffin with rolled oats and press lightly into batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans, remove to wire rack (i never do this.. muffins are still sitting in their tins - whoops).

If you really want to pick things up a bit, throw in some toasted wheat germ, chia seed and/or flax meal.

Enjoy!

Kale Chips - who knew??

Who knew that you can "chip" this amazingly great for you green, that it would taste oh so good and, you'd actually crave more?

I found this sweet invention (orig. recipe here) during the CSA season-  here's the one that we're with and they ROCK, when I had chard and kale coming out of my ears. Now, I'm longing for all of those greens so I can throw some olive oil, cider vinegar and sea salt on them and roast 'em up -so so good.
psst - moms, kids like them too!!

Preheat oven to 400F, give some olive oil love to a cookie sheet.

• 1 bunch organic kale, torn into 1/2" pieces, can remove stem or leave on -washed etc
• 2 TBL organic olive oil
• 1 TBL organi apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp sea or kosher salt

Whisk oil and vinegar, toss kale pieces into the dressing until thoroughly coated. Place kale on oiled sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 15 mins or until crisy. Secret is to check these after 10 minutes, shake up the pan and go from there.

Enjoy!

Perfectly Rich and Silky Ice Cream; one ingredient and no maker needed!

I'm sitting down tonight, earlier than usual and had to share a dessert that I just made. I'm super excited about it and the fact that I was able to get it done in 2 minutes, makes it even better. I should also mention that since I've been prego, I crave ice cream and I don't even believe in pregnancy cravings, however, ice cream has my heart (and belly) at the time.

I ran across this today on the kitchn blog and was intrigued enough to add it into my evening detail. The title to the post is "How to Make Ice Cream with Just One Ingredient" frozen bananas.

Seriously? Do you know how many frozen bananas I have waiting for me in my freezer? I usually will whip'em into a healthy banana bread or muffins or add into something that I'm baking. Lately, I haven't had the luxury to bake and my frozen banana stash has been growing. BTW, don't ever throw a brown banana out, peel it and throw it the freezer in a ziplock for baking, smoothies and now, voila, ice cream.

Since I was intrigued (and slightly obsessed) I mean really, how could you get luscious, delicious, creamy, smooth ice cream out of frozen bananas??? I'll tell you, pull them out of the fridge, cut into chunks and throw into your food processor - that's it. Watch in amazement how they whip into ice cream right before your eyes.

and of course.. it was so good!

The major tips can be summed up as: (click here for a step by step slideshow, it's pretty)

• Peel your bananas first.
• Cut them into small pieces.
• Freeze for just 1-2 hours on a plate. (mine were in a ziplock in the freezer for who knows how long)
• Blend, blend, blend - scraping down the bowl when they stick.
• Enjoy the magic moment when they turn into ice cream!

It's been a long time since I've posted. My focus on food and health, I believe, has brought an awareness that I would have never known without unveiling the truth behind our food industry, factory farming and what has been deamed and served up to us as "healthy". And now, I need to turn that focus, not on a self project for fun, but on something that resides close within my heart and family; my dog.

Our dog Mars (to all that know and love her, Mars Bars) was diagnosed last week with Lymphoma Sarcoma - cancer. I am making it my mission to help her beat the odds, to live longer than the 60 days they've given her, to help her recover from within, to understand that she can, truly truly can - beat this. I am making it my mission to heal her with every alternative medicine, holistic health option, good common sense type plan out there. I am willing her to live. I am giving her my energy, my love and my dedication. I am promising, my dog, whom I rescued at five months that I will be her advocate, her chance at life past 60 days.

I don't think, now at this point that I will post any recipes. I may post what I'm learning or updates on our progress.. I'm not sure yet.

I ask that you send positive energy our way, healing thoughts and love to our Mars. If anyone has any knowledge or personal experience to share, I'd love to hear from you.

Much love,
Donielle

We love you Mars!

Knocked Up and Out!

The great news: I'm prego!

The bad news: I'm wicked sick!

It has been a test of will this past month fighting nausea, smells, food and being awake in general - blah. I haven't been able to cook or tolerate anything being cooked. The smell of food was killing me, in so many ways! I couldn't believe what was happening, how could something the size of a lentil bean turn my world upside down?

I'm rightside up now, enjoying food.. cooking again - phew! The nausea and all-day sickness (not just morning) hopefully has passed; it's been two days now and I feel like a new woman (plus one of course).

Hoping to get into the kitchen this weekend to cook up some delish dinners and find new recipes to post.

Much love,
Don