Greek Yogurt With Fruit.

I've wanted to make homemade yogurt for a long time, I've just been... busy. Yeah, busy. Not scared of a silly little thing like yogurt. Nope, not scared at all. When one of my favorite cooking blogs posted the recipe and method for making yogurt I knew I had to conquer my fear clear out my schedule and tackle this one head on. I had success from the very first time I made this, although I have had to work out the straining process, but I think I have it now. There are two ways I've made this, on the stove and in the crockpot. I prefer the crockpot as it frees up my oven and I don't have to worry about scalding the milk.

Another thing I should note is that I looked at a lot of other recipes and one thing that I noticed is that the amount of yogurt (for the starter) varies from 2 teaspoons to 1 cup. Basically, if you add yogurt with live cultures, you'll be fine. So if you want to dump an entire 6 oz. container in your heated milk, go for it. Or you can be like me and add 2 or 3 good sized spoonfuls and then eat the rest. I should also mention the first time I made this I used key lime yogurt and it turned out fine, so if you can't find (or forget to buy) plain yogurt, use whatever you have.

The stovetop method is the recipe I found at Annie's Eats. She has great step by step pictures, and is also the source of the fruit mix-in recipe. The crockpot method I found at Our Life Simplified. The ingredients are the same, it's the method that's different.

1/2 gallon milk [I use whole or 2%]
2 tsp. to 1 cup plain yogurt with active cultures [I use a couple good sized spoonfuls]
1/4 to 1/2 cup instand dry milk powder [this is optional and I don't use it]
1 tbsp vanilla extract, optional [I usually don't use it]

Stovetop Directions: Add milk to a saucepan and head over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Heat until the temperature reaches 180 degrees F. Remove from the heat.

Set aside and let cool, stirring occasionally, until the temperature has dropped to between 110-120 degrees F.

Poor milk into ceramic or glass bowl and stir in plain yogurt. If you are using instant dry milk, whisk it in at this time.

Preheat the oven (to any temperature, I do mine to 500 degs F), shutting the oven off after 1 minute. Turn the oven light on (I don't have a light, so I don't do it.). Cover the dish and wrap the covered bowl in a couple of thick towels. I use a Pyrex bowl with a plate for a lid. Close the oven and let the mixture incubate in the warm oven for 8-12 hours.

Crockpot Directions: Pour milk into crockpot. Cover, turn on high and let the milk heat to 180 degrees F. I use a thermometer to be safe, but it does take 2 hours.

Turn the crockpot off. Take the lid off and let cool back down to 110-120 degrees F. This varies from 20-35 minutes depending on how warm my house is. Stir frequently to prevent the milk from forning a skin.

Stir in plain yogurt and instant dry milk (if using). Put the lid back on the crockpot. Wrap the entire crockpot with a thick towel and set aside for 8-12 hours.

Straining Directions for both methods: After your milk has incubated, it should look like yogurt with really yellow liquid. This liquid is whey, and can be strained off. Or if you want runny yogurt, don't strain it. I do strain mine. I tried using a fine mesh sieve to strain, but my sieve is really small so I was having to do it in batches. I really don't have that kind of time. But I do have a large plastic pasta colander... and it works great! I line it with paper towels, set the colander over a large Pyrex bowl, and put the whole thing in the fridge for a few hours. The longer it drains the thicker the yogurt will be. Usually I let mine drain over night.

Place the strained yogurt in a storage container and whisk in vanilla extract. Store in the refrigerator for a week. I like to divide mine up into ready to go containers. Sometimes I add a fruit mix-in [shown], the kids like honey, jelly or fruit cocktail with theirs.

For the fruit mix-in:
2 cups blueberries, raspberries, or chopped peaches (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice [I use the stuff that comes in the lemon shaped squeeze bottle, works fine]

In a medium sauce pan, combine the fruit and sugar. Heat until the fruit begins to release its juices. Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and lemon juice until lump free, then stir the slurry into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 minute until thickened. Remove from heat. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Burgandy Steak

Another recipe that turned out fast and easy! Everyone liked this recipe alot, it will probably make another appearance as a freezer meal. I did make a change to the recipe because I don't care for the taste of wine and substitued beef broth. Apple juice would make a nice substitution as well. There weren't enough noodles, so I would increase the noodles for next time.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1lb beef top sirloin steak, cut into 1" strips
1 tbsp canola oil [I did use a little more during frying to keep my pan from drying out]
10-1/2 oz can condensed French onion soup, undiluted
1/2 cup burgandy wine or beef broth
3 cups hot cooked egg noodles [my family needs more than this]

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour and paprika. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.

In a large skillet, brown beef in oil. Add soup and wine [broth]; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and sauce is thickened.

Serve with noodles.

Apple Glazed Porkchops

This is one of the fastest and easiest recipes I've made in a long time - and possibly the best thing I've ever made on my George-Forman-Wannabe-Grill. The Diva has asked for this TWICE since I made it.

2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper [I skipped]
4 boneless pork loin chops, roughly 1" thick and 6 oz each
2 tbsp apple jelly

Combine brown sugar and seasonings; rub over both sides of pork chops. Cook in batches [if necessary, it wasn't for me] on an indoor grill coated with cooking spray [I skipped] for 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degs.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat jelly until warmed; brush over pork chops.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Chowder)

This recipe was given to me last fall by a friend. Over the course of the winter I have had the time to tinker with it. The first thing I learned: do NOT substitute AP flour with wheat flour. The soup never got "chowdery". The other thing that I learned is that this is a very versatile chowder, inexpensive to make and a great way to use up leftovers. I've used different veggie mixes, but a basic mix works best (California mix is my personal favorite, but the larger veggies need to be chopped before adding or you'll be eating your chowder with a fork.). Leftover roast chicken works great in this recipe - but you can use canned (I haven't yet). An addition I made on this particular day was I had two slices of bacon that needed to be used in my fridge, so I cooked them up crisp and crumbled them into the chowder. Next time, I'd add a little more... This recipe has been a great additon to stock the freezer with.

1/4 cup flour (to make gluten-free use 2 tbsp cornstarch instead)
2 cups water
4 cups milk, can use fat-free [I only use 3 cups milk]
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1/2 medium chopped onion
8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms [I omit]
10 oz frozen classic mixed vegetables - peas, carrots, green beans, corn [I use a full 16 oz bag]
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed small
16 oz. cooked chicken breast, diced small (I use leftover roast chicken, anywhere from 1-2 cups)
salt [I omit because usually my roast chicken is already seasoned]
fresh ground pepper
pinch of thyme

Create a slurry by combining 1/2 cup of the cold water [I do it with 1/2 cup milk instead] with flour in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Pour [remaining] water and [remaining] milk into a large pot and slowly bring to a boil.

Add celery, onion, mushrooms, chicken bouillon, thyme, fresh pepper, and frozen vegetables and return to a boil. Partially cover and simmer on low until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.

Remove lid, add potatoes and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. [Mine usually need 10-15 minutes.]

Add chicken, and slowly whisk in slurry, stirring well as you add.

Cook another 2-3 minutes, until soup thickens, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Recipe from The Captain (via email October 28, 2011)

Carrot-Ginger Wheat Bread (ABM)

Just when I think I have things figured out... The Universe proves me wrong. When I bought my bread machine (some 5 years ago) I picked up a bunch of used recipe books. All but two of them have gone by the wayside: Better Home & Gardens, and Betty Crocker. Two trusted names in my kitchen.

The BHG cookbook is occasionally disappointing as the bread taste tends to be weak, so I decided that for this recipe I would make the spice a little stronger... and of course it turned out the recipe is probably just fine. The dough did mix up a little dry so I added an additional 1 tbsp milk during one of the mixing cycles. The only change I would consider making is next time cooking the carrots slightly before using as the taste was very strong. On the plus side, this loaf had great texture and a rustic appearance. This recipe is for 1-1/2lb loaf.

1 cup finely shredded carrot
1 cup milk
2 tbsp shortening
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp grated gingerroot or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1-2 tsp active dry yeast

Add ingredients to machine according to manufacturer's directions, adding the carrot with the milk. For my machine, the order is liquid ingredients, followed by dry with yeast added last.

I set my machine to the whole wheat setting with a light crust.


Gruyere-Rosemary Beer Bread

I made this so long ago... the picture was taken at the apartment! I also can't remember where I got the recipe(s) from to give credit back. But look at the cute little Diva hand in the picture!

I like this bread alot. ALOT. I didn't really like that the cheese alone cost $5. [I've mentioned that I'm cheap, right?] I'd like to play with this recipe a little bit to see if I could find a less expensive substitution, but I haven't gotten around to it. But then I guess it would just be cheese-rosemary bread... Also, the original recipe recommended New Belgium's Blue Paddle Pilsner-Lager, but I used regular ole Miller Lite. The next time I head into Dempsey's, I'm picking up a few of their micro-brews and giving these bread recipes another go.

3 cups self-rising flour
3 tbsp sugar
12 oz. room temperature beer [recommended New Belgium's Blue Paddle Pilsner-Lager]
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese and 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan with shortening.

Stir together flour and sugar. Add the beer and stir until combined. Add cheese and rosemary, gently mixing until combined.

Spoon into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour. Remove immediately from pan and place on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Brush the top with melted butter.

Other Variations Include:
Plain
Orange Nutmeg
Cinnamon Chocolate Chip

Found the source! Bake @350

Whole Wheat Dinner Rollsn (ABM)

I have two dinner roll recipes that I like to use. This one is my favorite. The rolls always rise, they're always light and fluffy. I make them two ways: I either form them into rolls (shown here) or I grease the wells of a muffin tin, and divide each of the 12 equal dough pieces into 3 pieces, place 3 dough pieces in each well, allow to rise and bake. You'll see this method when I share my other dinner roll recipe.

3/4 cup water
1 tbsp shortening [I've used butter with great success]
1-1/4 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp dry milk
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp bread machine yeast

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. For my machine, this is all liquids, followed by all dry with yeast last.

Select dough/manual cycle.

Grease large cookie sheet. Punch down dough; place on lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. [For the best instructions on shaping rolls, go here.] Place slightly apart on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe from Betty Crocker's Bread Machine Cookbook 1995