Try it, don't buy it

Homemade Yogurt

Most of us have bought yogurt in the supermarket.  I don’t know why when it is so easy to make.  It takes some time, (waiting time) but practically no effort.  Once you make it yourself you will not want to go back to store bought.  You can control the milk you use (I use milk from a local dairy) so you can eliminate added hormones or antibiotics. It also just tastes better.

I use a Yogotherm.  It's nothing more than an insulated container.  Don’t worry if you don’t one; just use a heating pad (like you can get at a drugstore) to keep it at a constant temperature of about 110 degrees for 6-8 hours.  I started making yogurt after ordering a kit from Ricki the cheese queen. You can check her out at  http://www.cheesemaking.com

Start with a half-gallon of your favorite milk.  You want to heat it over medium heat until it reaches 180 degrees.  It will just start to be bubbly around the edges.

After it reaches 180 degrees turn off the heat and transfer it to your Yogotherm or other plastic container.  Now it needs to cool down to 110 degrees.  This can take as long as an hour and half so be patient.

Now you whisk in your culture. You can order this online from the link above or even Amazon.  If you don’t have powdered culture just use a tablespoon of store bought prepared yogurt. Make sure it is a brand with active cultures. Now cover and put in your insulated container or wrap in your heating pad and let sit undisturbed for 6-8 hours. Timing is the hardest part of this venture.  You have to make sure that you are around or not sleeping when the time is up. I plan for it be done at bedtime.  Then I can drain it overnight and have nice thick yogurt for breakfast.

To drain your yogurt just line a colander with cheesecloth or paper coffee filters and set it over a large bowl or pot.  Dump it in, and refrigerate.  It will lose quite a bit of volume.

Save the liquid (whey).  I use it when I make oatmeal and even bread.

homemade yogurt with homemade strawberry jam

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Peppers 2 ways

Those little jars of roasted peppers in the store are expensive.  When red peppers are in season and not so expensive at the farmer's market buy them!  You can roast them yourself and freeze them for use throughout the year.  They are great on pizza, cooked into spaghetti sauce or even on a turkey sandwich.

There are 2 ways you can do this in your kitchen. You can put them in a baking pan and drizzle them with oil and put them under the broiler.  This takes about 20-30 minutes until they are blackened.

 Turn them to make sure they are black on all sides.  

The other way to do this is directly on your gas burner.  Just coat with olive oil and put them on the flame.  

Turn them until they are black on all sides.

When your peppers are done put them in a bowl and cover it so they can steam.

 After they are cool enough to touch remove all the charred skin and you have roasted peppers.