I made my own yogurt... who am I !?

One of my good friends, Lauren, recently blogged about making your own yogurt.  She promised me that it was SUPER easy and that "anyone" could do it. I can assure you that I am not "Suzy Q Homemaker"-- but Lauren was right, anyone can make their own yogurt!

If I haven't convinced you yet, here are some other things to consider:

1. Many popular commercial yogurts are made with high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, gelatin, artificial flavors, artificial dyes and more. When you make your own yogurt, you can control the ingredients and can choose to adjust the sweetness to your liking.

2. Yogurt is inherently a super food, rich in protein, calcium and probiotics. If you're on a weight-loss mission, the protein in yogurt can help you feel full longer and eat fewer calories. Research suggests that the probiotics (active cultures) that are teeming in yogurt can reduce the risk of colon cancer, improve immune system function, aid in alleviating constipation and diarrhea, prevent yeast infections and promote the absorption of vitamins and minerals.

3. If your family eats a lot of yogurt, you can save money (although it IS more time intensive than picking them up at the store).  One gallon of milk produces 4 quarts of yogurt at essentially 75 cents a quart.

Before I started on my yogurt making adventure this week, I read a few interesting posts about how to do it. I found them to be spot-on and easy to follow.  I will spare the time of posting my how-to pictures and just direct you to the websites below:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html

http://www.npr.org/2013/11/06/243014945/yes-it-s-worth-it-to-make-your-own-yogurt

http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/

What can you do with all of this yogurt?

Here are some ideas:

1. Make your own frozen yogurt!  This recipe for "Luscious Lemon" looks yummy and easy

2. Some of my St. Louis friends who are apart of a Baby Led Weaning group called "Little Foodies of St. Louis" enjoy making yogurt bites for their babes.  Elizabeth is too young to enjoy these-- but I am sure that she will LOVE them when she is a bit older.

3. There are plenty of yummy meat recipes that use yogurt as an ingredient including this Tikki Masala Recipe.

I hope that you enjoy making yogurt as much as I did!  Please let me know if you get a wild hair and decide to make it.  I would also love to hear your success stories and tips!

Relentless Baker

Family vacations as a kid were always a lot of fun!  One of our family traditions involves this yummy French bakery in New Smyrna Beach, FL.  They sell delicious croissants and breakfast sandwiches.  Growing up, my dad would always wake up early during our family trips to sneak out and grab breakfast.  Sometimes, he would surprise me with my favorite treat-- meringue cookies! These crispy, airy, sweet delights became synonymous with summer to me.

I've tried-- at least a half dozen times-- to make them myself and have FAILED miserably.  Once or twice the house was too humid, once I didn't bake them long enough, another time I baked them too long... the list goes on. Despite all of these failed attempts, every time the weather changes from winter to spring I get the bug to make these treats.

Well friends, I am happy to say that TODAY is the day!  I finally made French bakery worthy treats!!

Recipe:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon salt                                                    
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar                                                                     
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract                                                                     
• 3/4 cup white sugar                                                                     
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). To prevent burning you can bake on an air cushion baking sheet or put parchment paper on a regular cookie sheet
Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla until very firm. Gradually add sugar and mix. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoonfuls on pan. Bake 300 degrees for 25 minutes. They should only be lightly browned.

Tips:
* You can use an icing piping bag and a large icing tip to pipe your meringue onto the baking sheet to give it a more professional pastry look.
* To avoid a gooey center, keep your cookies in the over for a few hours or over night.  I recommend baking for around 5 minutes at 350 and then turn off the heat.  Do not open the door to the oven.
* Make sure that there is no butter, water or oil on your utensils.  One of my past failures was because I washed my mixing bowl and then put the eggs in the bowl while it was still damp.  Bad idea :(

What are some recipes that you've tried several times before you finally got it right?

 

 

Taking the Cooking Challenge: Lemon Yogurt Cake

Do you ever feel like you cook the same exact things over...and over again?  With busy and active lives, it's easy to get in a cooking routine.  I recently "challenged" myself to cook at least one new thing a week. This week, I am trying out a recipe from a cookbook my Mother-in-Law gave me called, "Barefood Contessa at Home".  Ironically, it's a cookbook dedicated to recipes that you'll, "make over and over again".  (Oops!)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.

 

*As a slight variation on the recipe, I could not find plain whole milk yogurt. Instead, I bought a 6 oz Liberte lemon yogurt and then added 2 oz of lowfat Dannon yogurt to make the full cup.

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.

 

* I am a bit of a vanilla extract snob.  My friend Lauren Morris is from Mexico. Her family owns a vanilla extract company and gifted me this bottle of pure gold two years ago and it's starting to run low (hint, hint!).

 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

 

I HAD to test the cake out--and trust me, it is really delicious.  If you like the lemon pound cake at Starbucks, this has a similar sweet/sour taste, but a different consistency.  This cake is much, much lighter and less filling.

 

I think Ina is right... I will probably make this over and over:)