Wow 2 posts in 2 days?! Amazing LOL!
Well as promised, since it has been awhile, I just want to let you know that the cute little Cat in Pumpkin Digi is my featured item of the month and available at 50% Off!
Also as an added bonus ALL of my other files are on sale for 1 week Only for 40% Off!
If you haven't perused lately I have a number of new files up as well as some wonderful ones that are perfect for the fall season like Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart, Horse and Wagon with Title, and many more! Don't miss out!
OK, so I think I have mentioned in the past how I like to save money when it comes to food. We grow tomatoes, herbs and veggies in the summer and then can them at the end of the season so we have yummy food during the winter. I will admit that the added benefit to canning is that I know exactly what is going into our sauces, etc and don't have to worry about things I can't pronounce ending up in our meals.Now Hubby and I have always enjoyed yogurt and even with "no inflation" it just seemed to be getting a little pricey. On top of that there are a lot of ingredients in the product that really have nothing to do with the yogurt itself. So, for his birthday, I bought him a Yogurt Maker from Amazon. Now yogurt is something that in itself is super easy to make. All you need is Milk (2% and up since you really need a little fat in it) and some starter. You can either purchase it or buy a small 6 oz. container of Plain (that's unflavored people) Yogurt at the grocery store but you have to make sure that the ingredients show "Live Cultures".
While I had never made yogurt before, hubby had and basically used wide mouth canning jars and the oven or just the hot outdoors in the summer (when it is above 105 degrees out) but I really liked the idea that the machine came with cups and lids so we could take them to work.
There are a lot of great videos on You Tube but basically all you do is heat your milk in a pan over medium heat (stirring occasionally of course) until it hits 185 degrees. Electronic thermometers with alarm are perfect for keeping track of this. Once it hits temperature, at this point you have killed anything that might be in your milk and have made it sterile. You then let it cool down to 105 degrees, add your starter, stir and then maintain the 105 temperature for a period of 4-5 hours. Then you refrigerate and you are done!
Super simple! Another great advantage of the machine is that I just turn it on and set the timer and walk away. What is basically happening over the time is that the culture is growing and incubating away. Once it has thickened up you know you're done. So at this point from 1 gallon of Hormone Free Milk, we can make about 24+ cups of yogurt for about $ 3.00. We then add some homemade jelly or fresh fruit to the mix along with granola and can you say very economical, healthy, yummy breakfast?! In addition to tasting great it's also very good for your tummy as it naturally contains the "prebiotics" your body needs :)
Okay...so I guess that's enough rambling for today! I have to get things picked up and work on some new files!
Hugs,
Eddita
