Yogurt

I love saving money, and then I married one of the biggest misers ever, and together we love finding ways to save money. Most of the time, it is a necessity, but it is great finding ways to do things yourself, and not have to pay someone else. I learned many money saving tips from my mom, and one of the things we used to do when we were growing up was make our own yogurt. My kids are really particular about their foods, but they all love yogurt. When I find something that they all will eat, I have to jump on it. We decided to try making our own, and one of my sisters recommended this website.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/yogurt.htm

We love their yogurt recipe, and it is so simple. I heard from one of my sisters that my mom was getting rid of my grandma's ancient yogurt maker, so I called and claimed it.

It is supposed to hold 4 individual cups of yogurt, but one of the glass containers was missing when I got it. I was also afraid to let my kids have any of the glass cups. They are notoriously clumsy, and I am notoriously paranoid. I tried many of the cups I have to try to find one that would fit into the yogurt maker. I found some of my kids cups with lids fit perfectly. We soon realized that 4 cups of yogurt was not enough for the 6 of us. I tried to find some more cups with lids that would fit into the yogurt maker, but I could not find the kind I wanted anywhere. My sister went through her cupboards, and found a bunch for us. My kids love the little cups, and they love the yogurt.

Our favorite way to make the yogurt is in the oven. (We love the yogurt maker, but when I make yogurt, I make it in bulk. 4 cups just doesn't cut it.) We preheat the oven to get it to the right temperature, and then we have to get the yogurt into the oven quickly and close the door to keep the oven at the right temperature. We have found the best way to maintain the right temperature is to load all the yogurt onto a cookie sheet, and wrap all the containers in several towels. Then we can just slide the whole mess of yogurt into the oven at once. The yogurt also sets very well in mason jars, but we love the novelty of having the individual cups. We leave the yogurt in the oven overnight, and it is ready when we wake up. (We usually refrigerate it, and then eat it the next day. Warm yogurt is a little too nasty!) My kids favorite flavor is vanilla. They put a little sugar and a few drops of vanilla in it. We also love it with strawberry freezer jam.

One thing we did find is that the yogurt really doesn't set well in the square containers. I think it is because you can't stir the yogurt into the scalded milk nearly as well. We have also had a few failed attempts when we left the oven door opened too long while arranging all our little cups (this is where we got the cookie sheet idea) and the yogurt didn't set. It was still tasty, and my kids just drank it, but it is so much better when the yogurt sets.

We have also made yogurt cheese, and we love it. It is very similar to cream cheese, and you can substitute it in recipes. You just line a colander with cheese cloth, and put the yogurt in the lined colander. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow the colander to drain over a bowl in the fridge overnight. So tasty!!