Yogurt

Alright, making your own yogurt is SO easy I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner! (This makes about 64oz).

Here's what you need:

• 1 gallon of milk
• 1 cup of yogurt (with live active cultures) this is your starter

optional:

• 1/2 (or 1 cup) sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

The tools you need:

• big sauce pan
• thermometer (I use my candy thermometer)
• Crockpot, or big glass bowl, or big casserole dish
• strainer
• dish towel

So what you do is put your milk in a big sauce pan (if you want sweeter yogurt this is when you would add the sugar) and have it on medium high heat and when it starts foaming turn it to medium low until the milk reaches 180 degrees. 

Then cook it at 180 for 10 minutes. 

Take it off the heat and let it cool to 110 degrees. This takes about 45 minutes (it depends on the temperature of your house).

Then in your crockpot or glass bowl or casserole dish beat the yogurt (the starter or store bought yogurt). Here you can add Vanilla if you want (or even almond extract). Then slowly beat in your warm milk a little bit at a time.

Then cover with plastic wrap or a lid if you have one. Place in your oven (I leave the light on to provide a little bit of warmth) and if you're using casserole dish or glass bowl wrap in a towel or blanket.

Leave in the oven for 15- 20 hours.

Take it out of the oven and place a damp dish towel over your strainer and let the yogurt strain for 1-3 hours (3 hours for Greek style yogurt). Then put in a container and refrigerate! 

Keep a cup in a separate container so that you can have a starter for the next time you make yogurt.

Yogurt Cake

This cake is one of my favorites, I've been making it since I've been about 6 years old. It's easy enough to have your kids help and choose some of the ingredients. You will be using a pot of yogurt, when you have emptied the pot, you will keep using that pot to measure the other ingredients.

• 1 pot of yogurt (170 grams/ 6oz) (if you are going to use fruit then you can use flavored yogurt, otherwise I recommend vanilla yogurt)
  
• 3 "pots" flour (270 grams)
• 2 "pots" sugar (270 grams)
• 1 "pot" milk (190 grams)
• 1 "pot" oil (150 grams)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp Vanilla

OPTIONAL: 2 cups cut up fruit ( I like to use peaches, pineapple, bananas, what ever you like, it can work. once I did raspberries and so I also added a cup of chocolate chips, it's really easy to play around with this recipe. )

Mix all the ingredients and then put in a 10"- 12" pan and bake at 350 for 45- 55 minutes (until a tooth pick comes out clear) OR you can put the batter in a cup cake pan and then bake for about 20 minutes.
In this picture it's 2 cups peaches, 1 tsp almond extract and a dash of cinnamon.