All things homemade

I firmly believe that my creative craftiness is an inherited trait. My father is a woodworker and can fix almost anything. Many times, my sister or I will start to describe something we saw that we mostly liked, but would have rather it be slightly different and we can just see the wheels start to turn in his head. It doesn't go too lomg until he has the item planned out. My mom gardens, preserves her own produce, and enjoys cultivating African violets. If I go back a generation to my grandparents, it's even more obvious: my family tree includes bakers, cooks, seamstresses, farmers, inventors, and those who were creative in the face of no other options. I guess you could say I get it honest.

Which explains why one of the most common thoughts I have is "I bet I could make that."  Sometimes I have success, other times not so much. Happily the following recipe was a success.

Homemade Greek Yogurt 
adapted from Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea

First, I cook 8 cups milk (I used 4C skim & 4C 1% Milk) for 2 1/2 hours on low.

I started mine at about 3p.m.

Then unplug and let it sit for 3 hours. (5:30p.m.)

Whisk in 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or leftover yogurt from your last batch). Put the lid back on and cover for insulation. Let it sit overnight. (8:30p.m.)

The next morning it should look like this and was nicely thickened:

Then drain the yogurt to make a greek style yogurt. I place a colander inside a big bowl.

and line it with clean muslin (nothing fancy, I serged the edges so I can wash and reuse).

The yogurt was poured in and placed it in the fridge for a few hours.
After a few hours it will look like this:

Here is the whey I drained off:

My secret ingredent is added, Mexican Vanilla (1 Tablespoon or so). I also added a scant 1/4C sugar (still way below commercial yogurt).

To say that my family loves this yogurt would be a vast understatement. I like to make it during the late spring through summer months. That way I can puree up some fresh fruit as a topping (sometimes adding a dash of lemon juice for brightness).

What fruit depends on you, we like strawberries, blueberries, peaches, blackberries, or really any fruit you want to try. This year I plan on cooking up some fresh rhubarb and giving that a try.

I puree my fruit because I have a couple of children with texture issues. You can do whatever you like with your fruit topping. ;-)