Cookie jar empty? Want to make some cookies but don't think you have the ingredients? This recipe hails from Fullbellies Happy Kids. It is a cinch to make, and super yummy. In fact, I changed the name just to make the point! Enjoy!
1 stick butter (or margarine)
1 C Flour
5 T sugar (1/4C + 1T--- I just use the 1/4 C)
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
1. Mix ingredients.
2. Roll into balls. (This process goes so much faster and easier with a cookie scooper! It's less messy, too.)
3. Press down with a fork.
4. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each. (I use a loose leaf tea strainer spoon for this purpose. Makes it so much easier for the kids to not get carried away.)
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Yogurt
Yes, I said yogurt!! Have you ever been to the grocery store and... $10-$15 spent on yogurt later decided that your family eats way too much of this stuff? Oh, and then you get home and your "stash" lasts for 2 days. This is my life with 3 growing (quickly) boys. It seems if I have it in the house, they can't get enough of it. As a dietitian, I'm all for them eating dairy. However, between the cost and the added coloring and sugar, I'm really not a fan of what we have available at the store... at least, not now that I know I can make it just as well-- (eh-hem) better-- myself!
But let's talk dollars and cents. Depending on the brand, you can figure a typical cup (6 oz individual) of yogurt is around $.80 (on sale, I've found them as low as $.50). For this recipe, you can either use dry milk or regular milk. Let's break this down. Regular milk will run you somewhere around $3.50 a gallon depending on where you shop and what type of milk you buy (I just found it at Sam's for $2.86). So, half of that (you'll use half a gallon in this recipe) is 1.75 for 2 quarts of yogurt. Now, we'll need to add a nominal cost for vanilla, sugar, and an additional 2/3 cup dry milk (to make it thick)...that adds about $.70 which brings you to a total of $2.45 for 2 quarts (64 oz) of yogurt... breaking that back down to the cup (to compare apples to apples) that is $.23 per 6 oz cup of yogurt!! Which means that by making yogurt, you've saved about 71%! For your first batch you'll also need to add the cost of the store bought yogurt-- bringing the total to $3.25---or $.30 per 6 oz cup... still pretty awesome! Now, I realize that it is cheaper in the store to buy the larger 32 oz container of yogurt, but I wasn't able to find an average cost for those, and quite frankly it's been a long time since I've looked at the yogurt in the dairy isle. Not too shabby, right? And it's so easy! I mean really, if I can do it, you can too!
1. 3 or 4 Mason Jars with hot water (I microwave them to boiling) and place them in a cooler to warm it up.
2. Take out your starter and warm it up to room temperature.
3. Heat milk, sugar, vanilla and additional dry milk to 185 (this kills any bacteria in these ingredients). But don't burn or boil the milk.
4. Turn off the heat and cool to 110 to 100. (I put mine in an ice bath right in the sink which cools it off pretty quickly)-- this is the optimal temperature for your bacterial cultures to grow.
5. Whisk in the starter until completely dissolved.
6. Pour into sterilized mason jars (mine just get washed in the dishwasher) and place into cooler.
7. Close cooler and let sit for 10 to 12 hours (until set--some people like to leave it in longer... don't think it matters, just your taste preference) at 100 to 110 degrees then refrigerate.
8. After incubation, refrigerate and enjoy your yogurt for up to one week. (Don't forget to reserve some of your new yogurt to make your next batch!)
**The hardest part of the whole process is keeping the cooler at 100 to 110 degrees. In the summer time, I just put the cooler in the garage (sun was way too hot) to maintain the temperature. Man was it easy and super thick! But in the winter time, it's much more difficult. I just recently purchased a digital thermometer to help with this effort because I don't want to have to continually open the cooler to check the thermometer. I have had to reheat the water filled mason jars a few times during incubation to keep the cooler warm. The most recent time I made yogurt though, I tried using a heating bag at the bottom of the cooler. Our heating pad has a 2 hour auto shutoff, which worked out really well. This gave the most temperature consistent for winter-made yogurt yet!
**This is MY process right now. As you can see, I've had to tweak it along the way. There are other methods out there. I've read of people making yogurt in their crockpot. This was how I started, but my crockpot would not maintain the correct temperature. Temperatures are the key! If your first batch does not work, please do not despair! Keep trying different methods. Look elsewhere online, there's lots of others out there making their own yogurt... It's so worth it!! And so super yummy!
But let's talk dollars and cents. Depending on the brand, you can figure a typical cup (6 oz individual) of yogurt is around $.80 (on sale, I've found them as low as $.50). For this recipe, you can either use dry milk or regular milk. Let's break this down. Regular milk will run you somewhere around $3.50 a gallon depending on where you shop and what type of milk you buy (I just found it at Sam's for $2.86). So, half of that (you'll use half a gallon in this recipe) is 1.75 for 2 quarts of yogurt. Now, we'll need to add a nominal cost for vanilla, sugar, and an additional 2/3 cup dry milk (to make it thick)...that adds about $.70 which brings you to a total of $2.45 for 2 quarts (64 oz) of yogurt... breaking that back down to the cup (to compare apples to apples) that is $.23 per 6 oz cup of yogurt!! Which means that by making yogurt, you've saved about 71%! For your first batch you'll also need to add the cost of the store bought yogurt-- bringing the total to $3.25---or $.30 per 6 oz cup... still pretty awesome! Now, I realize that it is cheaper in the store to buy the larger 32 oz container of yogurt, but I wasn't able to find an average cost for those, and quite frankly it's been a long time since I've looked at the yogurt in the dairy isle. Not too shabby, right? And it's so easy! I mean really, if I can do it, you can too!
- 1/2 gallon milk (I use 2%) ---- OR ---- 2 2/3 C dry milk (not necessarily cheaper, but easier to keep on hand)
- 2/3 C dry milk
- 1 6 oz starter (I like to start with a store bought yogurt with at least 5 different active cultures--plain or vanilla. After your first batch, you can use 3/4 C of the yogurt you've already made) **Note: I've also used Kefir as a starter, and it works just as well! With 11 live active cultures, there's more probiotics in that stuff than in the yogurt you can buy.
- 1/4 C to 1/2 C sugar (you don't have to use any sugar at all, but I've found it to thicken the best even with a small amount)
- 1-2 t vanilla (if you want vanilla)
1. 3 or 4 Mason Jars with hot water (I microwave them to boiling) and place them in a cooler to warm it up.
2. Take out your starter and warm it up to room temperature.
3. Heat milk, sugar, vanilla and additional dry milk to 185 (this kills any bacteria in these ingredients). But don't burn or boil the milk.
4. Turn off the heat and cool to 110 to 100. (I put mine in an ice bath right in the sink which cools it off pretty quickly)-- this is the optimal temperature for your bacterial cultures to grow.
5. Whisk in the starter until completely dissolved.
6. Pour into sterilized mason jars (mine just get washed in the dishwasher) and place into cooler.
7. Close cooler and let sit for 10 to 12 hours (until set--some people like to leave it in longer... don't think it matters, just your taste preference) at 100 to 110 degrees then refrigerate.
8. After incubation, refrigerate and enjoy your yogurt for up to one week. (Don't forget to reserve some of your new yogurt to make your next batch!)
**The hardest part of the whole process is keeping the cooler at 100 to 110 degrees. In the summer time, I just put the cooler in the garage (sun was way too hot) to maintain the temperature. Man was it easy and super thick! But in the winter time, it's much more difficult. I just recently purchased a digital thermometer to help with this effort because I don't want to have to continually open the cooler to check the thermometer. I have had to reheat the water filled mason jars a few times during incubation to keep the cooler warm. The most recent time I made yogurt though, I tried using a heating bag at the bottom of the cooler. Our heating pad has a 2 hour auto shutoff, which worked out really well. This gave the most temperature consistent for winter-made yogurt yet!
**This is MY process right now. As you can see, I've had to tweak it along the way. There are other methods out there. I've read of people making yogurt in their crockpot. This was how I started, but my crockpot would not maintain the correct temperature. Temperatures are the key! If your first batch does not work, please do not despair! Keep trying different methods. Look elsewhere online, there's lots of others out there making their own yogurt... It's so worth it!! And so super yummy!
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