I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!

I did it!!!!

Homemade yogurt in my crockpot!

Of course, all did not go perfectly. I made a mess and ended up with less yogurt because of it.  However, the final product came out really well.  What I ended up with after the incubation time had the consistency of  commercial "low-fat" yogurt, and of course I wanted something a bit thicker, so I took a portion of what I made and let it sit on a layer of paper towels in a strainer over a bowl for several more hours in the fridge, and this is what I got:

Sorry about the sloppy mess on the side of the cup. I was so excited about the thick, creamy yogurt I didn't pay much attention to the details of my photo!

Yogurt thick enough to hold up the spoon! And it tastes just the way I wanted it to taste.  It is not too tart, and it has a wonderful creamy texture.  It still isn't quite like a commercial brand as far as thickness, but I think it's great for my first attempt.

I will definitely be making more yogurt.

In the meantime...

While I keep calm and carry on and pray for Daddy, I'm trying my hand at making yogurt this afternoon.

I mentioned before that I really love full-fat, Greek-style yogurt and cannot find it in our local stores. By local, I mean within a 60 mile radius from my home.  Every store I visit carries several brands of plain yogurt, but they are all of the "non-fat" variety.  I did find a couple of 7oz containers of  2% plain yogurt yesterday. (I had to travel to the bigger-than-my-town-but-still-pretty-small town about 45 minutes away for an appointment with the optometrist. He told me that my eyes are healthy, but I'll be needing bifocals probably by next year. Just call me Gramma.)

So, since I'm mad as heck, and I'm not going to take it anymore with the non-fat yogurt, I did a Google search and found this:  You Can Make Yogurt in Your CrockPot! from Stephanie O'Dea.  I found other methods, but this one seemed to be the easiest. I saw plenty of recipes for yogurt which involved complex kitchen equipment like a double boiler and a candy thermometer or strange items like a foam cooler and a heating pad.  Not for me, thank you.  This way all I have to do is pour the milk in the crockpot and not forget it's there.  Well, there are a couple of other steps, as you can see when you click on the link above.

In other news: I found some Darjeeling tea on my shopping trip yesterday! Finding my favorite kinds of tea is almost as difficult as finding my favorite kind of yogurt.  I usually have no trouble finding Earl Grey, which I love, but Darjeeling is harder to find on a regular basis, and I have given up on ever finding jasmine green tea anywhere outside of the Big City.

I also found out recently that drinking black tea actually helps reduce the stress hormone cortisol, unlike coffee which can elevate cortisol levels.  I think it's time for a fresh pot of tea right now.

My Windowsill

I'm jumping in to participate in this Linky Party over at Like Mother, Like Daughter.  This is a big first for me, and I'm a little nervous about it.  I'm hopeful that I'll improve as a photographer someday. Until then, please bear with the bad pictures.

Here's my kitchen window.

After I decided to participate and get my windowsill area tidied up for a picture, I realized that my windowsill needed a lot more than just tidying up.  The number one problem was the valance over it.  It was really in need of washing.  So, I took it down, but the window didn't look right. It was naked! What to do, what to do?  I scrummaged around in the cabinet where I keep my tablecloths and found my late mother-in-law's vintage tablecloth. She always called it an "Army, Navy" tablecloth. I folded the tablecloth over lengthwise a couple of times and draped it over the curtain rod.  I was in a hurry this morning, so I didn't try ironing the cloth. I just stuck it up there and tried to get it even enough for a good picture. Trust me, it looks better than nothing.

A few more things about my kitchen.  My husband is a professor at a small denominational college. The home we live in was built in 1945 and donated to the college as a home for the Bible professor.  The wife of the Bible professor in 1945 designed the home. I think it is based on a plan of a home she lived in as a girl.  She was a wonderful, lovely example of Christian womanhood BUT she was not a cook. I guess she really felt no need for a big kitchen when her family had most of their meals at the college.  When this home was built, it had NO cabinets and the only counter space was what you see in my picture. That is still the only counter space in the kitchen.  The kitchen was re-modeled sometime later, and again in the mid-70's to add cabinets above the sink and on the other walls.

I wish I did have a bit more counter space.  I also wish I didn't have to have my washer and dryer in the kitchen, too.  The house of my dreams includes a separate laundry room....maybe one of these days.  Until then, while I'm living in the "house of my reality" I make do with what I have.