homemade yogurt

my mother is not a hippie

she would never be mistaken as "granola"

birkenstocks have never graced her perfectly manicured feet

however

when i was a kid

the dogs were fed brewer's yeast

our bread came from the health food store

red dye no. 2 was banned from the house

and

our yogurt was homemade

i thought it was so lame

my friends were eating

yogurt with dreamy flavors

of

coffee, chocolate and lemon swirl

while i  

was being brainwashed to believe

that mine

 while not sweet like pudding

was filled with acidolphilus

my best defense

against turistas

if ever i found my 8 year old self in mexico

with a head of  unwashed lettuce in one hand

and 

a tall glass of tap water in the other

here in lies the rub

now

as an adult

i love homemade yogurt

finding myself extolling the virtues

of

good bacteria

without apology

to anyone who will listen

 

 homemade yogurt

1/2 gallon milk (i use 2%)

1/4 cup good quality plain yogurt-room temperature

jams, jellies, honey, fruit--to serve

preheat oven to 185F.  heat milk in a pot that will best retain temperature over low heat until it reaches 185F.  once it reaches the desired temperature, pop it into the preheated oven and allow to sit for 30 minutes.  remove from oven and allow the milk to cool to 110F. when the milk has cooled to 110F add the yogurt and stir well.  it is important to keep the milk at 110F for the next 7-10 hours.(i have a warming oven that i use which will keep a consistent low temperature.  other methods can be a warming pad, creating a foil tent over a electric skillet, testing the residual heat of an upper oven, while the lower oven is on, placing the pot in a water bath and keeping the water at 110F)

after 7-10 hours you will see thickened milk soaking in the whey.  give this a good stir, then spoon into containers and  place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before eating.  

what i do next is not necessary, but hubster and i have different ideas about how thick yogurt should be. i like mine extra thick, he doesn't.  i place the yogurt in a sieve lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl, and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. the yogurt becomes the consistency of cream cheese, and the whey collects in the bowl.   i place the yogurt in one container and the whey in another.  when i make up my pots of yogurt, i whisk in enough whey to achieve the desired consistency. the extra thick yogurt is great as a spread on bread or for flavored dips.

i am linking this to
tuesday night supper club
a little birdie told me

rock candy

my kitchen has been looking like a science lab lately

not because 

it is pristinely clean

with
clutterless counter tops

and
nerdies wandering around

but because

i have been making
rock candy

several attempts

i might add

it all started out innocently enough

sugar

water

string

but then

i got sassy

like i am debeers or something

i thought it would be

fun and cheeky

to make

rock candy jewels

something 

for a

big night out

i settled on 

 drop earrings

simple, right?

here is the rub

the fun flew faster 

than a spy plane

out this nerdies door
while
obsessive took its place

in the end

i got the perfect pair

 

now

i'm not sure

if i should
 wear or eat 

them
rock candy
(printable recipe)
2 cups water
4 cups sugar
food coloring (optional)
up to 1 tsp flavoring (optional)
baker's twine 
granulated sugar
cut the baker's twine to desired length. tie the twine off to a wooden skewer or pencil.  this will allow you to suspend it in the syrup. Dip the twine in water, then roll in a bit of granulated sugar to coat.  allow to dry while you make the syrup.
bring water and 1 cup of sugar to a simmer in a saucepan.  while the water is still simmering, add sugar, 1 cup at a time, stirring and ensuring the sugar has completely dissolved before adding the next cup.  once all sugar is incorporated, remove from heat and add coloring and flavoring.  allow the syrup to cool slightly, then pour into a clean and sterilized glass jar or tall glass.  you will need a separate glass for each rock candy you want to make.
suspend the twine in the syrup being careful that it does not touch the bottom or sides of glass.  crystals should begin to form in about 4 hours.  if there is no activity within 24 hours remove the twine, pour the syrup back into a pot and heat to a simmer.  return to the clean and sterilized jar and start again.  if you see excessive crystallization on the sides of the jar or glass, remove the twine and perform the above steps, otherwise you will have a glass full of hard sugar crystals.  
check your twine daily. when you have the rock candy of your desire, remove from the syrup and allow to hang dry for a few hours.