Crockpot Yogurt

--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. I actually used Lactaid last night and it turned out fine. My friend uses skim.

--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter for 4 to 6 batches)

--thick bath towel


Directions:

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation. I have an insulated carrying bag for my crockpot, so I use that. I do place a few dish towels on top of the lid before zipping up the bag.

Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.

Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

Neal likes to add honey and blueberries to his yogurt. I add splenda and grape nuts and sometimes mini-chocolate chips. The kids add honey or sucanat with honey and grape nuts and chocolate chips.

** I usually like to start my yogurt around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. That way I'm finishing up with my part around bedtime. **

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

(sorry...the picture's a little blurry, but you get the idea!)

I don't have the exact measurements for this recipe, because I didn't measure anything. I'll tell you what I put in it though, and I'll approximate some of the ingredients. Most of the ingredients are really "to taste" though.

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

One large rotisserie chicken (I get mine at Sam's club)
1 medium onion, diced
1 to 2 stalks celery, diced small
Reduced Fat Mayonnaise, approximately 1 cup (or to taste)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
slivered almonds -- 1/2 cup
1 cup grapes, sliced in half


Pull the chicken off the bones, and cut into bite size pieces. Place chicken in large mixing bowl. Add onion and celery. Mix well. Add mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. Gently stir in almonds and grapes.

Serve on a salad or on a bun. Enjoy!

Bean and Kielbasa Soup

It was cold out yesterday...definitely a day for soup. I had beans and turkey kielbasa on hand, so I came up with this soup. It was a winner with my family, so I thought I'd share it here! You can substitute your favorite beans for the ones I use, or keep it the same.

Bean and Kielbasa Soup

14 oz Turkey Polska Kielbasa (slice down the middle lengthwise, and then cut into small bites)
2 - 15.5 oz can Great Northern Beans (do not drain)
2 - 15 oz can Chili Beans (do not drain)
2 - 15.5 oz can Chick Peans, drained and rinsed
2 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 - 4 oz can green chiles, diced
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chicken broth (or enough to reach desired consistency)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
dash of cinnamon
dash of worcestershire sauce

Combine all of the above ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours.

A New Year

I posted this on my family blog yesterday, but thought since it deals with food that I would re-post it here.

2009! Wow!

Last night our pastor's sermon was entitled "Spiritual Tools for Success in 2009." I have many areas I want to work on this year, and his sermon last night was very motivating for me.

Two of the areas I want to work on this year are physical and spiritual wellness. I need to be more consistent in my daily time with God...both in prayer and in Bible reading. I've been doing much better in these areas, but there is definite room for improvement.

I also need to lose weight, but beyond that I need to get healthy! I've been working out on the Wii Fit for almost two weeks now and I can already feel the difference in my body. I've only lost two pounds, but I have improved my strength and I can see improvement in my knee pain.

The following verse really spoke to me last night:

Job 23:12 "I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread."

If I'm honest with myself and with God, I know that I do not put His Bread (the Bible) before my bread (my food). Food is like an idol to me in the sense that I eat too much and put too much emphasis on our meals and eating. With food, my focus needs to be on feeding my family healthy, well-balanced meals. period. That doesn't mean they can't taste good, but it means they need to nourish my family, not just fill them up.

So, these are two of my goals for 2009. These are not my only goals, but they're the ones I want to share now with you.I pray that 2009 is a good year for all who are reading this! God bless you!

Chicken Joke

Chicken Joke is not a "joke," but it is a recipe. Sort of...

Sunday morning before we left for church, I put some rice and water in my rice cooker and set the timer so that it would be ready when we got home. I laid out some chicken breasts to thaw with plans to grill them.

After church we stopped by Sams Club to pick up a couple of items, and while there I saw Chinese food in the freezer section. We were just saying how we would like some Chinese, so I started planning in my head what I could do with the rice and chicken at home to make it "Chinese."

After we ate our pseudo-Chinese meal at lunch, Neal and Beth said I needed to put it on my blog. I told them I really couldn't because I didn't know how much I put in of the ingredients. Well, they don't want me to forget about this meal, so I'm going to do the best I can.

Chicken Joke

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

salt, just a dash

Ginger powder, to taste (probably a couple of tbsp)

chopped garlic, to taste (probably 1 to 2 tsp)

red pepper, just a dash

curry, to taste (I know that isn't Chinese, but we added it anyway)

1 granny smith apple, cut into bite-size pieces

Chicken broth (about 3/4 cup)

cold water and cornstarch to thicken

Heat oil in skillet and add chicken and salt. Cook until chicken starts to lose its' pink color and then add ginger, garlic, red pepper and curry. Coat chicken well, and then add chicken broth. When the chicken is just about done, add the apple. Let it cook for a few more minutes and then if it looks dry add some more chicken broth. If it's kinda juicy that's good, go ahead and add the water/cornstarch mixture to thicken (this is so that the spices coat the chicken). Serve over rice.

Chicken Joke Rice

All I did was make my rice in the rice cooker. I use brown basmati rice. I took it out of the cooker and put it in my wok (with melted butter). I seasoned it with lite soy sauce and added sesame seeds. I cooked it for a short time and then added steamed veggies (I get a big bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots from Sams).

That's it. This is really for my benefit, but if you can follow along with my poor attempt at writing down this "recipe" then by all means, give it a try! It really was good....and that's no Chicken Joke!

(The name Chicken Joke came from my children. One day something happened and Ben looked at Beth and said "and that's no chicken joke!" Since then it has become a joke in our family, and Beth thought I should name this dish Chicken Joke in honor of Ben's silliness). If you're interested in reading about the origin of Chicken Joke on Beth's blog click here!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies

Ritz Crackers
Smooth peanut butter
chocolate bark (or chocolate chips)


Make peanut butter sandwiches with crackers and peanut butter (pictured at right in picture)

Melt chocolate and dip peanut butter Ritz in chocolate. Place on waxed paper to harden. Enjoy!


(The chocolate cookies above are still wet. When they harden they are not as shiny. These are also good dipped in white chocolate.)

Saltine Toffee

Saltine Toffee

(this is SO yummy!)

1 1/2 sleeve saltine crackers
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips (I mixed semi sweet and milk chocolate)
chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place a single layer of saltine crackers on top of foil.

Melt butter and brown sugar in a small pan on top of stove (medium high heat) stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Pour butter/brown sugar mixture over crackers. (I spread it out as best I can so that it covers the crackers.) Place crackers in oven for 5 minutes or until slightly bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for one minute. Pour chocolate chips over top of hot crackers. Let sit until softened (you may need to put them in the warm oven for a minute to help soften). Spread chocolate until it completely covers crackers.

Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Place in refrigerator to harden. When completely cool, break off pieces. This does not have to be refrigerated after it cools. Enjoy!

Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner this year is going to be very traditional. I want to enjoy Christmas day and not spend the entire day in the kitchen! So, Mom and I planned a simple menu and we're going to split the food preparation. I think I got the easy job!

Here's what we'll be having and I'll put the name next to who is making it:

Ham (Mom)
Turkey Breast (Mom - she's going to make it in the crockpot)
Mashed Potatoes (Me)
Gravy (Me - but I'm cheating and I bought mix -- Ssshhhhh!!!)
Green Beans (Me)
Lima Beans (Me)
Corn (Me)
Sweet Potatoes (Mom)
Deviled Eggs (Mom)
Potato Salad -- per Neal and Beth's request -- (Me)
Macaroni and Cheese (My Mother-in-law)
Dinner Rolls (Me)

I think I'll make a cheese pie with strawberries for dessert. There'll probably be another dessert, but I'm not sure what. I'm trying not to make a bunch of dessert, so that there's none left over after Christmas!

What are you making for Christmas or Christmas Eve dinner?

Do You Need a New Breakfast Dish for Christmas?

This is my all time favorite breakfast dish for Christmas morning! It's pretty easy to make and tastes wonderful! I received this recipe many years ago from my friend, Colleen, and it has become a favorite for my Mom and I! (Neal doesn't like Cinnamon, so he doesn't partake!) First I'll give you the original recipe:

Baked Cinnamon French Toast Custard

12 slices cinnamon bread (I like the kind without raisins)

soft margarine

9 eggs

1 qt milk

2 cups half & half

1 cup sugar

4 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line bottom of 9 x 13 pan with half of bread. Butter remaining bread. Place with buttered side up over bread. Beat eggs and add other ingredients. Mix well. Pour over bread. Let stand 15 minutes. Set pan in larger pan and pour boiling water about half way up the dish. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This dish melts in your mouth!

Since there are only 3 of us that eat this dish, I cut the recipe in half. I have also been known to substitute some of the ingredients for lower fat/calorie ingredients. It has never turned out bad!

(recipe for 7" x 11" pan)

6 slices of cinnamon bread

4 or 5 eggs (I've also used an egg beater/real egg mixture and it worked fine)

2 cups milk (I use skim)

1 cup half and half (I use fat free 1/2 and 1/2) I've also just used 3 cups milk and omitted the half and half.

1 cup sugar (or Splenda)

2 1/4 tsp vanilla

Follow instructions above. I hope I didn't confuse you with the second recipe, but it's actually really easy. I don't think you can mess it up!

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Hot Chocolate

I have a new favorite hot chocolate to drink this time of year. Once Christmas is past though, I will not be drinking it! It sure tastes good this cold morning!

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

8 oz milk
1 Hershey's Peppermint Kiss
2-3 Tbsp Hot Chocolate mix
Whipped Cream in the can (definitely an indulgence around here!)
Your Favorite Mug!


Pour the milk into your favorite mug and place in microwave for two minutes. Carefully remove (those handles get hot!) and drop in Hershey's Peppermint Kiss. Then spoon in hot chocolate and mix well -- until you can no longer feel the Kiss. Top with whipped topping and enjoy!

This is SO good! I hope you enjoy it!