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Saturday, May 9, 2009

Crockpot Yogurt


--8 cups (half-gallon) milk

--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter.)

--thick bath towel


Directions:

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add all 8 cups 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 8-10 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 Truvia 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!