Make Your Own: Yogurt!

One of my friends makes her own yogurt----I know, what!? I wrote to her on facebook the other day, to ask if she owned a yogurt machine, but one of my other friends replied with a link to this recipe and I decided to try it:

Notes: This recipe uses a 2 quart crock. In using a 4 or 4 1/2 quart crock I found the yogurt to have a bit of a "springy" texture. I was able to alleviate this by heating the milk an additional 15 minutes for a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes.

• Turn your crock pot to low and pour in 1/2 gallon of milk.
• Heat on low for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
• Once 2 hours and 30 minutes have elapsed turn your crock pot off and unplug it. Let the milk cool in the crock with the lid on for 3 hours.
• After 3 hours remove 1-2 cups of the warmed milk and place in a bowl. To that add 1/2 cup of yogurt with live active cultures and mix very well.
• Pour the yogurt-milk mixture back into the milk and whisk thoroughly.
• Place the cover back on the crock and wrap the entire crock pot in a thick bath towel or two.
• Let it culture overnight, 8-12 hours.
• In the morning stir yogurt (if desired) and store in glass quart jars or a container of your choice.
• For optimum texture, refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using.

Okay. I heated the milk for a bit longer and mine is downright runny. Did I do something wrong? 

I ate some with chopped up strawberries, but it really wasn't what I was expecting..so yogurt makers, let me know, did I mess up!?

Wordless Non-Wednesday

Actually not wordless either! My sister and I posed the girls and submitted this picture to a contest sponsored by Ronzoni. I will let you all know if there is a voting opportunity!

Kate's Green Box

One of my friends recently debuted her new website----

Kate's Green Book.

It's a recipe site with ah-may-zing gourmet-sounding recipes that are easy enough for a lady like me to make!!!!! What more could you want?  I am sure I will be linking to her posts in the future, as we try them out, but for now, go over and check her out. Tell her I sent ya while you're add it, she'll love it!

Cage-Free Eggs Better?

Interesting, my aunt and I just discussed eggs last week. She told me that in comparison, cage-free eggs are less runny and more nutritious. I really had not heard much about eggs before now, but I was aware that cage-free eggs are more expensive, so I had not picked them up.  Do you eat these? I have a carton full of eggs, but once they are eaten (I'm a little turned off now, I'll be honest), I am going to try the cage-free eggs and I will let you know what I find!

Eggs from hens raised on pasture are far more nutritious than eggs from confined hens in factory farms.

LATEST RESULTS: New test results show that pastured egg producers are kicking the commercial industry's derriere when it comes to vitamin D! Eggs from hens raised on pasture show 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs. Learn more: Eggciting News!!!
RESULTS FROM OUR PREVIOUS STUDY: Eggs from hens allowed to peck on pasture are a heck of a lot better than those from chickens raised in cages! Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:
• 1⁄3 less cholesterol• 1⁄4 less saturated fat• 2⁄3 more vitamin A• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids• 3 times more vitamin E• 7 times more beta carotene
These amazing results come from 14 flocks around the country that range freely on pasture or are housed in moveable pens that are rotated frequently to maximize access to fresh pasture and protect the birds from predators. We had six eggs from each of the 14 pastured flocks tested by an accredited laboratory in Portland, Ore. The chart in Meet the Real Free-range Eggs (October/November 2007) shows the average nutrient content of the samples, compared with the official egg nutrient data from the USDA for “conventional” (i.e. from confined hens) eggs. The chart lists the individual results from each flock.


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Lansdale Farmers Market Opens this Week!

Did you know Lansdale has a Farmer's Market? It does! And it opens this week, on June 12!

Check out their website here- you can add it to your google reader to stay updated with happenings and events!