Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

I am a fan of yogurt. Surprise! Yes, my Mom started this love affair when I was very young. She had one of these Salton yogurt makers. We’d wait for that tangy custardy stuff not knowing that if we’d breathe a word of it at school we’d be laughed out of the lunchroom. “You eat spoiled milk – yuck! Weirdo!” Yeah, ok – whatever. I kept quiet and continued to ladle on the honey and down that creamy goodness. Then I got a little older and things changed. As I moved on I bought yogurt at the store. Suddenly there was a ton of it – but my Foodie Mom warned me that this was a processed version and was filled with factory tricks using sugar and cheap jam. Nooooo. It really wasn’t anything that I remembered. It was smooth, but thin. And she was right, there was so much fruit syrup in it that there was no tang left – and wasn’t the tang part of what made it good for me? Yet again, homogenized for all those kids in school who’d teased me and now they’re all grown up and it’s a fashionable shopping cart accessory! Ugh. Then came Fage… (aaaaah – I’m a complete junkie) Greek yogurt! Now that’s closer to what Mom made – and I can add more or less jam. And where’d they get that honey? It’s fabulous! And the price? Ooooo, not so fabulous. It’s $1.50 each…times 4 per week…times 52 weeks…WHAT?! $300/per year in yogurt? Wait, didn’t I see a yogurt maker for sale somewhere? Hmm, $50 for one like Moms or, wait for it, the new fancy schmancy one is $130! But it’ll cook it and then cool it too. Seriously? People have been making yogurt in various forms since probably before the dawn of cheese. (Honestly, before there was cheese – was life really worth living?) Off I went to see about making my own, in my way, in my own little jars. Come along and bring your candy thermometer.

Yes, You can make your own Yogurt!

Step 1: Gather the goodies…it’s a super short list! Milk – Yogurt (starter) – Pan – Thermometer – Jars … seriously, that’s about it. Oh, and a stove is helpful. Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Now, here’s where the 4,000 internet posts when all over the map. The milk. Some said don’t use Ultra Pasturized milk, then some said that it’s the best to use and you can skip the first heating step…ack! Just get some milk. I didn’t complicate things. I normally drink Organic Valley milk (fabulous!!), but it’s ultra-pasturized. There’s no raw milk to be had. So 1 quart of non-RBST 2% was my choice. I don’t do whole milk – too fattening. The fat-free wasn’t a good choice for my first venture out either. Besides, I like a little fat in my yogurt – thank you.

Step 2: The little jars. Hmm, do I make it first and then transfer it into portioned jars? Or do I make it in the jars from the start? Let’s do both. I have these 4oz jars from all my jam making. Now, let’s see how much is actually in the store bought yogurt container. It can’t possibly fit in that tiny jar?! Can it? It does. These little Ball jars are $8.50 or so for a dozen. Perfect. Now, don’t eat that package the way I did – you have to save some for the new yogurt!

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 3: Get your milk into a pan and clip on the thermometer. Bring it up to a scald, slowly. Which is about 190 – 200 deg. NOT a boil. Meanwhile, figure out what you’re going to use to keep it warm for the next 7 – 8 hours. Yes, I did say ALL DAY. Yet again the Internet has as many ideas on that as I have gray hairs and now I’ve got some more. Ugh. As I was stirring the milk, I glanced up at my stove control panel….hmm, this beast has a Proofing function. Isn’t Proofing the raising stage of bread while yeast grows….same thing. Just to be sure I laid my meat thermometer on a silicon pad to check the temp. Not quite warm enough. Back to the Manual…the Drying function is 100deg. Bingo!

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 4: Ok, now the milk is warm enough. You have to cool it to 120 deg. I’m an impatient person – surprise. So, I set the pot in a little cool water while I got the jars ready.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 5: I set the jars in a dish to make a water bath. You don’t have to, but everyone else that sets them in a cooler with warm water, or a crock pot with water,… Besides, I think it’s just good insurance for even heat distribution. (at this point I haven’t paid attention to the fact that the oven has the convection fan going…for even heat distribution…duh) Anyway, take about 2 – 3 Tablespoon of your favorite yogurt (see, I told you not to eat it all), but use the plain version, and whisk it into the milk. Then just pour it into the jars.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 6: At this point I took a couple of jars and added a tiny spoonful of vanilla paste. Later, this proved to be a very good idea. Vanilla paste is a miracle substance to be added to all things that require the scraping of vanilla beans – or anything else vanilla flavored. It’s awesome!

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 7: Get ’em cookin’. I left the thermometer in with them so I could check on it from time to time. I am a rookie at this.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 8: And the next day… ok, well, I did take them out of the oven and into the fridge that evening. I dealt with checking on them the next morning. Wow – look at that y o g u r t. mmmmm This bigger jar I’d reserved to make Greek yogurt out of. To make it, you simply strain the water out. I got a little cheese cloth, a bowl and strainer. Easy.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 9: Before I dumped it into the strainer, I thought I’d test it first for firmness. OMG – the spoon stands in it ! (At that point I had to let out a ‘pirate laugh’ because I was so pleased with myself – it worked!)

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 10: Here are the other little guys in the fridge. How many is that? There’s 8 little gems and for how much? Let’s see, the milk was $1.85 and the Fage starter was $1.50 and I ate most of it (oops). The jars I already had, but they cost $.75 each and are reusable. Then there’s the extra jar of yogurt I used for the Greek style, which I didn’t add to the count. This is so hard to calculate. We’ll just call it at $2.00 for a batch – divided by 8 – is $.25 ! A QUARTER. Period.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 11: After 45 min on the counter there’s Greek Yogurt!

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Step 12: I thought the cheesecloth would be a mess. Instead, the yogurt just rolled out into the bowl, like cheese. I gave it a whip to make it smooth and voila. Hmm, how do you say that in Greek? Well, Google Translate says it’s π???????????? (LOL…yet another pirate laugh!)

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Finale 1:

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

That’s it guys: Here’s the final product. This photo was taken after the yogurt was already at room temp, and had to wait for me to take a half dozen photos and it still held it’s shape. Some homemade jam, and I’m in love! The taste? Smooth. Next time I’ll cook it longer – like overnight. The longer it sets the more tang there is. This was reminiscent of crème fraiche. I would soooo put this into an ice cream maker – but that’s another Blog post.

Finale 2: Remember that vanilla paste ? … oh, yeah a drizzle of honey is all it needs.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

Finale 3: Here’s this morning’s with blueberry jam and honey. I like the way there’s enough room in the little jars to add a topping and put the lid back on.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Make your own Yogurt!

You too can do this ! Save yourself TONS of money. And I know you’ve seen the commercials, or maybe your Dr. told you, or Dr.Mom – yogurt makes your tummy happy in so many ways. So, why not do it yourself and add in what you want to it. Homemade jam, honey, agave, vanilla paste, lemon marmalade, grated ginger and honey…oh yeah baby..the list goes on an on and on ! Enjoy.

Michelle @ badzoot.com

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, DIY Ranch Dressing Mix

Here’s a two-fer post on a weird ingredient and what to do with it…

Show of hands, who likes Ranch Dressing? Oh, yeah- we all do. Have you priced it? OMG!I get it, that old recipe from the dude ranch in California deserves to be paid for, but let’s not get carried away here folks. It’s not like there’s black truffle shavings in it! In fact, its ingredients are in most kitchens already. The key is the recipe. There are lots of variations out there, so feel free to mix away. I’ve found one I like and has only once even slightly expensive ingredient. Once you pick up this new addition to your pantry, it won’t be so expensive after you fin d a hundred things to use it in!

Here comes the ‘two-fer’ part of this post. The weird ingredient. Well, it’s really a staple in this kitchen : dried buttermilk. What? Oh, yes. I incorporate this into my ‘quick mix’ that I use for everything from waffles and pancakes to scones. In other words DIY Bisquick…but that’s another Blog post. I found out from one of my favorite magazine/blog/tv shows, ‘America’s Test Kitchen’ on PBS, that the carton of buttermilk isn’t what Grandma used to know (surprise!). Industry has discovered, what most house-frau’s have known for years, that you can make buttermilk by souring regular milk with vinegar. Since they’re already bottling milk, it’s easier and cheaper to just do that too. That’s great and all, but it’s a kitchen short-cut. The real deal now comes in a can in dried form and is, as I understand, the dried remains from the butter making process – buttermilk. You’ll find this little paper can in with the canned evaporated milks and such in the grocery store. Once open, though, it must live in the fridge. It is, after all, milk. So go and get some and while you’re at it check your spice rack and make up your own Ranch or Ranchero mix!

DIY Ranch Dressing Mix:

Step 1: Gather the goodies

 

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, DIY Ranch Dressing Mix
Ingredients for DIY Ranch Dressing Mix

 

1/4 cup Dry Buttermilk

2 Tbl Dried Minced Onion

2 Tbl Dried Parsley

1 Tbl Dried Chives

1/4 tsp Salt (to taste – or use Sea Salt, but way less of it)

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Dried Celery Flakes

1/2 tsp Pepper (white pepper is prettier, but black is available here)

1/4 tsp Paprika (no, not that hot stuff, well, maybe if you’re into that)

1/4 tsp Dried Dill

Step 2:

I put mine in a mason jar, because I have a ton of them, and it makes for nice photos – yummy.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, DIY Ranch Dressing Mix
Ingredients for DIY Ranch Dressing being very pretty.

Step 3:

Another photo – it’s just so cool in that jar – hmmm. Wouldn’t this make a nice gift for someone?

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, DIY Ranch Dressing Mix
Still pretty….

Step 4:

Next I put the mix into the Magic Bullet (or whatever small volume blender you’ve got), and whirled it into a powder. Hmm, looks just like that package stuff. Only way, way, way less money!!!

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, DIY Ranch Dressing Mix
Everything all mixed up!

Finale:

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, DIY Ranch Dressing Mix
Finale!

Now you can use this for salads if you mix it with some milk (fat-free is good too), and a touch of mayo (even Veganaise makes the list here) and there you have it – Ranch Dressing! If you’re into the thick stuff you can add some reduced fat sour cream, or even a pinch of Xanthan Gum. What’s that? Oh, you missed that blog? Well, it’s a natural thickener that’s used for many gluten-free recipes. You can Google it, or just search Kathy’s or my blog. Now, where was I – oh yes, dips. A bit of this in reduced fat sour cream is awesome! Did someone say Greek yogurt?…and a baked potato….Oh yeah. I even have a recipe for Taco Soup that I add a tablespoon to and it changes the flavor completely. One of the nice things about the open mix is that you can make it as YOU like. If you like it with taco sauce, ok. Maybe a teaspoon of spicy mustard, and you got an incredible potato salad. The list goes on and on. Have fun with it. You can make it as fattening as you want, because it starts out pretty darned low. The dried buttermilk is only 80 cal and less than 1 gram of fat in 4 tablespoons (about an envelopes worth) so add it with abandon my waist watching friends. You’re safe.

Michelle @ http://www.badzoot.com/

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

I get myself in trouble surfing the net for cool ideas for the house – really, just great ways for other people to separate me from my cash! Nearly every new remodel I see has some romantic little chandelier hanging somewhere, usually over a lovely tub. So I’ve had this idea floating around in my head for a very long time. Since we remodeled our master bathroom some time ago I, naturally, had it in my head to incorporate one. I’ve got one of those ginormous tubs – why not? Oh, building codes….yeah. Well, ‘code’ says that we can’t put electrical over a tub (but it’s ok to have a light in the shower – don’t get me started). That leaves a ‘candelier’. Only, hanging it beyond the tub means lighting them will be a pain and will probably never happen. Not to mention they’re hard to find and even those are not what I wanted. OK, the search gets a bit more narrow. Meaning, now they need to be LED candles that I can operate by remote. Hmmmm. Wow those pillars are pricey!! And I still can’t find anything to put them in. Everything sold for a garden is cheesy, and then there’s the cool modern ones, or maybe a trendy French one with little wood ‘crystals’ – ouch, how much?! And then I need to rip it’s electrical guts outs? Ugh. Now fast forward to our little trip to Renningers Antique Extravaganza and that monstrous brass 10 light chandelier I picked up for $20…oh, yeah…that’ll do. Jesandy Jubilee Countdown!

But first I lent it to the Jess/Andy Jubilee (my cousin’s outdoor wedding at Perfect in April). I spray painted it with a mirror finish that made it look silvery and it lit up the dance floor.

JesAndy Jubilee

Now that the party’s over, it needs to go back to being what I’d bought it for in the first place. (no, it won’t fit in the newlywed’s Brooklyn apartment – this thing is big – unlike NYC real estate!) Let’s see what I came up with:

Step 1: Find some replacement lights. The fixture will need to be un-electrified so they’ll need to be those LED candles. My friends at Amazon had just the thing. These little numbers are for Christmas trees. They come battery operated, with a remote, and a little clip assembly to hang them on a tree. And now that I see them, I may need to get another set for December’s decorating.

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Step 2: Gotta test em – look how cute! They flicker like candles and everything, and I love that tiny remote.

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Step 3: Get out those tools and cut away the bulb assemblies. I left the wires intact enough that, if for some reason later, it can be re-electrified. And here’s the little clip that came with the candles. This we’ll pull apart so that it can be the base for the light. That way the candles can easily have the batteries replaced.

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Step 4: I found big washers holding the other assembly in place, so we’ll keep those. I need to give the candle base something to glue to, as well as hiding the wires . But first the sconce and little cup have to go back together and they need a threaded rod to hold them in place. I found some old lamp pieces in the nuts-n-bolts stash and cut them down to fit (this was not fun – many bandaids were in my future) Then I tucked the wires inside the rod, sconce and little cup and replaced the nut and washer holding them all on. Then back to those big washers and some Gorilla Glue. I tucked the wires beneath and glued the edges lightly. Now, gluing steel doesn’t always turn out well. This is no weld and I know it may come apart someday, but the way my test held, I won’t be worrying about it. I let it set overnight just to be sure.

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Step 5: …and the next day… Remember those clips? OK, the top holders are a swivel so they just popped right off. A little spray paint to make them off-white like the candles, good to go. Although, that piece sticking out had to be cut off as some of the wires took up too much space inside the little cup. Just a pair of wire cutters and no band-aids this time!

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Step 6: A test to make sure they all still fit nicely. Then I glued them in place with Gorilla Glue too.

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Step 7: A little later I couldn’t wait so I turned out the lights and there it was. Like fireworks inside, I was ooooing and haaaaaing! About that time my neighbor came in and wondered what the heck I was doing and where’d I get a sterling silver chandelier – yeah, the color is that close! (I can’t stand it) “Honeeeeeey!!! Come hang this for me!! Pleeeeze”

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Step 8: Since this is a 10 pound piece of metal over my cost-too-much-to-replace tub, and new tile work, I opted to use something designed for a real light and not just a glorified cup hook! Besides, maybe they’ll change the Code one day and someone (not me) will put up another fixture and be so happy that those Beals were so ahead of the curve to install a cut-in box for them. (you’re welcome)

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Step 9: Thank you Honey – I love it! (now I have to decorate around it….and no, it doesn’t match my other lights) Hmmm. But I’m luvin’ that tiny switch, it works great!!! A little click and they come on and flicker away.

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

It needs a bit of adjusting. It’s been though a lot! I mean, can you believe that this POS that had been hauled around from who-knows-where in some guy’s station wagon to be sold in a field antique fair for a twenty could be so cool ?! So romantic – where’s my bubble bath!? Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Finale: Here’s a shot of it on a cloudy day. I did actually take a little movie of it flickering at night, but it’s a big file and kinda dark.

Adventures with Michelle, DIY Chandelier

Michelle Beal @ www.badzoot.com