How To Make Delicious, Healthy, Homemade Yogurt

Our family loves yogurt. We use it in cooking, we use it in smoothies, and we eat it regularly at meals and for snacks. So I was a bit dubious when Delys told me that she had begun making her own at home. But I liked the idea that I could control the amount of sugar in it (most commercial yogurt tastes too sweet to me), that it has only four ingredients (make that two if you leave out the sugar and vanilla), and that it is definitely more economical. So I asked her for a yogurt lesson, and I have become a believer. Here is Delys' recipe:

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole milk 

6-8 oz yogurt with live cultures (plain or vanilla)

3/4 - 1 cup sugar (optional)

1-2 Tbs vanilla (optional)

Equipment:

Heavy bottom stock pot (plus additional pot if desired for cooling)

Candy thermometer

4 quart-size jars with lids or equivalent

Cooler

Pour a gallon of whole milk into stock pot and set on medium/low heat. Insert your thermometer and heat to 185-195 degrees. This can take some time, but you don't want to crank up the heat or you'll scald the milk. Remove from heat and let cool to 120 degrees.

I like to pour it into a separate pot that is sitting in an ice bath in the sink to speed the cooling process.

While the milk cools, you can add sugar and vanilla if desired. When it has cooled to 120 degrees, add your yogurt starter (6 to 8 oz, of plain or vanilla yogurt with live cultures) and whisk until well incorporated. Pour mixture into clean jars and secure with lids. 

Place jars in cooler and close lid. Quickly heat a gallon of water on the stove or in the microwave to 120 degrees (this is only slightly warmer than the hot water coming out of your tap) and pour into the cooler with the jars. 

Shut cooler and allow to sit for 3 hours. Dry off your jars and put them in the fridge. Unopened jars can be stored for a month. You can easily half this recipe or adjust it to your families needs.

This is delicious topped with granola, nuts, and fresh or frozen fruit. Or eat it just as you see it here--smooth and creamy yumminess.

Rudolph Treat Jars

I recently got to spend a magical week with three of our grandchildren. While I was there, our thoughts naturally turned toward Christmas. One of Delys' goals was to come up with an idea for a fun gift for their friends and neighbors that the children could help prepare. Glancing through a craft catalog, she saw a kit for creating reindeer treat jars. The kits weren't cheap, but we realized that we could purchase our own supplies and make them ourselves much less expensively. (These would make great teacher gifts.)

Here is what you need:

glass jars with lids (we chose pint size, but you can go bigger or smaller )
brown felt
brown pipe cleaners
large red pom poms
large googly eyes
ribbon
hot glue gun and glue

Use the top of the lid as a pattern and trace a circle:

Fold the circle in half and cut two small slits near the center:

Fold a pipe cleaner in half and thread it through the slits to create the antlers:

Bend the pipe cleaner into a fun antler shape, glue the felt circle to the lid, and replace the metal rim. Ben and Katie, ages 4 and 6, were great at threading and bending the antlers:

We were worried about using hot glue with the children, so we chose over-sized eyes and pom poms so that their small fingers would stay far away from the heat. We placed the glue dots, and they simply put the eyes and nose over them:

Of course, the best part of the process was filling the jars with candy. We chose Tootsie Roll minis, small sleeves of Whoppers, and Smarties. But Kisses or Dove or any wrapped candy would be perfect. A whole lot of sampling went on . . . .

We trimmed the rim with ribbon--you could also add a bell--and Rudolph was ready for Christmas delivery:

DIY Sewing Table

Last summer, Delys and her family moved into their first home. I was able to fly out a few days later to help a bit with the unpacking. When we pulled out her sewing machine, Delys mentioned how much she would like to have a designated space where it could live full time so that she wouldn't have to set it up and take it down every time she had a project to work on. Later that day, while we were rummaging in one of the sheds in her yard, we discovered an old shelf/cupboard that the former owner had left there. "Ah ha!" I thought, "A sewing table. . . ."

So, with the help of these little craftsmen, we carried it outside, removed the cupboard door and shelf, and turned it upside down. I drew a gentle curve on a large piece of cardboard and traced it on to the bottom of the piece. (I centered it between the left side of the entire piece and the left side of the cupboard on the right.) Using a jigsaw, I cut out the curve and then repeated the process on the middle shelf. These cut outs created a space for her feet and knees.

I sanded the rough edges, washed off the dirt and sawdust, and then let it dry thoroughly. We headed to the hardware store and bought a small can of primer that the helpful hardware man recommended for painting over laminated surfaces--the primer helps the paint adhere to the slick surface--and Delys chose a paint color. 

We applied one coat of primer and two coats of color. After it was completely dry, we replaced the shelf, reattached the door and, voila, a sewing table! The top of the table gives her plenty of sewing space, and the cupboard on the right provides storage for her supplies. (Delys pointed out that this could also function well as a computer desk or any other work center.)

Homemade Laundry Detergent

So I have of course heard of people making their own laundry detergent but I never really felt like I was one of those people. I'm not sure why exactly;I make my own yogurt and bread and other stuff frequently to try and be frugal, but I guess that's partly it. I feel like there are a lot of diy options out there but I'm not going to do all of them for want of time/energy/etc, and for some reason grating a bar of soap and cooking up some brew of chemicals didn't make it to the top of my to-do list. However, that was before I heard a woman I admire and trust swear by the stuff, show the amazing cheapness of it all and provide a recipe that requires only 3 ingredients and no grating involved. So this week, when my last drop of store bought detergent ran out I tried it, and you know what? It's awesome. Easy as pie, my clothes are clean and it costs next to nothing. And, as if that's not enough, I love that I can always have these 3 ingredients on hand because they last forever and they take up no space. Stockpiling laundry detergent was never really an option because it's so bulky and costs a lot, so normally I'd have to buy it every couple of months, but now I'll only have to replace the 3 ingredients every few years. Sweet.

1/2 Cup Washing Soda

1/2 Cup Borax

1/2 Cup Dawn Liquid Dish Soap

Water

Here's what you do. Get a gallon-ish container- I used a gallon juice jug. Add the washing soda and borax. Add 1 quart (4 cups) hot water. Put the lid on and shake until it dissolves completely. Now add the dish soap and fill the rest of the way with cold water. Shake to combine. Voila! 

A few notes, tips or tricks:

- This is a fairly concentrated recipe so I use about 1/4 of a cup for a full load of laundry. ( I use a measuring lid from an old bottle of detergent.)

- Everything I've read from other users says it works great in regular or he washing machines: very little suds.

- It does tend to settle a bit upon sittng so just give it a good shake before each use.

- It doesn't seem to make any difference what kind of dawn detergent you use; regular, ultra or scented. Some people even use different detergents, but I was told to use Dawn for it's grease-fighting abilities so that's all I've tried so far.

- If you do a lot of laundry, my friend makes hers in a 5 gallon bucket and just quadruples the recipe. (She says she keeps a big spoon on hand to give it a stir after it's been sitting a while)

- For whites, this may not keep them as white as you may like so adding a booster (any brand of laundry booster or you can try adding vinegar to the rinse cycle) on white loads is recommended.

- I've heard adding a little vinegar to the rinse cycle works as a fabric softener and also helps remove any possible soap residue. It's also supposed to work as a laundry booster. Haven't tried it yet, but thought I'd pass it on.

- If you're in to having scented laundry: Add a few tablespoons of Downy Unstopables to your recipe or just a teaspoon to each load. Other people say they use essential oils for fragrance.