Adventures in Yogurt-Making

Since leaving my full-time job when my daughter was born three years ago, I am constantly looking for ways to make things or do things inexpensively. In the last year or so, Pinterest has been my go-to way of finding recipes or instructions for these experiments. I still Google specific things I am looking for, but many times Pinterest has inspired me to do things I never would have thought possible.

Yogurt-making was never something I intended to do on a weekly basis, but thanks to Pinterest, I make a batch of yogurt nearly every week. I use my crock pot, making it super-easy to transform milk into yogurt. There are no strange ingredients to buy in order to get started. I've talked to people who use their oven and coolers, but I'm not that ambitious, so this crock pot method is perfect for me! Here is a link to the web site that I use:http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html

I was reluctant to try making yogurt because I had heard that homemade yogurt is thinner than commercially-made yogurt.  I love Chobani Greek Yogurt, which is extra-thick and creamy, so the thought of runny yogurt just wasn't appealing to me.  At $1.25 per cup, however, it is a bit costly when both my daughter and I are eating it on a daily basis.  I can usually buy a gallon of milk for $2.50.  I am able to make a half-gallon (~10 servings) of yogurt each week, costing just $1.25...the same as one 6 ounce serving of Chobani.                                                                                    

At first, I was discouraged with the consistency of the homemade yogurt, but have since discovered that adding slightly more "starter" (plain yogurt) during this process makes it much thicker, almost as thick as Chobani.  I don't measure anymore, but I add ~3/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup.  I don't add fruit to my yogurt until we're ready to eat it.  In fact, we usually eat it plain, as it has a much milder flavor than traditional plain yogurt.  We also like it sprinkled with granola or my daughter sometimes likes mini chocolate chips or M&Ms in hers.

This is how I make Homemade Yogurt, adapted from the instructions using the blog I referred to above:
Ingredients:
8 cups (half-gallon) of 2% Milk

1/2 cup live/active culture plain yogurt (I used Dannon Natural Plain Yogurt)

Instructions:

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add a half gallon of milk. Cover and heat 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.

Let it sit for 8 hours.

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. 

Target Loves Me So Much They Pay Me To Shop There...

I love Target.  The Target store nearest to my house is just close enough to shop there frequently, but just far enough so that I am not tempted to go there daily.  Last week was an especially fun Target shopping trip for me because it's "Back-to-School" sale time and they were giving things away...after coupons anyway.  Here is what I got for free last week, in addition to cheap toilet paper, granola bars and diapers:  (2) packages of Papermate pens, (3) twin-packs of RoseArt glue sticks, (6) 24-packs of RoseArt crayons (technically 9 packages of crayons, but I shared one of my coupons with another customer so that she got 3 packs for free), (2) Up & Up brand eye drops, and (2) packages of Hershey's Simple Pleasures chocolates.

My sweet cashier, Libby, even had another employee bring me the two packages of chocolates at the cash register because I couldn't find them while I was shopping.  For a Momma shopping with three children, one of whom was barefoot, covered in Dora the Explorer stickers that she found in my purse, and is eating one of the granola bars we haven't bought yet, this act of kindness is VERY much appreciated.  She also is a super-fast coupon scanner.  Libby deserves a raise. 

These fun freebies made the purchase of new soccer cleats for Brodie a little less unpleasant.  Dunham's never has their $17.99 sale-priced cleats in stock in Brodie's size, so we always end up with the more expensive kind.  Why do little boys' feet grow so quickly!? 

A Saturday of Groupons, Free Underwear, $3 Target Shirts, and Owls

I love Saturdays when our family is able to have fun and not spend tons of money.  This past Saturday was one of those.  While some of us may have had more fun than others, we were all together, doing something.  This summer has been a HUGE blessing to our family, mostly because this is the first summer in three years that my husband has not had to endure abdominal surgery.  For a while, we were spending both spring and summer vacations in hospital rooms and doctor's offices. So, no matter what we do, at least we aren't cooped up in a hospital!

Last month, I purchased a Groupon for an annual membership to the Kingman Museum in Battle Creek and we needed to go there to pick up our membership cards.  The cost was $19, which is a GREAT deal, but I had a $5 off offer from Groupon, making it just $14!  It's the little things that make this Momma happy.  The Kingman Museum is just an "okay" museum.  But, with this membership comes a reciprocal membership to many museums in every state, including the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.  Our plan, when we began homeschooling in 2010, was to go to the Chicago-area museums during the first week of school every year, as a kickoff to the school year.  Thank you, Groupon for saving us a lot of money on this upcoming trip!  If you use my referral link (http://www.groupon.com//raf/UserReferral_rp/121015/10r1act/lk/uu27177111) I earn $10 when you purchase YOUR first Groupon. :)

Our first stop was a nearby mall.  I despise the mall.  We were only there because Victoria's Secret sent me a coupon for a free pair of underwear and Bath & Body Works had a Facebook offer for a free bottle of lotion and we were already in the same area as this mall.  My oldest son also had a gift card for Dunham's Sports and needed to go there to buy a ShakeWeight and a pair of shorts.  These items will likely end up in a garage sale for a quarter in a few years.  I imagine his future apartment will be cluttered with all kinds of those "As Seen on TV" products...and airsoft guns and fast food wrappers. As I'm thinking these thoughts, I try to be encouraging about his decision and we joke about what huge muscles he will have "in just seven minutes a day".

After collecting my free gifts, my children were hungry.  I stopped at Target to pick up "picnic food", aka: a loaf of bread, some lunch meat, and a bag of Target brand snack mix.  While I was there, I found two shirts on sale for $6 each.  I had two $3 off coupons, making each shirt just $3!  After ignoring discontent teenage comments about going to Taco Bell like normal people, we had a lovely picnic lunch at some picnic tables outside of the museum.  There was a big hill that Ellery loved running down.  She also decided that this was a lovely spot to poop, so after a diaper change and a couple of family pictures, we made our way to our original destination.  

We gave our membership information to the adorable, friendly volunteer at the Kingman Museum.  She gave each of our children a sea shell and a tiny piece of dinosaur bone.  We savored the air conditioning for a few minutes as we took a quick look at the exhibits, before venturing back into the 92-degree day. 

When we arrived home, I sewed the finishing touches onto an owl I had knitted and listed it in my Etsy shop.  This owl is slightly different from the owls I've made in the past, but I think I like it better.  I'm thinking about making these owls in different colors, but haven't had time to experiment yet.  Here is a link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/104405736/knitted-chocolate-owl