Homemade Yogurt In the Crock Pot

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you! I searched for a recipe that you could make yogurt in your slow cooker but had a hard time finding one where you made it in the crock rather then incubating it in the jars in the crock. A big hooray to my friend, Traci M. who shared this!

So, without further ado, here's what you'll need:

8 cups of whole milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt with live cultures (or the freeze dried starter)
A thick bath towel
Whisk
Small glass or metal bowl
Containers to store your yogurt
And of course your slow cooker (4 quart or larger if doubling the recipe)

Directions:

• Pour the milk into your crock pot, cover and heat on low for 2 1/2 hours.
• Unplug your crock pot. Without removing the lid, let it sit for 3 hours.
• After 3 hours, remove 2 cups of the warm milk and put into your small bowl. Whisk in the 1/2 cup of yogurt or yogurt starter until well blended.
  
• Pour the mixture back into the crock pot and mix well.
• Put the lid back on your crock pot, and keeping it unplugged, wrap the heavy bath towel around the crock. Let incubate for 8 hours.
• After 8 hours, your yogurt will have thickened.
• Pour into glass jars or plastic bowls and chill.

Yea! You did it! Now for the fun part. Add your favorite mix-ins and enjoy!


Here's some of our favorites:
Honey and sunflower seeds
Fresh or frozen fruit
Granola and blueberries w/ toasted almonds

Remember my 'Little to Big Blueberry Parfait'?
You should try it and let me know what you think!

NOTE: Homemade yogurt isn't nearly as thick as store bought because it doesn't have added gelatin or any thickening agents.

Molasses Cookies and Eggnog Chai

The other day while at a coffee shop a friend told me how chai tea was described to her, 'Christmas in a cup'. I like it! This little pair is sure to make you think of Christmas!

For the chewy molasses cookies you'll need:
14 Tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups raw sugar, divided
1/3 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

I like them 'spicy' so I add approximately 1/2 teaspoon allspice or pumpkin pie spice. :)

Preheat oven to 350*. Cover two baking sheets with foil and set aside. In a medium size saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the sugar along with the molasses. Cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in medium size bowl. Beat the egg into the butter mixture in the saucepan, then gradually add the flour mixture and stir until well combined and a soft dough is formed.

Pour the remaining sugar into a small bowl. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in the sugar. Place the balls on the foil covered baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes. Do not overcook. As they cool they will become chewy. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Now, for my favorite holiday tea...truly 'Christmas in a cup' when paired with the above cookies.

You will need the following ingredients for each mug:
1 Chai tea bag (my fav is Tazo's organic chai)
6-8 ounces boiling water (depending on how strong you like it)
1 teaspoon turbinado or brown sugar
2-3 ounces eggnog

Yep! It's that easy. Get out your favorite mug, place the unwrapped tea bag inside, pour the boiling water over the tea bag. Let steep 4-5 minutes. Remove tea bag. Add the sugar and eggnog and stir. Delicious!

Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

Grab your food processor (or cheese grater), a large glass or stainless steel bowl, a large metal spoon, a box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, a box of Borax, and 4 bars of Ivory soap or 2 large bars of Zote (which is hard to find thus the reason I use Ivory).

Grate the bars of soap and let dry out for a few hours. I then transfer the soap flakes back to the food processor with the blade and chop into small pieces. Mix the boxes of washing soda (note: NOT baking soda), Borax, and soap flakes together. Store in an airtight container.

Wasn't that easy?! You just made an ample supply of laundry soap for pennies per load!

You only need 1 Tablespoon per load, 2 Tablespoons for heavily soiled loads. Use 1/4-1/3 cup vinegar in your rinse cycle and not only are you saving money but you are keeping the toxins out of your home! Yea for you!

Berry Greenalicious Smoothie

Throw those nasty meal replacements in the garbage...that's what they are anyhow! They are loaded with artificial flavorings and sugars as well as synthetic vitamins that your body has a hard time digesting. My personal rule of thumb: If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it!

Here's a great alternative that is not only superior health wise but tastes good too!

Get our your blender and add the following:

1 cup yogurt or kefir
1/2 cup orange juice (not from concentrate)
1 cup frozen fruit (strawberries and blueberries are our favs)
1-3 tsp high quality whole food Greens powder (or throw in a handful of fresh spinach leaves)
1 TB Agave Nectar, optional
1-2 tsp ground flax seed, optional
1 scoop Whey Protein powder, optional

Blend together and enjoy! I make a blender full because even the kids beg for it.

Little To Big Blueberry Parfait

Put approximately 1 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt into 4-5 dishes, top each with a handful or two of fresh, antioxidant loaded blueberries. :)

Next, get out a heavy skillet. Put in 1 Tablespoon butter. Once melted, add 1 cup of rolled oats and 1/2 cup of slivered or sliced almonds. Stir constantly over medium heat until lightly browned.

Let cool slightly, if you wish, before adding to each parfait.

Yum! From Little to Big...Enjoy!
You might even forget about your apple-see 2nd pic. ;)

Pineapple Walnut Chicken Salad

Another one of my creations to 'use it up'. This is a quick, easy chicken salad that is tasty enough to take to a ladies luncheon.

Mix together in medium bowl:
2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup walnuts, chopped fine
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup plain, yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

optional: dried cranberries would be a wonderful addition (my sweetie doesn't like them, therefore I left them out this time)

Serve on a bed of lettuce or a slice of fresh bread.

Have you tried my Ultimate Chicken Salad yet?

Cucumber, Tomato & Corn Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

My generous neighbor brought over a bag of cucumbers before heading out of town for the 4th...yippee! I love yummy surprises. Since we had a party planned ourselves and I'd been wanting to try out GrammyGoo's delicious looking recipe anyway...I decided to get creative and use up what I had in my refrigerator. And, now that you know the story behind my latest creation I'll tell you how to prepare it.

Add to a large bowl:
4-6 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2-3 tomatoes, cut up
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 of a medium red onion

Mix well after adding 1 cup Poppyseed Dressing. Allow to marinate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Mel's Sweet n Spicy Chili

I know it's a tad hot out for chili but I'm thinking in terms of chili dogs! Yum! A bit of cocoa and strong coffee give this chili a taste that is sensational.

Here's what you'll need:
2 lbs ground beef
2 -15 oz cans beans (your choice)
4 cloves garlic, minced or chopped fine
1 cup chopped onion
2 -28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup strong coffee
2-3 TB chili powder
1 TB bouillon (from health food store- without MSG)
2 TB ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp sugar or agave
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1-2 tsp salt, to taste
hot sauce to taste

Brown beef, then add in onion and garlic until softened. Add in remaining ingredients except salt and hot sauce. Heat through. Add salt and hot sauce to taste. Simmer and enjoy! The longer you let the flavors simmer the better it will be. Try making this ahead of time and then transferring to your crock pot to simmer on low for 4-8 hours. Serve with cornbread, crackers or over hot dogs (preferably without nitrates). :)

It's an insect not a spider
it has 6 legs instead of 8
3 on this side 3 on that side
and it's crawling on your plate.

1 ant, 2 ants , 3 ants 4
our picnic is their grocery store
5 ants 6 ants 7 ants 8
they are crawling on my plate
8 ants 7 ants
stomp around
6 ants 5 ants
on the grounds
4 ants 3 ants
on the run
2 ants 1 ant
no more fun.

Don't despair! Ants in your house doesn't mean you are a bad house keeper. Here's a great, very frugal way to get rid of them.

Grease/Protein Ants:
Mix 1 tsp boric acid and 1/4 cup bacon grease or butter and dip cotton balls in jar (see instructions below)

Sugar Ants:
Mix 1 1/2 tsp boric acid, 1/3 sugar, and 1 cup water

Soak cotton balls in solution and put in small bottles/jars with a lids - poke ant size holes in lids and lay jars on side under sinks or behind appliances. This is good to prevent pets from getting to it.

Place your pets food bowl in a larger dish (ex. pie plate) filled with water (like a moat) to keep ants out.

I place the jars on my counters too at night when I go to bed or anywhere I see them.

*****Keep out of reach of children and pets.******

Wondering why you must keep it away from pets and kids and it's supposed to be low toxic?
Read this.

Who Needs Delivery?

Not with this recipe! Make several and freeze before cooking for a quick meal any time.

Here's what you'll need:

*Crust:
4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp honey
3 cups warm water (110*F)
2 tsp salt
1 TB Italian seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil
6 1/2-7 1/2 cups bread flour

Sauce:
1 large can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 TB Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp honey


Toppings:

Whatever floats your boat - I used raw milk cheese topped with chicken, bacon, red onion, and fresh tomatoes drizzled with a bit of olive oil.

Other favorites:
Chicken, tomatoes and pineapple
Spinach, red onion and tomatoes
Beef, red onion and green bell peppers

Directions:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast, honey and water. Let sit 10 minutes.
• Stir in about 3 cups of flour along with the salt, italian seasoning, and oil.
• Turn dough out onto a clean, floured surface and knead in more flour until dough is moist but not sticky. Put back in bowl, cover with damp cloth and let rise until double; about one hour.
• Meanwhile, stir together sauce and grate cheese.
  
• Punch down and form a tight ball. Allow to relax for about 5 minutes before rolling out.
• Coat pizza pan with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal.
  
• Top with sauce, cheese, and goodies. :P
• Bake at 425* for 15-20 minutes.

NOTE: If using a pizza stone top and bake immediately. If not, let rolled out dough rise for about 15 minutes before topping.

*Makes 3 large pizzas.

Family fun: Make small pizzas and let everyone top their own! You can also do this for a get together.

Quick & Easy, Fun Lunch

We try to avoid over processed, preservative filled, pre-packaged foods from the store. I'm sure you're wondering what in the world we eat then, right? So do I, sometimes!

Fresh fruit, boiled eggs, fresh veggies, cheese sticks with crackers, fresh bread, or tortillas is what we eat a lot of during the warm months. Here's what we had today!

Next time you make sloppy joes or spaghetti, save out about 1 1/2-2 cups of the sauce. We purchased the whole wheat mini bagels, shredded some cheese and that's all you need! I sprayed the pan with oil to avoid cheese drips sticking to the pan and preheated the broiler on the oven (you can use your toaster oven too).

Split the bagels in halves and lay on pan, spoon on about 2 TB leftover sauce, top with shredded cheese and place under broiler for a few minutes until bubbly and the cheese is lightly browned in spots.

Cut up an apple and banana, throw in a bowl with grapes and wa-lah a quick, nutritious lunch!

More-With-Less Peanut Butter Cookies

More-With-Less is one of my favorite cookbooks! It focuses on eating healthier and being good to our planet with lots of frugal from scratch recipes. I use the recipes as a base and be creative adding flavors and spices as desired. Here's one I tried today.

Cream together:
1/2 cup shortening (I used softened butter)
1 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg (I used the flax replacement*)

Add to creamed mixture:
1 c. wheat germ
2 tsp. vanilla
6 TB water

Combine and add:
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I used white wheat)
1 c. dry milk solids (I omitted this and added a bit more flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

Roll into balls and flatten with fork in criss cross pattern. Bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes.

These aren't the kind of cookies you take to a potluck where everyone is used to eating store bought processed, high fructose corn syrup laden junk. These taste healthy, aren't very sweet and are a wonderful snack or even breakfast with a tall glass of ice cold raw milk and a piece of fruit.

*2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds & 3 Tablespoons water -mixed well

Mel's Ultimate Chicken Salad

This is my favorite chicken salad! It not only tastes divine it is very good for your body! I originally started making this because I needed to go to the grocery store and was using up odds and ends. I don't measure ingredients so I will do my best to give approximate amounts...it will turn out lovely regardless. ;)

2 1/2 cups of shredded, cooked chicken (or 2 cans)
2-3 boiled eggs, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 cup shredded cole slaw cabbage mix
1/2 of a medium red onion, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2-3/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds or walnuts
3/4 cup poppyseed dressing (see recipe HERE)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp celery salt (or use garlic/onion salt)
1/2-1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Mix it up. Place on a bed of fresh spinach leaves. Add a couple of tomato slices. Enjoy!

Mel's Poppyseed Dressing

Mel's Poppyseed Dressing

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1-2 tsp Basalmic vinegar (optional)
2 TBLS finely chopped or grated red onion
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBLS poppy seeds

Place the sugar, mustard, salt, vinegars and onion into the blender and mix on low for 30 seconds. Remove the middle of lid and slowly add the oil in a stream. Turn off. Stir in poppyseeds. Use scraper to put into jar and store in refrigerator.

This is wonderful on a fresh spinach salad!

I took several recipes I found online and created my own. I'm not good at following recipes and always like to 'do my own thing'. This got rave reviews from my family who think they only like ranch. Enjoy!

EASY Homemade Honey Peanut Butter Granola

This is what you'll need:
12 cups rolled oats (1 large container)
1 1/2 cups honey
1 can apple juice concentrate
1/2 cup oil (I use EVOO)
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

Mix the wet ingredients with a mixer in a large bowl. Add the oats and stir until combined.

Preheat oven to 300* F. Place the granola on two cookie sheets or
I use glass 9x13 pans because it's easier to stir. ;)

Place in the oven (300*F) and stir every 20 minutes until lightly browned, usually about an hour but it's important to check it every 5-10 minutes towards the end so you don't burn it.

Once completely cool, store in an airtight container. At this point you can add dry fruit or seeds. We like to keep it plain and add fresh fruit or nuts to our individual bowls.

Eat this like any cereal or our favorite, top your yogurt with this yummy treat!

Variation: Omit honey and add 1 cup brown sugar. Stir the wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Place the oats in a large bowl and stir in the brown sugar before adding the wet ingredients to the oats. This is fabulous but of course adds in refined sugar.

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the BEST cookies! You can add peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, and/or nuts. These are the kind you must not make often. ha ha

1 cup rolled oats
4 1/2 cups flour
1 TBLS baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups (4 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups granulate sugar
1 TBLS vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
4 eggs
5 cups chocolate or peanut butter chips or a mix
2-3 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350*
You can grind the oats in a food processor until smooth (I leave mine whole). Combine the dry ingredients in medium bowl.
Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, lemon juice with a mixer in a large bowl. Add the eggs and mix well.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and blend. Add the chips and nuts until well incorporated.
Spoon 1/4 cup portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 16-18 minutes until light brown and soft in the middle. Store in an airtight container after completely cooled.

This makes a large batch. :)

Sweet And Sour

Mmmmm....so I've been on a Chinese cuisine kick. On Saturday I made beef and veggie egg rolls, sweet and sour chicken (the right way, it was sooooo yummy). The following day I made another batch of egg rolls, sesame beef and broccoli stir fry, and fried rice.

Today for lunch I mixed the leftover egg roll cabbage mix with the fried rice plus more cooked brown rice and soy sauce then re-fried the egg rolls for a delicious lunch. Where's the pics? Ummm...well, let's just say it was too late.

What was my fav?! Oh, the sweet and sour sauce was divine! It has a lovely twang to it.

Here's the recipe:
Mel's Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1-2 TBLS dark soy sauce
2 TBLS cornstarch
2 TBLS cool water
1 cup orange marmalade

Heat the pineapple w/ juice, sugar, water, vinegar and soy to boiling in 3 qt sauce pan. Mix cornstarch and 2 TBLS water in a small cup/bowl and blend well. Stir into boiling sauce and boil 1-2 minutes until thickened stirring constantly. Cool about 20 minutes and stir in orange marmalade. Stores in the refridgerator for 2 weeks. Makes about 5 1/2 cups.
Serve with fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls. Be creative and let me know what you try it on!

My Favorite 2 Hour Bread Recipe

Okay, after reading this you no longer have permission to whine, 'I can't make good homemade bread for this reason or that'. It's quite easy and many ladies (and men) make all their bread on a regular basis. It is much better for you, tastes divine and will cost less then an equal (if that's possible) quality you would find in a bakery. If you have any questions I will do my best to answer. I think there's something therapeutic about the process of making the bread as well as the lovely aroma as it fills your home.

So, put those funky, no tellin' how old heat and serves back on the shelf and let's get busy!

This makes three medium sized loaves:
2 scant (not full) Tablespoons instant yeast
2 cups warm water (approx. 105*)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup shortening or softened butter
1 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten
6-7 cups bread flour

Put the warm water into a large mixing bowl (Kitchen Aid mixer bowl if you have one). Sprinkle the yeast and sugar into the water and let set until foamy (about 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, coat 3 loaf pans (preferably glass) with cooking spray.

Next, measure 5 cups of flour into the bowl of foamy yeast and stir (no foam? bad yeast...buy some fresh and try again).

Add the eggs, shortening, salt, and vital wheat gluten to the mix with either the kneading attachment on your mixer or a wooden spoon and mix well. Continue adding flour until the dough is stiff enough to form a sticky ball.


If using a mixer, continue adding flour until a nice ball is formed and is kneading nicely in the bowl, continue kneading for about 5 minutes adding flour as necessary to keep from sticking to the bowl.


If mixing by hand, dump the sticky ball onto a floured surface and knead, knead, and knead some more (about 10 minutes) adding flour as needed but not too much that the dough is dry.

**The secrets to delicious bread is making sure the dough is a bit sticky but not enough to stick to your hands and proper kneading! (see kneading link above)**

Once the dough is kneaded well, form into a ball and let rest about 5-10 minutes.

*Please note: The vital wheat gluten and the instant dry yeast make it unnecessary to let the dough rise twice! Woot! Thus, 2 hour bread instead of ALL DAY bread. ;)

Separate into 3 equal pieces. Take each piece and form into a tight ball with your hands (this squeezes out air pockets). Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. They don't have to look perfect, it'll taste GREAT! ;)

Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and place a piece of plastic wrap, waxed paper or a clean, damp dish towel over the loaves and let rise until double in size (approx. 45 minutes depending on how warm the area is).

Once the loaves are doubled in size, place in a cold oven and turn the oven temperature to 350*. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. When you remove the loaf of bread from the pan you should hear a hollow 'thump' when gently thumped with your finger.

It will smell sooooooo good but resist messing with it yet. Get out the butter and butter the top generously. Let cool at least 15 minutes before slicing!

For soft crust: After buttering the top, place a clean, dry dish towel over the top and let cool for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and keep wrapped in a dish towel, paper bag or loosely wrapped in plastic.
For chewier crust: Omit buttering the top, remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack. Store wrapped in a clean dish towel.

Can't eat 3 loaves before it gets stale? After completely cooled, wrap each loaf in plastic wrap and then place in gallon freezer bag or wrap in foil (this is a better option if you would like to warm it up). When ready to use, thaw completely in the wrapping you used (this keeps the moisture in) and then re-heat wrapped in foil, if you'd like, at 350*.

Variations:
Substitute part of the flour for 1 1/2 cups rolled oats.
Add flax seed and/or wheat germ.
Substitute 30-50% whole wheat flour.
Add in 1 Tbls. italian seasoning and 1 tsp. garlic powder.

For dinner rolls: Instead of shaping into loaves, after the dough rests pinch equal sized pieces off and form into tight balls, place in two greased 9"x13" glass baking dishes. Let rise until doubled and continue with recipe with the exception of the baking instructions which should be changed to 400* for 12-15 minutes.
Or freeze the individual balls on a cookie sheet and once frozen place in a zippered bag.
To cook: Place in your greased 9"x13" pans covered with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray and thaw overnight on the counter. When dough has doubled in size bake according to above instructions.

The bread pictured on the red cutting board has about 1/2 cup flax seed and 1 1/2 cups rolled oats added. The bread on the white towel has about 30% whole wheat flour and 1/3 cup flax seed.

Leave me a message and let me know how you liked it, what variations you came up with or I'd love to hear anything else you have to say!

Mmmm...My Latest Kick

Okay, so you know the only way to make really yummy coffee is with a french press, right?! Well, I had been neglecting mine until I decided to try a $5 latte for pennies on the dollar at home.

Mel's Favorite Frugal Latte:
1. Boil your water for your french press (or use strong brewed coffee). Put 1-2 tablespoons coffee into your 3 cup press.
2. Meanwhile on stovetop (or in microwave - I don't have one) heat 1 mug full of milk to steaming in saucepan with pour spout (or if using microwave heat in 4 cup glass measuring vessel).
3. Pour the boiling water into your french press and give a gentle stir with a non-metal object (I use a wooden chopstick). Place the lid back on and wait 3-5 minutes.
4. While waiting on the coffee, stir 1/3 cup french vanilla liquid creamer into the milk.
5. Gently push down plunger on press and pour into the saucepan with your steaming milk.
6. Stir in sugar to taste (or none!) or my favorite 1 Tablespoon caramel ice cream topping. Top with whipped cream if desired.
Makes 2 servings.

YUMMO! Save yourself $4 dollars or more and make it at home. It takes less time then going through the drive-thru. Use your favorite creamer to vary the flavors.

What's For Dinner?

...so the common question is. My most common responses: 'FOOD!' or 'something with chicken cuz that's what's thawed'. I love to cook and enjoy trying new recipes with my own added touch but I rarely can answer this before ummmm...4:30 pm. I know, I know...horrible housewife, me. NOT! I'm just 'creative' and 'spontaneous' (mmmm hmmm). And I've decided this is okay...no more menu planning or feeling guilty because I can't respond to the common forum question.

Now, from someone who doesn't menu plan to someone who does: "Let your mouth water, baby!" ;)


P.S. We are having shredded BBQ beef sandwiches (on homemade buns), baby carrots, and tater tots for dinner tonight (please note it is before 3:00pm). ;)