Yogurt!

Sometimes in the kitchen, I feel like I am stepping back in time. Certain recipes let my mind wander back to when times were a little less complicated. People worked hard, processed food was a foreign concept and families spent real quality time together. I like my little daydreams while I cook.

When I learned to make yogurt, I really felt invigorated. I was not relying on a machine, just simple, everyday tools and a gallon of milk. I had no idea if it was going to work or even be good for that matter, but when I saw and tasted the final product, I must say my eyes welled up a little bit(in a good way)! It is the creamiest, smoothest yogurt I've ever had without too much tang. Funny thing is, I don't even eat yogurt! I never liked the after taste. I will put it in smoothies or swap sour cream for it in recipes, but hardly ate it on it's own. This may change all that for me.

I've been making yogurt now for a month. It's become a weekly occurrence, as my husband and son cannot get enough of it! My husband will eat it plain or top it with some frozen fruit. My son gets really giddy when I swirl a tiny bit of maple syrup on it.

Ingredients: (This recipe will make over 64oz)

9 cups of WHOLE milk (I found this to work best)
1 cup of plain store bought full fat yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt (Once you've made this, you'll have leftovers to become your starter for next time)
2 Ice Cubes

Equipment:

Candy thermometer
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Large pot
Ladle
2 32oz mason jars and 1 16oz mason jar (with screw on lids)
4 cup measuring cup
Towels
Insulated bag or cooler

Once again, I would like to give a shout out to Alana Chernila (http://www.eatingfromthegroundup.com/) for the inspiration. And for the awesome tip of icing the pot before you cook the milk. This will help try to prevent scorching. Still, watch the pot though, because scorched milk is no fun! I just take a couple of ice cubes and run it around the pot a few times and then dump them out before they completely melt. 

Attach the thermometer to the pot and heat the milk to 180 degrees. Stir occasionally. Once it reaches 180 degrees, take it off the heat and let it cool down to 110 degrees. I remove the skin that forms on top. Pour the cup of yogurt into the measuring cup. Ladle 2 cups of the warm milk into the yogurt and whisk until well combined. 

Add the milk/yogurt mixture into the pot with the rest of the warm milk and whisk until a little frothy. Pour carefully into your jars.

Close up the jars tightly and wrap in towels. I then double up two insulated bags (you know, the ones you use for grocery shopping?) and put the jars inside. I place the bag in a warm spot (just not directly in the sun!) in the house and let it do it's thing for 6-7 hours. After the yogurt has set, remove from the bags and put in the fridge. Sometimes, it can take less time to set or sometimes it takes longer. It all depends on the environment the yogurt is in.

Just look at how creamy it is!

Not that we've ever had the yogurt last longer than a week in our house, but the yogurt should keep well for at least 10 days. Once you've tried this and get the hang of making it, it really is quite simple. Plus, it's a huge money saver! With one gallon of milk, you can make almost 4 large containers of yogurt!

Be curious, be brave and have fun in the kitchen!

Flaky, in a good way

Oh my goodness, just looking at the above picture gets me giddy for breakfast. Or even a late night snack! Who knew bran flakes could be so darn tasty?

I hope that other food bloggers understand just how much I appreciate them. I spend a lot of time scouring the Internet for easy, go-to recipes that will detach my family further from processed foods. I've made granola before and loved it, but what about flakes? Could it be done? Of course it can, thanks to finding the adorable site Willow Bird Baking (http://willowbirdbaking.com/)!

I doubled the recipe, because my son and I love a good cereal in the morning, especially when we are in a hurry. Keep in mind that this is a super easy recipe, but like all good things, it takes time.

Ingredients:

1 cup of wheat bran
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2/3 cup of almond flour
4 tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2/3 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp of ground flax

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add all your dry ingredients to a large bowl, mix well and then add in the wet ingredients. It's a very wet mixture (no way of photographing it well), but trust me, it turns outs awesome.

I cut out four sheets of parchment paper, the size of my cookie sheets. I put a quarter of the dough on the parchment and cover with plastic wrap. Then I roll out the mixture. I make it thin enough that it's almost see through.

Transfer the parchment (carefully!) to the cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Take it out and let cool. Since I doubled the recipe, I just remove this parchment and cool on the counter so I can get the rest of the dough in the oven.

Once all your giant flakes are cooked and cool enough to the touch, break it up into small(ish) pieces. Turn the oven down to 275 degrees and bake the pieces for another 20 minutes. Turn the flakes occasionally so they brown evenly.

I couldn't wait to see if these were as good as store bought cereal. Gave my son a bowl and got the thumbs up! What I really couldn't believe, was how well they held up in milk! Next time, I'm adding a touch of vanilla, cinnamon and maybe some raisins. Breakfast just got a lot more interesting!

How do you like them apples?

 

Do you have kids that get hungry just about every 45 minutes? Are you constantly on the go and need healthy snacks for them as well as yourself? Then, this blog post is just for you. Wow...I just sounded like an infomercial.

But honestly, there is a real need for portable healthy snacks. There has been a recent boom in food pouches and they have gone over really well in our house. My son loves the different types of applesauce and I love that some are even blended with veggies. I got to thinking, 'well I use to make his baby food and that's basically the same concept?', I just needed to find the right containers. Enter, Yummi Pouch http://www.yummipouch.com/.

I learned about Yummi Pouch through the wonders of Facebook. I searched Amazon and found these pretty reusable packages on sale! They hold 6 oz (I somehow fit 7oz in there) and they can be put in the freezer and the dishwasher. I was sold. Now, what goodies could I start with? My son requested Apple Mango sauce. Well, okay then!

Ingredients:

2 ripe mangoes chopped

6-7 different varieties of apples peeled, cored and chopped

1/4 cup of brown sugar (optional)

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp of cinnamon

Couple of pinches of nutmeg

Couple of squeezes of lemon juice

1 1/2 cups of water (or you could bump up the flavor with juice, but beware of extra sugars)

I recently found a great apple for snacking and cooking. Introducing, the Mutsu apple. It's a cross between a Golden Delicious and an Indo apple. It's crunchy and sweet, but not too overpowering. It paired really well with the pink lady apples I threw into the mix. 

Begin by peeling, coring and chopping your apples. You can leave the skins on, but to create a really smooth sauce for these pouches, I peeled them.

Now prepare your mango. I am not ashamed to admit I Googled the proper way to slice a mango. I cut down the outer sides, then made horizontal and vertical cuts to the flesh (but don't go through the outer skin!). Then you can pop it up and then scoop out the fruit. 

Add your fruit to a large bowl and throw in your brown sugar, salt and spices.

Spritz in your lemon juice.

Mix everything well and throw it into a stock pot. Add your water. Cook on medium/low heat until everything gets pretty mushy.

Using a potato masher or immersion blender, mash up all the fruit. Either place in a container or pouch and refrigerate. Or, if you are like my son, eat a bowl of it as soon as it cools down!

Waffles!

Two years ago, when I asked my toddler son what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas, his answer was priceless.

"Pancakes and Waffles".

Plain and simple, that's all my little guy wanted! And it made sense, since that was clearly his favorite breakfast. He loved both with fervor, especially with what he called "Dip Dip" or maple syrup. When we didn't have time to make a mix from scratch, I settled for store bought frozen. Often I would buy Kashi blueberry waffles, but our FAVORITE brand was Van's (http://www.vansfoods.com/our-products-waffles). We particularly like their flax and their apple cinnamon. However, when it's a staple food in your weekly menu, it gets pricey.

I tinkered around with a few different recipes and then I came across one I loved from a wonderful blog called Give Me Lemons (http://givemelemons.com/2013/08/23/cinnamon-waffles/). Their recipe called for applesauce, which cuts down the added sugar and we already had tons of homemade canned applesauce to use. I played around with it, until I got exactly what I was looking for. I now make a double batch that I can store in my freezer and have on hand whenever we need them!

Ingredients (This doubled recipe makes about 8-9 large Belgian waffles. I break them into individual "triangles", so you get even more)

4 eggs
2 cups of White Whole Wheat flour
2 cups of Spelt Flour
1 cup of applesauce (preferably a low sugar kind)
3 cups of milk
4 tbsp of sugar
2 tbsp of cinnamon (normally I use Ceylon, but I want a powerful cinnamon flavor)
2 tsp of vanilla
8 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of ground flax
Spray for waffle iron

I chose to add flax, because I pretty much add it to every baked good these days. The health benefits for flax include; Omega-3 fatty acids, lower risk for certain diseases and great source of fiber among so much more! Spelt flour is fairly new to me. Spelt is in the wheat family, but it's a non-wheat flour. It contains a higher protein, lots of nutrients and quite frankly I get sick of using just one or two types of flours! I like to experiment to see what kind of texture each one lends to a dish.

Begin by whisking your eggs together until frothy in a large bowl.

Add in everything else.

Mix well to combine. Don't over mix. If there a few clumps here and there, just leave them alone. Mixed too much creates a tougher waffle.

Spray your waffle iron well (you'll want to do this frequently so they don't stick)

Once the iron is hot, add in about a couple small ladles full and let it do it's thing. Don't take them out until they peel (almost fall out) of the iron nicely. Nobody wants a soggy waffle!

These are so good, I sometimes don't put anything on them. Just give me a cup a coffee and I'm good.

But of course, if you absolutely MUST have syrup...live it up! I mean these pockets just call for syrup after all.

Behold, the Tower of Waffles.

Now that I've shared a truly beloved recipe with you, I'd love to hear from you! What recipes are your go-to in your home?

Oh..and totally make these waffles, you won't regret it!