homemade yogurt

im taking a break from the trees story....i found my journaling from that time frame and have been reading through.  it is bringing back some memories and thoughts that i would love to express all of it accurately...so this is something that i have wanted to post for a while.  I have several other 'homemade' recipes; bread, mayonnaise, granola, pancakes and the like that are really, really good and easier than you would think. we LOVE our yogurt.  we use it as a base for smoothies, we eat it with granola and fruit and have it with sweetener and sometimes instant coffee mixed in to make a coffee yogurt.  i also use it when buttermilk is called for and we don't have it.  i use it in my pancake recipe when i need to.  it is so easy to make.  the hardest part is keeping it warm for a long enough period for it to get as firm as we like it.  i use a heating pad and it has an automatic shut-off.  that is a pain.

i used to make yogurt a long time ago with a yogurt maker.  it made too small of containers of it for the amount we eat.  i make a gallon of yogurt at a time now.  I also used to make it with a yogurt base as a starter.  that was also a pain.  it can be done, but lots of times, i am not thinking ahead to keep some to make more.  i found this yogurt starter at sprouts and it works great!

it is so easy...I buy a gallon of my choice of milk...you can use full fat, 2%, low fat or fat free.  its easy to make a quart of it at a time, also....i make it in a dutch oven, bring it to a boil then let it cool down.  add the powder, stir well and turn the heating pad on it until it is as firm as desired.  we like it really thick, so it stays in there at least 24 hours.  once the heat of down, the fermenting and thickening stops.  i then put it into mason jars and refrigerate.

pecan cranberry biscotti.....YUM!!!!

I got this recipe from a friend, who when one day, I went into her home and she had biscotti laying around EVERYwhere!  I took a bite and was smitten.  She graciously gave me a bag to take home and i took it along our trip to Tennessee for Christmas.  I had to fight for every piece I wanted...the kids LOVED it, too.  it has become a holiday tradition and favorite.  its a lot of work, but soooo worth it!  i make a quadruple batch, freeze most of it and give it in mugs to the kids' teachers--ok, what we don't eat first.  it is so yummy in coffee, but as you can read below, really, REALLY yummy in hot chocolate which you can find an amazing recipe here :)  .  when my friend sent the recipe to me, she included her own notes, which i have posted below the recipe with my additions.  ENJOY!!!

Pecan cranberry biscotti

Makes 24

• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• Zest of 1 lemon--I have used orange it is just as good.  neither one overpowers the cranberries or pecans.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Finely chop half the pecans, and leave remaining ones in halves; set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine baking powder, flour, sugar, and salt. In a bowl, beat eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; mix on medium low until sticky dough is formed. Stir in pecans, cranberries, and zest.

Turn dough out onto well-floured board; sprinkle with flour, and knead slightly. Shape into 9-by-3 1/2-inch logs. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 275 degrees.

On cutting board, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Return pieces cut side down to baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes. Turn over. Bake until slightly dry, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container.

SIDE NOTES:

1. this is not worth making in a single batch. I usually make a quadruple
2. it will burn out most hand mixers. I would tread very carefully, turning it on and off smelling for the smell of burning motor. I do not trust it for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. It could probably handle it, but if not, I am out a bunch of money. It is beyond sticky. The only liquid is eggs and some of those are only yolks.  note from me:  I use my Bosch mixer and it works very well.
3. Do not forget to toast the pecans. There are very few ingredients and each one is very important to the taste and the difference betweentoasted pecans and non toasted pecans is amazing.
4. when you cut them into strips there are end pieces that I do not toast and my girls think they  are better than the toasted ones. They are cooked, but not toasted.
5. they are even better in hot chocolate than coffee in my opinion. yep
6. About 6 pieces and 2 individual bags of gourmet hot chocolate mix are a great teacher present.

{healthy} summertime snacking…..

well, the pressure is on and  i am trying hard to get my recipe for Texas Caesar Salad up, but to do that, i have to actually cook it to have a picture (well, that is the goal i have set)...it will be next week, hopefully that i will have time to do that.  in the meantime, i will share a tried and true family favorite and a new one that we LOVE!!!  the first one is watermelon slush...it is so easy and you probably already have your own version of it.... there is no exact recipe....what we do, is get a seedless watermelon (i don't even bother with the others now)...cut it in half and eat one half :)  cut out the meat of the other half and blend it up.  i don't add sugar or anything....it is good by itself....now, you can experiment and see what your family likes....i have tried lime in it and the kids HATED it..so we just stick to the basics....blend it up and pour it into a 9x13 pan.  cover and freeze.  when you are ready to have it, take it out and let it soften just a bit...you just want it soft enough to cut chunks out of it and put it in the blender again....you might need to add water, but sometimes just the melted juice is enough.  blend until desired consistency...that's it....just be prepared for brain freeze and a mouth that can not talk.  we love these and try to have them at least once a week.

this next recipe is AMAZING!!!

almond butter chocolate chip cookies......GLUTEN FREE, FLOUR FREE!!!!

• 1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
• 3/4 cup sucanat
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 oz dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended.  Stir in chocolate.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

NOW--my notes:  we doubled this and could have easily quadrupled it...these cookies are so YUMMY!!! YI would cut the sucanat to 1/2 cup.   if you don't know what that is, google it.  I use it all the time in place of brown sugar.  it has lots of good nutrients in it, but if used too heavy, it can taste like black strap molasses....YUCK...if you have ever had to take that for anemia, you know you don't want your cookies to taste like that :P  .  I use Gheridelli 60% cocoa--again, health food store purchase...maybe Central Market....

these don't look like they will stick together and act like cookies, but they do.

so, so yummy!!!!

linked up with chattingatthesky and steadymom and sweetshottuesday