Want a laugh...

I'm working on a new header, it's not finished, but I got tired and quit for the evening. LC looked at how it was going, saw the picture of the two of us and said he liked it because I looked "submissive."

Me??? Submissive???? In his dreams! Trust me on this one, being submissive is not in my DNA. I swear, men say the stupidest things...

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It's Friday night!!!

Let's talk about Greek Yogurt, AGAIN!

 

I know, you're thinking, here she goes again talking about that damn yogurt!  Okay, roll your eyes, but this stuff is seriously to die for!

It's been a year now since I started making Greek Yogurt.  In the beginning I made it with non-fat milk, several months passed and it wasn't working any longer.  I made it exactly the same way, but always ended up with just sour milk.  So I got discouraged and quit.  Then last fall I read an article about how your digital thermometers have to be recalibrated on a regular basis, and the light dawned.  My temperature was off, that's why it wasn't working!  

So I pitched the digital thermometer, went back to using a regular meat/utility thermometer and I was back in business.  And then I decided to try eating low-carb for the umpteenth time and read that I could eat whole milk yogurt.  I started making it, and oh my, it's absolutely decadent, wickedly delicious, there is no comparison between non-fat yogurt and whole milk yogurt.  It has 20+ grams of protein per cup and approximately 220 calories, but I never eat a cup, a half of a cup is sufficient.  I eat it with raspberries, blackberries, strawberries.  I mix a tablespoon of peanut butter in it, sometimes I use maple extract, sometimes lemon, but I always use a lot of Splenda.  It isn't that sour to begin with, not like Fage or Chobani Greek Yogurt you buy in the store, but it's so good sweetened, it's almost like ice cream.

I make it and give it away, and always get great feedback.  I make it every couple of days, a half gallon of milk makes a quart of yogurt.  I bit the bullet and invested in equipment, a YoGourmet Yogurt Incubator and that pricey Mafter Boullion Strainer, and it was worth every penny.  I've already paid back my investment many times over, since I get a gallon of milk for $1.79 at Aldi's, and a gallon makes two quarts of yogurt.  I know I'm repeating some of this information, but I've had so many people ask about this and some things are worth repeating.

I've read extensively about yogurt making, you don't have to buy any equipment.  Some people incubate theirs on a heating pad, I used to put mine in the oven with the light on, another way of incubating is to wrap it in a towel and put it in an insulated cooler along with a bowl of hot water.  There is a ton of information about yogurt making if you just Google it.  

When I tell people what I do to make it, the standard response is "that's too much trouble."  But once you do it a few times it's a no brainer and doesn't take that much effort.  I know exactly how long it takes to get to temperature in my microwave, I know that it takes 20-30 minutes for the temperature to fall to 100-110 degrees in an ice water bath, then I just put it in the YoGourmet, and in 6-8 hours I have yogurt.  

I always refrigerate mine for a few hours or overnight before I strain it, it just works better to refrigerate it first.  Then whisk, jar it and enjoy.

I've tried several different recipes, including adding dry milk and a lot more yogurt culture, which you don't need.  Yuck!  Paula's recipe is best by far, trust me on this one.

Okay, that's my last yogurt post for now, but I did want to update you one more time.  I'm going to give you some links to my original entry, but do yourself a favor and watch Paula's video.  I consider myself a serious yogurt maker these days, but Paula is the guru.  And yes, I know I've already put her video on here, but it's worth watching again.

Now go buy a gallon of whole milk, and make some yogurt, it's good for your bones and it's good for your gut and it tastes like no yogurt you've ever eaten.  And don't try and calculate calories from the milk jug, it doesn't work that way, because you drain off the whey which has carbs and calories in it.  And yes, I pour the whey on my houseplants and they love it.  And I'll quit posting about this for awhile, pinky swear I will.  Well, until I make frozen yogurt, but that's a whole other ballgame.  ;o)

~ Happy Yogurting - Jan

Click thru the following links for more information...

My original yogurt post from last year

Mafter 17360 Exoglass Boullion Strainer

YoGourmet Electric Yogurt Maker 

And one more viewing of Paula's Video, it's worth watching again...

 

Happy Birthday, Deanna...

 

Somebody in my family is going to have a wonderful birthday.  Our family loves birthdays, we celebrate for weeks!  Deanna's is today, John made her favorite, Hershey's Perfectly Perfect Chocolate Cake last night.

Want the recipe?  Here's the click.    It is the perfect cake!  I got the recipe from my buddy "V", made it for Deanna a few years ago and the rest is history, she requests it every year...

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DEANNA♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥"

Mariska The Houdini Horse...

 

I'm such a sucker for a good horse story. Of course there is nothing better than Mr. Ed. What a treasure he was!

 

Such a sweet story...

 

My friend,  Holly, sent me this today.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I  needed a smile on this gloomy day.  Enjoy ~ Jan

Robin Roberts Returns to GMA

Am I the only one that thinks this entire Robin Roberts saga  has gone way too far?  It's wonderful that she's beating cancer, she's a lovely woman, bright, driven, obviously very loved.  But as I watched the launch of what I dubbed "Queen Mary" this morning, it just didn't sit right with me.  I'm thinking how much is genuine, and how much is done for the ratings.  And if her doctors need to be there, monitoring her return, is she really ready?  

Sorry, but it just seems so wrong to chronicle her journey for the purpose of improving ABC's ratings on morning television.  I just don't think it's very ethical.  That is all...

The Senior Jitterbug

These people are SO good, makes you wonder what they were like when they were young(er).  I was watching, thinking, hey they're doing a pretty good job, and then they added a second lady to the mix, and I was like whoa!  ~ Enjoy...

Downton Abbey Finale

 

I was so excited about this, and then they killed off Cousin Matthew.  They killed off Cousin Matthew!!!  What???  Boy, didn't see that coming!!!

First they killed off Lady Sybil and now Cousin Matthew.  This definitely has not been my favorite season.

~ Jan, booing and hissing...

Carrie Underwoods Lighted Grammy Dress, how did they do that?

 

Want to know how they did the visual effects on Carrie's Grammy Dress. Here's the scoop...

Tablescapes...

I've been a fan of "tablescapes" my entire married life, decades before Sandra Lee invented the word on FoodTV.  I've always loved piling so much stuff on the dining room table that it's impossible to eat, much to the dismay of my family.  There is nothing better than decorating the kitchen and dining room, but I've gotten lazy lately and my French  Market Pig has sat on my table forever.  It's time to shake it up a bit!

But I have a little problem, all of my tubs of tablescape goodies are in the attic and poor hubby gets tired of dragging them up and down the attic stairs.  But it's almost spring, I'm thinking of Easter, bunnies and chicks, and all the wonderful things I have in storage.  I'm sure I have treasures up there that I have completely forgotten about.

Oh, poor LC, I feel several attic trips coming on… 

Daily Giggle...