How to make the best yogurt ever! As I said in my previous post I make my own yogurt for Rick and I. I have pictures of the different stages. I’ll walk you through it.
First, you are going to need the following, a large deep pot (if you don’t want to make as much you can use a smaller pot, but for my recipe you need a big pot.), a pasta drainer that will fit that pot, foil or a lid, a candy thermometer, a warming plate, cheese clothe or muslin cut to fit the pot, milk of course, and yogurt starter (I use Dannon plain whole milk yogurt, you can find it at QFC), and something with which to stir.
First step, make sure your pot is clean. I use two half gallons of half and half and one half gallon of whole milk. Pour it in the pot and put the candy thermometer. I turn the burner on med or just below. It takes a while to warm the milk up. Stir periodically to keep the milk from scalding. The goal temperature is 220 degrees F. You raise it to this temp to kill anything in the milk. I know that it is pasteurized already, but you want to make sure only the right kind of bacteria will grow.
Once the milk has risen to proper temperature take it off the heat, place in the freshly cleaned sink and fill the sink up with cool water. You can put ice in the water to help it cool down quicker, I don’t so it takes a little longer. Cover the milk to keep out dust and other things. Cool the milk to about 100 degrees F. Once it has reached that temperature it’s time to add the starter. I use two or three heaping tablespoons of Dannon whole milk plain yogurt. Mix it in thoroughly. Place on warming tray. I set the temp on the tray just above low. You want to maintain the temperature between 100 and 110 degrees F for 24 hours. Why 24 hours? Lactose is a sugar and on his diet he can’t have it. Fermenting the milk mixture for 24 hours helps to make sure that the lactose will break down into a monosaccharide, which is okay. It’s the complex sugars that can allow the imbalanced and bad bacteria to go nuts they feed off it.
After the 24 hours take the budding yogurt off the warming tray. You need to sterilize the muslin. Place the cheese clothe or muslin cloth( one lady used a bread bad that she got from BB and Beyond, I use muslin cloth I got from a fabric store.) place it in pasta drainer. When Rick isn’t around I put a big plate in the sink and set the pasta drainer in it, making sure that nothing touches the sink. Now you get to pour in the yogurt. Be very careful, things can splash and it is still hot. Then I place a little tuperware container in the bottom of the pot to hold the pasta drainer off the bottom a little more. Then place the pasta drainer into the pot and put on a lid on. You need to drip the yogurt for about 6 hours. All the liquid needs to drip out. With the liquid goes any left over sugars and even some lactic acid. What is left is a thicker yogurt than you’ll find in the store. It is almost as thick as cream cheese. It’s yummy.
Below are pictures of one of our first efforts. Turned out well.

First you’ll see Rick pouring the yogurt.

Here is the yogurt starting to drip.

Here is the dripping stuff after I’ve taken out the yogurt.

Here is the liquid left over from the dripping. It has a yellow tint and looks really gross.

And the finished product, I was amazed at how thick it was.

The yogurt has saved us. We use it for everything. It can be used just like store bought yogurt adding honey to sweeten and fruit. It is one of my favorite breakfast items. I’ve also used it to make salad dressings. It of course is a staple in smoothies, which are the perfect summer quick lunch or treat. We also use it to frozen yogurt. We bought an ice cream maker that does not use salt and ice, but rather a tub that has a freezable gel in its sides. I’ll take pictures the next time I make it and post them with ingredients and directions.
Please remember since I use whole milk and half and half the fat content is rather high so if you need to avoid fatty foods you may want to use 2% instead. Something you should know about it though, the less fat in the milk the less you will end up after you drip it.

The best frozen yogurt

What you will need: homemade yogurt, fruit of choice (in the pictures I have blueberries, strawberries and nectarines), orange juice(you can use apple juice or any juice really if you want a different flavor), and honey.
In Rick’s diet he is only allow to have 100% juice not from concentrate. There are different laws as to what can go into a concentrate did you know?
Orange juice by far is my favorite. Though Rick prefers apple juice. Since I make it I choose. Unless of course Rick’s tongue is irritated, if he eats too much fruit it gets burned.
Get your blender out, add the yogurt( as much as you want), fruit and juice and honey ( I add the honey when it is in the ice cream making).

Blend, does not have to be perfectly smooth, just no large chunks. Pour it in the ice cream maker when it is running.

Making Frozen Yogurt

Then let it go. Check out the “action shot” I got with the mixture spinning.

Frozen Yogurt

Check it periodically until it reaches the desired consistency. Then serve and enjoy. If you put left-overs in the freezer realize it will free pretty solid, there are no stabilizers or preservatives to give it ability to stay semi-soft. But is it still good!

Frozen Yogurt

If you decide to pick up the ice cream maker remember of course it will come with directions, though it is very simple to use. It also comes with recipes. I haven’t tried them as I am lactose intolerant and milk makes my tummy curse like a sailor. And of course Rick can’t have milk.

Here is the a close up of the maker.

Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt/Ice Cream Maker

I’m sure this is way more information that you wanted to ever read. If you read it all the way through good for you. Also, sorry about the different picture sizes. I use my photobucket and myspace to host the pictures and they size things differently.

Homemade Pico de Gallo

I don’t know about you but I love, I mean LOVE, Mexican food. One of my favorite sides is pico de gallo. I used to hate it. I never liked chunks of anything. Now I do not mind at all.
Last weekend I made it for the first time. Mmmmm, yummy. It was not difficult, or too expensive. I learned something new as well, not to chop jalapenos with bare hands. I ended up with a chemical burn. I did however learn that white vinegar would fix it.
Anyway, this time my recipe was:
Roma tomatoes
Red onion
Green onion
Cilantro
Banana pepper(this was the change, I couldn’t remember what kind of other pepper I had used before)
Green jalapeno
Lime and lemon juice fresh

I do everything to taste. I don’t like a lot of red onion so I don’t use a lot. I think I use less than a half. The good thing about this recipe is that you really can’t mess it up. Just add things a little at a time until you think it tastes good. The only difference with this recipe is it has more heat than the last one I made. I like it!

As far as Rick’s diet goes the pico is fine. He is healed to the point where it doesn’t cause pain while it goes through him. Someone else whom can not have spicy food because well, it hurts coming out, should not try this recipe.

Peanut Butter Squares

Since changing our eating habits we have not been able to enjoy typical sweets and treats. In the book for this diet we found some recipes. Of course I’ve made alterations. Everything should be played with, add a little of this or less of that. My peanut butter squares, which replace brownies, are an example of this.
First you’ll need “legal” peanut butter. I use Adam’s brand peanut butter. There are no additives, no sugar, or high fructose corn syrup that are often found in other brands. There are many kinds, I get the creamy and crunchy that you have to mix. I don’t get the no stir variety as there is an oil added to keep it from separating from it’s own oil.
All ingredients are:
· Peanut butter 2 cups, one crunchy one creamy
· 2 eggs
· Honey to taste (you don’t need a lot, unless you have to watch honey intake make it as sweet as you want)
· Raisins (make sure there is nothing added to the raisins)

Mix. Use real butter to grease pan. I use a little oval pan that I have, makes the squares thick. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let it cool a bit if you want actual squares.

Banana Pancakes and Sliced Oranges

This morning I made one of my favorite breakfasts. I don’t have it a lot, not sure why, often don’t think about it. However, that aside, it is scrumptious! My banana pancakes are SC diet safe. It is only one ingredient different from the original recipes from Breaking the Vicious Cycle.
I had two ripe bananas with little “freckles” on the peal, I hate eating overly ripe bananas plain, so I use them other ways. You get the best flavor from ripe bananas when cooking, plus they are “safe” to eat according to the diet. The basic recipes is as follows:
· 2 ripe bananas(freckled) no longer green
· 1 egg, preferably from local farmer(support the locals!)
· Butter for pan( Pam isn’t good for you don’t use it!)
· Cinnamon, don’t use to much, it can be over powering

Squish the bananas with a fork until they are relatively smooth, some lumps are okay. Mix in the egg and cinnamon and pour in frying pan with the butter. The only cautions are: real butter burns very easily, don’t put the pan above medium heat to prevent this and the pancakes don’t stick together well so flip carefully. If you cook them slower and longer then they tend to hold together better. Happy breakfast making!

Homemade Beef Stew

Last night I tried my hand at making beef stew. Last weekend at the campsite Mom made beef stew and it was awesome! I’m not a huge fan of red meat; it can be a bit heavy for me. I’d make a great vegetarian really. However, right now that would take too much energy, plus I love chicken soup, actually soups in general.
I never thought I’d like stew. I remember having at a kid and it was not a favorite, in fact I hated stew night. As I’ve grown up I’ve started liking things that I didn’t when I was a child.
For my first stew I decided to make it with tomatoes instead of potatoes. I love tomato-based things. I will once again that I don’t follow recipes perfectly, so don’t worry about following this too closely.
The ingredients are as follows:
· Tomatoes on the vine
· One yellow onion
· Three beef short ribs
· Beef stew meat
· Broccoli
· Cauliflower
· Carrots
· Celery
· Oregano
· Salt
· Basil
· Paprika

I’m developing the opinion that food that is cooked at a lower temp is better, so this take some time.
First I cut tomatoes into 6ths and put them in a pot with ½ inch of water or so. Simmer for 45 minutes, longer if it seems that they need to cook down more. Add a little salt in the beginning. Then add the short ribs. They have great flavor (I think) and bones to add to developing soup base. Plus I was too lazy to head up to the market to get soup bones.
Simmer the tomatoes and ribs for about an hour, maybe longer. Add a few inches of water to try to cover the ribs. Add a little more salt. Stir.
Cut the stew beef into smaller bite sized pieces. Throw those piece into a pan and cook them separately. You shouldn’t have to add anything to them; they have enough fat in them to grease their own pan. The less stuff you add for convenience the better. Don’t use Pam! If you must use something use real butter or olive oil.
After th     e beef has cooked most of the way add it to the soup. Let that simmer for 45 + minutes. Throw in the spices after adding beef. Cut the veggies into bite sized pieces. The veggies don’t get cooked very long. If they are still a bit firm that’s the best. Adds different textures.

Boiled Dinner

Until I met my husband I had never heard of boiled dinner. First time I had it I wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. I mean it was yummy and all but what was so exciting about sausages and veggies being boiled and then eaten together. When I made it for myself and Rick I put what I wanted in it. No gross onions. Much better. I love food, but am really picky and will pick through everything if I find an onion. Sometimes if the onion flavor is too much I won’t eat it at all, makes me gag. Yuck. Don’t take that the wrong way. Onions have their place, in a soup in huge pieces to add flavor or in a roast also to make the gravy taste better.
I got side tracked. I only put what I like in boiled dinner now. I’ve also made it much healthier. I only use a natural unpreserved hot dog. It tastes wonderful, better than a hot dog and a sausage, with all off the good things about them.
The ingredients are as follows:
· Cabbage
· Carrots
· Celery
· Broccoli
· Zucchini (sometimes, not in this picture though)
· All natural, unpreserved hot dogs
· A cheddar cheese to top

Chop the veggies to whatever size you want. I like bigger pieces. Don’t cut up the hot dogs or you will loose the flavor. Bring to a boil, simmer until the veggies are tender. Oh maybe serve in a bowl, top with cheddar. Enjoy.