Despite a childhood in The Dairy State, I didn't grow up eating yogurt. I had to travel back to my roots as a college students in Germany before I fell in love with yogurt and muesli. Since then, I have made it a regular part of my diet as has my husband. Even my girls have eaten yogurt most days of their lives. We are a yogurt family.
So, it should come as no surprise that a few years ago, I bought a yogurt maker. I wanted to be able to control the quality of ingredients that went into my yogurt but quickly grew disillusioned. Every batch turned out quite tart, far too tart of this family. I tried to tweak the recipe but still found the final product required a fair bit of sugar to make it edible for us. This didn't seem like a very nutritious dietary outcome.
Last week, I resolved to try again. I was inspired by a new cookbook I enthusiastically recommend, Whole-Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon. I followed the recipe for Homemade Yogurt and couldn't be more pleased with the results. Not too tart, not too sweet, the yogurt is delicious, and I hope to add it to my weekly cooking regime.
Best of all, I made it with a tablespoon of homemade jam in the bottom of each jar as recommended by the author. Now, I have another use for the strawberry rhubarb sauce, grape jelly, vanilla amaretto pear preserves, and blueberry syrup I make each summer and store for the winter. Each of these works perfectly as a yogurt flavoring as does maple syrup. And, if you don't have a yogurt maker, don't worry. The "old-fashioned" method of making yogurt is also detailed.
Next week, I plan to make granola or muesli to go with the yogurt. I have a tried and true granola recipe, but I think I will turn to Whole-Grain Mornings again. It lists several interesting recipes and the outcomes are likely to be just as good as with the yogurt. Of course, you, dear reader, should feel free to share your standby recipes here as well. Granola, muesli, and yogurt combinations most welcome.
So, it should come as no surprise that a few years ago, I bought a yogurt maker. I wanted to be able to control the quality of ingredients that went into my yogurt but quickly grew disillusioned. Every batch turned out quite tart, far too tart of this family. I tried to tweak the recipe but still found the final product required a fair bit of sugar to make it edible for us. This didn't seem like a very nutritious dietary outcome.
Last week, I resolved to try again. I was inspired by a new cookbook I enthusiastically recommend, Whole-Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon. I followed the recipe for Homemade Yogurt and couldn't be more pleased with the results. Not too tart, not too sweet, the yogurt is delicious, and I hope to add it to my weekly cooking regime.
Best of all, I made it with a tablespoon of homemade jam in the bottom of each jar as recommended by the author. Now, I have another use for the strawberry rhubarb sauce, grape jelly, vanilla amaretto pear preserves, and blueberry syrup I make each summer and store for the winter. Each of these works perfectly as a yogurt flavoring as does maple syrup. And, if you don't have a yogurt maker, don't worry. The "old-fashioned" method of making yogurt is also detailed.
Next week, I plan to make granola or muesli to go with the yogurt. I have a tried and true granola recipe, but I think I will turn to Whole-Grain Mornings again. It lists several interesting recipes and the outcomes are likely to be just as good as with the yogurt. Of course, you, dear reader, should feel free to share your standby recipes here as well. Granola, muesli, and yogurt combinations most welcome.
