Homemade greek yogurt

Yields about 9-10 5oz servings (which would cost about $10-15 at the store depending on brand preference)

Ingredients:

Half gallon milk- we have a herdshare, so I use raw milk but you can use store-bought whole milk too. I don’t recommend low fat or skim.

1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt that contains live and active cultures in it (or you can buy a greek yogurt culture mix which is what I did)

Directions:

Start by heating a half gallon of milk to 180 degrees, stirring periodically to prevent scalding at the bottom of the pan. I use my instant pot. Fill a separate bigger bowl with ice water for an ice bath once it reaches temperature. Once Milk reaches 180 degrees remove from heat and move directly to ice bath to cool quickly. If the milk forms a skin on top remove that if possible. It might make your yogurt a little lumpier. Once the milk reaches 110 degrees in the ice bath add your half cup of starter yogurt and wisk it in, then remove from ice bath and cover and wrap pot in a thick towel and set on counter in a warm-ish space for 8-12 hrs. I often will set mine in the oven (no towel) with the light on and that is just warm enough. The longer you leave it, the more tangy it will get. Once it holds together if you tilt the bowl and it separates from the edges- its time to move it to the fridge for another 8 hours or so. At this point I put my yogurt in a greek yogurt strainer that separates the whey from the yogurt which results in the thick dense texture of greek yogurt. Some people use a cheese cloth and strain the yogurt over a bowl to strain the whey. I found it easier to just buy a strainer specifically for this and it just sits in the fridge for another few hours or overnight or as long as you want. The longer you let it strain the thicker and more dense it becomes. When it is done scoop off and refrigerate about 1/2 cup in a separate container to use as your culture for your next batch. Now you can flavor it however you like. I use maple syrup to sweeten (it doesn’t taste like maple at all) and then I usually add some type of jam like apple pie jam, strawberry, blueberry, whatever you have and whatever flavor you like. I make this specifically for my hubby and he loves it made with apple pie jam and I also add some apple butter and the maple syrup. It is thick, creamy, all natural and filling and he depends on it to get him through his work day and his strenuous workouts. Don’t forget to save your whey and use it for other baking or cheese making! Hope this is helpful! Have fun!

Copycat Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches

So I’ve been craving Arby’s lately, but we’ve been trying hard not to eat any fast food the last few months, so I decided to try to make my favorite sandwiches at home. I knew the buns are easily found at the grocery store and the beef and cheese would be easy enough too, but if you’re anything like me, it’s just not even worth craving if it doesn’t have that yummy red ranch sauce on it. So I set out to find a recipe for it, and I will completely admit, I nailed it, these were awesome and cost only a fraction of what it would have cost to take my family out to Arby’s. So while they may not be super healthy, they were super yummy and much healthier for my wallet.

Ingredients:

2lbs of Thinly sliced roast beef from the deli counter

1 15oz can of Rico’s Premium Cheddar Cheese Sauce (or your favorite soft cheese sauce or feel free to make from scratch if you prefer- but I didn’t have it in me that day)

1 pack of onion buns

For the copycat Red Ranch sauce:

1 cup of ketchup

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

Directions: mix all ingredients for the red ranch sauce in a saucepan and blend, cook on medium to high for about 10min stirring frequently. If possible, refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors merry together and develop.

Assemble sandwiches with warmed-up roast beef, and a dollop of warm cheese sauce, and coat top and bottom bun with red ranch sauce. Voila!! It was spot on!

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

This was a version I threw together after reading about 20 different recipes online. It may not be considered a true stroganoff, but it looked like it, and it was yummy so that’s what I’m calling it. Everyone in my family told me how good it was. Two of my 3 kids are teenage boys and they usually just scarf their meals in approximately 3-5 minutes even though we sit down together every night and I try to get meaningful conversation out of them, but then they take off again. So when they take a second helping or take the time to tell me how good it was, I take note. So if you try this, please let me know how you liked it!

A couple of extra notes: I doubled everything because I used a 3lb roast and it was excellent with those ratios. I also used my ninja multicooker and at the end, I just switched the setting from slow cook to saute to get the sauce boiling and then just cooked my egg noodles right in the sauce in the same pan. One pan to clean is always a bonus! I love my Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker Pro.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5-2 lb of stew meat or a roast

1 package of Lipton onion soup mix- (I used half each of a regular and the beefy onion version)

1/2 cup diced onion (optional)

1 packet of Brown gravy mix or whatever flavor you have or prefer-I only had chicken so used that and it was still super yummy.

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 small can of mushrooms

1 can of beef broth (we love the organic “better than bouillon” you make with water, I used 2 cups)

1 bag of wide egg noodles

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste-optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

Dump everything in the crockpot except the egg noodles. Cook on low for 8 hours or until your meat is tender and falling apart. If you used a roast, shred it into bite-sized pieces and discard any bones or fat.

Cook egg noodles, add to mixture, and stir. Serve and enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

This is a staple for my husband who lifts weights and works out regularly, it really helps fuel and sustain him and get him through his day. He takes it every morning to work for breakfast and tops it with some Greek yogurt and when he runs out he begs me to make more. Another great thing about this recipe is that you can switch up the fruit to whatever you prefer, I’ve made it with frozen blueberries, frozen cherries, or mixed berries, my canned peaches, and it’s equally good.

INGREDIENTS:

10 eggs

2 cups milk

2 c applesauce

2 c chopped apples

1 tsp salt

4 cups oats

2tsp cinnamon

1/4 brown sugar

TOPPING:

1/4 butter

1/4 brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix all ingredients in a mixer or a large bowl. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Top with small pats of butter placed all over the top and sprinkle with the last bit of brown sugar.

Bake @ 350 degrees for approx 35-45 minutes til golden and firm. Enjoy!!