Even though my parents are going through one of the most challenging times in their life (“an opportunity for growth” they say), they are putting it all behind them to come visit Biceps and I.
Well, us and the rest of the siblings. But, I believe it’s mainly about us.
I have big plans concerning big amounts of food to keep my dad fueled and big, delicious desserts to force my mom to stay awake past 8pm.
I am so excited to see their smiling faces. The end.
Good Morning my dear readers!
Marsha-who’s “a good cook, but a better baker ” writes the blog, The Better Baker. She’s generously asked me to be a guest on her site today and she is featuring my No Calorie Sweet Green Tea.
Her site has amazing recipes-just in the last few days she has posted recipes for Very Blueberry Coffee Cake and Cabbage Lasagna with Homemade Garlic Bread. If your stomach isn’t growling already, it should be!
Hop on over to The Better Baker and say “hi” to Marsha, and tell her this weirdo sent you.
I have the best dad in the world. You may argue with me, but you’d be wrong. Dead wrong. (Alright, you can have the best dad, too. This isn’t worth arguing over.)
Today, I would like to say thank you to the man that raised me, protected me and provided for me. And, I would like to honor all of those other dad’s out there that are diligently doing the same.
Thank you Dad, for playing with us kids and always pretending to be “hit” and then pretending to be “hurt” and then pretending to “die”.
Honestly, I really thought we had conquered Goliath-you were that good of an actor. Now, I know you were just humble enough to let a sassy 6 year old in pigtails take you down.
Thank you Dad, for giving us shoulder rides all over Europe when we were little and then all over Kansas when we were really too big to be given shoulder rides.
You have always taken a lot on your shoulders as the man of our house. And, you’ve never let us down.
Thank you Dad, for idolizing the right men-God, Jesus and MacGyver. I know MacGyver is the only reason you carried your Swiss Army knife wherever you went and the reason behind the enormous amount of duct tape found in our house.
You had your priorities straight.
Thank you Dad, for laughing at appropriate times and at the most inappropriate things. Like when Grandma toots or when I show off by burping my name.
And thank you Dad for loving us all the same (although I have a feeling that I’m your favorite girl) and for teaching us unconditional love. I’m sorry about keeping you up at night when I’d go on a date with the that kid with the mohawk or the one way too old for me-but because of you, I knew exactly how to defend myself if need be. Thank goodness it never came to that…
Thank you for accepting Biceps immediately because you knew he was the right one for your baby girl. You were right about that and about so many other things.
You aren’t perfect, but you are perfectly my dad and I love you and I am so proud of you. Happy Father’s Day.
This past month, I have made it my goal to rid my kitchen of as many store bought products as possible. I know I can’t get rid of everything, but a girl can sure try.
I wanted to find options for condiments, such as ketchup and bar-b-cue sauce (something Biceps consumes by the truckload), butter, yogurt, granola (to replace our cereal), summer drinks and canned anything.
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The process of making it myself had to be simple, cost effective and better tasting to warrant the move.
Last week, I shared with all of you my recipe for Tasty Granola sweetened by Agave Nectar. And what goes better with granola than yummy, creamy, sweet yogurt? I dare say nothing does.
Today, we are going to focus just on the yogurt. The granola will just have to get along on its own, crying by itself in the cabinet. It’s yogurt’s time to shine.
I was on the hunt for an easy, cheap recipe to make my own yogurt-free from things found in the ingredient’s list that I cannot pronounce. After a few tries, I came up with the perfect recipe-and it’s all done in the crockpot and with very little effort.
I start my yogurt in the evening, knowing that the cool down can happen overnight and I can enjoy fresh yogurt in the morning!
Here’s all that you’ll need to make your very own yogurt (makes 1/2 gallon of yogurt):
-1/2 Gallon of Milk* (I used 2%, because that’s what we drink.)
-1 Cup Plain Yogurt with active cultures (after you make your first batch, you save a cup and use on the next batch. No more store bought yogurt!)
-*1/2 Cup Powdered Milk (if using 2% or lower milk, or ultra pasteurized milk)
-Crockpot
-Cooking Thermometer
Pour the 1/2 gallon of milk into the crockpot, cover with the lid and set to high.
Let the milk heat until it’s almost to the boiling stage with the desired temperature of 180. This took my crockpot about 1 1/2-2 hours to do.
Once the milk has reached 180, turn the crockpot off and let it cool down to 115. I would recommend stirring it from time to time to distribute the heat and help it cool down more quickly.
Once the milk has cooled to 115, stir in the 1/2 Cup of Powdered milk if you are using it.
Next, stir in the 1 Cup of Plain Yogurt.
Put the lid back on the crockpot and cover it with a large towel.
Set the crockpot in the oven and let it cool down for 8-12 hours (or overnight).
Write yourself a note so that you won’t accidentally turn the oven on and burn your house down if you are forgetful like me.
In the morning, open the oven, remove the beach towel and see what happened overnight! .
Remember to save back a cup of this yogurt, sticking it in a ziploc bag and placing it in the freezer for your next batch.
Sweeten the yogurt with liquid Stevia (I prefer the Vanilla Creme), add some strawberries and Tasty Homemade Granola and voila-enjoy a delicious breakfast all made by you!
