"I Totally Made Yogurt!"

Those were pretty much the first words out of my mouth when I woke up yesterday morning. I was so excited I nearly cried.

Slow Cooker Yogurt

Okay, just for clarity, let me take you back to the beginning . . . It was only about two weeks ago that I tried plain yogurt for the first time. I had a couple of recipes that called for sour cream and decided to go with the plain, nonfat, Greek yogurt as a healthier substitute. I absolutely fell in love with the stuff. I knew I had pinned a yogurt recipe or two, so I put the ingredients for them on my shopping list and figured I'd test the recipe the next time I shopped for groceries.

The big secret ingredient? Milk. That's it. Cross my heart. You have to have a slow cooker and a couple of towels or a blanket. But pretty much all you need is milk. Oh, and half a cup of plain yogurt. Make sure it's the kind that has live cultures in it (I think they all do, but just in case). Then go here. Now follow all of Stephanie's instructions. I started around 4:00p.m. on Monday and let it go overnight.

I awoke Tuesday morning to the richest, creamiest, tastiest yogurt I've ever tried. I'm sure that's got to do with the fact that I used whole milk. You see, I was afraid I wouldn't get great results, so rather than take the chance of trying any alternatives, I went with Stephanie O'Dea's basic whole milk version. I'm no chicken in the kitchen, but this was just a completely foreign concept to me, so I played it safe.

However, I did buy almond milk specifically so I could try making a dairy-free version. I was very tempted to pick up rice milk and coconut milk as well, but, long story short, my cart was way too full by the time I hit the dairy section. I promise an update after the dairy-free experiment.

Creamy Banana Dressing

In the meantime, try your homemade yogurt as a substitute for the sour cream in this recipe. I sort of cheated because instead of grilling the chicken, I poached it in canned chicken broth (because I needed to poach some chicken for another recipe anyway) and I just wasn't up to pulling out the fry pan to saute it or sticking it under the broiler. (I don't have a grill.) Besides, it's not so much the chicken that's the star of this show, it's the fruit.

The verdict on this one isn't as exciting. I would definitely make this for a crowd. The dressing is fabulous and it's a nice alternative to the typical berry coulis or vinaigrette, but I really prefer my fruit salad completely naked. Although, I would consider stirring the dressing into a cup of plain yogurt. Maybe that can be Wednesday's breakfast.

Happy Cooking!

Happy Healthy New Year (recipe)

Happy New Year everyone!

I must apologize for my tardiness. The blog schedule got a bit wonky and this was supposed to be the New Year's Day post (the whole healthy eating thing... blah blah blah). Anyhow, it's here now and that's all that really matters, so grab a saucepan and cozy up to the stove.

There are few things I like better on a snowy New England morning than a bowl of oatmeal and a mug of hot cocoa. That's what I call comfort food. But I'm not crazy about plain oatmeal and I'm not a fan of the instant stuff.

Regardless of how it's prepared, I try to have oatmeal at least one morning each week because I figure it offsets my love of eggs for breakfast, which I try to limit to one morning each week. Makes sense, right? So I experiment.

A couple of months ago, I threw this together and my first reaction was, "I need to write this one down!"

Auntie's Oatmeal for Two

1 cup milk

3/4 cup water

1 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

1 cup rolled oats (quick cooking, not instant)

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Bring milk and water to a boil in a 1 quart saucepan

Lower heat and add brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt

Stir until sugar is dissolved

Add oats and cook over low heat for about 1 minute

Add maple syrup and raisins, stir

Remove from heat and let stand for a minute or two to thicken

Yield 2 servings

The Usual Notes:

To double or triple the recipe, no additional instructions are necessary.

If you only have light brown sugar, then use it. I just prefer the dark.

When it comes to cinnamon, less is more. I once accidentally added a bit too much and POW! That'll wake you up for sure.

Don't skip the salt. Trust me on this one. It's just a tiny amount, but it makes a huge difference in the flavor.

If you buy your raisins in the single-serve boxes for the kids, one box is the perfect size for this.

Don't go crazy looking for top quality maple syrup. That cheap imitation pancake syrup works just fine. In fact, given the choice between the two, I'd save to good stuff for waffles and pancakes.

Yes! You can reheat this if you find you have leftovers. Simply reheat in the microwave but stir in about a tablespoon of milk per serving first.

it will thicken if you let it rest for a minute before serving

Variations:

When I don't have raisins on hand, I like to slice banana over the top instead.

For apple cinnamon oatmeal, omit the maple syrup and cut down or omit the raisins. Replace them with about 1/2 cup of applesauce. (I love to do this in the fall when we have tons of homemade applesauce, but the stuff in the jar works just as well.)

By the way, I won't tolerate whining that you don't have time to make this in the morning. It takes less time than brewing a pot of coffee. Set your ingredients (except for your milk) on the counter the night before so you're ready to go.

Rise and shine!