Yogurt (DASH Yogurt Maker)

I'm super excited about this post. I love yogurt. I don't love how expensive it is ($1-$2 for an individual cup, I know the larger containers are cheaper per serving but most of us are guilty for paying for convenience when it comes to certain items) nor do I love all of the added sugars, thickeners, dyes and other ingredients that are really unnecessary. I don't love the unsustainable nature of those little cups either, those little cups add up to a lot of garbage. I've wanted a yogurt maker for sometime time, probably over a year. I've researched different brands and have looked around, but I didn't want to pay $50 for another appliance that would take up precious space. Now, paying $15 for another appliance to take up precious space, that's more acceptable. I was at a Target store a couple of weeks ago and saw this DASH seven container (glass jars!) yogurt maker on clearance for $21. It retails for $30 at Target and $40 at other online retailers. I considered purchasing it right then and there, but I thought to myself- There are several Target stores in my area, one of them is bound to have it on clearance for less. I took 5 minutes and called about 5 stores and I was right. One of the Target stores had it on clearance for $15. I didn't go out of my way to save $6, I stopped at the Target that had it for less on my way home from a client's office the other day after work. I actually purchased 2 because I was going to test the temperature during the process because I read some reviews that it ran at about 120 degrees instead of 110 degrees. The first one I opened has been running at the correct temperature, so I'll see if someone wants the un-opened box, return it or keep it for the extra jars (Those range from $15-$20 just for an extra set). All that is required for your first batch of yogurt is one plain store bought yogurt and milk. After the first batch, you just use one jar from the prior batch to culture the next batch. I chose a whole milk that is relatively local, non-homogenized and pasteurized at a lower temperature than normal milk. A half gallon was $3.89. I chose the Stonyfield Plain organic yogurt because when I looked at the ingredients there was milk and 6 active cultures. Other plain yogurts had thickeners, less cultures and cost more. The yogurt was on sale for $.89. I plan on trying to make some reduced dairy or non dairy yogurts in the future with homemade nut milk that I plan on leaving the nut sediment in. The cultures need protein, and many boxed non-dairy milks (except for soy) do not have that much protein, if any in a serving. In the end, I know that a yogurt maker is not vital to make homemade yogurt, but I do not have a place where I can put the yogurt to culture at an appropriate temperature for a prolonged period of time. So paying $15 to have a place is worth it to me.

Ingredients:
36 ounces of milk (I used whole milk- and the final product came out pretty thick)
6 ounces of high quality plain yogurt or 6 ounces of yogurt from a prior batch

Directions:
I read several recipes for yogurt and most of them called for heating the milk to 180 degrees and then cooling it to about 110-115 degrees before adding the yogurt. It was said that heating the milk made the yogurt thicker. I decided to heat the milk to 110 degrees and then add the pre-made yogurt. Why would I want to heat the milk up again after it has already been pasteurized? Even though I prefer Greek yogurt, I enjoy regular yogurt as well, so I can deal with it if the yogurt comes out runny.

Heat the milk to 110 degrees and then whisk in the yogurt. Evenly divide into the cups. Place the cups without the individual lids and then cover with the large lid. Set the timer to 8-11 hours (depending on how tangy you want your yogurt) and let it be. You'll either wake up to or come home from work to yummy fresh yogurt. I don't mind plain yogurt, but sweeteners and fruit can be added according to your own tastes if you so desire. I plan on adding maple syrup. I recently discovered the Brown Cow brand of maple yogurt (made with real maple syrup- not fake flavoring) and it is amazing.

Note- I read some people's complaints about cleaning the individual jars because of the lip and the curved glass. I try not to be judgmental, but Good Lord people, it's not that hard! I didn't have issues cleaning the jars at all. With that in mind, some people preferred using a larger glass bowl to make clean up easier and to make a larger quantity of yogurt. This I might try if other in my house decide to eat more yogurt or if I just want to make a larger batch. The question is do I have a bowl that is short enough to fit?

Cheesecake

Cracks from the cooling process.

Serve the cake already cut- what cracks?

I'm not a huge fan of cheesecake. It's too rich for me and I can only eat a few bites. But when you put a pie inside, hold me back! It gives you the feeling of pie and ice cream or pie and a glass of milk except for the creamy is cheesecake. Also, note that the crust is not graham cracker. I absolutely hate graham cracker crusts with cheesecake. I think that they get soggy. The crust recipe below is from a 1960-something copy of the red checkered Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I've adapted the cheesecake recipe from that recipe as well. The crust recipe is one that my mother always used when she made a cheesecake. The first time I had cheesecake that my mother didn't make, I thought the person who made it messed up because it had a graham cracker crust ;) If making the cheesecake alone, use an 8-9 inch spring form pan. I used this recipe below in a 10 or 12 inch spring-form pan with a pre-baked Strawberry Rhubarb pie inside. Delish! My family has been asking me to take the extra pie that I have in the freezer to make this again. It's one of their favorite desserts.


Ingredients:

Cheesecake (According to my tasters, this was a drier cheesecake, which they all preferred over one that was less dry)
4 blocks of cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
3 tbs flour
2 tsp vanilla
juice of 1/2 lime/lemon/orange
4 eggs + 1 egg white from egg from crust
1/4 tsp salt

Crust
3/4 cup flour
6 tbs butter
1 egg yolk
3 tbs sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping
1.5 cups sour cream
juice from half of lime
3 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions: 
For the cheesecake, beat together all of the items except for the eggs. Once the base is creamed together and smooth, slowly add the eggs one at a time until combined. Be careful not to over mix the cheese mixture before or after adding the eggs.

For the crust mix together all of the ingredients with your hands. The butter should not be melted. The mixture should be crumbly. Press this mixture into the bottom of the spring form pan (line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper if you don't want to leave the cheesecake on the metal base.). The bottom crust should be baked at 425 degrees for about 7 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool before assembling the cheesecake to bake. If you want enough of the mixture to go up the sides of the pan, double the crust recipe above. The sides do not need to be pre-baked.

For the topping, mix all ingredients together in a bowl or the sour cream container. This gets poured on at the very end of the baking process.

Assembly:
If you are making a regular cheesecake, take the pre-baked bottom and put the spring form pan together. If you have extra crust to form the sides, press the dough in now. Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan. I find it helpful to wrap foil around the bottom of the pan to avoid cheesecake drippage out of the pan- cleaning burnt cheesecake out of the oven is not fun. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes and then drop the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for an additional hour. The cheesecake shouldn't be jiggly but shouldn't be super firm either. Turn the oven off. Pour on and spread out the sour cream topping mixture. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 10-15 more minutes.

If you are making a cheesecake with a pie inside, following the directions above, except for when you are pouring the batter into the spring form pan, only pour in about one inch of batter. Once you pour in about an inch of the batter, take the pre-baked pie (make sure the pie has cooled and the insides are not runny or this process WILL NOT WORK!!!), turn it out/slide it onto a plate (this works best if the pie pan is smooth, and not the ridgy aluminum kind) and then into the batter. This process has the potential to be messy, so when you are making your homemade pie to put into your cheesecake, use plenty of corn starch or flour to thicken the pie filling. Once the pie is in the batter, pour the rest of the cheesecake batter on the sides and on top. Smooth the batter around and follow the above directions for baking and applying the topping.

Let cool overnight and refrigerate for the best results.

Note- I have left a cheesecake in the oven for several hours after baking to let it cool and I have also taken it out to cool. Sometimes a cheesecake cracks and sometimes it doesn't. I find this process to be a crap shoot. I have had the most success with putting a pan of water in the oven while the cheesecake bakes to prevent cracking, but I usually forget to do this. Oh well, it all tastes good- it just depends if you're trying to impress someone or not. My family and friends don't care. They're excited if I make something for them, they don't care what it looks like.