Homemade Yogurt... yes, yogurt.

So when I was doing research on making my own baby food with Asher I came across some recipes for how to make your own yogurt. My first thought, 'Crazy! Who has time to make their own yogurt!'

Ha! Well, me!

Why did I started to make my own yogurt? Well, I'm pretty picky about what I feed my kids. I don't do hardly any high fructose corn syrup and try to limit their sugar intake. Well, if you've noticed, buying natural yogurt can get kind of expensive pretty quick. And I'm feeding myself and 3 soon to be 4 boys. Let me tell you, they can eat. And their are lots of benefits to eating not-high-fructose-corn-syrup-filled yogurt, especially for the littles. So, now this is the type of yogurt my family eats and we love it. My husband has it plan for breakfast most mornings with some blueberries thrown in. I usually puree up some frozen berries and some natural sweetener to flavor when I feed the kids it straight and keep some plain for cooking or smoothies.

So, at least once a week this is what I do.

Crock Pot Yogurt

from A Year of Slow Cooking

1/2 gallon of whole milk (I use organic but use what you have. It's best NOT to use ultra-pasteurized if you can help it)

1/2 cup live/active plain yogurt (to be used as a "starter", like sourdough. Can be store-bought or 1/2 cup from a previously homemade yogurt. Full fat is best and what I would recommend)

Crockpot

Heavy bath towel or blanket

In a 4-quart slow cooker, turn cooker to low and pour in milk. Cover and allow to cook for two and a half hours.

After two and a half hours have elapsed, turn off cooker, unplug from wall and allow to sit, covered, for three hours.

Three hours later, whisk in starter yogurt and re-cover. Cover/Wrap the entire crockpot with a large bath towel or blanket and leave on your counter for eight hours.

After eight hours have elapsed, your yogurt is done! I normally lift the entire crock out of the base and keep it in my fridge until I have time to decant into something smaller . . .

This makes a fantastic smooth yogurt with just the right hint of tang. It tastes better than anything I've ever bought.

See, super easy!

If you want it a bit thicker, (I often prefer Greek-style yogurt) simply line a colander with cheese cloth or coffee filters, place over a bowl and pour yogurt into it. The whey will drain off into the bowl (collect it and store it in your fridge for a few months for other cooking - I use mine to soak grains or just add some to smoothies for extra nutrients) and you'll be left with a thick, creamy yogurt.

Allow to drain longer for yogurt cheese, which you can use just like cream cheese.

If you want to flavor it, now is the time! Stir or blend in fresh or frozen fruit of your choice and maybe even a little honey for sweetness. YUM!

Tip #1: Due to the time guidelines for this recipe I generally start it either first thing in the morning, by 8:00am, so that it is done by 9:30/10:00pm, or I start it in the early evening (around 5:00pm) so that I can stir in the starter yogurt before I go to bed and put it in the fridge the next morning.

Tip #2: Over time your homemade yogurt will reduce in strength as a "starter" and you might have to purchase a small cup of yogurt from the store to start your next batch. I've had good luck with using homemade yogurt as starter for several weeks worth of batches, and have increased the quantity up to 1 cup (as the starter) if I felt it needed it.

We found out gender... :)

So we had our gender ultra sound yesterday :)

If you don't want to read this entire entry just to find out the gender I'll just tell you... It's a boy!

Before our ultra sound whenever the topic of gender would arise people would ask, 'are you hoping for a girl' or just simply state, 'we're hoping for a girl for you' or something along those lines.

I was never hoping for a girl or boy really. Honestly with our miscarriage and watching other's walk through so much pain related to pregnancy I was always hoping for healthy. I know that's the cliche answer but it was really where my heart and prayers were at and focused on.

My thoughts related to gender. Honestly, I LOVE boys! I grew up hanging out with my brother and my dad, going on bike rides and shooting hoops in the driveway. I always felt like I could related better to guys or in a group of guys rather than girls. Boys in my mind are fairly simple, feed them, make sound effects and let them wrestle and they're good to go. :)

Girls on the other hand have always intimidated me. I was never girly. I would only wear a dress and let my hair be done to go to church for my mother and when I was little, as soon as we got home, would strip down to my underwear, pull out whatever was holding up my hair and run free. When I was older I wore sweat pants and played outside whenever possible. I never wanted my ears pierced or to paint my finger nails or wore pink. I've always felt a bit out of place with girls, 'they' (as if I wasn't one of them) seemed too complicated, they'd say they were your best friend and then tell others that they couldn't stand you, or they just cry over movies or books, or they would giggle at some boy pretending to trip and fall.

So, I've grown and realized that I do need girl friends in my life. Especially in the mommy season of life that I'm in, only another mommy really understands where I'm at and can fully encourage me. It also keeps me sane, just talking to another grown up of the same gender.

And all this being said, having a daughter sounds a bit scary. Not that she'll be awful, but more, I won't know how to be a mommy to a girl. I won't know how to be girly enough for her.

And then I stopped my frenzied worrying and think about how I'm not capable. At all. To raise anybody. Seriously.

But God's so good and gives me grace and wisdom that can only be from Him. And patients (when I choose to receive it). And love. This whole parenting thing is scary and intimidating with out gender even playing into it.

So I do hope for a girl someday.... but someday when God so chooses. Now I am thrilled to be entrusted with my third precious boy to raise as best as I can with no regrets or disappointment what so ever.