You Go-Gurt! (Read this title with a sassy voice)

 

Greetings to you all! This is the first (that I know of) guest post here on Shannon's blog. I'm sure you are all wondering about the identity of this mysterious writer. Who could it be - is it John Piper? No, his budget strategy is simply eating the omer of manna that falls from heaven in his front yard each morning. Is it perhaps someone even more famous, like the Pioneer Woman? Sadly, no, but unfortunately closer than I would like to admit. Yes, this guest post is authored by none other than Shannon's husband, Trey (me). My words right now about being broadcast into cyberspace through the World Wide Web on the information super highway to literally a few dozen computers owned by people we know. 

Now, let us get to the topic at hand, our Smith Family Budget Reduction Strategy #6. Funny, we do not actually call it by this name in our house. Ever. However, it sounds official so I will run with it. Well, as most of you all know, we have three young ones. We are constantly looking for ways to generate income. Put that together and you have two magic words: Child. Labor. We are cranking out painted peg people like there is no tomorrow, people. (I couldn't help myself)

Actually, I am here to talk about something a lot more controversial - yogurt. You see, here in the Smith household we consume a lot of yogurt. It is filling, has a lot of protein, is versatile, and let's face it - the live bacterial cultures help keep that lower abdominal septic system running like a charm. However, at $2-4 per 32 ounces, it starts to add up quickly (as my two boys can take down 32 ounces in one snack if they put their minds to it).

I used to make my own yogurt. Yes, I know I have completely put my "man card" on the line with that statement. I would go through a long process of steaming milk, cooling it down, adding in yogurt cultures, and then keeping several mason jars of it at a temperature between 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 hours in a cooler with a steam bath. I would even even have to set alarms to get up in the middle of the night to check on the yogurt. This was not very fun, so I stopped.

Now that we are dirt broke, I am back in the yogurt game, but I have changed my strategy. I found a lovely new use for our Hamilton Beach programmable slow cooker. Now, I make my yogurt an entire gallon at a time (I told you we don't mess around with our yogurt over here). Here is a quick run down of the process.

1) Take a gallon of milk and add it to the slow cooker of your choice.
2) Set the cooker to "High" and leave it for about 2 1/2 hours. You may want to check the temperature after two hours as you DO NOT want it to boil. If it reaches 180 degrees, then go ahead and shut it off.
3) Let the milk cool for about 3 hours. You want it between 110-120 degrees. I generally am happy when it cools down to 120 degrees.
4) Add a full cup of nonfat dry milk. If you do not, the yogurt will be super runny (and more like slightly thick and tangy milk... delicious, right?)
5) Get out a cup of plain yogurt. Yes, you must use yogurt to make yogurt. If you do not use yogurt, you are just basically taking your slow cooker on a ride to the emergency room.
6) Add some of the warm milk to the yogurt and mix together. This helps stabilize the temperature and keep the yogurt alive. Add it to the cooker.
7) Now here is the weird part. Wrap your slow cooker with a towel. Yes, that is a weird sentence to type, but you have to do it to keep the heat trapped in. Trust me - would I lie to you?
8) Now send me your credit card numbers. I just wanted to test out our level of trust.
9) Wait 8-10 hours. Magically, you will then have a huge pot o' yogurt.

Tip: If an entire gallon way too much for you to eat in a week, you easily make 1/2 gallon. Just turn the milk on "low" for 2 1/2 hours instead of "high".

If that all sounds daunting, here is the cheat sheet: Milk on high for 2.5 hours, off for 3 hours, dry milk in, yogurt in, wrap it in a towel, and go to bed.

Storage: This will last for about a week in the fridge. We actually store our yogurt in old yogurt containers (poetic, right?). IMPORTANT: Do not forget to set aside one cup of the yogurt to use as a starter for the next time you want to make it.

Flavoring: Not too many people like just slurping down a gallon of plain, tangy yogurt. I only do that before I run laps around the neighborhood. So, we have a few ways that we flavor the yogurt:

• Gelatin - If you like a firmer consistency then go this route. Use one small box of flavored gelatin and 1/4 cup of sugar for each quart of yogurt you are making. I put the gelatin and sugar in our KitchenAid  mixer, add 3/4 cup of boiling water and mix until well blended. Then add the yogurt and mix it well. Feel free to double this to make larger batches (you do have a gallon of yogurt to flavor).
• Koolaid - Don't judge, you judger. Yes, flavored drink mixes are a great way to flavor up the yogurt. You can use flavors like cherry, strawberry, or even fruit punch if you are brave (it isn't that bad). Add two quarts of yogurt to a mixer and put in the drink powder along with a rounded 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix it until blended and pour into containers.
• Vanilla - For each quart of yogurt, add 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix well.
• Tip: For fruit flavors, if you add a little vanilla extract, it suddenly becomes a tastier treat (think strawberries & cream or Dreamsicle flavored.

Uses:  Have it with granola for breakfast or alone as a snack. Freeze the flavored varieties for yogurt pops. Use the plain yogurt as a substitute for buttermilk, sour cream, or even strain with cheese cloth to make Greek yogurt or yogurt cheese.

Cost:
We live in a magical land our here in Crowley/Burleson where you seriously can get milk for $1. That is not a joke. Aldi and HEB both have milk for $1/gallon. I've tried to power my car with it, but apparently our Taurus is lactose intolerant.

1 gallon of milk: $1, HEB or Aldi
Plain yogurt (for initial starter): $2, HEB
Nonfat Dry Milk, 1 box (enough for about 12 batches): $6.99, Aldi
Gelatin: $.35, Aldi
Flavored drink powder: $.25-ish, HEB or Aldi

Total start-up cost: About $10
Cost to make a 1.25 gallons of yogurt (as the sugar, gelatin, and water adds to the gallon), about $2.20
Cost if we bought 1.25 gallons of yogurt, $10 (at the cheapest), HEB
Total saved: $7.80 each week

Longest. Guest post. Ever. You are welcome.