A Few Granola Tips

To me, granola has always been considered a "health food," so I was a little surprised when I looked at the Nutrition Facts of one granola recipe--it was very high in fat and high in calories.  I had to remind myself that nuts are naturally high in fat--but the good kind of fat. I was happy to find there was 0 Trans Fat and Saturated Fat was only about 1/4 of the total fat.

So, health-wise, a little goes a long way. A sprinkling on top of yogurt, a small bowl with milk, or a simple granola bar could be a great source of fiber and various vitamins/minerals.

As for cost-efficiency, most at our February meeting felt that it didn't really save any money to make your own. The benefit, however, is that you can add what you want to your mixture--raisins, cranberries, marshmallows, chocolate chips. You can also avoid things your family doesn't enjoy or can't tolerate. For example, we have a tree-nut allergy in our house and I can't buy store-bought granola because they all have at least one type of tree nut (that I've found so far). So making if myself makes me feel a little bit safer.

Side note: after I proudly served my home-made granola, I found out that my allergic-kid doesn't even like granola. But maybe that's because it's always led to scratchy throats before. :)

Two tips for granola making:

1. If you toast your nuts and seed before mixing everything together, you'll get a darker, rich flavor.
2. If you are baking the mixture (which most recipes call for), don't overbake. The granola will continue to crisp after you've pulled it out of the oven. Nothing say's "I love you" like non-burned granola. My kids wish they have experienced this kind of love before. I'll keep trying... :)

Homemade Yogurt Basics

Yogurt is easy to make, and making it yourself can save a lot of money. Essentially a gallon of milk would make a gallon of yogurt. (Think $2 for the milk plus maybe .50 cents for add-ins. That's the same as paying for only a quart of yogurt, if it's on sale).

There are several methods of making it, but they all involve the same science. In a nut-shell he's what to do, and I'll also post the recipe I used on this blog.

1. Heat milk to 185 degrees (to prepare milk proteins).
2. Let milk come down to 110 degrees (the temp that yogurt bacterias can multiply).
3. Pitch the yogurt (add a little yogurt with active cultures that will then multiply through the milk).
4. Let it set for 7-8 hours or overnight keeping the temperature at 110 (the longer you let it ferment, the thicker & tangier the yogurt will be).

That's pretty much it, but there are some other tips that will make the yogurt even better. For example, the yogurt will be pretty runny. If you'd like it thicker you can add powdered milk when you pitch. After it's fermented, you can let it sit in the fridge for several hours to thicken. You can also strain it through a coffee filter or cheesecloth over a colander. The liquid that drains out is whey, which can be used in other cooking or tossed. (I happened to make bread with mine -replacing the milk with the whey- and I was very happy with the result.)

You can flavor the yogurt with just about anything--honey, fruit puree, jam, sugar. To ease my family into homemade yogurt (it's definitely not go-gurt), I added a little instant vanilla pudding powder. It thickened and sweetened without losing the tang. I figure after a couple goes with that, they'll be ready for a little more authentic taste.

When you pitch your milk, be aware that different store-bought yogurts have different numbers of active cultures. Yoplait and Dannon contain two, some store-brands zero, Stoneyfield has six. The yogurt you make will only multiply the original bacterias you put in. Keep a little of your homemade yogurt each time because you can use that to pitch the next batch.

Finally, there are several methods to heat the milk (stove-top, hot chocolate maker, crock-pot) and several methods to keep the milk at 110 degrees (heating pad, oven's pilot light, thick towel around crock pot, dehydrator). There are also yogurt makers out there that will do everything for you.

I used a crock pot method, which was nice because I didn't have to move my pot around a lot, but it did add about 4 hours of time (waiting for the milk to heat & then cool to 110). There are definitely quicker methods out there, although all will need the 8 or so hours to ferment..

So those are the basics. I found a lot of information on-line, and you all had great suggestions. Thanks especially to Mimi and Rachele! I also really liked this site to understand what was happening during each step.

I'd love to know who has made yogurt & how you did it!

Christmas Candy

Thanks to those that came to our candy making night. Hopefully you learned a few tips--especially what NOT to do! Since I only make candy once a year, sometimes it takes a few times to remember all the tricks. You were all great guinea pigs. :)

A few notes before you begin:
1. Check the calibration of your candy thermometer. I discovered mine was about 5 degrees off, and that can make a big difference. You can find a good tutorial here.
2. Follow the recipe exactly, but make adjustments for your heat source. Your "medium-high" might be hotter than mine. Take notes on things to change next time.
3. I cook my candy in an electric kettle (a pot that you'd use for deep-frying). Mine is non-stick and light, which makes pouring a lot easier. You could use a heavy saucepan instead. Just be careful when pouring or get someone to help hold the pan.
4. I pour the candy onto a marble slab to cool. It stays cold and isn't damaged by the molten lava. I can also cut right on it. You could substitute a heavy cookie sheet--I'm not sure if you'd need to make any adjustments. Try and find out!

Thanks again for coming. Feel free to ask any question, or if you want to make something together, I'd love to help!

Freezing Soup

I really like the idea of making a big batch of soup, then freezing it to save for a busy night or warm lunch. Here are some great tips from Favorite Freezer Foods on freezing soup . They include a list of ingredients that do not freeze well, recommended time limits, and detailed how-to.

I will add one of my own tips. I've begun to freeze individual sizes. These are easy to pull out the night before to thaw, then send for lunches the next day.

Does anyone have any other tips for freezing soup or other meals?