Keira is six weeks old, and we're moving past that extremely-new mom stage when I felt quite accomplished if I managed to shower and brush my teeth in the course of a day. :)
In the past week or so I've done some experimenting in the kitchen, and had some success making homemade yogurt. I couldn't believe how easy (and cheap) it was! Our friend Audrey inspired me when she made us a meal that included homemade yogurt.
Here's how to do it:
1. Boil some water and let it cool. It should be hot, but just cooled off enough that you can put your fingers in it.
2. Mix up some milk powder with your hot water in a clean glass jar (1:3 ratio, for example 1 cup milk powder + 3 cups water). You could probably heat up fresh milk instead, but milk is a little pricey in Taiwan--not many cows around! For thicker yogurt use more milk powder.
3. Add a few tablespoons of plain yogurt as a starter. Stir in well. If your starter yogurt is sweetened, the finish product will still be unsweetened.
4. Fill another jar or two with very hot water. Wrap all the jars in a towel and place in a small cooler.
5. Wait 4-6 or more hours. The longer you wait, the tarter your yogurt will be. It also might affect the consistency...I'm still experimenting.
6. Take out the jars and enjoy your homemade yogurt! Don't forget to save a few tablespoons as a starter for the next batch.
