Yogurt Cheese! A very easy cheese to make...

I just read an article about discipline... and immediately felt guilty about not being very disciplined in regards to my blog. Try harder? Or just post an incredible easy recipe for making yogurt cheese?

Yogurt Cheese! (on toast)

It will take me longer to type up this post than it will for you to (actively) make the cheese. Really. And the cheese is soooo yummy! I have been making yogurt from local milk, but we cannot eat the yogurt fast enough. I get a new half gallon of milk every Wednesday, and we're just not keeping up. Enter the yogurt cheese. Suddenly, a few pieces of toast takes care of the problem!

You will need:

4 cups yogurt
1 tsp salt
cheesecloth
colander
bowl
refrigerator or chill-ish environment 

What to do:

1) Place colander over a bowl and line with cheesecloth (2 layers. I like to use the If You Care brand).

2) Place all 4 cups of yogurt into cheesecloth.

3) Tie cheesecloth and suspend to drain over bowl or sink for 30 minutes.

4) After 30 mins, return to colander (over bowl) and refrigerate overnight. Or place in chill environment overnight. I put mine outside, covered (no fridge here).

5) In the morning, remove cheese from cheesecloth and place in bowl. Thoroughly stir in salt. Voila! You have yogurt cheese. The consistency is similar to cream cheese, a bit softer. Store in airtight container in cold environment. Try adding jelly, fruit, chocolate syrup? I'll bet Nutella would be good! Mmmmmm!

Peanut Butter Banana Sprinkle Surprise!

Whew!! We are back out on our mooring for the summer, and do not yet have internet access "way out there." But we will!! Soon-ish... We also went sailing over the weekend for three wonderful days, which took me even further from the techno world. In honor of that trip, I decided to post a "recipe" I created for my then not-quite-two-year-old on our sail up the Inside Passage to Alaska.

Potassium. Protein. Iron. A little sugar. Lots of color. How could it not be a winner? You can see from the pics that Bear appreciated my creation too. Also good for stuffed rabbits, puppies and grown-up people (not stuffed).

You will need...

A banana
peanut butter
raisins
sprinkles

This is pretty self explanatory from the picture, but in keeping with tradition:

1) Slice banana into bite size pieces.

2) Top each piece with a smear of peanut butter, then stick raisin in the middle.

3) Lightly top with rainbow sprinkles (or decor of your choice).

4) Best served with milk.

I made a plate of these on our passage back this weekend, and they disappeared as fast as they did the first time I made them. Still a hit!

PRO: Easy to make when you need to get a healthy snack out fast.
CON: You will need a clean-up cloth for little hands and face.