In the meantime...

While I'm waiting for the yogurt to do its thing, I've been experimenting with some other food storage recipes. First of all, maybe I should explain that I'm not sure the yogurt will be appreciated around here once it's done. So I need to find creative ways of using it. I'm thinking that I'll try making yogurt cheese, which, I understand, is a good substitute for cream cheese and can be used in cheesecakes. I've also heard that the yogurt will be good to use in making Ranch dressing, something that everyone I know seems to love. While I'm waiting, I decided to try using some of the Mountain High yogurt (that I bought to use as a starter) and make some ranch dressing, using a recipe I found:

Ranch Dressing, or Creamy Dressing

In a blender combine:

1 cup yogurt

1 cup lowfat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dehydrated onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

Result: it looks creamy and tastes sort of like, well, vanilla-flavored (*sigh*!!) ranch dressing. We'll see how well it goes over with Jim.

Reading all these food storage books and recipes got me dreaming about whipping up a simple casserole. This is my personalized combination/adaptation of a couple of recipes in one of the books:

2 cans (or pint bottles) of kidney beans, rinsed and drained in a colander

4 cups egg noodles, boiled for about 7 minutes until done, then drained in the same colander (yes, on top of the beans)

In the same pot that you cooked the noodles, combine:

1 cup easy white sauce mix

2 cups water

1 tablespoon dehydrated onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

some pepper

some garlic powder

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until bubbly and thick. Then stir in:

1 cup grated cheese

Add the noodles and beans to the cheese sauce mix and stir to combine. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

I also baked some bread today.

And, finally, I've been watching YouTube videos about making cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Maybe some day I'll try one of those and let you know how it goes. But, first, back to the yogurt, and tonight's dinner.