I like my yogurt very, very thick and rather tangy. While tanginess is usually not a problem for homemade yogurt, thickness sometimes is. I experimented with various recipes before combining them into something that makes the perfect recipe for my taste. If you’d like a thinner yogurt, use less starter, or stir the finished curd to break up the proteins. If you prefer an even thicker finished product, strain your yogurt in some cheesecloth set over a bowl in the fridge. You’ll end up with a creamy yogurt cheese that’s similar to cream cheese.

I use Stonyfield Farm Organic Whole Milk Plain Yogurt as my starter, because it’s my favorite store-bought yogurt and has active cultures. I buy the big (32 oz.) containers and freeze the remainders in 1 1/4 cup portions to use in future yogurt batches, thawing it overnight in the fridge (not in the microwave!) to gently bring it to temperature.

Note: please use your own judgment and caution when making this recipe. While I have no problems eating this and feeding it to consenting, fully-informed adults, I probably wouldn’t feed it to small children without their parents’ OK.

Yogurt

Ingredients:

• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 cup powdered milk
• 1 1/4 cup plain full-fat yogurt with active cultures, at room temperature

Combine milk and milk powder in a medium heavy-bottomed sauce pan and gently heat on low. Cook for 45 minutes or until the temperature reaches approximately 115°. Remove from heat. Whisk a few tablespoons of the hot milk into the yogurt to warm it up; add yogurt to hot milk, whisking until yogurt is completely incorporated and mixture is of a uniform temperature. Pour into glass jars (these will be the yogurt’s final resting place), place in a warm, draft-free area, and cover tightly on all sides with heavy blankets. (Don’t forget to place a blanket underneath the jars.) Allow to sit overnight. Remove blankets and transfer jars to refrigerator. Chill and enjoy.

Will keep up to one week in the refrigerator.

Makes slightly more than 1 quart of yogurt.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy, and bite-sized appetizer recipe, look no further. These mini-tarts are deliciously simple to make and eat - if you’re in a real hurry, use store-bought pie crust dough and leftover baked chicken to speed things up.

Miniature Chicken Tarts

Ingredients:

• 2 pie crusts (use your favorite recipe or a pre-bought crust)
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, poached and cooled
• 8 oz. whole fresh mushrooms, cleaned
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Line mini-muffin cups with pie crust. Dock the bases of the cups with a fork and blind-bake. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, mushrooms, and garlic, and sauté until chicken is lightly browned and all liquid from mushrooms has evaporated. Season. Deglaze pan with vinegar; continue to cook until pan is almost dry. Cool slightly.

Pulse cooled mixture in food processor with milk until a smooth, fluffy paste has formed. Spoon into prepared crusts and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Makes 48 tarts.