Meat Loaf or Meatballs made with Yogurt

• 2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 chopped onion
• 1-1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup yogurt
• mixed seasonings (parsley, basil, oregano...whatever you want)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine bread crumbs with eggs and yogurt. Add seasonings. Combine with meat and chopped onion. Mix by hand until all is blended and you can no longer see the bread. Form into meat loaf and bake, or form into meatballs and fry or bake. 350 degrees for 1 hour

Jello Flavored Cheese Cake

• 1 lrg. pkg. cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup frozen topping (Cool-Whip)
• 1 large box jello, dry (what-ever flavor you desire)
• prepared Graham cracker crust

Blend the cream cheese and yogurt together, with electric beaters, in large bowl. Add dry flavored jello and blend. Add the cool-whip and blend. Pour into prepared Graham cracker crust. Cover and refrigerate. Top with extra cool-whip.

Creamy Cucumbers with Yogurt

• 2 large cucumbers (washed and run fork over skin to score)
• 1/2 grated onion
• 1 Tablespoon dill weed
• 2-3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1-1/2 cup yogurt
• pinch of ground pepper

After scoring cucumber, slice thinly and place in bowl. Add remaining ingredients and fold together to coat all cucumbers and onions. Place in refrigerator to chill before serving.

Mixed Fruit Salad with Yogurt

• 1 sml. can fruit cocktail
• 1 sml. can Tropical fruit chunks
• 1 sml. can pineapple tid-bits
• 2 apples (cut into small chunks)
• 1 sml. can Mandarin oranges
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup honey or sugar (to taste, add more if desired)

Drain all the fruit and place in large bowl. Blend yogurt with sour cream, add to fruit. Add the remaining ingredients and fold until all fruit mixture is coated. Cover and chill before serving.

Yogurt Fruit Dip

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup sour cream
• Honey or sugar to sweeten to your desired taste

Blend together and serve with cut- up chunks of fruit.

Pan Gravy

• meat drippings in pan (with small amount of melted fat, but not greasy)
• 3 Tablespoons corn starch or flour
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup water or milk , then as needed
• salt and pepper to taste

In your fry pan, on medium heat, mix meat drippings with the flour, simmer and stir until blended, add yogurt. Keep stirring. Add water or milk and bring to a boil, stirring, not to let it scorch. Add more water or milk, little at a time, to make the desired consistency of the gravy. Salt and pepper to taste.

Yogurt Onion Dill Dip

• 2 cups yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons dill weed
• 1 pkg. onion soup mix
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together and chill before serving. Thin with small amounts of milk, if necessary.

Yogurt T Island Dressing 03

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup or chili sauce
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Mix together. Store in refrigerator.

SweetSour Yogurt Dressing 02

• 1 cup yogurt
• juice of 1 lemon
• honey or sugar (to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon grated onion

Mix together. Seasonings can be added for extra flavor.

Yogurt Dressing 01

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• 1 teaspoon mixed seasonings (no-salt, such as Dash)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

In a small bowl, mix ingredients together. Thin with 1 teaspoon milk at a time. (optional)

Fruit Smoothie with Yogurt

• Handful of chopped fresh berries
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup yogurt
• 4-5 ice cubes
• honey

Place all in blender and blend until smooth. You can use an array of fruits, just experiment.

Making and Using Yogurt

Humans have been consuming yogurt for many centuries. Yogurt has been found to be quite beneficial to, and for, the human body. You can combine it with other ingredients or consume it just as it is, plain. You can freeze it (frozen Yogurt) and cook with it (casseroles, breads, sauces, soups...etc) and even make cold desserts, appetizers and dips, just to name a few. You also can make your own cream cheese out of yogurt.
You can consume it sweetened, soured, salted or seasoned with just about anything. It is one staple we would not be without, in our home. Making yogurt is quite easy and sooooo very reasonable, compared to what you get in the grocery stores. I will include a few recipes for some things you can try, on my next few blogs. The end result is amazing, and it is good for you, too.

Yogurt has approximately 2000,000,000 organisms or good bacteria in it; to the cubit centimeter. It is known as Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The yogurt is made by introducing this culture of bacteria into milk, at a controlled temperature. ( You don't want to kill the bacteria in any way.) This combined mixture will allow the bacteria to multiply freely. The milk will change it's consistency and become thickened. Then it is refrigerated to use any way you desire. Cool!

There are many good sites on the net with recipes of all sorts. Explore and try out a few. There are also many ways to making yogurt. They even have a machine to assist you in this. I make mine the old-way and I am satisfied with the results; so I will stick with my-way. You can try out the new-fangled machines, but I like making mine in large quantities and in bulk. There are also many different recipes and techniques. I will share with you the way I make yogurt.

• 1 gallon whole milk
• 3 Tablespoons powdered milk
• 1 cup natural Plain yogurt
• 5 quart corning-ware or 5 quart glass bowl (not metal)
• clean linen towel
  

Mix powdered milk with whole milk. Heat to 180 degrees. Stirring, do not let it scorch. Set aside until it cools down; but yet warm; enough as to feed a baby. ( For all you moms and grandmothers; just like when you tested the milk on your wrist.) You want it slightly warm, but not hot. HOT will KILL the bacteria and the yogurt will not turn out. TOO COLD and the bacteria won't grow. Warm enough for a baby!
Now, add the yogurt and stir. Cover the container with lid or plastic wrap(loosely) and place in an oven overnight. (No need to heat oven) Check the consistency, you may need to keep it in the oven longer until it thickens to what you want. I like to leave mine close to 20-24 hours to make it real sour and real thick. After it is finished setting the way you want it, refrigerate it. You can transfer it to smaller containers, if you choose to do so. The liquid you will find on the top is Keefer and can be discarded or used in other recipes.