If you like yogurt for it's health benefits or just because... you will love this. Mixed with fresh fruit ... it is delicious. Great in innumerable recipes.... from mashed potoatoes to smoothies.

Yogurt, fresh home-made

Yield: 2 servings

Yogurt is an important ingredient in many recipes.

Unfortunately, yogurt is becoming more expensive and the containers are shrinking in size. On average, an 8 oz. container of non-fat yogurt costs about 80 cents. That's $6.40 per gallon! But, you can easily make your own supply of fresh, nutritious yogurt at home by following these simple steps: You will need to buy one container of non-fat yogurt. (This could be the last cup of yogurt you may need to buy!)

Scalding the milk:

2 cups 480 mL non-fat milk

Pour milk into a microwave-safe glass or ceramic container. (I use the glass jar that I will use to store the yogurt.)

Heat the milk to 190 degrees. Then, let it cool to a range between 105 - 115 degrees. (If the temperature is outside of this range, the yogurt will fail. This is easy to accomplish with a candy thermometer or your microwave's temperature probe.)

Mixing yogurt into the milk:

1 tablespoon non-fat yogurt

Wisk your tablespoon of yogurt to liquefy. Pour into milk and whisk thoroughly to make sure yogurt is well dispersed in milk. Cover and wrap your container with a towel. Place in a warm place, free of drafts for 8 hours.

Uncover and viola! You have fresh, sweet, fat-free yogurt for pennies a serving. If you buy your non-fat milk on sale, your yogurt will cost as low as 25 cents per 8 ounces!

To keep the savings going, always retain one tablespoon for the next batch. Periodically, empty your yogurt into another container and thoroughly wash your primary yogurt jar in the dishwasher or by hand.

Did you know?

Eight ounces of non-fat yogurt provides you with 10 grams of valuable dietary protein. In addition, a recent study showed yogurt can increase the body's production of gamma-interferon, a substance that may boost your immune system.