Fabric Softener for Pennies

When I submitted how to make laundry powder I also meant to submit a post for my cheap and easy fabric softener................but I forgot so here it is:

You'll Need:
1 Downy Ball
Distilled White Vinegar

Directions:
Pour vinegar into Downy Ball to the desired level

Pull the plug and throw it in the washer.

It's that simple......feel a little cheated? I did when I figured this out.

Until next time............................
KAC

Homemade Yogurt: Greek and Whipped

I'm still unpacking so I don't want to take too many pics of my house right now......it's a little depressing but since one of the first things I unpacked was my slow cooker I've been using it a lot.

I found the technique for making yogurt in the slow cooker from Crockpot 365 and tried it out last weekend it worked out pretty well. I'm not going to repost what Stephanie already wrote because that would be redundant, but here are some small variations that I made.

Variation #1: Greek Yogurt

I LOVE Greek yogurt so I thought I would make some at home. I followed Stephanie's Crockpot Yogurt Recipe and after the incubation period I poured my yogurt into a colander lined with cheese cloth.

I put the whole thing in the refrigerator overnight. (This picture if from my batch I'm working on now. I used a whole gallon of milk and an hour ago the colander was filled to the brim.) Occasionally it's necessary to pour out the liquid that's accumulated in the bowl. You could keep it if you wish. I don't, I haven't thought of anything to use it for yet.

Once you've gained maximum thickness (I'll post pics tomorrow) you can then do whatever you want with your yogurt. I pureed a pint of strawberries and a little honey with my immersion blender and then blended the yogurt and the fruit together. This is what it looked like 10 days later:

No artificial flavors, coloring or preservatives. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

Variation 2: Whipped Yogurt Not Working Out Like I Planned

I doing this tomorrow but basically the plan is to take my plain Greek yogurt and whip it in my KitchenAid. I haven't actually tried this yet, so this is all theoritical right now. I'll let you know how things go over tomorrow (fail or succeed). My goal is something similar to Yoplait Whips yogurt. I'm also in the process of looking for a orange creme flavoring recipe. That's the flavor Dj really likes so I'm trying to make it (no success thus far but maybe soon).

Update 3/10/2010: To date I still haven't gotten the whipped yogurt to work out. I'm still working on it but hopefully I'll figure something out soon.



Until next time...........
KAC