Popcorn?

My mother-in-law mentioned that they used to have popcorn with milk when she was growing up. I haven't tried it myself, yet. Here it's suggested as a breakfast cereal. The same blog has some other interesting breakfast ideas that I'll have to remember to try sometime.

Greekish Egg Dish

I made an egg dish the other morning that I was quite pleased with. The kids weren't so thrilled, but they ate it.

I was using up leftovers, so the amounts of the first four items are approximate.

8 oz. cooked spinach
1/2 c. Greek style yogurt
2 1/2 oz. feta cheese

Mix the above together and spread in a greased 10 x 8 pan.

Sprinkle over the top:

1/3 pound chopped cooked bacon

Blend together:

6 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
pepper to taste

Pour this over the spinach mixture. I baked it for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

I thought this had a nice flavor, but I had added balsamic vinegar when I originally cooked the spinach. You might find you want a little more zip. If I make this again, I might add an additional cheese with the bacon. I also might try blending everything but the bacon and cheese in the blender, pour it in the pan and let that cook for about 1/2 hour. Then, sprinkle the bacon and cheese on and let it cook another 10 minutes or so.

Yogurt Update

I had taken a break from making yogurt, but recently I discovered that I can buy a decent Greek style yogurt locally to use as a base culture. Walmart started carrying Oikos brand yogurt, which really is thick, creamy and delicious. I've used it to make yogurt twice so far, and I'm quite pleased with the results.

The Oikos brand lists 5 active cultures: S. Thermophilus; L. Bulgaricus; L. Acidophilus; Bifidus and L. Casei. Dannon only lists L. Acidophilus.

Previously, I've linked to the crockpot yogurt recipe I use. Here's my basic method:

At about 2:30 in the afternoon, I fill my 2 qt. crockpot with milk. I turn it on high, and let it go until 5:30, which is about the time I serve supper. So, I'll unplug the crockpot then. When Dave goes upstairs to tuck the kids in, around 8:30, I'll put a couple ladles of the milk in a bowl, and add about 1/4 c. of yogurt. I'll mix it well, and then add it to the rest of the yogurt in the crockpot. I put the cover back on and a heavy towel around the entire crockpot. It sits overnight, and in the morning I have 2 quarts of yogurt.

I've been putting some honey and vanilla in about half of it for sweetened yogurt, and I leave the rest plain. I haven't started substituting it for sour cream, but I think I could.

I usually write "Yogurt - 5:30, 8:30" on my kitchen whiteboard, to help me remember the times I need to take action. I also freeze the base yogurt in ice cube trays and then put them in freezer bags. On days when I'm making yogurt, I'll take out 2 cubes at 2:30 and let them thaw for when I need them at 8:30. I know you can just save out some of the homemade yogurt for the next batch, but I don't like to do that because I think the final product is too tart.