Tuesday Tip Day~Homemade Coconut Milk

Have you ever had a recipe that calls for coconut milk and you go to the store to find out prices are outrageous? I know because this time of the year I use alot of coconut milk. Did you know that you can make your own coconut milk right at home? It is so simple and it tastes great. Best of all you know what is in it and the price is just right. There are two ways that you can make this milk. You can either get your coconut from a fresh coconut or from dehydrated coconut shreds.

Coconut juice is the coconut water from inside the coconut– it is used for making deserts and for drinking. Coconut milk is not coconut juice—Coconut milk is made from the meat, or nut part, of the coconut—To make coconut milk just add some of fresh coconut to a blender w/ a little hot water and blend till smooth. That is the coconut milk that we pay so much for at the stores.


To make coconut milk from dehydrated coconut shreds:

1 Cup coconut shreds
1 Cup hot water
Place in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain out any leftover chunks.

If you are feeling adventurous you can get a fresh coconut and grate it using the same ratio as above.

Coconut and Chocolate Pie
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1 cup milk
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
7/8 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake crust for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool. In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, coconut milk and 1 cup sugar. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water. Bring coconut mixture to a boil. Reduce to simmer and slowly whisk in the cornstarch. Continue stirring mixture over low heat until thickened, about 3 minutes. In a glass bowl, microwave chocolate chips for 1 minute or until melted. Divide the coconut pudding evenly into two bowls. Mix chocolate into one portion. Spread on the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the remaining portion of pudding on top of the chocolate and spread smooth. Refrigerate for about an hour. Whip cream with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Layer the cream on pie; if desired garnish with chocolate shavings.

Did you know that if you use coconut milk and place it all over the scalp and massaging it into the hair roots is also beneficial in the treatment of hair loss. It nourishes the hair and promotes hair growth. It will also leave your hair soft and shinny.

Magic Mix

I am going to share with you a recipe that comes from the USU Extension Office. I just love this mix. I have been using it for years to make all sorts of yummy foods. I will be using it a lot in later blogs, so have some ready. This mix does need to be refrigerated in an air tight container.

Ingredients

4 cups instant (or 2 1/3 cup non-instant) dry milk
1 cup flour or 1/2 cup cornstarch (I prefer using flour and it needs to be white flour not wheat.)
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine

Combine dry milk, flour and margarine into a large bowl and mix until it looks like cornmeal. I like to put it in my mixer with my whisk beaters. It makes it much easier and only takes about 30 seconds. Keep mix tightly covered in the refrigerator. Makes 5 cups.

I will share with your our first recipe using the Magic Mix.


White Sauce :

For thin sauce: 1/3 cup Magic Mix and 1 cup water.
For medium sauce: 1/2 cup Magic Mix and 1 cup water.
For thick sauce: 2/3 cup Magic Mix and 1 cup water.

Stir over medium heat until smooth and thick. You can also add in any spices to your white sauce to change the flavor. Try adding broth in place of water for a wonderful gravy. Yield 1 cup.

Homemade Yogurt

My family just loves yogurt. They can go through a lot in one week. Sometimes that's all they want to eat for breakfast or a snack. They each have one yogurt sometime during the day. I have found the perfect recipe for making homemade yogurt out of POWDERED MILK from my food storage. I personally buy only one kind of powdered milk. Its is Country Cream 100% REAL Instant Powdered Milk. It is known world wide as the very best Instant Milk anywhere.. It is rich and creamy and tastes so much like fresh milk. It doesn't have that nasty powdered milk after taste to it. In fact my 6 year old son prefers it to store bought milk. He always asks me "Mom is this your milk or the stores milk?" I think it is so adorable. I purchase my milk from Grandmas Country Store.

I love making homemade yogurt because I know what is in it. There is no artificial flavors or preservatives. I know it is low fat and its good for my family. It was lot easier making yogurt than I ever imagined it could be. You only need a few simple ingredients to make your own yogurt at home. This will make 1 Quart of yogurt.

• 2 Quart Sauce Pan
• Thermometer
• 3 1/2 Cup of Powdered Instant Milk ( 2 cups non instant)
• 8 Cups of warm Water
• 3/4 Cup of commercial plain yogurt with live cultures. I like to use Dannon. You will want this to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes so it doesn't shock the milk. Or some yogurt reserve that you have already made. (it needs to be plain)
• 6-8 Half Pints or something to put the yogurt in.
• Jams or flavorings

In a saucepan I take my 8 Cups of water and add it to 1 Cup of powdered milk. I whisk it together until it is all incorporated. If I am making this into vanilla yogurt I would add 1/3 Cup of Sugar and 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla but today I just wanted plain yogurt. You will then want to scald the milk. (You don't want to boil the milk.) I bring it up to 180 degrees and it is perfect. A trick to knowing when milk is scalded, is to watch for tiny bubbles to appear around the edge of your pan. If the milk seems to raise a bit and you start to see steam you know it is scalded. Immediately remove from the heat. You will want to let this sit until it cools to 100 degrees.

While I wait for my milk to cool I prepare my jars. I like to flavor my yogurt because my family likes it better than plain yogurt. Sometimes I flavor them with fruit. Today I just took some strawberry banana jam that I had made earlier and place a few tablespoons on the bottom of my containers. Make sure that whatever you add to your yogurt is at room temperature. If it is to hot or cold it will ruin your culture and your yogurt will not turn out right.

After my milk has cooled down I will add my yogurt culture. It is very important that you add the culture when your milk is at 100 degrees. Immediately after adding the cutler and mixing together pour the milk into your jars. I like using half pints or plastic ball jars. Use whatever container that you can close tightly . If I want to make a lot of yogurt at one time. I just use a quart jar.

I have a yogurt maker because I make yogurt so much. I make it about every other day. What you don't have a yogurt maker? There are a few solutions to this. The

1. You can rap your jars in a blanket or towel and place them in a cooler for insulation to keep warm.
2. You can place them in your oven with the oven light on and this will keep it warm enough. (but remember you can't use your oven for about 10 hours.)
3. If you have a dehydrator with a heating element, you can place them inside on a shelf.
4. Place on top of a heating pad on the counter and turn it to low. Cover it with a towel.

Wherever you decide to place your yogurt you will need to leave it undisturbed for 9-10 hours. And it must say slightly warm for the cultures to grow. I like to do this right before bedtime so that my yogurt is done when I wake up in the morning. You will still need to refrigerate the yogurt for 3-4 hours before eating. It makes a great after school snack for the kids. Remember to save 3/4 cup of plain yogurt that you just made for your next batch. You should get a new culture after a couple of months to refresh your yogurt. This yogurt will last about a week in the refrigerator. If it's not eaten before then.

If you don't want to make yogurt using powdered milk you can always use store bought milk.
You cannot use Morning Moo because it is a milk substitue and not truely milk. Tip: If you find that your yogurt is a bit thin. (each powdered milk is different) Try adding a bit more powdered milk and it should thicken.