Crockpot Greek Yogurt

I am a big fan of Greek yogurt! there, that being said, you can imagine my joy at discovering that I can make this myself, at a fraction of the price of store bought! It is so EASY!

Pour 1/2 gallon of mild into your crock pot. I used whole milk the first time, and 2% this time, both worked just fine. Just don't use ultra-pasteurized.


Turn it on low, and cook for about 2 and half hours, until it reaches 180 degrees. I used a candy thermometer to check it.

Turn it off, and uncover it for about an hour, until it reaches between 105 and 110 degrees.

Remove about a cup of the warm milk, and whisk in a half a cup of store bought plain yogurt, with live

cultures. The one I bought was 5.3 ounces, and I just threw in the whole thing... Pour this back into the crock pot, and whisk to mix..

Cover the crock pot, wrap it in a towel, and put it in the oven, with the oven off, but the oven light on.  Wait 7-8 hours, or overnight (my preference)

 In the morning, check to see if the milk has turned to yogurt. 
If not, put it back for another hour.  You
now have plain yogurt. Pop it in the fridge for at least
3 hours. Be sure to set aside 1/2 cup for next time!

Here is where it becomes Greek yogurt. Put a colander lined with several layers of cheese cloth, or a plain white dish towel into a large bowl. 

Put your yogurt into the colander, and put it back in the fridge. Let it drain for an hour. Pour out the liquid that has accumulated in the bowl. This is the whey.

Return the yogurt to the fridge and let it drain another hour. It should be very thick by now.

Pour your yogurt into a storage container, and you are done! You now have plain Greek yogurt, ready for whatever flavoring you'd like to add, honey, fruit, vanilla..

I got almost a quart of whey, and a quart of Greek yogurt.  Total cost...$2.44 for the milk and $.94, or $3.38. Next time, I wont have to buy the yogurt, because I will use my yogurt as a starter.

I added some frozen berries and mango, and some local honey. It was a great breakfast!

Let me know if you try this! I love it, and it is so easy!

Thanks for reading!
Crafty Claudia

Silver Tray Chalkboard

My daughter gave me a stack of silver plated serving trays.  Although I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, I knew I could find a purpose.  When I came across chalkboard paint, I knew this would be the first project I would do with these trays! 

I have been thinking of getting some chalkboard paint. I see all these great projects that use it, and I couldn't wait to get started.

My tray had been sitting for a while, and really wasn't very silver anymore, so the first thing I did was clean it. I had sterling jewelry cleaner on hand, and used that. I am not sure if that is why it came out a little mottled looking, or if it was just the condition of the tray. Whatever... I think it adds character... It's gonna be a chalk board anyway.  I left the handles black, for some more of that rustic look. 

I used  Rustoleum Black Chalk Board Paint,  I also used whatever brush I had on hand.  I had to do 3 coats to get decent coverage. I was trying to cover that great design on the bottom of the tray.

 Coat One...

 Coat Two...

Coat Three...

The directions on the paint said to wait 3 days, and "season". Wasn't sure what that meant, so I looked it up online.  Once again,  Google is my friend... It is not as difficult as it sounds. Just rub the entire surface with the side of a piece of chalk, and wipe it off. This keeps your writing from "grabbing".

All in all, I was very happy with the way the whole thing turned out. One thing I will do differently next time... I lost quite a few bristles from my brush in the paint, and didn't realize it until it was too late, and I had a lot of brushstrokes. I think I will use a small roller next time, it will work better. My tray was free, but I have seen these at the thrift stores for just a few dollars! I think it was a great project, and I am looking forward to making some as Christmas presents!

I absolutely loved the chalkboard paint! This project barely used very little paint.  Hubby and I are already coming up with more projects to do with it.

I can't wait to my new chalkboard in my kitchen, and start using it for my grocery list!

I would also like to apologize for the quality of some of the photos... I like to craft, but mostly suck with the camera... I will work on it... I promise!

Thanks so much for reading my blog!
Happy Crafting!
Crafty Claudia

Flannel Quilt

This was another project I did for the new grand baby, but it will work on any size quilt, just adjust the size and/or number of blocks. This one took me about two days, but I probably could have finished it in one, if I didn't have to go to work. 

I bought the fabric first, based on my daughter's theme and color preference.  It could definitely be done with scraps or leftovers.

I decided how big I wanted the quilt, then divided by the fabric I had chosen, and added a half inch for the seams. This was my block size. I like to use a rotary cutter (I use the Fiskars 81514 Contour Rotary Cutter-45mm )and a mat, (like the  Alvin OL-RM12S 12 in. x 12 in. Olfa Rotating Rotary Mat), but you could use scissors, just try to keep your blocks square and even.

After I cut them, I laid them out so they followed a pattern. If you use scraps or leftovers, just be sure not to get the same patterns  next to each other. 

Sew the squares together into strips, right sides together. I like to iron the seams flat, before the next step.

Then sew the strips together. Once again, I like to press.

Then, I cheated a little, and found an awesome tutorial on how to do the backing, with mitered corners. I followed her instructions, and it was so easy! It looked great, and I will use her technique again! Thank you so much to Virginia at Gingercake!

Here is the finished project...

My daughter was thrilled with it! I can't wait to make another!

Thanks for reading my blog.

Happy crafting!

Crafty Claudia