Homemade Buttermilk and Sour Cream

I was just surfing around on one of my favorite websites, Laine's Letters, that features lots of tried and true home-style recipes. I found one today that I hadn't seen before and can't wait to try it.

Homemade Buttermilk

1/4 cup of buttermilk
4 cups of milk

Pour into a mason jar. Cover and shake a little, then put on the counter. In about 24 hours, you have buttermilk. Remember to save a little buttermilk from each batch for the next batch.

Homemade Sour Cream

Make the same as buttermilk, only you use heavy cream in place of the milk.

Yogurt Cheese and Hummus

Yogurt Cheese is a lot like cream cheese but it's softer and tangier. It's very versatile and much healthier than cream cheese. It's easy to make but you need to start at least two days before you want to use it because it needs some time in the refrigerator to turn out just right. Once you make it you can flavor it any way you'd like. I made two varieties today. One was flavored with honey and cinnamon. I plan to use this as a spread for sweet crackers. The second half I flavored with garlic, dill, salt and pepper. I think it will taste great on whole grain crackers or as a sandwich spread. You can also try making this with flavored yogurt which will give you a "ready made" spread once it is ready to eat. Or if you use Yogurt Cheese made with plain yogurt in the same manner you would use sour cream or cream cheese such as adding a dip mix or using in a recipe.

Yogurt Cheese

1 (32 oz.) container of plain yogurt
plain white paper towels
strainer or colander

Line a strainer or colander with 3 thicknesses of cheese cloth or white paper towels. Set the strainer or colander over a large bowl then pour yogurt into the cheesecloth or paper towels. Cover with an additional two sheets of paper towel or cheesecloth. Set in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours so all the whey will drain from the yogurt. At this point I change the paper towels or cheese cloth and allow it to drain for another 12 to 24 hours. The longer you let it drain the thicker it will be. Once it has drained sufficiently transfer it to a bowl and mix in any desired flavorings or herbs and spices.

I am totally addicted to hummus! I think it must be the garlic... my absolute favorite. My kids love it too but it makes me cringe to buy the little tubs at the grocery store for $3 or more that last about 5 minutes in our house when snack time comes around. I had been searching for a recipe for a while and after comparing several I came up with this one. It turned out great and goes great with pita chips or raw vegetables. The hardest ingredient for me to find was the tahini (sesame seed paste) but I finally came across it at Trader Joe's. I recently found out that you can also buy it on-line. My next endeavor will be to try making the pita bread!

Hummus

2 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained (save liquid)
3 Tbsp. tahini
1 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprkia
salt to taste

Put garbanzo beans into the bowl of a food processor. Add tahini, lemon juice, cumin and paprika. Set on low speed and process until smooth, adding a little reserved liquid as needed until you reach the consistency of mashed potatoes. Taste for salt and add more if needed then process until well combines. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavor to develop. Serve drizzled with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.