"Met a redneck on a Grecian isle, he did the goat dance very well, he gave me back my smile, but he kept my camera to sell..." Joini Mitchell

Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, Mary is the Queen of Heaven, and I am the Queen of Yogurt. My reign began over the Christmas holiday when I first used my Yogotherm. Dennis suggested an official coronation after I made the fourth batch of yogurt in three days. In these economic times, the Queen's coffers are nearly bare. No longer can I afford to allow my court to feast on Fage Greek Yogurt, that sells for over $9.00 a quart in the supermarket- a King's ransom I dare say. Instead, I am providing for my subjects a superior yogurt for less than $2.00 a quart.

I can't believe how easy it is to make yogurt.Why have I never tried this before? I ordered my Yogotherm and cultures from New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. The Yogotherm is simple, just a plastic bucket in a styrofoam insulated cooler. Within the first week, my Yogotherm paid for itself. All I do is heat two quarts of milk to 180 degrees, allow it to cool 105 - 115 degrees, then add yogurt cultures, stir and pour into the Yogotherm.  I add additional protein and thickness to the yogurt by incorporating 1/3 cup of dry milk powder when I add the cultures.  Let it sit for five hours, and voila! Yogurt! I line a colander with cheesecloth and set it into a bowl in my fridge, strain the yogurt through that overnight, and in the morning my yogurt has gone Greek. Thick, luscious, creamy, fresh Greek yogurt. Yogurt so delightful, it is worthy of it's own Greecian urn. It is almost a sin to store this in a plastic container that once held won ton soup.


I've been serving Eden yogurt smoothies for breakfast, throwing frozen bananas and berries in the blender and letting it whirr into something she can grab on her way out the door and drink in the car on her way to school. I serve Dennis a bowl of yogurt with walnuts, honey and granola for lunch. Last week, I was inspired by the fresh mint I saw peeking through the snow in my garden, so I made Greek meatballs and taziki.

First I chop and salt a cucumber, and let it drain in a collander in the sink. Then, I pop that in the food processor with some garlic and fresh dill. I mix this into my Greek yogurt with a little lemon juice, and it is really nice.

Kostas, the very handsome Greek father of Eden's friend at school, tells me I should have used vinegar instead of lemon juice for the acidity.  Kostas and his family spend their holidays in Greece, and if I save enough money making my own yogurt, my royal family can visit his family at their home in Greece, and I can learn the culinary ways of his people.


I needed a vehicle for the taziki, so I made some Greek meatballs and served them on a nice tandori flatbread. I had never made Greek meatballs, but I had fun coming up with the recipe. I took a pound of meatloaf mix from the butcher (equal amounts of beef pork and veal) and I incorporated 1/2 pound of ground lamb. Honestly, I don't like lamb - it is just too strong a flavor for me and freaks me out. All the Greek meatball recipes I found were made with only lamb. Dennis likes lamb, so I added it to the mix. I was surprised to like the result.

I also added crumbled feta cheese and an egg to bind it. I seasoned the meat balls with mint, cilantro, oregano, red wine vinegar, minced onion, salt and pepper. I put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet, sprayed them with olive oil and baked them.

I served the meatballs on the flatbread with lots of lettuce, some red onions and black olives, and a paste I made by running a jar of roasted red peppers through the food processor. With the refreshing, creamy taziki, it was a wonderful dinner. When my friend Julie came to visit later in the week, I made an appetizer using the leftover meatballs and taziki, serving them on little pita triangles.
This week, I the Queen of Yogurt, will take a break from cooking to concentrate on other important matters of state, namely schoolwork and household organization.