In If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff, you learn that if you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to want some milk. And when he gets the milk, he’s going to ask for a straw. And when he’s done, he’ll need a napkin. I’m sure you see where this is going. And if you have children, you’ve lived it! One thing leads to another until you’re right back to cookies.
Well, in my case it started with a realization that we were spending quite a bit of money on organic yogurt. Sam was going through record amounts and I was *cough* indulging a bit as well. So I met the challenge head on and made it myself!
Once I made the yogurt though, I discovered that I could make cream cheese out of it. Imagine that.
Using The Encyclopedia of Country Living as my guide, I followed a few very simple steps:
Step 1: Pour one quart of freshly made yogurt into the center of a length of cheesecloth spread over a bowl. (Optional: Mix in 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt to yogurt beforehand.)
Step 2: Pull the ends together to create a “ball” of yogurt. I used rubber bands, of which we have plenty, to close off the cloth. I used the remaining ends to create a loop (again with rubber bands) which I could hang from a yardstick. Use whatever materials you have on hand to hang the yogurt.
As you can see, the liquid will drain into the bowl. I had to dump mine periodically so the yogurt wasn’t sitting in it, but you could hang yours differently so that it isn’t quite so low.
Step 3: Hang for 6 to 48 hours in a cool airy place (sooner is safer). This ball of yogurt cream cheese was hanging for at least 17 hours in my cold, unheated kitchen—from the afternoon of the previous day and through the night. Peel off cheesecloth.
It’s ready to eat! And honestly, it’s tastes better than store bought cream cheese made from cream and just slightly (and deliciously) tangier. No complaints from the head taster, my 13 year old son.
And, naturally, if you make some yogurt cream cheese, you’ll have to make some bagels to go with it. 🙂 It’s as simple as that.
Table Talk 
That book is one of my favorites. Even though my kids are 12 and 15 I can’t get rid of it. Or the others in the series!
I know, right? I dedicate a shelf to my favorites and this one made the cut.