Growing up in Lowell, Massachusetts you had occassion to eat Greek food. Lowell in the 1980's had the second largest Greek community in the United States. As a kid I found Greek yogurt to be too stout for my taste. As an adult I enjoyed Greek yogurt as part of Greek food. This summer I have been eating Greek yogurt as a subsitute for the other kind of yogurt. Regular yogurt has too much sugar in it. However, Greek yogurt is more expensive than the regular yogurt. In my neighborhood the 24 ounce container costs $3.99 to $5.99. I did some research and found this link to make my own Greek yogurt. It was amazingly easy to make and tastes just like store bought. Here is the link that includes the recipe and a video - http://video.about.com/greekfood/Make-Yogurt-at-Home.htm
Anyone who spends time with me knows I am addicted to Starbucks. Or any other coffee shop. But iced lattes can be expensive. I bought a cold coffee maker for $39.99. It comes with a glass carafe, a reusable filter,a cork and the toddy pot. You can buy a one pound can of the cheapest ground coffee in the grocery store. If you buy whole bean coffee, use a coarse grind. Place the cork in the bottom of the toddy container. Saturate the filter and place it inside the container, at the bottom just above the cork. Then put the pound of coarse ground coffee in the toddy pot. Fill the toddy with cold water and place on top of the glass carafe. Let sit for 8-12 hours. Lift the toddy enough to pull out the cork and replace on the glass carafe. Let the toddy sit for about an hour until all the liquid runs into the glass carafe. Put the used grounds in the garden. Wash the toddy, the cork and the filter so they are ready for the next use.
This cold process method of brewing gives you about a half gallon of espresso strength coffee. Since the coffee is cold brewed, it tastes less acidic. Keep the carafe with the brewed coffee in the fridge. I can make an iced latte for pennies whenever I like at home. A carafe lasts 7 to 10 days. If you want a cup of coffee from the cold brew, just use a 1 to 3 ratio of the cold brewed coffee to water and heat it up in the microwave. One ounce is the same as a brewed shot of espresso. You can make any of your favorite coffee house drinks with this cold brew.
