Golden "Tummeric" milk

The colder months are upon us, and with those months we find ourselves trying to avoid the flu and common cold, usually with out success. So let me introduce you to my new best friend Turmeric milk. 

Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It is obvious why we have been using turmeric to avoid falling ill for 100's of years With the help of turmeric plus some other great health-boosting spices you can make yourself a delicious cup of turmeric milk. I think it is time to put away the hot chocolate, and enjoy a delicious cup of "Golden Milk"

Ingredients (makes 2 cups)

• 2 cups of low fat milk (alternative milks are great options too)
• 1 Tablespoon of Turmeric
• 1 Tablespoon of raw honey
• 1 Teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• A pinch of salt (I prefer pink Himalayan  salt)

Warm the milk and all the spices on the stove-top slowly ( I usually do it at medium low) while continually stirring. Once the milk is warm (almost hot) and frothy pull of the heat and strain out the spices.

How to make yogurt

Yogurt is easy to make, and costs significantly less then store bought. So why did it take me to so long to start making my own?  Learning to trust the fermentation process has always been hard for me and even scarier when it comes to dairy, but we have been fermenting foods for 1,000's of years.

Now that I feel I have mastered yogurt I want to share with you the 2 worse things you could do when making yogurt: 1) curdle the milk 2) don't let milk cool enough before adding starter. In both of these situations you will still make yogurt, so take a breath and jump in.

This is the method I use to make yogurt

What you need

• 1/2 Gallon of high fat dairy milk
• 1/2 cup of starter yogurt leftover plain yogurt from you last  batch or any store bought plain yogurt that says it has live cultures will work
• Cooking thermometer
• Large pot
• Crockpot
• 2 large towels

First you need a 1/2 gallon of milk (preferably a high fat content dairy milk), pour the milk into a pot and slowly heat up the milk

I usually keep the stove at medium low while bringing up the milk temperature to 180 F - 190 F. This is to sterilize the milk

Pour the milk into your crockpot and wait till the milk cools below 120 F before adding in your 1/2 cup of starter. Make sure you mix the yogurt in well.

Wrap you crockpot in the two large towels to keep it slightly warm while it ferments. Leave it alone for 12 to 18 hours

Your yogurt should come out thick and creamy, you can get a yogurt strainer if you would prefer more a of a Greek yogurt thickness.

I usually add honey to half of my yogurt for breakfast, and keep the other half plain for curry and a sour cream substitute.

ENJOY!