Homemade Plain Yogurt

Cooking has never felt more like a science experiment than in the process of making homemade yogurt. As someone who works in a research lab, I can say that there are many parallels between growing up bacterial culture in a flask of LB broth and "growing" yogurt by inoculating milk with a yogurt starter. Now that I have whet your appetite with this comparison, I'll continue to describe the remarkably easy process of making plain yogurt at home that anyone can follow.

Disclaimer: This was my first time making yogurt at home and though successful, there are a few things that I would adjust next time I make it. Check out the end of this post for more resources! 

What you'll need: 

- a large pot that fits multiple jars

- smaller saucepan that can hold at least 1 quart of milk

- milk (I used 1 quart of whole milk from Whole Foods ($1.19). If this is your first time making yogurt, I'd suggest starting with this amount.) 

- glass jars with lids (clean jam jars would work fine) 

- thermometer 

- yogurt starter (I used store-bought Stonyfield's organic 0% plain yogurt at 5/$3) 

Note the six live active yogurt and probiotic cultures listed on the back of the Stonyfield cup - S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, bifidus, L. casei, and L. rhamnosus. These guys are the key players that we're trying to make happy in this recipe.

Peach Crumble Dessert

Fresh summer peaches + a friend's birthday party + Smitten Kitchen's peach shortbread recipe = a perfect occasion for a baking project. 


Shortbread, in my mind, has always been associated with dry cookies that come in tins and ten sticks of butter. So I apprehensively approached this recipe, fearing that it would come out too rich for my and others liking. The pictures on the recipe page reassured me that they would be more like a peach bar with crumble rather than a dense, dry shortbread. And the ingredients and instructions made it seem simple enough to whip up two hours before a party. 

Refreshing Summer Spritzer

Summer weather is now in full swing, which means even those of us with camel-like drinking habits are in search of refreshing sources of hydration. What started a year ago as the search for the perfect mojito in the city of Boston (verdict: blueberry or mango mojito at Top of the Hub) has transformed into a quest for the perfect mojito recipe and finally evolved into this "recipe" for a refreshing summer spritzer. Just as the key to the perfect homemade mojito lies in the mint-infused syrup, this drink also calls for mint-infused simple syrup to sweeten. 


Follow the instructions loosely, and change and substitute according to your preferences. (You can even turn this into a spritzer-mojito hybrid by adding rum.) After all, it's summertime and living is easy. 

Products Review: 365 Shampoo and Conditioner for Normal + Dry Hair in Lavender Blend

When it comes to personal care products such as shampoos and conditioners, I rarely stick to one particular brand. I have tried a few products from lines carried in salons such as Pureology, Bumble and Bumble, but most of my commonly used shampoos and conditioners hail from drugstore brands including Tresemme, Herbal Essences, Dove, Organix, L'Oreal, Aussie, etc. This is why my hair dressers (yes, I switch hair dressers as often as shampoos and conditioners) probably hate me. They have all recommended ditching my drugstore shampoos to expensive, non-sulfate salon brands, but even these products do not necessarily lack other chemicals that could be harmful to not just your hair but your health. So the search continues!


While grocery shopping at Whole Foods a few months ago, I picked up two packs of the Whole Foods 365 brand lavender blend shampoo and conditioner for normal + dry hair. Whole Foods also carries the lavender scent in formulations for normal + oily hair, as well as sets in an herbal mint scent. Each set (both shampoo & conditioner included) normally sells for $7.98, but I believe on sale, it was $4 - a ridiculous steal! I snagged two sets for stocking up my bathroom cabinet so I'll be using this for awhile. 

Reduce, reuse, recycle your clothes

The official start of summer coincided with a heat wave that brought temperatures of over 90 degrees along the East coast. It was also fitting that I, a huge procrastinator in every aspect of my life, finally finished spring cleaning of my closet. Most of the clothing that I weeded out were items that have not and will not get much wear - for example, a baby blue sweater vest with ruffle detailing that was given to me as a gift from my aunt, and a longer black and white chevron striped skirt in a jersey material, purchased from The Garment District. Even though I have worn the black and white striped skirt in the past, as both a skirt and a strapless dress or beach coverup, I don't see the potential of a revival in my wardrobe. (I had thought about turning it into an eternity scarf, however, the material is just too slinky.) 

For all those items of clothing that no longer receive any love, luckily there are many options for reusing and recycling that could also earn you some cash. 

Healthy Dessert: Quinoa Coconut Pudding

Holidays such as Father's Day (today) always give me the opportunity to concoct scrumptious desserts. With limited ingredients in my kitchen this time, I decided to experiment with a quinoa dessert. I bought two bags of truRoots organic quinoa at 2/$7 from Whole Foods a while back, when I was looking for a carb substance to replace my run-of-the-mill pasta that I had been bringing to work. Since then, I have been discovering as well as creating different recipes using quinoa, including portobello stuffed quinoa and curry quinoa. I also learned that this versatile superfood can be used to make dessert puddings! 

Back in the fall, I made a delicious rice pudding. I figured I would base this quinoa pudding off that recipe and essentially substitute quinoa for the rice. This recipe yields roughly 6 servings and takes about 40 minutes. 

Homemade Pizza with Trader Joe's Dough featuring Fresh Basil

Homemade pizza has always been a go-to meal for me and my boyfriend. In the past, we have created pizzas using store bought items including Boboli crust, pizza sauce, and frozen chicken appetizers. Since my meat-consuming days, we still enjoy tossing ingredients onto a pizza crust for a meal that allows great flexibility - his half, the omnivore's delight, doused in extra parmesan cheese and mine with fresh veggies.

Lately, we have been purchasing the $1 pizza dough from (you guessed it) my favorite store Trader Joe's. Of the three varieties of dough (regular, wheat and garlic & herb), we have been getting the garlic & herb flavor. The instruction says to allow the dough to sit in room temperature for about 20 minutes before kneading and stretching it out on a floured surface. And it only needs 8-10 minutes of cooking at 450 degrees!