Honey and Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

It has been quite awhile since I have posted but I have been so busy. I just got back from taking 12 girls ages 12-18 camping for 4 days. It was a lot fun and a lot of hormones. They sure kept me busy; I am still so young and I already feel like I don't have the energy I once had. Now that I've showered and washed several loads of clothes and blankets it's time to begin cooking or in this case freezing something

It has finally started to get hot here and it kind of hit us all of a sudden. We were never really able to enjoy the temperate weather that late spring and early summer usually brings. We went right from cold to screaming hot in a matter of days. So jumping into summer with both feet forward, I decided to make some tangy frozen yogurt. It is so easy to make and lends itself well to many flavors. The batch that I made I consider my base, it can be eaten alone or made into a variety of flavors. Make strawberry frozen yogurt by adding pureed strawberries or any other fruit that you'd like.

This recipe is adapted from David Lebowitz's book The Perfect Scoop. If you love ice cream and particularly making your own, then this is the book for you. There are so many pictures of the delicious ice cream that it's hard to decide which to try first. You really won't be disappointed with this recipe. It is so easy and you won't believe how creamy it is even though it's frozen yogurt.

Honey and Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

2 (32 oz) container of plain yogurt, preferably not low fat or nonfat

about 3/4 cup of honey

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Line a colander with a few layer of cheese clothe and place over a bowl. Pour both containers of the yogurt onto the cheesecloth. Pull the edges up to cover. Refrigerate and allow to drain for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Stir together the thickened yogurt and a 1/2 cup of the honey. Check for sweetness and add more until desired sweetness (I like mine a little tart so I only used a little more than 1/2 cup). Stir in the vanilla.

3. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the instructions included with your ice cream maker.

Variations: Add 1 cup of pureed and strained strawberries or other fruits for delicious fruity frozen yogurt.