Very berry homemade yogurt with granola

I have options... to write about my blog endeavor, or about the rich homemade yogurt with fresh berries and homemade granola, where every bite is bursting with fresh flavors. I will try to do a bit of both.  I am no guru in the blogosphere but it's been quite a journey. I never knew writing a food blog meant experiencing so many different kind of emotions and learning.  I have experiences eureka moments, dejection, sheer joy, creativity, and insomnia!! Well, I have read a lot of bloggers talk about how ideas emerge at 2 am and that would keep them up till day break; come morning you rush to reach out, not for your morning cup of coffee but to the bag of flour or the camera.

Every post has three aspects or as I call it 3Cs: create, capture and communicate. I think creating recipes has been more natural to me then the other two aspects, there are some days when ideas flow in faster than a jet plane and it's just hard to remember everything, so I write them down. This is my favorite part and I just love mixing the ingredients to create some magic. The possibility is endless, I can spend a few dozen lifetimes and that will not be enough to learn and experiment the magic.

"Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”Federico Fellini 

Before I get into capture, a little about communicate.  Written communication has never been my strongest; I am quite a talker but when it comes down to penning my thoughts I do tend to become a bit shy and reserved. I really see that skill evolving (hope so) and I am beginning to get a bit more chatty and relaxed on the blog. This is where I'm not making any effort but it is just evolving, like a friendship. I don't think I should make an effort and ruin it.   

 The area where I have grown the most is 'capturing'; the journey from point and shoot to DSLR has been very, very exciting. I love the mix of technology and creativity. I think it is here that I feel like a true artist, creating one image after another, colors, props, mood, lighting, setting.... again, endless permutations. This is the area where I have had the pits of dejection too. This is the reason I mention this journey in this post: it was Sunday evening that I had begun to take pictures of the yogurt and had a rough idea of how the image should look, and I had thought about the colors, the mood and the props. The images did not seem to speak to me or convey what I felt. I packed up, since it was dark and I don't have studio lights. Calmed myself and hoped for a more productive morning... In the morning, it took me less than an hour to get what I wanted. Blogging has really taught me patience and perseverance. It has made me into a  better person. Has blogging changed you, bringing out the essence of who you are? Would love to hear your thoughts, do share!!

Now am sure you guys want to see the failed pictures ....here they are ... 

Now, for the yogurt. 

1 cup crushed berries  ( blueberries, raspberries  and strawberries) at room temperature ( don't puree it)

3 cups warm milk, make sure you boil the milk and then cool it to lukewarm temperature.

1 and 1/2 tbsp yogurt culture ( live) - since I always make homemade yogurt, I just used home made yogurt as the starter. 

1 tsp gelatin ( soak the gelatin in 3 tbsp warm water for 10 min) strain and use 

honey to taste 

You can find home made yogurt recipe here on TnS. For the berry yogurt. I crushed berries in a blender ( don't puree it) add it to the warm milk, add the starter yogurt and a bit of gelatin. And in a few hours you have nice berry yogurt.

Make sure the milk is not too warm, if it is then the yogurt will leave water. 

What is live yogurt culture ?

Live yogurt culture refers to live living organism that convert the pasteurized milk to yogurt during the process of fermentation. 

How do I know my yogurt contains live and active culture? 

The national yogurt association requires you to have a seal saying the product contains live yogurt culture. 

What is Pro-biotic yogurt ?

Probiotic yogurt is any yogurt with live and active culture. 

Where do I get live yogurt culture to make home made yogurt ?

You can use any yogurt that says it contains live and active culture. A small amount of that can be used as a starter, I always use my home made yogurt as a starter for the next batch and continue  the cycle. 

Plain yogurt or a berry yogurt with plain yogurt, topped with strawberries and granola. 

For the granola :

Toast some granola and flat Irish oats in the oven till crisp, let it cool. Add slivered almonds, raisins or/add dried cranberries.  Mix and store in airtight container. A dash of cinnamon really boosts the flavors.