Crock pot Yogurt and Crock pot Chicken

I have been looking around on the internet for coupons and tips for saving money when shopping at the grocery store and I came across these two items. The first is Crock Pot Yogurt. It seems interesting I have not tried it yet but it seems like if you have the time and patients you could make yourself some yogurt for a fraction of the cost of other stuff. You do need to use a small amount of yogurt as your bacteria starter but I think you could probably spend a dollar on that and come out with much more yogurt. So here is the recipe.
Crock Pot Yogurt

Ingredients:

Servings:

16
Servings Size
* 3 quarts 1% low-fat milk
* 1 tablespoon plain gelatin
* 1/3 cup cold water
* 1 cup plain yogurt (with active cultures)


Directions:

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 1/2 day

1 Into your scrupulously clean slow cooker, place your milk. Heat on low until it reaches 185-195°F, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
2 In a large measuring cup, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand 15 minutes until bloomed. Add a few ladles of warm milk and whisk until gelatin is dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker and turn down to "keep warm" for 3 hours. (If your cooker does not have a "keep warm" setting, turn the cooker off and wrap it well in several layers of towels. Unwrap it and turn it back on low for the last 30-60 minutes of this time span.). It should be between 122-130°F before proceeding; if it's too warm, turn it off and let it cool.
3 In the same large measuring cup, place the yogurt. Add a few ladles of hot milk and whisk until smooth. Pour into crock pot and whisk to combine completely. Turn off pot and wrap in several layers of towels/blanket to trap the heat. (Do not use the keep warm setting at this point; it's too hot, and will kill the yogurt cultures.).
4 Divide into serving portions. You can flavor with fruit, jam or honey now, or when serving. A thicker Greek-style yogurt can be achieved by using whole milk, then scooping the finished yogurt into cheesecloth and allowing it to drain (in the refrigerator, suspended over a bowl) for 2-4 hours.

I would highly recommend going to the actual website and looking at the recipe as there are some good comments with more directions on making this.


Whole Crock Pot Chicken

I know I really love having a great whole chicken. But I never have time to actually cook it so I buy those tiny precooked ones from the store..Which have you ever read the ingredients?? SUGAR who puts sugar in a chicken?? ( We are extra aware of sugar in this house because hubby can't eat it..CSID<
So here is a recipe I came across for cooking a whole chicken in your crock pot. How easy can that be?

Whole Crock Pot Chicken
http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-chicken-crock-pot-recipe-33671

Ingredients:

* 4 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* 1 teaspoon white pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
* 1 cup chopped onion (optional)


Directions:

Prep Time: 1/2 day

Total Time: 1 day

1 In a small bowl, combine the spices.
2 Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken.
3 Rub spice mixture onto the chicken.
4 Place in resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. (I usually skip this step because I'm always in a hurry).
5 When ready to cook, put chopped onion in bottom of crock pot.
6 Add chicken. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make it's own juices.
7 Cook on low 4-8 hours.
8 Note: I highly recommend a pop-up timer in the chicken because some crock pots cook faster/slower than others (my crock pot cooks this recipe in 4-5 hours).