Never buy yogurt again.

The reason why? Right before Christmas, Cullen’s aunt bought me a Deni yogurt maker. It was quite exciting, though I had strict self-deprecating thoughts about never using it (uni-tasker), and not needing it because I could just make yogurt at home on the stove and use a Crockpot or double towels for insulation… But you know, I don’t eat a lot of yogurt, despite liking it, probably because I’m particular about it nowadays. As a kid, I was all about some YoCrunch (Oreo when I was little, strawberry-granola a few years later). Then I moved on to Yoplait Thick N’ Creamy – no other. I loved (and still love) the texture; it’s like dessert (which is what they try to tell you about the Whips! and Delights, and it’s a lie). But I backed off after starting to pay attention to the ingredient factor. The sugar, the sodium, the artificial flavoring… eh, no thanks. I moved on to Greek yogurt, namely Oikos. That’s the stuff. (Wow, that’s a ridiculously old post.)

The yogurt maker sat untouched through Christmas, New Year’s, and weeks more. It stared me down every time I walked through the kitchen. How dare I bring it home and not show it love? After reading the manual, I was further filled with shame: so easy! Scald milk, let cool, add starter, fill jars, cook! Done! Exclamation! It was settled. Yogurt. Small doubts crept in – would I eat it all? I’m the only one that eats yogurt in the house, you see. Plus side, all for myself, and no bitching if anyone else didn’t like it, because hey – no one else eats it. See? Always a bright side.

Oikos Greek yogurt… oh, Lordie.

I bought two little tubs of Oikos Greek yogurt a week or so back so I could make my own yogurt at home. I intended to use it as starter, but when I got to Kroger and saw both vanilla and honey (apparently a new product), I decided I’d get both. If nothing else, I’d eat one and use the other for starter. I’d never eaten Greek yogurt (to my knowledge, though there’s no telling what Mom fed me as a child), and I was curious about this stuff that people were suddenly so excited about.

It sat in the fridge for a while. A week, probably. I never got around to making yogurt (maybe this weekend, I hope), but I did take the honey yogurt with me to work one day so I could have a snack before martial arts. I finally ate it this afternoon, since I had a relatively small lunch.

Oh my other side, this stuff is so good!

I’ll admit, I was not initially encouraged. ‘Fat-free’ and ‘plain’ are not yogurt buzz words that ordinarily lift my spirits. The packaging was really cute, of course, and different from most yogurt packs, so marketing bonus for them. But still… the healthy buzz words were my buzz kill.

When I peeled away the foil, it looked like the yogurt had seperated. It did not appetizing in the least – kind of runny, clumpy in places… I dove in anyway, and I was so glad I did. The first spoonful took me by surprise – smooth-textured and a little tangy, with the sweetness of the mild honey in the background. It coated my tongue and my pallete. It was rich and delicious. I ate the whole thing without pause. It was a revelation and I’m so glad I had it.

As with many things labeled ‘organic,’ it can be a little pricey, but there’s a bonus side for it. Stonyfield is partnered with Euphrates Inc. to make Oikos; if you go to the Oikos website, there’s a section for coupons in the header. Click on that, enter your email address and print coupons (good for ten days after printing) for quite a few of their products. Try it – you won’t be disappointed.