Homemade Cream Cheese

So as you know I have been making homemade yogurt (posted May 21).  I love it so much, especially blended with homemade mixed berry jam with sliced almonds on top.  It got me thinking about making other dairy products.  I have also told you in the past how many bagels (posted March 21) we can consume, so I thought I would try making cream cheese.  Who knew how incredibly easy it is to create!  I would venture to say it is the easiest cheese to make.

All you need is 1 quart (4 cups) of plain yogurt (I used the yogurt I made), a colander, and a cheese cloth (a thin dish towel or piece of muslin works too).  Place a colander over a bowl that leaves enough room for the yogurt to drain and not reabsorb the liquid.  Line the colander with a cheese cloth, muslin, or dish towel.  Pour the yogurt over the cloth and then cover with the excess cloth.  Place in the refrigerator.

Every so often empty the bowl with the liquid that is collecting to make sure it does not get reabsorbed back into the yogurt.  In about 5 hours it will be done, depending on how firm you like it.  I pulled mine out after 8 hours and it looked like this:

Now you can get creative and add yumminess to it.  I am going to divide mine up and put mixed berry jam in some, and garlic and dried herbs in some.  Have fun with this one!