Long Time No Post: Yogurt "Cheese"

We eat a lot of cheese around our house.  It sits on the island in the afternoon and provides a delicious afternoon/early evening snack.  My two year old daughter loves the stuff, and I must admit, so do I.  Brie?  Please pass it my way.  Aged cheddar is delicious by itself or on a cracker.  Parmesean or any of its cousins packs a nice punch when I pop a sliver in my mouth.  Aged gouda is waaaaaay better than the fresh stuff (which isn't bad on its own).  Oh, and there are several varieties of blue cheese that often make an appearance.  Mmmm, yummy.  Oh, and yes, my two year old eats them all with a grin on her face and a cheese mustache.

Of late, we have started, or continued in some cases, making our own cheese.  I have been reminded of something:

Homemade cheese is delicious.

Tonight, I made a soft, afternoon yogurt cheese, and I'd love to share the steps with you.

First, mix about a cup (or more if you want) of greek yogurt (regular plain yogurt works too, but needs to drain for longer) with 1/2 tsp of salt and flavoring if you want.  Today, I used about a tsp of fresh chives.  Remember that if you use a dried herb, you want to use about half of what you'd want fresh.  I'd really recommend fresh herbs for your cheese though.

Then, spoon your mixture into 3-4 layers of cheesecloth laid in a mesh strainer over a bowl and allow to drain for about 3 hours minimum or longer if you wish.  The longer it drains, the firmer it will become.  If you want it to sit for longer, you can cover it and let it drain in the fridge.

This is what my cheese looked like right out of the cloth.  I did lightly squeeze it throughout the afternoon to help it along.

Here is a slightly closer view:

And here is my cheese an hour later.  Not much left!

I hope you get a chance to try this yogurt cheese, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.