Image from cafemama on Flickr
The cereal deal at King Soopers is awesome, but with the requirement to buy two gallons of milk for every four boxes of cereal, it’s a little different than most stock up deals. So far I only have two gallons of milk, but would like to do the deal at least one or two more times and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with all the milk!
What are you doing with your milk? I’m thinking about making yogurt – I’ve made it a fair amount in the past but have never been satisfied with its thickness. I think I might try adding pectin this time to thicken it up a bit. Here’s the instructions I use for making yogurt – really, it’s easy!
The other alternative is to give the milk away! Anyone I know (who’s not doing the deal themselves!) want some milk at church tonight? 
I know some of you freeze it – do you have any tips to share in that regard? Anything else you make that requires lots and lots of milk?
Please share in the comments!
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All that milk! We drink 3 gallons a week in our house and there are only 2 1/2 of us!
There are four of us in our house and we go through 4 gallons of milk a week. I make homemade yogurt too, as for getting it thicker I put it in a strainer with cheese cloth and drain it. That is the way to make homemade greek yogurt. We love homemade rice pudding, and creamed soups.
I am also making yogurt with mine. Adding powdered milk (about 1/2 cup to 4 cups of milk) can help thicken it up – I also “incubate” it for a long time (at least 12 hours).
I’ve tried added powdered milk, but it didn’t seem to do much. Maybe I’ll have to try it again and use your measurement – last time I just guessed.
We go through almost a gallon of milk a day for the five in our house. The boys love their milk. So, I am wishing we could get 4 gallons of milk and only 2 cereals. LOL!
Carrie, if you find yourself with too much extra maybe we can work a deal!
When I make yogurt I add the milk powder, as DwellM described. When I freeze milk I open the carton, pour out about a cup (and someone drinks it), and then freeze it. The extra space allows it to expand without poofing out the carton. To thaw it takes several days, so plan ahead a bit. Once it’s thawed, we give it a good shake and it’s ready to go.
I recently posted a recipe for homemade chocolate pudding on my blog:
http://tenthingsfarm.blogspot.com/2010/02/home-made-chocolate-pudding.html
You could make potato-corn chowder or milk gravy too.
-Laura at TenThingsFarm
Hi Carrie,
I’ve frozen milk before. I open each gallon and pour a little bit out to leave room for expansion during freezing. Depending on how you thaw it (leave on counter, or in the fridge) it does take a couple days. Whole milk separates more than skim milk, but I just make sure that I shake it up well the first couple of times I use it and it tastes just fine. Hope this helps!
Sarah
When I have an extra supply of milk…I make homemade potato soup. It uses up a lot of milk and is delicious at this time of year!
May I suggest *never* using heavy cream in your potato soup?
We did a few years ago and it has never tasted the same without it. Same with au gratin potatoes. Trying it with heavy cream took away one big use for lots of milk! 
We are freezing the milk and donating the extra cereal to the local food bank. I already have 30 boxes of cereal but milk for a buck does not come around to often down here. I live in canon and the deal only requires one gallon of milk be bought with 4 boxes.
I haven’t been yet. We are getting ready to put our house on the market and my husband will flip if I stock more cereal…but we can go through a gallon a meal with our five kiddos! Anyone who wants to meet up at the store to divide and conquer let me know! I can make room for a bunch of milk!
We have frozen milk in the past…there are only 2 of us, so we don’t usually do that anymore. But our yogurt always turns out nice and thick…we use whole milk and strain it through really fine cheesecloth.
Carrie, I make soup and freeze it (potato, corn chowder, clam chowder). I also make rice pudding.
Our family of 4 drinks about 5 gallons a week so our stockpile will be gone before the milk expires. I would freeze it though if we didn’t drink so much.
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church is hosting 4-homeless families participating in IHN (Interfaith Homeless Network) this week overnight and would appreciate a donation of the extra milk to serve the children of the families for breakfast or dinner. St. Michael’s is off Woodmen and I-25.
I haven’t made it myself, but isn’t mozarella cheese really simple to make out of whole milk?
I made yogurt yesterday and am just about to begin making some custard. And then, we drink it – we usually go through 3 to 4 gallons a week, and since baby is too little, it’s only my husband and I. Yikes!
I read on passionatehomemaking.com to use 1 Tbsp. of yogurt per quart of milk. They said it would result in it being thicker (giving the cultures more space). Mine turned out just like Stonybrook’s, so maybe using less yogurt as a starter helps?!?
Thanks SO much for doing this blog. It has been a huge help for me in learning to shop and where to go for great prices! And even how you rate the sale price… I’m still trying to figure out what good prices are!
With all the extra milk…..I am making cream soups & freezing them. I’m also making my favorite oatmeal /whole wheat pancake recipe which uses 5 1/2 cups of milk for a double batch. These pancakes freeze well & it’s so much healthier to toast them in the toaster oven rather than frozen store-bought waffles (I split the batch into 3 and make one set of banana, blueberry, apple or even chocolate chip, sometimes). Also, this morning I made oatmeal for breakfast but used milk instead of water…Mmmmm so rich & creamy and extra nutrition for my kiddos.
I made yogurt yesterday. I use 1-2 T. of plain store-bought yogurt per quart of milk used and it makes it a bit thicker. We don’t really like the consistency for just regular eating, but LOVE it in smoothies and you can make yogurt cheese with it, too!!
I’ve never made yogurt but read the instructions you linked. It does not say how long it lasts in the jars unopened. How long does it keep?
Ok, found that it keeps for 1-2 months. Has anyone tried to make frozen yogurt with an ice cream maker? I guess you’d have to sweeten it and add fruit or chocolate.
YES! Haven’t done it for awhile, but I went through a phase (back when I had one kid and no blog, I think!) where I made a lot of yogurt and made frozen yogurt from it – it was very good. Not sure what receipt I used to make the frozen yogurt, but any one would work.
I just wish it was fruit season so it would be more affordable to make fruit smoothies and yogurt and all this stuff!
If you freeze your milk, you will want to pour a bit off the top (or you will have a HUGE mess when it thaws). I’d advise having a pitcher in the fridge to pour off a cup or so from each gallon you freeze.
Sorry for all the comments, but I just got back from KS with milk and found they do not carry the Dannon Plain yogurt your recipe calls for. They only have the fat-free. Where do you get it or what do you use instead? He warns against using organic. The organic stuff they had was dated Mar 3 and I thought that was a little close.
Also, I did not get the Catalina this time.
I haven’t made yogurt (but I’ve been planning to for a while – now I have the perfect opportunity). I’ve read a lot of different instructions regarding yogurt making. I don’t think the fat content of the starter yogurt matters (someone correct me if I’m wrong…) The reason for the starter is to get the live active cultures. You just want plain yogurt so that it’s not sweetened. Dannon plain (even fat free) will have the cultures necessary to make a batch of homemade. I’ve also heard of people using greek yogurt as a starter.
I agree, Amanda – you just need live bacteria, the thickness of the starter doesn’t matter. I usually buy an 8 oz cup of the King Soopers brand plain yogurt as a starter (or two, depending on how much I’m making) – not sure if it’s fat free or full-fat, but I’m guessing it’s fat-free because it seems like almost all yogurt purchased in the store is.
We are so stocked on cereal that I only did this deal once. I wish I could have done it more for the milk, though.
I plan on making Jello pudding for my family. We love tapioca, so it’s going to be a nightly dessert for many nights. We aren’t big milk drinkers, but I wasn’t going to pass on the deal. I did get my Catalina for $3. So, 2 gallons of milk and 4 boxes of Frosted flakes for $2.- after my Catalina and $1. coupon. Can’t beat it.
I usually make tapioca pudding when I have extra milk. A box of tapioca pudding seems to last forever and is affordable, and the only other ingredients I use are milk, eggs and sugar.
The kids just LOVE the stuff!
I made this recipe (http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/yogurt.htm) with a cup of Safeway plain yogurt added… and got something thinner than Kefir! So I bought a yogurt starter at Vitamin Cottage (are there VCs in the Springs?) and it turned out AWESOME! Thicker than the plain yogurt part of those fruit on the bottom yogurts! I did let it go almost 1.5 times the recommended fermenting (?) time, but my best friend (a missionary in hot-all-the-time Ghana) said she leaves hers up to 24 hours sometimes and it’s just fine.
Yogurt is what I plan to do with extra milk for awhile – I really like it (plain like sour cream, or with a little French vanilla stevia added for flavor). I also freeze extra milk to be used in cooking.
Genevieve – how much did the starter cost? We have Vitamin Cottages/Natural Grocers here.
It was under $5… $4 something, but I don’t remember off-hand. Each box has 6 or 8 packets in it (sorry – my fridge is PACKED right now because I’m doing OAMC today and I can’t see it… but I can update tomorrow with exact numbers!), and each packet makes 1 quart of yogurt. I haven’t tried making a batch using homemade (from starter) yogurt as a starter – that’s going to be my next experiment!
The starter is in the refrigerated section near the milk and kefir. In fact, they have a kefir starter, too… maybe I’ll try that one of these days =) The box it a little taller – and a little thinner – than a box of jello. At the Parker Vitamin Cottage it’s on the top shelf in a little display box… similar to the boxes you’d find taco seasoning or chili mix in on the shelves at Wal-Mart.
Sweet – thanks, Genevieve!
Wow, I honestly can’t imagine drinking as much milk as folks have posted here!
We drink none in our house, and haven’t for about 8 years now. I mean we do occasionally have dairy products…but if we want milk, its almond, hemp, rice, or hazelnut.
I would suggest making your own soft & feta cheeses…very simple stuff, and saves money on otherwise expensive cheeses! Just get some salt and rennet, follow any of the easy recipes online…
The other suggestion is to make your own ice cream or ice milk. Its great to be able to make exactly the flavors you want, adding in your own syrups, fruits, chocolate or cookies…another way to create something of quality that your family will love.
Holly, have you made feta before? I have a friend who is trying to make it but hasn’t had success yet.
However, I might have to try… Sunflower Market has been out of the $3.99/lb feta BOTH times I’ve been in there this week, agh!
Ok, did some research – Feta doesn’t get made from store bought milk to the pasteurization process…HOWEVER, i have a friend who makes mozzarella, and I found this great recipe with complete instructions for you.
oops…here is the link…silly me!
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/cheese_course/Cheese_course.htm
Ricotta cheese is incredibly easy to make. Here is the recipe I have used before. http://www.essortment.com/all/cheesemakingre_remb.htm I would suggest adding a tiny bit of salt at the end.
I am so going to try this-I’ve been wanting to make some recipes with ricotta but don’t want to pay full price! Thanks Nicole!
Carrie, here’s the recipe I use for yogurt.
http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/make-yogurt/what-you-need
I make a gallon at a time. I don’t even use the heating pad, I just put it next to the radiator with some blankets and leave it out all night. If you let it sit for over 12 hours, the consistency is really good. I found this out by accident when I left it out all night! 6 hours doesn’t allow for it to properly set, I guess. As long as your pot and utensils are clean, it can sit out for a while–same for making cheeses. I use the Mountain High plain yogurt as my starter.
Carrie, When I have milk beyond the expiration, I freeze the exact amount I need in ziploc sandwhich bags for pancakes, muffins, scones, etc. I write on the bag so I know how much is in there. Then pull it out when I need it. Frozen milk is good for baking.
This is a brilliant idea! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to change my meal plans because I didn’t have milk on hand.
I go through 4 gallons of milk per week anyway – so I could easily do this deal at least three times without having to give the milk away!!
I got a bunch of cereal and milk today, and it worked out to $.32 each! Between coupons on the shelf and the ones from some of the boxes, I totally scored! I’m going again tomorrow to shop for a friend who has a seriously tight budget and no time for shopping. I love using what I’ve learned and found to help friends stretch their dollars!
I would love to know where you found the coupons! I missed out on printing them and didn’t see any at the King Soopers I went to. Thanks!
I saw them at both the Stetson Hills/Powers and Academy/Austin Bluffs locations today. At both stores they were about halfway from the end in the cereal aisle, below eye level. And I got additional coupons by purchasing the boxes with coupons inside–Raisin Bran (out of stock at S. Hills now), Rice Krispies, and Corn Pops even had them today! Today I did even better, coming in at $.23 each! I wish this deal came around often!
Do we know how long this deal will be good for? We go through about 2 gallons a week – maybe. I drink about a gallon and my daughter drinks about a half. I want to stockpile a bit and freeze some extra. I hope this deal is good for at least another week so I can get a chance to get some more.
Sunday’s ad from the paper says it’s only good thru today, but they could surprise us!