lots of leftover 2% milk - recipe ideas?
My mother has been away from my father for a month on vacation. Since I've been checking in on him every week, I usually pick him up some things at the store while I'm there. This week as I was unloading the grocery bag and putting a new half gallon of milk in the fridge, I noticed a third of a gallon and a brand new half gallon looking up at me from the shelves.
I hate wasting, and have to admit I'm not much of a milk drinker myself. Besides having a contest to see who can drink all of it under an hour and not vomit, are there any recipes I can make that require a great deal of milk?
Thanks!
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.

21 Comments:
How about some rice pudding (Kheer)? Super simple and affordable plus you don't have to stand at the stove forever.
1 half gallon milk
1/2 cup long grain rice, soaked in luke warn water for 30-45 minutes.
1 1/2 cups sugar
3-4 cardamom pods
1/2 slivered almonds, pistachios
1/2 tsp rose water (optional)
a few threads of Saffron (optional)
Boil milk over medium heat, once it comes to a bubble turn the heat down and simmer for almost two hours, reducing the milk. Add cardamom.
drain the soaking rice, slightly crush them with a wooden spoon. add to the milk and cook until the rice is throughtly cooked and integrated into the milk. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Add the slivered almonds, add sugar and bring it to another bubble. Taste test. Turn off the heat. Add rose water and saffron, if using. Pour into serving dishes and sprinkle more slivered almonds. Cool to room temp, then refrigerate.
almondjoy at 7:49PM on 07/24/09
tapioca pudding?
yayfood at 7:51PM on 07/24/09
I would recommend a recipe called Kheer, Indian rice pudding.
I just made some this afternoon, super easy and uses up a fair amount of milk. Much better to eat a sweet, cinnamon dessert than to drink all that milk.
Bekele at 7:53PM on 07/24/09
Great minds think alike, judging by first comment.
My second suggestion would be to make a cream of broccoli & cheese soup or any other type of dairy based soup.
Bekele at 7:55PM on 07/24/09
how about making yogurt?
cybercita at 8:08PM on 07/24/09
Homemade chai tea.
pjracz10 at 8:21PM on 07/24/09
I'd totally make paneer. An Indian fresh cheese, paneer doesn't melt and can be a substantial substitute for meat. I like to cut it into cubes, brown it in a pan, and then throw it into all sorts of inauthentic Indian and Thai dishes.
To make: bring the milk to boil in a stock pot, then add lemon juice (1/3 cup per gallon of milk). The milk will separate. Strain curds into a colander lined with cheese cloth, then press your cheese between two plates. Refrigerate overnight and voilà: dense cheese goodness!
piglet at 9:04PM on 07/24/09
Pudding was my first thought too. Homemade pudding is sooooo good (way better than the boxed mixes), and there are good recipes out there for about any flavor imaginable. Take it a step further, if you like, and use that pudding in a pie, a trifle, etc. Cream-based soups are also a good suggestion, and something you could do now and freeze for later. Higher fat milks work well in drinks too, such as smoothies and milkshakes. Beyond that...l don't know...lots of cereal?
kimberlymac at 9:14PM on 07/24/09
Why hasn't anyone suggested Dulce De Leche? The foodnetwork website has a great recipe from alton brown using whole milk (not canned condensed milk), I'm sure you could make it with 2%. It will keep in the fridge for up to a month.
ag3208 at 9:43PM on 07/24/09
Try to make the curdled Dulce de Leche too... it's different and tangier, but really good.
http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=489201
The recipe is in Spanish, but let me know if you're interested and I can translate if necessary.
MadelynRodriguez at 11:48PM on 07/24/09
@madelyn, I'm interested. Dulce de leche is soooooo good.
As for the rest of the milk, buy some cream, make ice cream, and slather the dulce de leche on top.
dbcurrie at 12:12AM on 07/25/09
Make ice cream for sure! Then take the ice cream and make milk shakes.
Sausage and gravy--I've used 2% and it's just fine.
wookie at 12:31AM on 07/25/09
pudding and rice pudding would be good and easy. You can also freeze milk if you are not able to use it up.
vickiee at 1:40AM on 07/25/09
rice pudding bread pudding a big batch of mac and cheese you can freeze.
huneybumper at 3:19PM on 07/25/09
Or make tres leches cake! Yum.
And have a talking to with your dad about not drinking his milk. :P
missjess at 4:31PM on 07/25/09
for the benefit of dbcurrie and all those interested... here goes the Dulce de Leche Cortada recipe in English. This recipe was taken from the Univision.com site and comes from chef Jaime Vazquez from rest. La Carreta in Miami, FL. I have eaten thsi dessert many, many times when I was growing up, but I have never made this recipe in particular...
DULCE DE LECHE CORTADA
Ingredients:
2 liters of milk
1 lb sugar
4 egg yolks
1 green lime or limon criollo – you’ll use both the rind and the juice
1 cinnamon stick
3 drops of vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Mix well the milk and sugar. Add the egg yolks and the juice of ½ lemon. When everything is well blended, pass thru a fine sieve.
Add the vanilla, salt, cinnamon and the zest of ½ lemon. Let the mixture rest about 30 mins. (If you're not too fond of lemon zest in recipes... just cut a few pieces of rind and let them steep in the mixture while it rests... the flavor will be in the mixture without the pieces of zest.)
Place on top of high heat until it just starts to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and stir once in a while. When the mixture has turned golden and it develops some sort of syrup, it’s done.
Remove from heat and transfer to the fridge to cool. This dessert is best served cold.
This dessert is very sweet, so it’s traditionally served with pieces of cheese to cut the sweetness – cheddar cheese or white cheese are very popular.
MadelynRodriguez at 9:37AM on 07/26/09
I was just metioning to my mom that I did not know that this Dulce de Leche Cortada dessert had egg... she mentioned that the Puerto Rican version does not include it. It's just milk, sugar and lemon rind.
So... if you're not into eggs like me, just omit them. I do not think it needs them at all..
MadelynRodriguez at 9:39AM on 07/26/09
You can freeze milk.
CJ McD at 2:09PM on 07/26/09
Flan.
gingercookiewithlime at 10:51PM on 07/26/09
I second what CJ said. Measure into cups or half-cups and freeze. Take some home and use in your own baking or cooking. Also the puddings, hot cereal and muesli (if he eats such things), ice milks and sorbets, cherry soup or other fruit soups, other cream soups, mashed potatoes, cakes (instead of water), cream gravy...... Milk separates a bit when you thaw it so not all uses would be as good as with fresh, but you can certainly do enough. I learned all kinds of tricks for slipping milk into things for its nutritional value when a friend was caring for an elderly family member. For puddings, consider unusual ones such as tapioca, or the classic baked rice pudding that nobody does anymore (just stirring rice, sugar, spices, and dried fruit if you like it, into a LOT of milk and baking slowly), indian pudding (molasses and cornmeal and sugar and spice), and so forth. Custard pies. Custard sauce over summer fruits.
And stop buying your dad so much milk!
morgancain at 10:23AM on 07/27/09
Pudding, flan, all good suggestions. I'm lactose intolerant, so I often replace cream in recipes with 2% lactose-free milk (I don't drink whole, and it doesn't come in small sizes). I would imagine you could make some nice "cream" soups and macaroni and cheese with it. :)
Skythe at 11:27AM on 07/31/09