Herbed Cheese Spread

So, now that you have made a batch of Super Easy Cheese, what are you going to do with it? It's not really the sort of cheese you just sit around munching... unless you doctor it up a bit. That's what this recipe is all about. Add just a few subtle ingredients and watch this plain, fairly flavorless cheese blossom into a tasty, flavorful, spreadable cheese. It is really great spread all over your favorite cracker. And it is great for company; not only does it look and taste good, but it's a great conversation starter when guests ask where you got the cheese and you say, "Why, I made it myself!"

Herbed Cheese Spread
Yield: 1 cup of molded cheese (double or triple as desired)

1 cup fresh Super Easy Cheese curds
1 tsp minced shallots
1 tsp minced chives
1 tsp minced parsley
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
1 - 2 TBS light cream
1/4 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Mix curds, shallots, chives, parsley, and pepper in a bowl. Stir to mix. Add enough cream so that the cheese is somewhat smooth and creamy but still can hold its shape. Add the salt to taste. Line a ramekin (see picture) or other similar 1 cup container with plastic wrap. Spoon full of cheese, firming lightly. Fold remaining plastic wrap over the top of the cheese. Refrigerate for at least four hours, preferably over night, before serving. This chilling time allows the flavors to meld and for the cheese to firm up. To serve, turn out onto a serving plate.

Super Easy Cheese

Cheese is one of those items that most people probably never think about making, but it can be very fun and rewarding to make. While some cheeses are quite time consuming and/or require special materials, that is not the case with all cheeses. This recipe is a very easy cheese that can be made in just a few hours (you're not working the whole time) and with no special ingredients.

There are a number of things that you can do with the cheese; I will outline two of them over the next couple of days. The recipe is based on a queso blanco, a very basic white cheese. It can be molded and pressed into a block, but that requires special equipment. For the loose curd cheese recipe here, the most specialized equipment needed is cheesecloth. When was the last time you used cheesecloth to actually make cheese? Maybe it's time!

Super Easy Cheese
Yield: 3-4 cups of cheese curds

1 gallon whole cow's milk (do not use ultra-pasteurized milk)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (plus 2 tsp, if needed)

Pour the milk into a double boiler over medium-high heat. I do not have a special double boiler, I just sit one stock pot inside of another. The double boiler is not strictly needed, but I find that without it, I sometimes get cheese scorching slightly on the bottom with I add the vinegar.

Place a candy thermometer into the pot to keep track of the temperature. Heat the milk until it reaches 175-180 degrees F. This step should occur over a period of about 20-30 minutes. Stir periodically. Once the milk reaches 175-180 degrees, hold it there for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the vinegar and stir to mix. Continue to hold at the same temperature while the curds form.

Curd formation can take up to one hour to completely develop, but you should see some curds form almost immediately. Stir periodically and check the temperature frequently. As the curds form, you will be left with a pale colored whey. Be sure to wait until the whey is very clear before draining. This picture shows when you might be tempted to drain but don't yet! Be patient! To be fair, draining early will not ruin your cheese in the slightest, you just won't get as much of it.

If, after 50 minutes, your whey is still not pale as in the second picture, add two more teaspoons of vinegar to finish the process. Once your curds and whey look like this, you're ready to drain.

Have a colander lined with a quadruple layer of cheesecloth prepared. Drain curds into colander. You can save the whey if you wish and use it in baked goods, etc., or just let it go down the sink.

Tie up the cheesecloth into a little bag and hang on a wooden spoon across the corner of a sink to drain. Let it drain for about 2 hours, or until the bag stops dripping.

Once drained, the curds are ready to use. If not using immediately, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to eight days.

Muesli

This was a breakfast staple in my house growing up. I can claim no credit for coming up with the wonderful recipe. It's all my mom's creation... and what a creation, indeed! She had something like this at a restaurant once and worked diligently until she had recreated it to her liking.

I really like this dish because it is refreshing and filling. And it's easy to make! Just be sure to serve it right away as it doesn't hold well because the oats tend to get pasty over time. Add whatever fruits and grains you want to make it your own. It's a blank canvas waiting for your inspiration.

Muesli

1 Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup milk
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS lemon juice
1/8 cup light cream
3/4 cup quick oats
1 banana
1/4 cup raisins
3 TBS peanuts

Blend an unpeeled, cored half of the apple with the milk until smooth and frothy. Peel the remaining half of the apple and dice. Add to the puree. Add remaining ingredients. Stir completely. Add any other fruits or grains that sound appealing. Grapes and peaches are especially good. Serve immediately or it can become pasty.

Italian Green Beans

I really like vegetables just as God made them (OK, so God didn't make them with butter, but, you get the idea). But sometimes, I like to give them a little dressing up. This recipe is quick and easy and changes the ordinary green bean into a very tasty side dish.

Italian Green Beans
Yield: 3-4 side servings

2-3 cups pared, cut green beans
1/2 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt & pepper to taste
1 15oz cans diced tomatoes with juice

Steam green beans in a sauce pan until fork tender. Meanwhile, saute onion, garlic, salt/pepper and herbs in the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and cook to reduce. Reduce until sauce is nice and thick. When green beans are done, add to the tomato mixture. Stir to coat and serve.

Crepes 101

Somehow, crepes have gotten a bum rap. I don't know why, they are really quite simple. I often whip out my crepe pan when I'm in the mood for a snack; I like them straight out of the pan. In fact, I like them so much, that I often find it difficult to amass enough completed crepes to be able to make anything with them! Which, incidentally, is the same reason there is not a photo of the crepes here... I ate them all before I could get a picture! Oops. Sometimes I just can't help myself. (I finally made crepes and remembered to take a photo to add to this post! -May 2012)

So, what is the trickiest part about making crepes? If there is anything, it must be putting the batter in the pan. Because the pan is already hot, the batter starts cooking immediately upon hitting it, so you need to shake that pan around to get the batter spread out. Oh, and that whole letting the batter sit thing, that's completely optional. While it does make a slight difference, I find the crepes are still fantastic when made right away. Who has time to wait for crepe batter?

This recipe can very easily be doubled or halved, depending on your needs. If you want to make sweet crepes, just add a tablespoon of sugar to the batter. Personally, even when using them for dessert applications, I still prefer to use a batter without sugar. In the future, I'll post some recipes using crepes.

Basic Crepes
Yield: 7-9 crepes

2 eggs
1 TBS melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup lukewarm milk

Whisk all ingredients together. If it seems lumpy, you can always run it through a sieve to make a nice, smooth batter. While you can use milk right from the refrigerator, the butter tends to clump up with the cold milk. You can leave the batter to sit in a covered bowl for an hour before use or use right away.

Preheat an 8-10 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Put a tiny amount of butter in the pan, maybe 1/4 tsp. Let the butter melt and then use a paper towel to wipe over entire pan surface. Use a small measuring cup to pour a measured amount of batter into the pan. With a 10 inch skillet, I use about 3 TBS of batter. This means using a 1/4 cup measure filled about 3/4 of the way full. Pour batter into pan and immediately start shaking pan around to get batter distributed (see video below). Place back on heat. Within a minute or so, the edges will start to brown and peel back from the side of the pan. This tells you the crepe is about done. Remove when crepe has reached desired shade of browning. With thin crepes, there is no need to flip the crepe and cook the other side. Remove crepe on to a paper towel. Crepes can be kept warm until use in a very low oven.

Pasta Carbonara

When I lived in the Mojave Desert of California, there was a great little Italian place that we went to all the time. Giovanni's was where I was first introduced to Pasta Carbonara. Oh, and what an introduction! While I just can't bring myself to make it quite as sinful as I'm certain the restaurant version was, I still think this is some great pasta. The sauce is quite possibly the easiest sauce around and it is so velvety and smooth and rich.

This recipe is a great one to make for company because it comes together so quickly and it is no more difficult to make it for ten as for two.

Pasta Carbonara
Yield: 4-6 servings

16 oz penne pasta
1/2 lb bacon or pancetta, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cloves shallots, minced
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBS chopped parsley (fresh or dried)
salt & pepper to taste

Put pasta water on to heat. Cut up bacon, garlic, shallots, and parsley. Combine cream, eggs, milk, and cheese. Set aside. When water boils, add pasta. Penne typically takes 8-12 minutes to cook, depending on the brand. Do not start cooking the rest until the pasta is in the water. Cook bacon. Add garlic and shallots about halfway through cooking the bacon. Pour off excess grease (leave however much grease your conscience will let you...). Drain noodles and immediately mix with bacon/garlic/shallots and the cream mixture that you set aside earlier. The heat from the pasta is what cooks the eggs, so don't dilly-dally. Mix thoroughly. Add parsley and salt and pepper. Heat over low until sauce thickens slightly, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Canning 101

Preserving food is all about keeping any creepy crawlies in the food in check. There are a number of ways of stifling their growth, cold temperatures being one of the easiest. The ease with which we store perishable foods these days was only a fantasy in yesteryear. Refrigeration and freezing are by far the easiest way to retard bacterial and fungal growth in food.

What are some of the others? Well, it's all about making an inhospitable environment for the critters. An environment that it too dry, salty, fatty, sugary, acidic, anaerobic, or hot is considered hostile to most microbes. Canning commonly uses the last four. Jams and jellies, for instance, are preserved by the amount of sugar they contain (have you ever noticed how long an open jar of jelly lasts in the fridge?).

There are two main types of canning: water bath and pressure canning:

Water bath canning requires an acidity of 4.6 or lower to help keep microbes in check. This acidity means that the jars of food do not have to be processed to as high a temperature. Water bath canning involves canning both acid and acidified foods. Acid foods are naturally high in acid and include most fruits like peaches, pears, and apples. Acidified foods are foods that have to have acid added to them in order to make them safe. Pickled goods are all acidified. If you are new to canning, you want to be sure to always follow tested recipes. I have been canning for over 15 years now, so I have started making up my own recipes, but to be sure they are safe and under the 4.6 pH requirement, I use a pH meter (see my aStore).

Pressure canning involves using pressure to increase the boiling temperature within the kettle. When you want to can something that is not acidic, you have to process the jars to a higher temperature; a pressure canner provides this ability. All modern pressure canners have very good safety valves, so you don't have to worry about you canner exploding if you don't know what you are doing (always a good thing to know!).

There are a few general things you need to know about supplies. The major components include canning jars (don't use other types of jars as they may not hold up to the rigors of the hot pot...), canning lids and bands, jar tongs, and a canner (either a large kettle/stock pot or pressure canner depending on what type of canning you are doing).


The basic procedures for canning are pretty standardized. So that I don't have to write them over and over again whenever I post a canning recipe, I will give those instructions here:


Water Bath Canning

1. Prepare food as instructed.


2. Wash jars in hot, soapy water. They do not need to be sterilized.


3. Prepare canner. This means filling and starting to heat the water for a water bath canner (just bring to a simmer). Remember that your jars will displace a large amount of water. Take this into account when filling your pot up so that your jars will be covered by at least one inch of water.


4. Have jars set out along with your canning funnel and bands. Heat up enough water to soak the canning lids. This process softens up the wax rim and allows them to sit better on the jar, making a better seal.


5. Fill jars as instructed leaving the proper head space. This space should be defined in the recipe. Leaving the proper head space is important in obtaining a good seal. It typically varies between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch for water bath canning.


6. Use a plastic knife or wooden skewer to poke down the sides of the jars to release any trapped air bubbles.


7. With a clean sponge or rag, wipe down the top rim of the jar so that the lids can form a clean seal.


8. Place seals onto jars and screw on with the bands. Bands only need to be hand tight. Do not over tighten!


9. Using your jar tongs, place jars in your canner. Turn the heat up once the jars are in the water. Bring the water to a slow boil. Do not start counting your processing time until the water boils. Then process for the time specified in the recipe. Some recipes use a "pasteurization" process that uses a lower temperature. If this is the case, use a thermometer to keep track of the temperature.


10. When the time is up, turn the heat off and let the jars sit in the water for five minutes before removing them. While this step is not always needed, for certain items, pulling them out of the canner right away can cause the filling to come oozing out of the jars. This can be very messy and can lead to bad seals. While you are usually safe to pull jams, jellies, pickles, and fruit in syrup out immediately, I always figure better safe than sorry.


11. Remove jars from the water and set on a towel lined counter. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool for 6-8 hours. As they cool, you should hear the tell-tale "pop" as the jars vacuum seal.


12. Once the jars are cool, carefully remove the bands and wash the jars, if necessary. It is usually best to store canned goods without the screw band. Keep jars in a cool, dark place. Always check the seals before you use the food. "If in doubt, throw it out!"

Pressure Canning

1. Prepare food as instructed.


2. Wash jars in hot, soapy water. They do not need to be sterilized.


3. Prepare canner. With a pressure canner, you will want to follow the instructions that come with your canner for its preparation. Because pressure canners use steam to heat the jars, you need to use the specific amount of water for your canner.


4. Have jars set out along with your canning funnel and bands. Heat up enough water to soak the canning lids. This process softens up the wax rim and allows them to sit better on the jar, making a better seal.


5. Fill jars as instructed leaving the proper head space. This space should be defined in the recipe. Leaving the proper head space is important in obtaining a good seal. When pressure canning, this head space is typically 1 inch.


6. Use a plastic knife or wooden skewer to poke down the sides of the jars to release any trapped air bubbles.


7. With a clean sponge or rag, wipe down the top rim of the jar so that the lids can form a clean seal.


8. Place seals onto jars and screw on with the bands. Bands only need to be hand tight. Do not over tighten!


9. Using your jar tongs, place jars in your canner. Close the canner and prepare it for the proper pressure. This procedure will vary depending on your canner, so follow the directions that came with your canner.


10. When the time is up, turn the heat off and let your canner cool down naturally. This can take a while. Do not try to speed the process up! Let the pressure dissipate naturally.


11. Remove jars from the canner and set on a towel lined counter. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool for 6-8 hours. As they cool, you should hear the tell-tale "pop" as the jars vacuum seal.


12. Once the jars are cool, carefully remove the bands and wash the jars, if necessary. It is usually best to store canned goods without the screw band. Keep jars in a cool, dark place. Always check the seals before you use the food. "If in doubt, throw it out!"

This is a very abbreviated set of instructions for canning. I highly recommend that you invest in The Ball Bluebook for a more detailed set of instructions (see my aStore). It is really necessary, I think, to have a good reference around. I've been canning for a long time, and I always seem to be checking some bit of information in mine. If you have any troubles or questions, just let me know!

Peanut Butter Cups

This will be the last of the chocolate postings in this batch. I have to admit that I was not completely satisfied with the way my peanut butter cups came out. Oh, don't get me wrong, they're good. But they're not great and certainly not perfect. I'll post what I did and throw out my thoughts on what I plan on doing differently next time. I'll update this post next time I make them, but I'm kind of chocolated out right now and don't expect that to be for a little while.

Peanut Butter Cups

tempered chocolate
small waxed fluted paper cups

4 TBS shortening
2/3 cups peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

Cream shortening and peanut butter together. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and whip together until slightly fluffy.

Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of the paper cups with tempered chocolate. You do not need to brush all the way up the sides. Put cups in refrigerator to harden. Meanwhile, spoon peanut butter filling into a pastry bag with a medium sized plain-hole tip. When cups are firmed up, squeeze a nice blob of filling in the middle. Then, using a spoon, pour tempered chocolate into the cup to fill it up. I found that it works best if you do not fill the cup all the way to the top.

That's it! Now here are the complaints about my results. I was a little disappointed in the filling because it was too creamy and not peanuty enough. Next time, I will try using real peanut butter (Jif, which I used this time, has too many extra ingredients, I think) and will add more powdered sugar to stiffen it up a bit. With these changes, I think they'll be pretty darn good!

And the winners are...

After deleting a couple of double comments and those comments related to the second prize where people were telling where they had posted my contest, I came up with a random number from random.org. The number was 112. And the winner is... (drum roll, please!)

THROUTHEHAZE

Congratulations, throuthehaze! I will be contacting you for a mailing address so you can receive your goodies.

As for part two of the contest, the person who posted my contest onto www.totallyfreestuff.com/www.topsavings.com was hands down the winner. That person was... (drum roll again, please!)

BABYBARNPLUS

Thanks, babybarnplus, for all the great help in getting the word out about my new blog! I'll be emailing you for a mailing address also.

And thanks, everyone, for coming to check out my blog and my April 2009 Giveaway. I had a lot of fun making the chocolates and I hope that you might consider trying to make some yourself.

Haystacks

These may just be the easiest chocolates ever to make! If you're doing a bunch of chocolates, making the haystacks last is a great way to use up whatever chocolate is left in the bottom of your bowl. While they are so easy to make (just chocolate and shredded coconut), there are just a few things to consider to make the best haystacks possible:

1. While you won't notice poorly tempered chocolate as much in haystacks as in other chocolates, you still want to use properly tempered chocolate for the best results.
2. I much prefer using unsweetened coconut for making haystacks. If you can find it, I strongly recommend going this route.
3. Toasting the coconut before dredging it in chocolate is an absolute must!! I just put it in a dry saute pan over medium heat and stir periodically until it has a nice light tan color.
4. Be sure to let your coconut cool completely before adding it to your chocolate. If the coconut is too warm, it can ruin the temper of your chocolate.
5. Use two spoons to shovel small blobs of chocolate covered coconut onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Refrigerate to harden. They can then be stored at room temperature.