Cheese, Glorious Cheese!

We opened up a special, much anticipated gift this Christmas Eve.

Our 4 pound wheel of jalapeño gouda! It was flavorful, but not spicy. The kids were asking for second and third slices!

It is 7 weeks old and absolutely delicious! SO worth the 7 hour process and the 7 week wait.

To say I was nervous about trying this first homemade cheese is an understatement.

I was elated to find that the taste and texture actually exceeded my expectations. Now I'm even more excited about the cheddar that is the same age and needs a few more months before it will be ready.

Eating my own homemade cheese was just the motivation I needed to get another batch going this week. Now we just need to decide what type to make.

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups lemon curd (recipe here)

2/3 cup flaked coconut

1/2 toasted slivered almonds (optional)

Preheat over to 375.

For the dough:

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour and baking powder and mix until crumbly. Use a stand mixer or a pastry blender.

Pat 2/3 of the dough mix into a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.

Decrease oven temp to 350.

Spread the lemon curd on the slightly cooled crust.

Sprinkle on the last 1/3 of the dough mixture and the coconut (and nuts).

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes (coconut will appear toasted).

Cool before serving.

Lemon Curd

I never knew that lemon curd was so easy to make. My sister Natalie combined elements of several different recipes to come up with this one over Thanksgiving. This microwave method is so simple and fast. And the curd is YUMMY! It lasts for 3 weeks in an airtight container.

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 eggs + 2 egg yolks

zest of 3 lemons

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup butter, melted

First, zest the lemons and squeeze the juice. It took 4 lemons to get 1 cup juice for me.

(Next time I'll use a fine grater, rather than a zester, because you don't want big pieces of zest...I threw them in the blender with some juice to chop them up)

Next, in a microwave safe bowl, whisk together egg and sugar until smooth.

Add melted butter, lemon juice and zest.

Microwave in 1 minute intervals, stirring each time, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps 3 weeks.

Maybe a lemon meringue pie is in order.

Or lemon bars.

Green Smoothies

All I have to say is, "WOW!" I figured a smoothie full of spinach and kale could be EDIBLE, but I never expected it to be delicious! I finally jumped in this morning. I didn't have any greek yogurt on hand (making some tonight), but I tossed some protein powder in to make it a meal.

1 cup orange juice

1 cup chopped kale

1 cup baby spinach

1/2 pear

1/2 cup frozen mango cubes

1 frozen banana

1 tsp honey

1 cup ice cubes

Blend the orange juice, kale and spinach until it runs smooth, then add everything else. Yum.

I'm excited to try some variations with yogurt and berries.

Say Cheese

Last year for Christmas I sent my husband an email containing hyperlinks to several 'exact' items I was hoping to see under the Christmas tree.

Imagine my surprise when he gave me a cheese making book and starter kit.

Not that this was a bad idea. It just wasn't my idea. So I put it on the back burner and just let it simmer while I trained for a Spring marathon and survived the hottest summer on record in Arkansas.

As summer came to an end (as did my running...apparently), Meg asked me when we were giong to try to make cheese. I started to flip through the cheese book and think about giving it a try. Of course, all of the cultures he'd purchased in December had expired. So, after a few months of research, a few small purchases and making TWO cheese presses, we finally made cheese!

Now the photos in this post are actually the second cheese: Jalapeno Gouda, made Saturday. The first cheese was Cheddar. We made the mistake of believing we could do it in 4 hours and we started Wed night at 8pm. We didn't finish until 3am! 7. hour. cheese. It'd better be good.

I won't [not even for a second] lead you to believe that if I print a recipe below, you can make cheese this week. Like I said, it was a lot of time and detail to acquire the right equipment, ingredients, etc. I will just give a short description of each picture, so you can decide if you'd even be interested in playing with cheese. And don't even get me started on the daily flipping and aging process. This is kind of like having pets. I need a chart to keep them straight!

4 gallons of whole milk to start. Local milk is best, because it's fresher and not quite as homogenized as what you'd find in the grocery store.


My dairy thermometer doesn't have a clip. I fashioned this from a twist tie and a rubberband. It totally worked!

There are basically two types of cultures. Mesophilic is used for soft cheese like cheddar, gouda, jack; and thermophilic is used for hard cheeses, such as romano, parmesan, swiss, etc.

First thing you add to the milk is calcium chloride. This corrects for the fact that the milk has been homogenized. Homogenization breaks up all the fats into small pieces, which makes it harder for the curds to come together. Then, rennet is added to cause coagulation to occur.

It's tricky to see in this picture, but the milk has gelled together like yogurt and has been cut into 1/2" cubes all the way to the bottom of the pot (vertically).

In this picture, the curd has also been cut every half inch (horizontally). Then it sits for 5 minutes. This is 2.5 hours into the process, as the milk must be heated very slowly to get to this point.

This is after the curds have been stirred. They whey is separating from the curd.

One thing that was unique to gouda (compared to cheddar) is that there are two times you remove a certain amount of the whey and then replace it with the same volume of water at a specific temperature. The first time was 10% and this picture is when I removed 30%.

After adding the hot water to bring the temp up to 98 degrees, it sits for 10 minutes and the curds start to settle at the bottom of the pot. Then you scoop out the whey until you reach the curd level.

Curds are then placed into a strainer to drain off whey. This is where I mixed in the jalapeno to make it a pepper cheese. The jalapenos were boiled for 10 minutes in water, then cooled. The entire contents of jalapeno and water were poured over the curd, then mixed in.

The cheese goes into the press and starts out with very low pressure (10 lbs here).

After 30 minutes the cheese is removed from the press, flipped over and redressed with the cheesecloth (which helps draw moisture from the cheese).

Then it goes back in the press. I increased the weight to 20 lbs for an hour, then finally to 40 pounds.

Another difference between cheddar and gouda is that cheddar gets salted before going in the press. Gouda does not get salted. Rather, after it presses for 12 hours, it goes into a brine for 12 hours.

Following the brine, it dries at room temperature for 2 - 3 days until dry to to touch, but clammy.

The last step is waxing, which I have not yet done with the gouda. This cheese took 4 hours from start to finish. Much improvement after 7 hour Cheddar! I have a feeling this will get easier with practice. The gouda will be ready to eat in as little as 6 weeks, while the cheddar will take a minimum of 3 months for mild...as long as 12 months for sharp. I can't wait to try these!

I guess it's time for me to thank my husband for my Christmas present, huh?

Queso

It took 7 hours.

But we made Cheddar.

4 lbs of Cheddar.

Sweet and Spicy Corn Souffle

1 can corn kernels
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp sugar (heaping)
1 Tbsp diced jalapenos (heaping, canned)
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine ingredients and divide into 4 invidivual ramekins or casserole dishes.
Sprinkle the top of each with salt.
Optional: sprinkle the top of each with shredded cheese (mexican blend)
Bake for 75 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

For a large casserole, double the recipe and bake in a 2 Qt casserole dish.

Baked Turkey Egg Rolls

I made the yummiest egg rolls last night and they were actually pretty healthy. I couldn't find a recipe I liked, so I just kind of made one up. It's almost just like the P.F. Chang lettuce wrap....but in an eggroll instead of lettuce. I'd been putting off making these all week, thinking it would be very time consuming, but it really came together as quickly as the turkey cooked up.

This made a dozen good sized egg rolls (enough for 2 - 3 adults). I'd double this recipe for a family or company.

1/2 lb ground lean turkey
1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 - 3 tsp hot chili sauce/paste
1 Tbsp soy sauce
dash of red pepper flakes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3 carrots, diced
eggroll wrappers (find in the cooler in the product section)

Brown the meat, onion and garlic in a saute pan.
Place cabbage and carrots in microwave for 5 minutes, then add to browned meat.
Add sauces at the end. Let cool.

While the meat is browning, make the knock off version of P.F. Chang's special sauce for dipping:

1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp hot mustard

1 - 2 tsp hot chili sauce/paste


Preheat oven to 400.

Dissolve sugar in water and whisk in all other ingredients. Chill in refrigerator until time to serve.

Place a heaping spoonful of meat mixture on eggroll and roll tight. dip fingers in a bowl of water and moisten the edge just enough to glue it closed. Place eggrolls on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake on 400 for about 15 - 18 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Serve with dipping sauce.

Caprese Salad

I just don't get tired of Caprese.
Put it on just about anything.
Tonight, wheatberries.

Homemade mozzarella and garden fresh tomato and basil; olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper.

LOVE.

Wheat Berry Minestrone (slow cooker)

This started as a Weight Watcher's recipe, but I made some changes, so here's my adjusted version. The Crock Pot photo is mine, the finished photo is theirs.

Wheat Berry Minestrone

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.

4 cups vegetable broth (4 cups water + veg bouillion)

1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 can kidney beans

1 small red onion, diced

1 carrot, sliced thinly

2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut

1 cup diced bell pepper (I used red, orange and yellow mini peppers I had in the freezer)

1 1/2 cups uncooked wheat berries (hard white winter wheat)

1/4 tsp sage

1/4 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

Makes 8 - 12 servings. So yummy and very filling.

I need a Trader Joe's!

I picked up a bag of this when I was in Charlotte last month:

WOW!

It's a blend of Israeli couscous, red and green orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa. I added edamame and cranberries and tossed it with some vinaigrette. SOOOO good. I'm already thinking about packing my suitcase full the next time I'm near a Trader Joe's!

Leftovers

I just figured out that I don't have to eat an entire cheesecake in a week.

Individually frozen slices for later!

(I just wrapped them in waxed paper before sliding them into the bags)

Cheesecake with a Twist

I usually put lemon zest in my cheesecake. Not having a lemon on hand, I went a different route today.

Almonds in the crust.

Stupid or fantastic?

We'll find out VERY soon! [No guilt on this one after a 1,600 calorie workout yesterday!]

Garlic Naan

Garlic Naan

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water + 1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbsp milk

1 egg, beaten

2 tsp salt

4 cups bread flour

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup butter, melted

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until foamy.

In a large bowl combine: yeast mixture, sugar, milk, egg, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough (you may not need the entire 4 cups of flour, so add 1/2 cup at a time when you get above 3 cups).

Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth (6-7 minutes).

Place dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until doubled (90 min).

Punch down dough. Pinch off golf-ball sized pieces and roll into balls and place on tray.

Cover again with damp towel and let rise until doubled in size (30-40 min).

Preheat and lightly oil grill.

Roll one ball of dough into a thin circle.

Place on grill and cook 2-3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned.

Brush uncooked side with garlic butter mixture and turn over. Butter cooked side and cook until brown (2-3 minutes).

Remove from grill and continue process until all dough has been cooked.

I used a large skillet that fit 4-5 at a time (about 275-290 degrees).

Makes 14. Of course, the garlic is optional. You could also use plain butter w/o the garlic.

Spinach Soup

I've made an increased effort to include more vegetables in my diet the past few weeks. LOTS of spinach. After many spinach salads last week, today I switched to soup.

I started with 8 cups of washed, stemmed spinach. Stemming was the only time intensive part of this recipe. It's SO easy. This recipe is adapted from "Eating Well in Season: The Farmers' Market Cookbook."


1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp salt
ground pepper, to taste
2 cups red potatoes, peeled and sliced
6 cups vegetable broth or water (I used water + 1 chicken bouillion cube)
8 cups fresh spinach, stemmed

Heat butter and oil in large stock pot over medium-high heat.
Saute onions, garlic, salt and pepper until soft (about 5 min).
Add potatoes and combine, cooking 3 more minutes.
Add water or vegetable broth and simmer for about 15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
Stir in spinach and simmer about 10 minutes until spinach is wilted and tender.

Blend with an immersion blender to desired texture.
Optional: Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and grated nutmeg.

Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

We made this lasagna Sunday and it was SO good! This recipe comes from All Recipes dot com.

INGREDIENTS:

20 lasagna noodles (no cook noodles are awesome)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (baby bellas are yummy)
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups fresh spinach
3 cups ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups tomato pasta sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3.In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool. Boil spinach for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach.
4.Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Lay 5 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread one third of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat layering 2 times.
5.Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Apple Blackberry Tart

The first time I made this, it was Pioneer Woman's Flat Apple Pie recipe. That was Sunday. Love PW, but there was no pie spice and I missed it. I also prefer my pie crust recipe that uses butter. SO, without further ado, MY revised recipe...just 3 days later.

Combine:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 light brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
2 Tbsp flour

Your favorite pie crust
1 cup blackberries (optional)
2 Tbsp course sugar (for sprinkling on top)
2 Tbsp butter (place dots of butter on top before baking)

Divide dough into halves and roll into two rounds.
Mound the sliced apple mixture into the center of each round.
Fold the dough around the edges.

Dot each with 1 Tbsp butter and sprinkle with course sugar.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.
Slice and serve like a pizza.

I used to loathe cleaning up all of the dishes that resulted from baking a pie.

Then my sister gave me some SUPER cute bowls for my birthday a few years ago. Who wouldn't want to bake with these??

Chicken Tetrazzini ala Giada

A friend recommended this recipe and I finally had time to try it. Gotta love a snow day! It's definitely on the rich and creamy side. Total comfort food.

Ingredients

9 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces linguine
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.
Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.
Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Salsa de Tomatillo

There's a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place that Jimmie loves, called Pollo Feliz. Interestingly, they specialize in fried chicken, but also offer tacos, quesadillas, etc. The BEST part of Pollo Feliz is the fresh salsa bar.

Last time we were there, Jimmie got the little old lady to spill the beans on the ingredients in her tomatillo salsa. I created my own version today, which Jimmie says is better than hers. :D

Smart man.

Tomatillo Salsa

1 lb tomatillos (8 or 9)
1 avocado
1 small white onion
3-4 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos (depending on your HOT-i-tude)
1 small bunch cilantro
1 1/4 tsp salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp sugar
3/4 cups water

Combine in blender or food processor. I pureed mine until smooth.

Post-Edits:

#1) This salsa kept well for 2-3 days in the fridge. The acidity in the tomatillos must preserve the avocado. It is much more mild the second day.

#2) If you want pretty green flecks in the salsa, puree everything but the cilantro, then toss it in last and pulse for just a few seconds.