Oct 4, 2013

How to Make Mozzarella Cheese in 30 Minutes!

What You'll Need:

1/4 Rennet Tablet
1 1/2 Teaspoon Citric Acid
1-1 1/2 Teaspoons Cheese Salt
1 Gallon Milk
1 Large Pot
Rubber Gloves (optional)

How To Do It... Complete With Pictures!

Dissolve 1/4 rennet tablet into 1/4 cup of cool water. Stir and set aside.

Mix 1 1/2 teaspoon citric acid into 1 cup of cool water until dissolved.

Pour 1 gallon of milk into your large pot and slowly add the citric acid solution into the pot, stirring vigorously.

Heat the milk to 90 F while stirring. (If you are using unpasteurized milk, only heat to 88 F).

Remove pot from burner and slowly stir in the rennet solution for 30 seconds.

Cover the pot and leave undisturbed for 5-10 minutes.

Check the curd, it should separate from the whey. I tried to get a good and clear picture of this. If the whey is milking let it set for a few more minutes.

Cut the curd with a knife. Cut through the entirety of the curd all the way to the bottom of the pot. I used a long bread knife that seemed to work well.

Place the pot back on the stove and continue heating to 105 F while slowly moving the curd around. It will start clumping together.

Once the curd has reach 105 F take it off the burner and continue stirring for 2-5 minutes. The longer you stir it during this step the firmer the cheese.

Pour off the whey.

Move your curd into a large microwavable bowl and microwave for 1 minute.

Remove from microwave. Drain off the whey. Then sprinkle cheese salt over the cheese while gently folding it into the curd.

Microwave for 30 seconds. Drain and stretch curd. It will stretch at 135 F, so if the cheese isn't at this temp, microwave for another 30 seconds.

Stretch the cheese by pulling it until it is shiny and smooth. The cheese will be hot so you will want to wear rubber gloves at this point. The more you work the cheese the firmer it will be.

Sample your warm and delicious cheese! YUMMY! Or let's face it, if you are like me just eat it all at this point!

Form your cheese into a ball, a log, make it into string cheese or cut into cheese curds. I decided to do have in a ball and the rest into curds.

Submerge into a bowl of cool 50 F water for 5 minutes (basically cold tap water with a few ice cubes in it).

Then put it in ice water for 15 minutes. This cools the cheese down and allows it to retain its shape and protects it from becoming grainy.

Now you are done & you are officially a cheese maker!

I'm assuming you can store this is a airtight container, I wouldn't know... ours never lasts very long!

See what I mean... My husband was trying to eat it before I even got done taking pictures....

I love making pizza with fresh homemade mozzarella cheese, eating it plain or making it into caprese salad with produce from my garden! The options are endless, enjoy!

I'd love to hear from you...

... if you try this recipe, tell me how your cheese turned out and if you used it in a special dish!

Sep 30, 2013

How to Make Yogurt at Home

If you told me a week ago that I would be making yogurt at home and loving the results I would have told you that you are nuts! But honestly, my friend shared a simple recipe with me for making homemade yogurt that was really easy and now I am hooked.. In fact, I may never buy yogurt again... just saying!

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Aug 21, 2013

Fresh Salsa! This year from Our Very Own Garden!

So my husband planted a garden this year... it has been fun to harvest the sweet & delicious produce each day as I walk my little pooches.

Really the only thing he planted was tomatoes (I might A LOT of tomatoes, because I LOVE tomatoes), some onions and an assortment of hot peppers. Basically so I could make salsa... and salsa I have made.

Here are pictures from tonight's adventure! Oh FYI, if you need the recipe, you can find it here...

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So delicious! What are your favorite salsa ingredients?

May 17, 2013

Decadent Chocolate Mint Brownies (with Chocoloate Ganache)

If you asked me what my favorite dessert is, brownies would be my go-to-sweet! I love them... they are thick & chewy, sweet & delicious, and if they have frosting... well, that is just their crowning jewel!

I recently bought a half-gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream and it was so good and refreshing and I thought the only thing that would make it better is if it was a brownie... then it would be heavenly! Immediately, this recipe started swimming around in my head, I didn't know if it would be good, but I thought I would give it a try... fortunately it turned out amazing! I would highly recommend this to satisfy any sweet craving you might experience!

Two thumbs Up, 5 Stars & 1 satisfied hubby!

What You Need:

Brownie Bottom

1 Brownie Box Mix
2 Eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. Mint Extract
1/3 package of Andie Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

Chocolate Mint Ganache

1 package milk chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 package of Andie Creme de Menthe baking chips

Mint Frosting

1 can whipped butter cream frosting
1 tsp. mint extract
1 tsp. green food coloring

Topping

1/3 package of Andie Creme de Menthe baking chips
1 jar hot fudge (optional)

How to Do It:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix brownie mix, eggs, oil, water and mint extract. Mix well. Stir in 1/3 package of Andies Creme de Menthe baking chips and pour into 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.

While that is in the oven, melt chocolate chips and 1/3 package of Andies Creme de Menthe baking chips in the microwave for 3 minutes. Stir mixture until chocolate is melted and smooth. Right before you pull brownies from the oven (after 10 minutes of baking) add sweetened condensed milk to the melted chocolate mixture and mix well, the chocolate mixture will thicken up significantly so wait as long as possible to mix together. Scoop over half-baked brownie mixture. This will drop throughout the batter but not to worry. Then return to oven and bake another 15 minutes. Turn off oven, crack open the oven door and keep the brownies inside for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Once the brownies are cool, Mix frosting with 1 tsp. mint extract and 1 tsp. green food coloring. Spread evenly over cooled brownies. Take the remaining Andies baking chips and sprinkle over the top of the frosted brownies. Using a spoon lightly drizzle hot fudge over the top of the frosting (this is mostly for a beautiful finish so it is optional if you choose to do this).

Serve & Enjoy!

Enjoy! if you try this recipe; let me know what you think below!

May 13, 2013

Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Jalapenos)

This is a great dish! I first had this at a friends house and fell in love with this warm & hardy soup. Although, this is a great dish to serve in the fall, I was craving it today so I decided to make it for lunch. My husband rolled in from his golf game just about the time this was ready and was immediately excited and looking forward to this spicy soup.

What You'll Need:

2 lb. ground beef

8 cups water
1 can (26 oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups cooked long grain rice (I like Jasmine rice; it's worth the price)
2 medium green peppers; chopped
5 jalapeños, sliced (optional... I love spicy food and these add a lot to this dish)
1 small onion; chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. pepper

How To Do It:

In large stock pot, brown ground beef on medium heat, drain and add the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes; until peppers are tender. Serve with warm bread.

Serve & Enjoy!

If you try this, let me know what you think?

May 6, 2013

Seasoned Grilled Veggies

I had a beautiful run through the trails today. Spring has been long in coming and it was finally sunny and 70, so I thoroughly enjoyed my time outside in the fresh air. Afterward, I was feeling good, and wanted to continue making healthy food choices, so I raided my fridge for every vegetable I could find to make this grilling great. Super easy to do all and delicious every time. Here is my recipe for seasoned grilled vegetables in 4 easy steps!