Worth Waiting For

Four months ago, we made a giant wheel of white stirred curd cheddar...

 ...and tonight, at book club, we busted into that bad boy!  I don't know why I am always surprised, but I was a little shocked that it actually had the sharpness of cheddar to it.  We were nervous whether or not it would "turn out" as we tucked it away into the cheese fridge for aging, but here it is, four months later, a perfect medium cheddar.  Totally delicious and a totally different flavor than the buttery gouda we also snacked on.

4 months is a long wait, but totally worth it for some cheesy excellence.  This is turning out to be a pretty fun little hobby.  Time to make more!

Aye Un Amigo En Mi

We celebrated the 4th Annual Gringo Fiesta, last night.
Usually, this glorious made up holiday kicks off around the 18th of February, but due to the fact that around the 18th of February I couldn't keep any solid food down, well....a big feast didn't sound so great. And cooking? Hahahahaha! Out of the question.

Rather than cancel, we postponed for a month, and I am so glad we did!

My friends did most of the work this year, which made el party easy cheesy for me and I only threw up once during the party. Viva la Gringo Fiesta!

I love love love this tradition! We always have our "regulars" over, and then mix it up and introduce a few newbies to the goodness of the Willy House Party. Fun fun times.
And now for what you've all been waiting for :

The Menu:

Main Dish: (prepared a la crockpot style by the lazy hostess)
Lime and Chili Shredded Pork (this recipe can easily be halved...and probably even quartered, although I'm not really sure why you would want to make so little...)
4 Pork Tenderloins
2 cans diced (or chopped) green chilies
4 TBS Caldo de Pollo
juice and pulp of 2-3 fresh limes
2 tsp minced garlic
1 jalapeno (Whole. Remove and discard before shredding the meat)

Dump everything into crockpot and let that sucker slow cook on low for 6-7 hours.
1 hour before dinner, remove jalapeno and shred the meat with a knife and fork. It will fall apart very easily.

Carnitas are traditionally served after baking or frying in a pan so they get a little crispy, but these were just right so we left well enough alone.

Serve with Tortillas, Cilantro Lime Rice, and Black Beans
toppings (brought by friends): cheese, sour cream, guac, salsa, and http://meandmyapron.blogspot.com/2011/01/salsa-de-tomatillo.html

Appetizers a la Kasey and Tia:
Kasey's Mango Salsa, green salsa, guac, homemade jalapeno gouda, guacamole deviled eggs, and a lot of chips and olives.

Beverages a la Kasey: Dr. Pepper and Brazillian Lime Punch (recipe coming soon)

Desserts a la Ruthy, Tia, Kasey, and Tanya: key lime bars, lime bundt cake, butterscotch cookies, lime finger jello, and strawberry spring delight, which, thanks to Ruthy's facebook page is the only thing from the evening that I have a photo of!

I totally forgot to take out my camera last night, but basically, we sat outside, we ate, we talked, we ate more, then we talked about how much we ate, we ate dessert, then we packed up the leftovers to eat later. It was a great, casual evening. Big thanks to the Meadows, Glovers, Jefferys, Murrays, and McMurrins for a fun night of friendship and feasting. Thanks for doing all the work, guys!

And let's not forget to express our gratitude for the real reason we celebrate this great holiday:
The END of winter. Wahoooooooo!

We made it, guys.

What's Cookin?

4 more lbs of gouda...
BTW, we did the math for homemade vs store bought gouda and the price difference is pretty ridiculous. Plus, homemade cheese tastes pretty incredible. We'll be cuttin' the cheese up in here on Valentine's Day!

and homemade greek yogurt!

I was pretty shocked at how easy, delicious, and frugal this is. Click here for full details, but here's the basic recipe:

1) Mix 8 TBS plain store bought greek yogurt (1 single serve container) in a small bowl with 8 TBS cold milk. Set aside.

2) Heat 1 gallon of milk (1% or 2%) in a heavy bottom stock pot on the stove.
3) Remove just before it reaches 200* (begin stirring constantly once it reaches 180* to prevent scorching).

4) Set the pot in a sink that is filled halfway with cold water, and watch the temperature of the milk drop.

5) If you want to sweeten the yogurt, stir in 1/2 - 1 cup of sugar now, while the milk is still hot.

6) When the temp of the yogurt reaches 105* - 100* stir in the yogurt/milk mixture. Then, put a lid on the pot, and wrap the entire pot with a large bath towel and place it in the oven with the light on.

7) The light in the oven + the towel should keep the temp in the oven around 100*. (it helps to warm the oven for 3 or 4 min before you add the yogurt, but don't let it get over 105* or the temp could kill your yogurt cultures!
Keep the yogurt in the 100* oven for 16 hours.

8) Remove pot from oven, and strain the yogurt in a colander lined with cheese cloth in the fridge for 6-8 hours (or until desired yogurt thickness is reached.
9) Add nuts, granola, jam, fruit, chocolate, whatever, and enjoy!

10) Make more when you run out. I'm going to add vanilla beans to the next batch.

Don't forget to pat yourself on the back for saving a load of cash. The cost of one little serving of store bought Brown Cow or Fage greek yogurt is how much it costs to make 10-12 servings at home, and you can control the flavor, thickness, and amount of sweetener in it.

Worth it? YES.

7 Weeks

That, my friends, is jalapeno gouda and it was made from scratch.
Homemade cheese, from local milk, and pressed in a homemade cheese press made from locally grown maple.
Tonight, our Christmas Eve festivities included death by cheese.
It was Kasey, in the kitchen, with the cheese slicer.
I am happy to be her partner in cheese crime.

The cheese is incredible. Very mild, buttery, and only enough pepper in it to give a little flavor, but not enough to really be considered a spicy or pepper cheese. Delicious. I cannot WAIT to try the cheddar!

To quote Aaron as he stuffed his cheeks with gouda, "Finally, you have a hobby that I can enjoy! You need to make more!"

El queso es viejo y podrido. ¿Donde esta el sanitario?

$225?

Please.

1: cut.
2: drill.
3: sand.
4: file.
5: sand again.
6: oil.
and like most project that I do with Kasey, it also involved steps 7-10:
7: sing.
8: dance.
9: laugh.
10: quote Encino Man.

The finished product:

a cheese press made from local maple for <$10

The question I keep getting is, "Why?"
Answer: To make cheese! Actually, no.... The main motive here is:
To EAT cheese

and hopefully, we will. 60-90 days from now.