• Fresh Ricotta in Five Minutes or Less

    Why buy Ricotta when you can make it penny’s to the dollar!

     Ingredients:
    2 cups whole milk
    1/4 teaspoon table salt
    2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar or lemon juice

     

    1. Line colander with four layers of cheesecloth or 2 layers of food-safe paper towels and set over large bowl. Combine milk, salt, and vinegar or lemon juice in microwave-safe glass 1-quart liquid measure. Microwave on high heat until lightly bubbling around edges, 2 to 4 minutes (milk should register about 165°F on an instant-read thermometer). Remove from microwave, and stir gently for 5 seconds. Milk should separate into solid white curds and translucent liquid whey. If not, microwave for 30 seconds longer. Repeat until fully separated.

    2. Using slotted spoon or wire skimmer, transfer curds to prepared colander, cover exposed top with plastic wrap, and allow to drain until desired texture is reached. Store in covered container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

  • Homemade Crème Fraiche

    Homemade Crème Fraiche (pronounced crim fresh) is so easy to make! It’s a French term for fresh cream and is very versatile.

    Ingredients:

    1 pint heavy whipping cream

    3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk.

    Combine I pint of heavy whipping cream and 3 tbs of buttermilk. Cover with cheese cloth (to allow breathing of mixture to culture) and let stand at room temp for up to 24 hours or until thickened. Use as baked potato topping, on spicy hot foods or deserts. The longer it sits at room temp the sour and thicker it gets and the flavor improves dramatically. You can keep this in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  Feel free to experiment with different flavors by adding a little touch of different spices such as mustard seed, celery seed, pumpkin spice if you’re serving on a pumpkin pie, etc. You can also serve it on fresh strawberries and soups. Enjoy!

    Homemade Crème Fraiche

  • 7 stitches? Smokey got himself into a tizzie!

    Well, it starts out with a tiny little hole from a fight with brother Oreo! Smokey digs it out to a large hole in his throat. 7 stitches later and 10 days of trying to keep Smokey from breaking his stitches is gonna be no easy task… more l8rz