Homemade Soft Cheese

Making your own cheese is a lot easier than it sounds, and much cheaper than buying it pre-packaged in the grocery store.  It's also much more flavorful.  Following is a recipe for a soft cheese made from whole milk, very similar to ricotta...so much so that you can use it as a replacement in recipes.  It's also good marinated and served as an appetizer, or used as a dessert cheese.  Let's get started, hmm?

You will need a large non-reactive pot (stainless steel, enamel or porceline), one gallon of whole milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized!!), vinegar, some cheesecloth, and a candy thermometer.  Candy thermometers are very cheap, they run about $8 at your local Wal-Mart.

Hook your thermometer over your pot, and pour in the whole milk.  Heat over medium-low heat until the milk reaches 185 degrees F, stirring occasionally.  You want to heat it slowly, so that you don't scorch the milk.  This could take up to an hour.

While your milk is heating up, you can ready your cheesecloth.  Put a colander in a bowl and layer cheesecloth over it.  The fewer layers of cheesecloth you use, the dryer and more crumbly your cheese will be.  Since I am going to be using this cheese to make lasagna (yum!!) I wanted it a little softer, so I used 6 layers of cheesecloth.

When your milk has reached 185 degrees F, remove from heat and pour in 1/3 cup vinegar.  I used apple cider vinegar.  If you don't have vinegar, you may use 1/2 cup lemon juice.  Stir to incorporate, and then let the milk sit undisturbed for 5-8 minutes.  It will start to curdle right away, it's really kind of neat to watch.

Using a slotted spoon or a small strainer, transfer the curds into your colander with the cheesecloth.  I always start with a slotted spoon, but then find a small strainer so much easier to use!  You think I would have learned by now.

Tie up the cheesecloth, then hang by a wooden spoon over your pot to drain.  Let it drain for about 5-10 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency.

When it's done you can salt it a little (use NON-iodized salt).  If you're going to be using it for desserts use very little salt or none at all.  You can press it into a mold, or not.  Put it into a covered container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.  This recipe makes about 1 pound.

TIP:  The whey that is left over from making this cheese (all that liquid stuff that drains out and is left in your pot) has a lot of uses!  You can use it in cooking (broths or cooking liquid), and it's great nourishment for plants.

Easter Egg Cake Pops

I love to bake.  I probably do some sort of baking at least once a week, usually in the form of a cupcake.  Yum!  I have been wanting to try making cake pops for awhile now, and with Easter right around the corner what better to try to make than easter egg cake pops?

What you need:

Cake mix (I chose to use carrot cake)

Frosting (cream cheese, yummy!!)

Candy melts

Lollipop sticks

Edible ink markers

Styrofoam block (not pictured)

First things first, bake your cake and let it cool!  This doesn't take long if you pop it in the freezer.  I chose to let it set in my fridge for two days.  Please, don't be like me.

Next you want to break it up into a big bowl.

Add in your frosting.  You may not need the entire can...start with half and then add more if you need to.  I chose to dump the entire can in and ended up having to run to the store, buy another box of cake mix, and bake another cake to add to what I had mixed up already.  Again, don't be like me.

Mix well.

Shape into balls, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  They don't have to be perfect as you are going to re-shape them later on.

Next, melt the candy melts according to the package directions.  Pretend that it's white in this picture.

Then dip your lollipop sticks in the melted candy, and stick them into your balls slightly less than halfway.

Pop them into your freezer until they set.  This will take longer than you think it will.  You want them to be firm, but not frozen.  When they are ready, take them out and shape the balls to resemble Easter eggs.

Dip them into your melted candy (you may need to reheat it a little bit if it's gotten thicker).  Dip them straight down, rock them a little bit to cover, then pull straight up.  Tap them gently while twisting to allow the extra candy coating to drip off.  Most of ours had extra coating since we were too anxious to let it all drip off.

Stick them in your styrofoam block to dry.  Aren't they pretty?  See all that extra candy coating dripping off of them?  Yeah - you don't want that.

When they're dry, go to town!  Color them with your edible ink markers.  For some reason our markers were not working very well, so we ended up dipping q-tips into food coloring and painting them that way.  It worked so much better!

The point is to get creative!  Dip them in sprinkles or drizzle melted chocolate over them.  Whatever you decide to do have fun and enjoy yourself!