eggs

Say Cheese!

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Or make cheese!

A few weeks ago I became enamored with the idea of making my own mozzarella.  I’ve read recipe after recipe but have yet to buy the rennet and find the right time.  It’s not all that complicated (so they say) but is a little time intensive.  I will make mozzarella soon but I decided to start with something quick and simple, a beginner cheese if you will.

This cheese is super simple, quick, and tasty.

I heated a half-gallon of milk to 180*, added two tablespoons of white distilled vinegar (I tasted no residual vinegar flavor when all was said and done), turned off the heat, and stirred up the curds and whey.

Man, someone should have told Ms. Muffit to strain that sh** into cheese!

I poured the mix through a clean cloth napkin lined strained, reserving the whey for another use.

Once the curds were well strained, I was left with a ball of ricotta-like cheese weighing just over half a pound.   The cheese ball went into a bowl and mixed with salt, smoked paprika, and fresh ground black pepper.

[My dear husband was supposed to be shooting pictures of this part but when I looked at the shots they were all of my smiling face and not cheese-centric.   I guess I should be clearer with my directions and pleased that he found me a more worthy subject than the dairy. 🙂 )

The cheese was delicious on tostadas Wednesday night

And on my Egg In The Basket breakfast this morning

Man, this was a good breakfast.  Tate and I stopped by Matt+Kath‘s new Great Harvest bakery at the end of our run yesterday and snagged a loaf of Honey Whole Wheat from their very first batch of bread.  The slightly sweet, doughy bread was an awesome contrast to the smokey cheese and egg.

I don’t this this cheese will become a kitchen staple but I will be making it again.  It will be fun to play with fresh herbs and different flavor combos.

I’m off to go order some rennet and get my mozzarella on!

Have you ever made cheese?

Egg Sandwich

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Did you have a good weekend?

Mine was low-key.  Lots of walking, good eats, and a few projects around the ol’ homestead.

Yesterday was an egg sandwich!  Eggy breakfast and dinner sandwiching a long walk.

I finally got around to making soaked English Muffins again.   These doughy disks have been on my mind since I made them two months ago and they didn’t disappoint.

This batch featured white whole wheat instead of spelt and loads of rosemary.  I soaked the dough for about 15 hours.

I love the chewiness of the crust and the dense doughiness of the center that is an English muffin. Mmmmm.

My feet carried my 15 miles around Cville between Saturday and Sunday!  I am only 15 miles away from my goal of 100 miles of walking this month!   Honestly I didn’t think that I would make this goal but now that I am so close I am totally determined.

Anyone want to join me to commit to walking 15 miles over the next four days?  That’s only 3.75 miles a day or a little over an hour of walking at a moderate speed.  Sound like a lot?  Break it up into two or three sessions!

Matt, Kath, Tate and I walked a meandering 6 miles around town yesterday afternoon.  The best milage is with friends. 🙂 After two hours I wasn’t ready for it to end, I could have walked for another hour.

[KERF]

More eggs!  Simple Sunday supper.

Veggie-full frittata and salad.

I ♥ frittatas and this one was especially good, I think it was all of the nutmeg and veggies.

Quinoa sprouts!  Red quinoa sprouts!

These are awesome.  Sprouts add so much flavor, texture, and nutrients, love them.

Usually my craftiness revolves around the kitchen but this weekend I got crafty with the paint brush also.

Chalkboard jars!

Nearly everything in my cupboards is stored in jars and now I can keep track of whether those buckwheat groats are raw or toasted and what the nutritional stats on the oat bran are (I’ve looked that one up countless times!).

I haven’t mention Exercise TV in a while but I still use it at least a few times a week.  Yesterday I did my favorite (Exercise TV) yoga video, Yoga Fitness Plus with Elise Gulan.  This 45 minute intermediate vinyasa flow is fun and leaves me wanting for nothing (except Savasana, you have to do that on your own time).

Stay warm and make a great day!