My try at Homemade Cheese - Mozzarella, Ricotta, gjetost...

Ther is nothing better than fresh cheese.  It's moist, warm and delicious.  And it's not very hard to do.  A few ingrediates...some time and there you have it!  And from 1 gallon of whole milk, you can make 3 unique cheeses..

Complete directions and pictures to be posted soon!

1. Set 1 gallon of milk on counter and let it reach 50°
2. Disolve 1 rennet table into 1/4 filtered water (you do not want cholorine in the water!)
3. Disolve 1 tsp of citric acid into 1/4 filtered water (you do not want cholorine in the water!)
4. 
   

my cheese came oue very soft and creamy, almost the texture of a brie....but it was very good. I'll try again and see if it comes out more like Mozzarella... 

Flavoring with Roses.....

Roses are beautiful...and smell great.

It's time to use them to up flavor profiles.  I can't wait to taste the infusions, and they sure are pretty while resting...The lovely jars are IKEA.  You can use any small jar you have on hand.

Honey, White Vinegar, Gin

Select tight, moist, non-wilted roses..

Aren't these Flowers from my boyfriend lovely...
The roses are from Whole Foods.

Clip close to the head of the flower

Give the roses a bath in running water to wash an impurities off

Pat dry with a clean paper towel and let air dry for 15 mins to get rid of any extra moisture.

I set mine under a ceiling fan, to help dry them

Drop a single bud into a small vase. I used 3 roses and 3 different liquids, you can do all three, or the ones you have on hand

They are going to be beautiful...

Pour in you liquids slowly...give them a gentle swirl 

Honey

White Vinegar

Gin

Make sure the roses are submerged

If you use honey or another thick liquid, make sure it gets underneath the rose

Bottom of Honey jar

Let sit for at least a week, give them a gentle swirl everyday.  I put the honey on the sunny back porch to warm it up a little and let the honey work it's magic...

The liquids will be fine indoors, but to help the honey get into the rose, I put the honey on the porch to warm it up

Resting 

honey

They sure are beautiful...I may never try and use them in cooking... :)

S'mores - All grown up!

These are best with Homemade Lavender-Vanilla Marshmallows...

Ginger Cookies.  I used IKEA cookies..

Add caption

Variations

Used Honey in place of Chocolate Sauce

You can't believe how wonderful the honey tasted with the Lavender Marshmallows...

Homemade Lavender-Vanilla Marshmallows

If you've never had homemade marshmallows.....you are missing out.  Those jet-puffed perfectly uniformed sized things, are fine.  For kids or cooking outside on the fire for the classic s'mores.  But truly homemade marshmallows have the texture of clouds and the lightness never found in a bag...Use these for 'grown up' versions of s'mores....

Ingredients

3 envelops of plain unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup water

2 TB dried lavender

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup light corn syrup

1 Cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Powdered sugar

Non- Stick spray

Mix lavender into 1 cup of corn syrup.  Let rest for 48 hours  

Place. lavender corn syrup, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of corn syrup and dash of sea salt into pot.  Cook on med heat till almost comes to a boil.  Take off heat and let cool to room temp.  

Sprinkler the gelatin over the 1/2 cup water in the bowl of  a standing mixer.  Then strain out the lavender back into the pot, and place back over med high heat.

Attach a candy thermometer to pot and boil to soft-ball stage, 240°, roughly 8 to 10 minutes, keep checking the sugar, you don't want to over cook it, it will change the marshmallow into something different, but still good...

Plum Infused Vodka - Step 1

The entire process will be listed here, when complete...

Step 1

Note:  There are 3 steps to this process.  Step 1 will take a few minutes to prepare and 6 weeks to sit.  Step 2 will take a few minutes to prepare and 6 weeks to sit and Step 3 will take a few minutes to prepare and 6 months to sit....be patient!

I don't know how other people get inspired and cook and create meals and spirits and concoctions... but I look up several or a dozen or so recipes.  Either online or in actual books and use the best points of each to make mine.  Now this doesn't usually work for baking and such...so be careful and research well..

For the plum vodka, this is what I thought sounded best..

3 750ml bottle of 100+ proof vodka

approx 2 1/4 pounds of washed plums

down the road you'll need some sugar, but not right now...


Step 1:

wash the plums

Place the plums into a large (approx 1 gallon) airtight container and pour in the vodka

 

plums swimming the vodka

 Make sure to date the container you put the mixture in.....just in case you forget or you do more than one at a time, so you can keep track.

place the jar in box, to keep the light out...

 store in a cool, dark place...off to the basement, mine goes...

set up a reminder, either in a smart phone, or a regular calendar...for 6 weeks ... in 6 weeks, you'll check on the mixture...you'll need 3 cups of sugar another large airtight container...cheers!

Sage-Infused Butter

Beautiful Sage-Flavored butter..

2 Cups Snowville Cream

1 Small bunch fresh sage leaves

Sea Salt to taste

Left sage soak in cream for 48 hours in the fridge.  

Strain Sage leaves from cream.  (see note)

Place in food processor and let run for about 5 minutes, or until buttermilk separates from butter solids.

Takes about 5 minutes or so...you'll know you are getting close, then the processor sounds begin to deepen.Stop the processor, take a small taste...if it tastes like fresh butter it's done..if it's still a bit milky..run it for a bit longer.

Place butter in coffee-filter lined strainer.  Let sit in fridge overnight.

Reserve sage-buttermilk and use in other recipes.  it would make a great soak for fried green tomatos or chicken fingers, before dipping in breadcrumbs.

Very light and flavorable.

Note:  Use cream soaked sage in a Lamb's Quarter Quiche.

Other Pictures....