Cottage Cheese...I like mine un-creamy

Yes, I have embarked on another cheesy adventure! When Natashya suggested we make Cottage Cheese this month, I was a little bit hesitant. I actually don't really like cottage cheese. I know, I know. "Don't like" and "cheese" in the same sentence spoken by me is almost taboo! There's always just been something about it that I had a hard time stomaching. I don't know if it was the texture or the flavor, or what...it just was. But after thinking on it for a few minutes, I knew that we should definitely make Cottage Cheese. I mean...it's good to step out of your comfort zone and try things in a different way, right!? You may recall that I started another blog devoted just to my (and yours...hint hint) cheese making. It's called forging fromage and we're going to pick a different cheese to make every month (or so). Yes, I decided that my love affair with cheese should be aired out for the world to potentially see. I am putting out a call for other closet cheese lovers...or those others already out of the closet. Please join us! You don't have to participate every month...just follow along and hopefully learn something new or work up the courage to make your own cheese at home. And if you have any bit of knowledge to offer or just something cheesy or cheese-related, please let me know...I'd love to fill the pages with guest posts! Just recently, the Accidental Farmer dropped by and wrote this post about her experiences making Cottage Cheese. You can use her recipe...or the one I'm about to show you...or any other one you choose! Get cheesy with us. You know want to. Okay, you know I want you to. Back to Cottage Cheese...did you know that Cottaging is actually just a process? A way of making cheese! Cottage cheese is another fresh cheese...usually found in small or large curd. It is said that the term "Cottage" originated started with the simple cheese that was made in...get ready for it...cottages. They used any milk left over after making butter. Go figure. "It is drained, but not pressed so some whey remains and the individual curds remain loose. The curd is usually washed to remove acidity giving sweet curd cheese. It is not aged or colored. Different styles of cottage cheese are made from milks with different fat levels and in small curd or large curd preparations."* To my very pleasant surprise I loved the homemade cottage cheese. Probably because it has basically the same flavor profile as Queso Blanco! As a matter of fact, if you press it, that's what you'll get...a "pot" cheese! Cool, huh. Large Curd Cottage Cheese from The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley 1 gallon milk...whole, low-fat or nonfat 1/4 tsp. liquid rennet 2 Tbs. water 1/4 c. cultured buttermilk 1-2 tsp. salt I used Sel Gris Sea Salt Pour the milk into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat over low heat to 95 degrees F. Dissolve the rennet in the water in a small cup. Stir the dissolved rennet into the milk for 30 seconds. Stir in the buttermilk. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour... ...or until solid curds form. Cut curds into 1-inch pieces.Heat the curds with the whey over low heat to 110 degrees F, stirring gently to bring curds from the bottom to the top (stir for the first 5 minutes, then every 5 minutes). It will take about 30 minutes for the curds to reach 110 ...or so she says. Seriously, it took me less than 10 over the lowest heat! Pour or ladle the curds into a colander lined with a double layer of butter muslin I used a fourple...or is it quadruple...layer of cheesecloth. Let the whey drain ~5 minutes, then gather together the edges of the muslin and rinse the cheese under cold water, squeezing while rinsing.Squeeze the cheese dry, then transfer to a medium bowl and add 1-2 tsp of salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use or up to 2 days.Or, if you are one of those people who actually like what you've come to expect of Cottage Cheese...i.e. creaminess... simply stir in a little heavy cream or half & half just before serving. You can eat or use this cottage cheese as you would any store-bought cottage cheese...but the flavor is miles better! I like to eat it directly from a spoon. Have I persuaded you to try making cheese at home yet??? Give it a try...post the results on your blog...succeed or fail...and then head over to forging fromage to join our cheesy escapades! *source: answers.com I also want to give a huge thanks to Emily of Marvelous Recipes for passing Neno's Award on to me!! If you're on the look-out for awesome family friendly dishes...head on over and pay Emily a visit...you won't be disappointed!

I'm faking it hosting Presto Pasta Nights #136 this week!

This week, I have the pleasure of hosting Presto Pasta Nights (the brainchild of Ruth from Once Upon a Feast)! I am very excited, as this is my first time hosting this delicious, weekly event...and, it's week #136 already...can you believe that!? Is there anybody out there who hasn't yet participated? Well, what are you waiting for? Did you make pasta in any size, shape or form recently...or do you plan to? Perfect! We enjoy all pasta equally...no prejudice here...you make it, we take it. What do you do once you've created that beautiful pasta dish, you ask? I can answer that...simply: ~create a dish using pasta or noodles ~post about it on your blog anytime from now until midnight on October 22 , being sure to link back to this post and Presto Pasta Nights. ~Once you’ve posted your dish, send an email to girlichef (at) yahoo (dot) com and cc: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by October 22 (midnight, Eastern time) with the following information: your name, blog name, link to SPECIFIC PPN post and attach a picture (jpg or gif, please). Most importantly...be creative and have fun! Bring on the comfort food :D In the spirit of simplicity...it's been a long, hard week if you recall...I decided to fake it (not bake it)! Fake it, Don't Make it Lasagna slightly adapted from a recipe from Martha at Menagerie (seriously, this recipe is so versatile)yield: ~6 svgs. ~ 4 c. your favorite pasta sauce (homemade, jarred, canned) 1 bag frozen Ravioli (cheese, meat, veg), thawed or frozen...either will work 1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (~12 oz), thawed and squeezed dry ~3 c. shredded mozzarella freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 350° F. Spoon about a third of your sauce over the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Cover with a single layer of ravioli. Top with half of the spinach and a third of the mozzarella. Repeat, ending with mozzarella and grating enough fresh Parm over the top to satisfy your cheesy urges. Cover with foil that has been sprayed on the bottom (to keep the cheese from sticking) and bake for ~25 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, ~10 more minutes. Go ahead and dish it up as you would dish up traditional lasagna!! A simple, delicious and quick substitute when you're running short on time...or feeling less than up-to making a "regular" lasagna. Comfort food by any name... Don't forget to email me your PPN#136 entries by Thursday October 22 (at midnight, Eastern time)...so that I can post the round-up on Friday October 23rd!

Cheesy Garlic Bread for World Bread Day!

Today is World Bread Day!! My plan was to conquer my yeast-fear and bake up a beautiful loaf of warm, yeasty bread...or die trying. I was going to show it off...smile for the paparazzo. I was going to put it in a sling around my body and parade it around the neighborhood...why yes! Yes, I did bake this sweet little thing from scratch, thank you for asking. Autograph!? But alas, I was foiled by that run of sickness that is still refusing to remove itself entirely from our house. I promise, it's not just another cop-out. I am going to bake yeast bread, and I'm going to do it soon. Fortunately, actually baking bread is not a requirement for celebrating World Bread Day...sure, it would have been nice, but instead...I can just celebrate a glorious loaf baked by some other skilled baker. BUT, I did doll it up a little...adapting it a bit from a recipe by Mary from Deep South Dish. Cheesy Garlic Bread slightly adapted from this recipe at Deep South Dish 1 loaf of French bread Fresh Mozzarella balls, sliced although next time, I'll shred it ~3 Tbs. butter, softened to room temperature ~2 cloves garlic, minced fine ~2 Tbs. parsley, chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut slits in bread, diagonally across top, stopping with ~1/2" of bread left. Shove the mozzarella in the slits; go ahead...pack it in (Mary also suggests using white American...which I bet would be amazing). I think next time I'll use shredded mozzarella, because my fresh didn't get as melty, gooey as I would have liked. Mix the softened butter, garlic and parsley together. Smear the outsides of the loaf with the mixture, tucking some inside the slits as well. Wrap the whole loaf tightly in foil and bake ~15 minutes, or until cheese is nice and melted. Open the foil, but leave the loaf on top and put it back into the oven for another 10 minutes or so to crisp up the outsides and brown the butter a bit, if you wish. I wished. Slice the rest of the way through the bread and try to share. It's a big loaf. It's not to late to bake a quick loaf...it can be a yeast bread or a quick bread...or hit up your favorite bakery or baker and share it with everybody for World Bread Day!

Which foods do you crave at MIDNIGHT?

I want to say thanks to everyone for all of the amazing get-well wishes!! They made me feel all warm and fuzzy...and did help me feel better...if only for a few seconds at a time :) I did get plenty of virtual soup...and I virtually slurped it all up...but here in the flesh, it was warm water with lemon, B&B and a whole head of roasted garlic (in one sitting...is it any wonder that most of those boogies skedaddled?) that kick started my war on germs. We're all still wrestling with it a bit, but overall the icky's seem to be on their way out...if begrudgingly. So, imagine you've been under the weather for a few days and not necessarily getting any food cravings and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to taste the food anyway. It's closing in on midnight...the house is silent, aside from some gentle snoring and night-time wall kicking from a tossing, turning child...and your tummy starts to growl. You don't want to hit that creaky floorboard, so you zigzag-ily hop your way into the kitchen. The lights will definitely wake that light-sleeper known as middle child...who will surely take it as a sign that it is time to get up and get ready for school. So, you light a candle, grab some bread and peanut butter from the pantry and a banana from the bowl on the counter. As luck would have it, the cast iron skillet is sitting on the stove top. You spy the butter dish... Elvis Presley's Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson 1 small, ripe banana 2 slices white bread 2 scant Tbs. creamy Peanut Butter 2 Tbs. butter Smash up your banana. Lightly toast your bread and then spread the peanut butter on one slice and the banana on the other. Sandwich together. Fry in butter...turning once, until each side is golden brown. Cut sandwich carefully in half on the diagonal and eat. ...now blow out that candle and zigzag your way back to bed! Do you have any Midnight Sneaks...perhaps made from a recipe by Nigella? Because that is our them over at IHCC this week, and we'd love for you to join us!

*Something else that made me feel better was having a post featured over at Foodshots! Just click to check it out!

I may be sick...but you still need Pumpkin Bread!

Well, it's official. My oldest missed two days of school this week...followed in quick succession by my youngest (they share a room and apparently a germy hotbed). I quickly medicated, as did mexi...we've been semi-successfully dancing around the mess. Middle child awoke early this morning...it hit her head-on. And now, as I sit here with tears and mucus threatening at their respective escape holes...I have no motivation to think. Sheets and blankets are being stripped of germs in a hot, hot water cycle...windows are open trying to let in fresh air (but is this a good idea...the cold, the warm, the cold, the warm....is this where it all started in the first place?)...and nothing else seems important. I just want to veg. Do absolutely nothing. I want somebody else to make me hot soup. Yes, it's official...I'm sick. So, here's a delicious Autumn quick bread for your viewing pleasure...until I'm back up and cooking...Girlichef's Pumpkin Bread yield: 1 loaf 1 1/2 c. AP flour (or 1/2 AP, 1/2 WW) 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. sea salt (don't leave out the salt...it's important...it enhances the flavors) 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground ginger few fresh grates of nutmeg 2 XL eggs 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1/2 c. Buckwheat Honey (or regular) 1 c. Pumpkin Puree 1/2 c. oil ~1/2 c. pecans, chopped, whole, pieces...however you want 'em Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat together all remaining ingredients, except pecans. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. At this point, fold in your pecans and pour into a foil-lined loaf pan OR pour the batter into the foil lined pan... ...and sprinkle the pecans over the top (easier to appease the non-nut lovers...they can just pick them off). Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes...or until it passes the toothpick test.Don't over bake it...it's so moist and delicious and reminiscent of pumpkin pie. And addicting. Seriously addicting. This was my Simple Saturday post and I decided I may as well make the most of it and share as much as I could... I also wanted to give a big shout-out to Janie from Mother Moon's Message for passing me this Triple Award!! Thank you so much...how cool is that!? I'm honored that you thought of me :) Janie has 3 blogs and I enjoy each of them immensely!

How to Break Down a Whole Chicken + One-Pan Onion Chicken and Sausage

One-Pot-Wonder. Isn't that a fabulous phrase?

Anything that can save me from doing more dishes is music to my ears. I am a master at dirtying dishes, utensils, pots & pans, gadgets...you name it! But the groan that's issued after a dish is cooking and I take a moment to catch my breath and survey the room...well, that's monumental. So, every once in a while...I enjoy making a one-pot-meal.

Which brings me to this weeks theme at IHCC, that being One Pot Wonders (and currently focusing on Nigella Lawson recipes). This dish calls for a whole chicken, cut into tenths. This caused me to wonder how many people actually break down a whole chicken to get their parts. Remember when I told you how I like to keep up my butchering skills? It applies to a little ol' chicken as well as a cut of beef! I found a gorgeous chicken at the Farmer's Market and when I was talking to the farmer, she asked me if I'd like it whole or broken down. Whole, please! But...how many people would say broken down? And why would they say it....because it saves time to buy it already broken down? Because they wouldn't have a clue where to even begin breaking it down? Because they don't own a good knife? Because they don't own poultry shears? Because they didn't know chickens actually came whole in the first place? (By the way...if not owning a good knife was your answer...you must go out and find one right away!!! It is the one essential tool of a chef/cook. I adore and protect my knives as if they were my children.)

Give me an S! Give me an O! Give me a U! Give me a P! What does that spell....

I am a total soup cheerleader. It's true. I like soup all year round. Although, there is just something about a bowl of steamy, hot soup on a chilly day. You know, that something that warms you to the bone; warms you from the inside, out. Cup your hands around the bowl to warm them up...breathe in that healing scent...feel the warmth on your tongue knowing it will soon be whooshing down into your waiting belly. Ah. Medicine. Good medicine. Orecchiette, Sausage & White Bean Soup

1 Tbs. Olive Oil
~1/4 lb. fresh, Italian Sausage, cut into slices on the bias 
2 medium red onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Fire-Roasted, diced tomatoes w/ their juices
1 can (15.5 oz) white beans
few sprigs of each Rosemary, Thyme & Parsley
2 qt. Chicken Stock or broth
~2 c. dry Orecchiette Pasta
Black Pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Balsamic Vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large pot and add your sliced sausage (hint...fresh sausage is easier to slice if it is slightly frozen...stick it in the freezer for an hour or 2 before you're ready to slice). Brown the sausage well on both sides. Add chopped red onion and cook, stirring occasionally for a couple of minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute or so. Pour in the can of tomatoes. Let the mixture cook down for a few minutes, until slightly thickened. Add beans (I use the liquid, too), herbs and stock. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Measure out the orecchiette (or other small pasta of your choosing). Once soup has simmered for 10 minutes or so, add in the pasta. Cook ~10 minutes more or until pasta is just al dente. Remember, pasta drinks up your liquid, so you may want to have a bit extra stock, or even just water, on hand. Season with black pepper. You probably will not need soup because of your sausage and stock/broth. But taste it just to make sure and add some if you think it needs it. Ladle into serving bowls and crack a little more fresh black pepper on top. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley. Drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar on and grate some Parmesan over the top. Dip in spoon, lift to mouth, commence warming.I am sending this bowl of comfort over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper (soup, salad, sammie) Sundays and to Joanne of Eats Well with Others who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights #134 this week! I also want to give a big thanks to Diana from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa for giving me this Tasty! award. Thanks so much Diana....you are super-tasty yourself. If you don't know Diana, go check out her fabulous, locavore blog...you won't be disappointed!

I was also given the Kreativ Blogger award by Bella from Wanderings of a Wondering Mind...thank you so much for thinking of me, Bella!! Since I've posted some tidbits about myself fairly recently, I won't put you through it again, but if you didn't see them before and want to know some more about me...click HERE.

What do you like in your oatmeal?

I know I've told you about the madhouse that is my life now that College Football is in full swing...and because of that, I find the days just speeding by and keep thinking I'm not going to get everything done that needs being done! About a month ago, the gals over at The KrAzY KiTcHeN asked me if I'd like to be a part of their weekly (foodie) meme exploits. If you know me, you know I have a hard time saying no. So, I said yes. Apparently I like that feeling of utter insanity. KrAzY KiTcHeN is host to a different meme each day... ~Simple Saturdays are hosted by yours truly ~Simply Delicious Sundays (& Kitchen Wishes) are hosted by Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy ~Monday Munchies are hosted by Martha of Menagerie ~Tuesdays Cultural Connections are hosted by Pacey ~Wednesday is Save room for Dessert hosted by Joy from Joy of Desserts ~Thursdays Soup, Salad, Casseroles & More is currently between hosts ~Friday's What did you Bake Today? is hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker You play along with a meme by linking up a post on your blog (via a linky-thingy) at the end of each post. You don't have to email anybody any information or pictures, simply add your name (w/ name of what you made, if you wish) and the permalink to a specific post and that is it! For example, if you visit me there on a Simple Saturday to see what I've shared and then think Hey, I made a simple recipe this week, just add a link and other people who come to find a simple meal can easily find there way to your site! And a link to where you can be found on your website is always appreciated. Today, I'll be talking about this Chocolate Oatmeal.... ...won't you come pay me a visit...and link up a simple recipe? See...I totally related this post back to its title. Basically. Simply click HERE to visit me at the KrAzY KiTcHeN and see what went in to this decadent bowl of oats (...and share a recipe or two while you're there)!

Chocolate Oatmeal yield ~2-4 svgs. adapted from a recipe by MonsterMama 1 1/2 c. Rolled Oats 1/4 c. Vanilla Sugar 1/4 c. Cocoa Powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark) 1 3/4 c. water couple pinches Espresso Brava Sea Salt ~1/2 c. milk Bring water to a boil. Stir in vanilla sugar and cocoa until dissolved. Add oats and sea salt and lower heat to a gentle simmer until the oats are tender, ~5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in milk. Serve with extra milk, vanilla sugar and Espresso Brava Sea Salt for garnish, if wanted.

*Warning...this is not for the weak...it is uber-rich!