Queso Fresco from Scratch!

Okay, so I can't take credit for making this, but I was an "official" taster. For Christmas Day, my husband and I decided to go "Feliz Navidad" style. I just couldn't do any more "roast and mashed potatoes." The local grocery store, a very small
Wegmans was out of Queso Fresco, so my husband made his own from his newly acquired Rick Bayless Cookbook. I was TRES IMPRESSED! And, he swears it was super easy.

Fresh Cheese - Queso Fresco Mexicano

Makes about 1 pound

Ingredients

1 gallon whole or 2% milk—preferably from a small local dairy with grassfed cows: the richer the flavor, the better the cheese
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon citric acid (aka sour salt)*
OR 1 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt (pure fine-ground sea salt works best here)
Directions
1. Culture the milk. Pour the milk into a large (at least 8-quart) pot—I typically use an 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven or a stainless steel 12-quart stock pot. Stir in the buttermilk, attach an accurate thermometer that registers temperatures as low as 75 degrees and set the pot over medium heat. When the temperature reaches 75 degrees, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let stand 3 or 4 hours.

2. Set the curd. If using citric acid, stir it into 1/4 cup cool water, continuing to stir until dissolved. Uncover the pot, set over medium heat and stir in the dissolved citric acid or the fresh lime juice. You will immediately see small curds start to form. Every couple of minutes, stir slowly, gently and thoroughly over the entire bottom of the pot until the milk reaches 195˚F—it’ll take just over 20 minutes. At this point the curds will very obviously be floating in the milky-transparent whey. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes without stirring for all the curd.

3. Drain the curd from the whey. Wet a large piece of cheesecloth and drape it into a large colander. Set the colander in the sink. Using a large slotted spoon or a fine-mesh skimmer, carefully ladle all of the curd into the colander. Gather the cheesecloth up around the curd and gently press with the back of a large spoon to expel a bit more whey. Unwrap the curd onto a plate, break it up and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Work in the salt with a spoon or your fingers.

4. Finish the cheese. Gather the cheese curds into a 1-inch-thick disk, transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. The cheese should last about 1 week in the refrigerator.

A dessert worth making! Caramel Apple Cake!

From Foodnetwork

Ingredients
For the Caramel and Apples:
•4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
•3 cups sugar
•5 tablespoons light corn syrup -- Makes a lot of caramel...did not use it all!
•1 cup heavy cream
•4 large Golden Delicious apples (1 3/4 to 2 pounds) -- I used NY Cortland

For the Batter:
•3 cups all-purpose flour
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 cup sour cream
•1/3 cup fresh orange juice
•1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•1 stick unsalted butter, softened
•1 1/2 cups sugar
•3 large eggs
Directions
Butter a 9-by-3-inch round cake pan. Make the caramel: Cook the sugar and corn syrup in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is dark amber, 7 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add the cream and 4 tablespoons butter (it will splatter) and cook, stirring, until combined, about 3 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and let sit 1 minute. Pour 1 1/2 cups caramel into a glass measuring cup and set aside. Pour the remaining caramel into the prepared pan and set aside until set, about 30 minutes.
Cut 3 apples into quarters and cut out the cores with a paring knife. Arrange the pieces skin-side down in the pan (overlapping them slightly) to form a ring about 1/2 inch from the edge. Save any pieces that do not fit for later.
Halve the remaining whole apple crosswise. Scoop out the seeds with a melon baller or measuring spoon, leaving the stem on the top half. Chop the bottom and any of the leftover quartered apples into pieces; set aside.
Arrange the apple top, stem-side down, in the center of the pan. If the quartered apples shift, just push them back into place.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, orange juice and vanilla.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Slip them into the mixer bowl, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 5 more minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula.
With the mixer on low speed, add half of the sour cream mixture, then half of the flour mixture. Repeat. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula; finish combining the batter by hand.
Spread the batter over the apples in the pan. Top with the chopped apple. Bake on the middle oven rack until the cake is brown on top and springs back when pressed, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (don't worry if the top is dark). Cool in the pan on a rack.
Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a skillet wide enough to hold the cake pan. Carefully run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan several times, then rest the pan in the water to soften the caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the water and dry.
Invert a plate on top of the cake, then flip over the cake and plate. Using pot holders or a towel, wriggle the pan off. Soften the reserved 1 1/2 cups caramel in the microwave, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the cake with some of the caramel.

It was a Clintonville Farmer's Market Feast

Compliments of my brother in law Sam and Elizabeth Telling Farm, we made some amazinging healthy and yummy stuff this weekend!

So, maybe this wasn't sooo healthy, but it was good and it did have zucchini!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup soft butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans -- not a nut person, so I skipped this
Glaze - can o frosting from store, mixed with some juiced fresh strawberries. :) Or the recipe below
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.
3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.
5 Drizzle glaze over cake.
Glaze: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Cut in thin slices to serve. Makes 10-12 servings.

As Anthony Bourdain would NOT say...YUMMO!

Crash Hot Potatoes
Love this blog site, Pioneer Woman Cooks... her pics of this recipe are very helpful.

Made these the other night, and they truly were yummo;)

Servings: 6
Ingredients
12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste ...I used parsley and rosemary.
Preparation Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Not the best, not the cheapest but the best cheapest rice cooker!

Random Thought via Jen --Anyone remember Nacho Mama's on Route 23?

I just purchased a rice cooker from Target, and I decided to go cheap and this thing rocks! If you like good rice every now and then I highly recommend this very inexpensive option.

A favorite salad with a special nut

1 bag of lettuce, I prefer butter lettuces

1 pear - peeled, cored and chopped
5 ounces blue cheese cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Emerald Pecan Pie Pecans (the key to this salad)
Your favorite balsamic salad dressing

1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Toss and Enjoy!

A few more soups to close out the winter!

Mushroom Cheddar Soup, as suggested by my wonderful friend, Marya

Bon Appétit March 1993
Yield: Serves 4
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed,

sliced 1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups canned chicken broth or veggie broth

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups packed grated sharp Tillamook cheddar cheese or other sharp cheddar cheese...I use whatever I have!

Minced fresh parsley

Cover porcini with hot water and soak 30 minutes. Drain.
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and green onions and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually mix in broth and milk. Add porcini. Bring to simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add cheese and stir just until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.