Cheesy Fun

We make quite a few of our own dairy products, yogurt, cream cheese, ricotta and other soft cheeses, mostly.  And today, Jacob made his first batch of mozzarella cheese – all by himself (mostly). If you’re looking for a fun, easy way to get kids (or anyone!) involved with cheese making, I highly recommend New England Cheesemaking Supply’s 30 Minute Mozzarella Kit.  It’s simple and straightforward, but finding the right milk can be a bit tricky.

Each week, I get farm fresh milk for Jacob to drink, but because of its cost, I tend to look at it as liquid gold.  So, when I first began making mozzarella, I didn’t want to use it.  I went to the store and bought a gallon of plain ‘ol 2% and followed the 30 minute recipe.  It didn’t work.  I tried again with a different brand of milk.  Again, the curd that formed was too soft to make cheese.  What was wrong?  Feeling like an idiot, I wrote a letter to the company.  Someone replied kindly and quickly, and explained that the milk was to blame.

This mozzarella can be made with pasteurized milk, but not with ultra-pasteurized milk, because the protein is denatured at the high temperature; the whey proteins bind on the casein and block the site of action of the rennet.  I knew this (because I read the directions).  But, even milk not labeled as pasteurized can be processed at a temperature too high to allow cheese to be made.  That is what had been happening on my first two attempts at mozzarella.  

Now, if I’m making the mozzarella for a gift, or to be eaten fresh, I will use the fresh milk.  But, there is another option.  This 30 minute recipe can also be made with dry milk and cream.  Since I’ve seen Jacob handle the cheese curds before, and know he tends to stretch them, uh, less than gently (picture a kid squeezing the heck out of a handful of Play-doh), I let he use the dry milk method.  Yes, his cheese had the consistency of rubber (not unlike my own beginning attempts), but he was so proud of the results.  We let the mozzarella cool in the refrigerator as we made pizza crusts, then grated Jacob’s homemade cheese for the topping.  Delicious.

Here’s my pizza crust recipe:

3 cups flour (I use 2 cups whole wheat and 1 cup spelt)
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (or one packet)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 cups warm water (or, you can use the warm whey left over from the mozzarella)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the oil and 1 cup of water. Mix with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer with a dough hook (yes, I’m lazy, so that’s what I do). Add more water if necessary. When the dough is the right consistency, knead by hand or with the mixer hook. Divide in half, let rest, covered, on a floured surface for about 20 minutes. Then press into two pans and bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes (until the crust begins to brown). Remove from oven, add sauce, herbs, cheese, and any other toppings, and bake for another 10 or so minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Cooking Around the World

Thursdays are our “at home” days.  Every other afternoon we are out of the house, whether I’m teaching or Jacob is participating in the drop-in “Artful Afternoons” at the Hyde Collection.  Or play dates.  Or co-op.  Or the homeschool bowling league.  Or, or, or.

Thursdays are lazy days.  We take too long to do school.  We follow rabbit trails, play board games if we don’t feel like reading, get outside for nature study or trampoline bouncing between math and history, and mess up the kitchen with science experiments.  We breathe.  Ha ha.  I wash the floor and clean the bathrooms.  Sometimes we don’t get out of our pajamas until lunch.

Thursdays are also Jacob’s cooking days.  He chooses and prepares (with varying degrees of help) dinner for the family.  And he’s now decided that every Thursday he wants to make a meal from a different country.

Of course, being a homeschool mom, I’ve turn this into a learning opportunity.  Jacob picks the the food, then we look up the country in Operation World’s Window on the World and commit to pray for the people there throughout the week.  Jacob also finds the country on a black-and-white map, coloring it and the country’s flag, and we put these in his Worldview Notebook.

This week, Jacob chose India.  For dinner, we made Chicken Biriyani, Chana Masala (chickpeas with spinach), and Naan, of course.

Or specific prayer requests for India:

• Praise for every Indian Christain, and that God would continue to draw them closer to Him, and uphold them in the face of any persecution.
• Praise and prayers of safe-keeping for all the missionaries in India, especially Ben and Susie Thomas, who are there with Athletes in Action, and who our church support.
• That those who don’t know Jesus would read and understand the New Testaments and other literature given out each year.
• That many would hear the preaching of the Gospel through missionaries and radio programs.
• That those ministering to the poor, homeless, sick, and other “untouchables” will not just bring Spiritual help, but also meet the real, tangible physical and emotional needs of those with whom they come in contact.

 

Cookin’ Like Memory

On page 117 of Home Another Way, at Thanksgiving, Memory Jones serves Sarah chocolate cake for dessert.  It is an actual recipe, and it really is the easiest and moistest cake I’ve ever tasted.  Here’s the recipe:

Hot Water Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix flour, sugar, salt, cocoa and butter together. Add 1 cup of hot water and beat until smooth. Mix baking soda and baking powder with 1/2 cup hot water, and add to mixture, then add egg and vanilla to mixture. Beat well. The batter will be thin and soupy. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Feeding the Freezer…

I’ve decided to try Once a Month Cooking.

Yes, I’m cooking all my dinner meals for the month in one day. Today, actually. But, to be honest, I’m not making 30 meals. I’m making 20, which leaves two left-over nights. On the menu is vegetable soup, black bean sloppy Joes, rice and lentil loaf, veggie lasagna, bean enchiladas, and asparagus stir-fry, to name a few. It was a bit overwhelming planning and shopping for the month, but now, each week, I’ll only have to buy fresh produce (which I try to get at the Farmer’s Market), milk, bread (if I’m too busy – or lazy – to make it), and any incidentals we run out of during the month. Already I can see OAMC positively impacting my food budget.

How, you ask, does this have anything to do with writing?

I homeschool my 6-year-old son, which means running to the library, field trips and other local educational events and activities almost every day. And I teach two weekly writing classes, as well as a advanced-level science class at the local homeschool co-op. Basically, my mornings and most afternoons are booked. I need my evenings free to write. I’m hoping eliminating the daily necessity of cooking and cleaning up after the meal will give me more time to work on my new book (which Bethany House wants done by September 2008).

So, we’ll see how this OAMC thing goes.