Homemade Cheese Spread (from "spoiled" milk)

Spicy Garlic Spread with Cracked Pepper

Don't you hate it when you drink only 1/2 gallon milk before the other 1/2 expires?  Next time, up to a week after that 1/2 gallon expires, you can make homemade cheese., traditionally called farmer's cheese. Thanks to the many bloggers for the basic recipe! So there must have been some creativity stirring in my brain today...here is recipe #2:

Homemade Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon expired milk

1/4 cup and 1 tbsp vinegar

2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Whole-Ingredient Mix Ins (add before heating milk; optional):

1/2 tbsp crushed pepper (like leftovers from takeout pizza)

2-3 peppers, diced

1/2 onion, diced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

or any other finely diced fresh spices

Ground Mix Ins (add after straining; optional)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp Basil

1 tsp black pepper

Any other ground spices

1. Pour milk into dutch oven or large pot. (Add any whole-ingredient mix-ins.)
2. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
3. Bring to about 200*.  For those of us who don't use themometers, but go for the feel of things, bring to the point just before boiling (one bubble blops on top).
4. Remove from heat and slowly mix in vinegar.
5. Let cool to room temperature (or whatever temperature you can handle).
6. Set a strainer in the sink.  In the strainer, place a fine cloth (cheese cloth, clean handkercheif, or scarf that is large enough to cover strainer).
7. Pour milk mixture (also known as Ms. Muppet's curds and whey) in cloth.
8. Gather up corners of cloth above strainer.  Starting from the top, twist the cloth in order to cause the extra liquid (whey) to strain out.  The curds will remain and form a ball as you squeeze.  After the majority of the whey is removed, untwist the cloth and lay the cloth with the curds back into the strainer.
9. Run warm water over curds and mix with spoon (curds and water are still in cloth and strainer).  This will remove any lingering vinegar taste.  Twist the cloth again as in step 8.
10. Repeat step 9 to remove the last of vinegar. Twist the cloth once again.
11. Untwist the cloth and lay cloth with cheese in strainer.  Mix in salt and any additional spices with spoon.
12. For the final time, gather corners of cloth and twist in order to form a ball with the cheese spread.  You may also form a cylender or cube with the cheese at this time.
13. Place the cheese on small plate tightly covered in Saran Wrap.  Store in the refridgerator.  Serve chilled with crackers or use in a recipe.

Today I combined salt, crushed pepper, garlic powder, no-salt seasoning, and black pepper for a spicy garlic spread... Yum!  It is recommended that you add additional seasonings; otherwise the cheese is just a creamy bland taste like plain yogurt.

Homemade Granola

Here is a recipe (like most of my recipes) for you cooks that "feel" your way through instead of "measure" your way through a recipe.  As you can see, most of the ingredients you will have on hand, and more than half are optional to your liking.

Homemade Granola



Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (optional)
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup cocoa (optional)

1 cup wheat germ (optional)
8 cups oatmeal

1. Preheat oven to 325*
2. Spray 2 cookie sheets or jelly-roll pans with cooking spray.
3. Mix first 8 ingredients (water through cocoa) in a large dutch oven or large pot.
4. Place over low-medium heat on stovetop, stir constantly.
5. Bring to slow boil. Boil for one minute.  Remove from heat.
6. Stir in wheat germ until mixed thoroughly.
7. Stir in oatmeal until all oatmeal is sticky and coated with sugar mixture.
8. Crumble oatmeal mixture in an even layer on cookie sheets.
9. Cook at 325* for 20-30 minutes or until toasty brown, stirring every 10 minutes. 
10. Cool. (Mixture will harden and crip while cooling.)
11. Stir in any extras at this time (1 cup of chocolate chips, berries,  nuts, or raisins).
12. Enjoy as snack or for breakfast over milk or yogurt.