Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Good evening friends!  Hoping this finds you all doing well and enjoying your evening!!

This cheese making thing, is getting a little out of control.  First hubs and I made mozzarella cheese, we have made it several times.  He has been on me about making ricotta cheese forever.  He LOVES ricotta cheese.  Not my favorite, but I get that he enjoys it.... immensely. 

I wish I had 1.00 for every single time I put him off about this.  I used every excuse in the book, from "it will be to hard" to "why can't we just buy it in the store" to "NO, I am NOT making ricotta".  Well finally he was done taking no for an answer.  I mean, he is a HUSBAND, shouldn't he be able to take NO for an answer? :)  Anyway, I gave in.  We looked up all kinds of recipes and techniques.  I can't believe the variance from super easy recipes to super involved recipes.  We ended up going with a recipe from epicurious.com for our first ever ricotta cheese making adventure.  It was easy, took no special equipment, other than needing to pick up some cheesecloth we were ready to go.

I will tell you in advance, this cheese was SO incredibly delicious, I will likely never buy it in the store again.  Not only was it delicious, but I knew exactly all 4 things that went in it!  How can you argue with that?!?

You will need:
1 large pot
cheesecloth
colander
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 gallon whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
6 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice.  (do NOT use the stuff in a bottle)

Place cheese cloth into the colander and set in the sink.  Make sure you cut the cheese cloth bigger than you need so it stays put and cover the entire colander

In a large pot, add in milk, cream, and salt.  Bring slowly to a rolling boil.  This might take a bit!  Be patient. 

When it is at a rolling boil, add in the lemon juice and turn off the burner.  Let it sit for approx. 2-3 minutes.  You will see it curdling immediately.

When you think it is curdled as it should be, pour into cheese cloth lined colander and let drain. 

The longer you let it sit and drain the dryer your ricotta will be. 

This yields 1 qt of ricotta.  (at least it did for us).  Refrigerate at least 4-6 hours.  Let it cool completely and then use however you choose.  Use it savory, use it sweet, the options are endless.  This is the best thing goin' and I can't WAIT to make it again and again!  Funny how things change, eh?

Your "admittedly likes making ricotta" Chefwannabe

Easy Shrimp Scampi (No Alcohol)

I always hate it when I watch YouTube videos and they use the phrase, "highly requested".  Seriously if everything has been so highly requested for years, why are you  just making it now?  OK, annoyed comment, over. 

I have had a few requests.  Namely, shrimp scampi with no alcohol.  Many people don't drink it, don't like it, etc.  Yes, I say the alcohol all cooks off, but for someone who doesn't like it, it doesn't matter. he flavor is concentrated so it is even stronger.   I admittedly don't like alcohol in most of my dishes.  I have a couple I can't do without on but, for the most part, I don't use it a ton.  My husband doesn't groove on it and I am finding more and more people who don't.  So regardless of your reasons, here is an easy recipe, alcohol free, that my husband thinks is the cat's meow.  Well, so to speak.

This is so easy it is ALMOST embarrassing.  I serve this normally over some angel hair pasta, but this day, my husband wanted it plain.  You can serve it with rice as well.  Just PLEASE don't forget some crusty bread too!  Buy your shrimp however you choose, but they need to be peeled and in my opinion, deveined.  Mine were shell on, but they were deveined, so all I had to do was peel them.  Your seafood counter at your store, will likely have several options for you.  You can use fresh or frozen, just let them thaw if they are frozen, in cold water.

I don't normally let my garlic and butter simmer for so long, but in this dish, for me, it is imperative. 

Here is what you will need:

1/2 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
3 tbsp. butter
1 heaping tbsp. FINELY MINCED garlic

That is it.  Seriously.  I don't even salt and pepper.  In a COLD medium skillet, one your shrimp will cook nicely in, add in butter and garlic.  Turn your burner to medium-low and let the garlic and butter come up to heat together.  DO NOT turn it to high, just let it lovingly dance together in the pan, for a good 5-7 minutes.  LOW and SLOW.  This is what gets the garlic good and infused in your butter and turns your butter 50 shades of sweet and delicious!  After that time has passed, turn to medium heat and add shrimp.  You can increase the temp of the skillet if needed, a LITTLE if you need too.  Cook until shrimp are pink on one side and flip them over.  This will take maybe 1 to 2 min per side depending on their size.

Serve over some hot pasta (I prefer angel hair) with some crusty bread!

PS.  If you WANT to use white wine, add it just as the shrimp are halfway done.  1/4 cup will do ya. 

Your "do NOT burn the garlic or you need to trash the whole thing" Chefwannabe

English Muffin Bread

Yes, you read it right.  This bread is the bomb.  Here is how I found out about this bread.  I was perusing the bread store a few months ago and they were out of the bread I wanted.  I came across this bread that looked like it might work, didn't even look at the name of it when I bought it.  I got home and when I took it out of the bag, I wondered what in the heck I bought that for, and then realized it was the bread I picked up in place of my regular bread.  I toasted some up, slapped on a little butter and topped it with a poached egg.

I
Can
NEVER
Live
Without
This
Bread
AGAIN!

I don't know why.  Some questions can't be answered in words.  They have to be tasted.  It has a beautiful course texture and the way it crisps/toasts up is just a beautiful thing!

I went back last week and they no longer carry it.  WHAT?!?  I almost threw a tantrum much like a 4 year old, I didn't, but don't think every ounce of my being didn't WANT to.  So now what do I do?!?!  Ohhh yea, I make my OWN.  Duh.  This recipe is from the King Arthur website.  I just googled a recipe and tried it.  VERY easy, very, very easy.   Yea, pretty awesome in my opinion.  So if you decide to make it, let me know what you think.  I am making another loaf this weekend.  Put a poached egg on top.  Trust me.  I am going through some major poached egg phase, it is a little out of control but, hey, it is what it is.  Get these things together.....

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp instant yeast (this is one of those little envelopes worth)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
cornmeal (for dusting)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  You could wait and do this while it is rising but I always do it first or I forget.

Mix in a large bowl, the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast.  In a separate bowl mix together, milk, water and oil.  Microwave it until it reaches 120 degrees F.  Stir well before taking the temp, as the micro causes hot spots and you want an accurate reading.  IF you do not have a thermometer, stick your finger in, it should feel hot, but not so hot you couldn't take a bath in it.  That sounds odd, but, it is how the King Arthur people say to do it if you don't have a thermometer so take it up with them!

Now pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients.  Beat on high for 1 minute.  The dough will be soft.  Now transfer into a greased and dusted with cornmeal loaf pan.  Level it out as best you can and cover.  Let it raise until the dough comes to the top of the pan.  Bake for 22-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before removing and cooling on a cooling rack.  Let cool completely before slicing. 

Trust me, your bread life, will NEVER be the same!

Your "poached eggs on toast for every meal lately" Chefwannabe

Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

I have made it a point to open my mind up to salads.  You may or may not know, because I MAY or may not have made it clear how I feel about salads and casseroles.  Don't give me any flack, I know, I know, most of you love them both.  But if you read the first sentence, you will see, I SAAAAIID, I am opening my mind.  Albeit, slowly, I AM opening it. 

This is another summer salad.  In my mind, some salads are for winter and some are for summer.   Remember the heinous cabbage, carrot, jello salad I mentioned before?  Yea, that graces the table at Thanksgiving only, so, a winter salad.  This is one that I think would be great for your garden produce and has some nice crunch and texture.  This is a bit of a "take" off of a recipe I have seen at many a potluck, many a funeral dinner, and many a family get together.   As I have mentioned before,  I come from a family of salad lovers.  I mean, REAL salad loving peeps.  I sometimes shutter at what the next salad might consist of.  Dramatic?  Maybe.  But, true. 

This salad needs to chill an hour.  More is fine, less is probably fine, but, an hour seems to make it perfect to me. 

Some people add raisins or craisins.  I won't even go any further into it, I loathe both, and thus, did not write them in, because this is MY version and NOTHING in my life, includes either raisins or craisins.

You will need:
1 medium head of fresh broccoli, cut into small florets
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
3/4 cup good quality bacon bits or fry your own
3/4 cup sunflower seed kernels
small red onion, finely minced

Combine all ingredient in a large bowl.  Set aside to prepare dressing.

Dressing:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups salad dressing
1 envelope of ranch dressing mix

Mix in a small bowl until all ingredients are well combined.  Pour over the veggies and toss. 

Chill 1 hour. 

 

Your "do you tell your kids broccoli is little trees?" Chefwannabe

S'More Sandwich Cookies

S'more season is here!  Wait, is there any wrong season for s'mores?  I don't think there is.  These all American treats are a favorite of young and old alike.  Regardless if it is over the campfire, over the stove, or in the microwave, people will do about anything for a good s'more. 

I came up with this recipe recently.  I was helping my sister  (number 1) overhaul her kitchen.  I know, I know, I am an awesome sister.  But that aside, when we were sifting through her COPIOUS amounts of cookie cutters, and got to the bottom (30 minutes later) I found this recipe.  Not THIS recipe but A recipe.  It was for these cookies.  I had never seen anything like it.  My sister admittedly had written the recipe on the recipe card, "she has the handwriting of a serial killer" (name that movie) but had never actually made the cookies.  That was my signal to get on it.  3 ingredients, I mean, 3 ingredients?!?!  They turned out SO soft, I just had to make them into a sandwich cookie.  There is nothing you can do that will make these cookies hard.  It is my belief that you must have a soft cookie for a sandwich cookie.  I mean, who needs TWO cookies crumbling all over their chest and lap?  Notice I mentioned chest first?  It has nothing to do with experience.

Anyway, I did S'more Cookies, but there are a bazillion ways to change it up and out kids.  I found ingredients in the cupboard I needed to use up, so S'mores Sandwich Cookies were born, but see what YOU can birth from your cupboards.  Wow, that sounds all wrong.  But I know, that YOU know what I mean.  This cookie recipe makes about 5-6 dozen cookies, and they are awesome just plain.  So you will get half the amount in sandwich cookies. 

Chocolate Cookies
2 boxes devil food cake mix (or just plain chocolate)
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix all ingredients until completely combined.  Roll into 1 inch balls and place until parchment lines or silicone mat lined cookie sheet.  DO NOT FLATTEN.  They will spread a wee bit when they bake and cool.  Place them about 2 inches apart.  Bake 8-10 minutes, let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then place on cooling racks.  Rinse and repeat until all cookies are baked!

For the rest of the recipe you will need:
1 cup graham cracker dust.  (yes I mean dust, or really fine crumbs)
1 tbsp chocolate jimmies to mix with graham cracker crumbs (completely optional)
10-12 ounces marshmallow fluff

I threw my crackers in the food processor to make quick work of dust making.  Use a Ziploc and something heavy to beat them into cracker crumbs.  Place into a dish, add jimmies if you choose and just mix them up and set aside.

Take one cookie, add fluff, enough that when you press the second cookie on top it will come out the sides a little bit, because that is what will hold the graham cracker crumbs on.  Roll in the crumbs and repeat until they are all done!

I would suggest refrigerating until you are ready to serve, or freeze them if you like in an airtight container.  If you leave them where it is warm or hot, and they don't get eaten quick, the tops will want to slide a bit as the marshmallow softens.  As if it matters, they are awesome!

Your "s'mores in the micro, desperate times call for desperate actions" Chefwannabe

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Sauce

Heaven, pure heaven.  Now I don't know how YOU feel about peanut butter, but let me tell you, we LOVE it.  My husband has been making this peanut butter sauce for years, and he and our son add it to shakes, dip fruit in it, etc. 

As for the vanilla ice cream.  Creamy, sweet, and decadent!  My husband said, "OMG, do you remember when Breyers was GOOD?  That is what this tastes like".  I guess that was a compliment.  I like knowing what is IN my ice cream and I enjoy the whole process of creating different flavors.   There is just little, in my opinion, that compares to homemade ice cream.  As a kid we would almost always make it on the 4th of July.  That was about the only time we did.  My dad would borrow someones ice cream freezer, we would continuously feed it rock salt and ice, we might get a crank one, that we had to crank or sometimes an electric one to plug in.  Granted, you can make a lot more ice cream with one of those full sizers, but my counter top version is perfect for me.  This is the one I have and I LOVE it.

IF you do not have an ice cream freezer, this can be made without it.  Put it into a container with a lid and freeze.  When it has been in the freezer for 1 hour, remove and stir it.  Do this again after the second hour.  Let freeze until it is at the desired consistency you want! I don't like sharing recipes that require specialized equipment.  It goes against my idea of sharing food that is accessible to real people, EVERYWHERE and without having to buy hundreds of dollars worth of specialized equipment.  I made 2, maybe 4, batches (lol), made half with my machine and half without, there is zero difference so I was very excited!

You will need to follow your machines directions on preparation of the equipment.  My freezer bowl has to be in the freezer 12-24 hours before using, so make sure to check that out!!

Here we go!!

Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-2 tsps vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk until smooth and creamy. 

Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.  Carry on with your ice cream makers' directions on freezing.  Mine took about 15 minutes, at which time it was like soft serve ice cream.  Since I wanted it harder, I put it into a container, covered, and put into the freezer for at least 2 hours, it can stay as long as overnight.  Proceed with the manufacturers directions on your ice cream maker

Peanut Butter Sauce
1 cup creamy peanut butter (you could use crunchy if you like)
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk (any milk)

Combine in a small saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved and peanut butter is melted.  Mixture should be smooth!  Remove from heat, serve over your ice cream warm or let it cool and use it cold, the choice is yours.  Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

(When you go to reheat this, you might need to splash it with a little milk to get it smooth and creamy again.)

ENJOY!!!

P.S  Did I tell you how I acquired this ice cream maker?  Flea market, a husband whose wife had an affair on their honeymoon, so he took all of their wedding gifts to the flea market, I got this baby for 5.00! 

Your "I scream you scream we all scream for HOMEMADE ice cream" Chefwannabe

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Rhubarb, it is such a scary word isn't it?  When I was growing up we had a patch of rhubarb that seemed endless.  The huge leaves we were warned to NEVER eat.  We would pick it out and just eat it plain.  I can't IMAGINE that now.  My mom froze it, made everything with it, and as it wasn't my favorite then, it still isn't.  I had one of my sisters who doesn't like rhubarb taste test these after my first batch.  I was concerned there wasn't enough rhubarb. HA.  She took the tiniest bite and then in the trash it went.  I asked, "WHAT IS WRONG" she said, "OMG THEY ARE RHUBARB".  So for your rhubarb lovers, I guarantee, you will love these. HAHA

These muffins are very easy.  I would suggest you use your food processor.  The strawberries need processed because they will serve as liquid in the recipe and the rhubarb serves as an addition so while I wouldn't puree it, I did pulse mine until it was in pieces about like NERDS candy.  The combination is tart and sweet, it is great, even though I don't groove so much on rhubarb I did enjoy one of these myself.  See, I AM a grown up..... sometimes. 

The key to these is not over mixing.  While I did not add brown sugar to the top, I think it would have been fabulous so I am writing it into the recipe.  (I added a sprinkle of plain granulated sugar). 

I have made a vow to always measure out my ingredients before cooking or baking.  This was my first day of my personal vow.  SO much easier, I am never looking back!  I mean I do it sometimes, but not always, but not anymore! 

You will need:
(makes 18 muffins)

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs that you have lightly beaten
3/4 cup pureed strawberries
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup FINELY mince or food processed rhubarb
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (for topping)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Line your muffin pans with liners or grease them liberally if not using liners.  In a large bowl add all ingredients EXCEPT flour.  Mix until completely combined.  Add in flour and mix ONLY UNTIL COMBINED.  DO NOT OVER MIX!  Scoop into your muffin cups and then sprinkle the top with brown sugar.

Bake 17-20 minutes.  Let cool and dig in!

Your "always retrying things I hated" Chefwannabe