How to make homemade goat cheese from fresh milk, farm cheese.

 

** Tools needed:

• A 3-6 quart pot - You need a pot made from a non-reactive metal(basically not copper or aluminum) that can hold at least ½ gallon of liquid deep enough for your thermometer to work. I usually use a 3-quart cast iron enamel dutch oven, but a stainless steel sauce pot is fine too.
• Thermometer - A clip-on candy thermometer like this one works well, but I usually end up using a more reliable Thermapen instant read thermometerto double check, just in case the candy thermometer is moving a bit slow.
• Large flour-sack style dish towel - One of those thin, linen dish towels (like the kitchen towels you don't care about). Do not use a terrycloth or textured towel.

Ingredients

• ½ gallon goat milk
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon citric acid ((rounded tsp))
• 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt
• dried herbs

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Combine citric acid and water in a measuring cup and stir to dissolve. Pour goat milk into large, non-reactive pot, with candy thermometer attached, over medium heat. Add water and citric acid mixture. Stir to combine.
• Continue stirring every few minutes until the mixture hits 185°F. This can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on your pot and burners.
• Meanwhile, set up your cheese-straining system. Line a large colander with a clean flour-sack dish cloth, and tuck the edges of the cloth through the handles of the colander. Put the colander inside of a 6 liter Cambro bucket. Optional: Use chip bag or binder clips to hold the towel in place.
• When the milk mixture reaches 185°F degrees, remove it from the heat, and let it stand for 15 minutes. It will begin to separate into curds and whey.
• Pour the goat milk into the towel-lined colander. If you have a smaller colander, you may need to pour in batches.
• Gather the towel tight through each handle of the colander to create as much of a taught, bag-like shape as you can, with the towel suspended inside the colander. Use the clips to hold the towel in place.
• After about an hour, scrape the goat cheese into the center of the towel in the colander. Gather the ends of the towel together and twist to form a bag with the goat cheese in it. Squeeze gently to express excess whey. Clip the bag to the side of the colander and let it continue straining. Periodically squeeze the bag to press out excess whey.
• For a creamy, spreadable goat cheese, let the mixture strain for 3-4 hours. For a firmer, more crumbly goat cheese that can be formed into a log, let the mixture strain for 5-6 hours, or even up to 8 hours.
• When the cheese has strained to your desired consistency, untwist the towel and scrape down the sides. Then transfer the cheese to a bowl.
• Add the salt to the cheese and mix to combine. Adjust salt to taste. If you’re making plain goat cheese, you’re done! Transfer the mixture to an air-tight container and refrigerate. If you’re adding flavors, mix them in now, then transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate.

Goat Cheese Log Recipe

• Dollop the goat cheese onto a clean cutting board and gently push and roll it into a log shape. Don't apply too much pressure; use quick, decisive motions. If if is too sticky or messy to do this immediately, refrigerate the goat cheese for 30-60 minutes before rolling, or roll it using plastic wrap or wax paper.

 

RECIPE NOTES

• Kept refrigerated, goat cheese will stay good for up to 3 weeks. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the cheese to keep it fresh.
• Goat cheese can be frozen in a log, wrapped in plastic inside a plastic bag, or in a container with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed against the surface for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
• Goat cheese + bagels is a winning combo.

Two quick tips: 

• Citric Acid - The key ingredient that will encourage the goat milk to separate into curds and whey. Usually found with the canning supplies, though it can also sometimes be found near the instant pudding/jello mixes, spice aisle, or baking aisle. You can also order it online.
• Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which half as salty as other brands. If you're using a different brand of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, cut the amount of salt in half to start. You can always add more if you

*Vinegar or lemon can also be used in place of citric acid to encourage the curds and whey to separate when making cheese from goats milk. This makes the goaty flavor too much for some people so not a preferred method for me.

BONUS: GOAT CHEESE LOG RECIPE

If you want to roll your homemade goat cheese into a log, you'll need to strain it for at least 6 hours. The more liquid you remove from the cheese, the firmer it will be and the easier it is to roll into a log.

To roll the goat cheese into a log, dollop it onto a cutting board and use clean hands to gently push and roll it until it forms a log. Don't press too hard, it will smear.

 

Koolaide icecream in a ziplock bag.

 Koolaid no-churn “ice cream”

You’ll need:

• Ice
• 1 C Salt 
• 1-quart zip-close bag
• 1-gallon zip-close bag

Ingredients 

• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 2 (14-ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk. For a dairy-free alternative in this easy recipe, you could also use coconut milk for your ice cream.
• 1 (0.22-ounce) packet unsweetened koolaid drink mix

Chilling your condensed milk, heavy whipping cream in the fridge before you start will make everything freeze more easily.

Load the cream, condensed milk and drink mix into the quart ziploc and close it tightly. 

Put it into the gallon bag. 

Pack ice inside the gallon-sized bag, around the quart-sized bag. Add salt and water and seal gallon-sized bag tightly.

Shake with gloves or hot pads (since it will be really cold!) until frozen (about 6 minutes). We throw it around like a football, give it a few good squeezed then toss to someone else. 

Keep going until it’s fairly hard. 

Open the outer bag and discard ice and salt. Rinse the bag containing the ice cream so no salt gets in.

Scoop into dishes. Enjoy the ice cream with your favorite toppings! Koolaid no-churn “ice cream”

You’ll need:

• Ice
• 1 C Salt 
• 1-quart zip-close bag
• 1-gallon zip-close bag

Ingredients 

• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 2 (14-ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk. For a dairy-free alternative in this easy recipe, you could also use coconut milk for your ice cream.
• 1 (0.22-ounce) packet unsweetened koolaid drink mix

Chilling your condensed milk, heavy whipping cream in the fridge before you start will make everything freeze more easily.

Load the cream, condensed milk and drink mix into the quart ziploc and close it tightly. 

Put it into the gallon bag. 

Pack ice inside the gallon-sized bag, around the quart-sized bag. Add salt and water and seal gallon-sized bag tightly.

Shake with gloves or hot pads (since it will be really cold!) until frozen (about 6 minutes). We throw it around like a football, give it a few good squeezed then toss to someone else. 

Keep going until it’s fairly hard. 

Open the outer bag and discard ice and salt. Rinse the bag containing the ice cream so no salt gets in.

Scoop into dishes. Enjoy the ice cream with your favorite toppings!

Homemade Sourdough Bread (no commercial yeast added)

Bread from homemade Sourdough starter.

2 cups starter (this recipe uses the starter found here on my blog)
6 cups flour (Try a mixture of 50 percent unbleached and 50 percent whole wheat flour, or adjust the proportions to your taste.)
2 1/2 cups spring water
1 tablespoon salt

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, dilute the starter with the water. Slowly mix the starter into the flour. (I prefers to use my hands, but the more fastidious among us may prefer to use a wooden spoon.) Begin kneading and slowly work the flour into the dough. Just as the dough becomes workable, stop and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes. Resume kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

Shape it into a ball and put it into a lightly oiled bowl, then cover it with plastic and allow it to rise in a cool place (about 62 degrees) for eight to 10 hours. Shape the dough twice and allow it to rise about 45 minutes, or until it doubles. If you're using La Cloche or a baking stone, now's the time to preheat it and the oven. Slash the loaves just before you put them in the oven. 

Panko and Yogurt Baked (fried) Chicken

Pretty much all online breaded chicken recipes call for eggs and flour and I don't prefer it that way, I like more crunch and flavor and less grease, to do things a little differently.  I decided to use the last bit of greek yogurt in the fridge. Generally mine is homemade but any store bought plain flavored yogurt works. These by far are the best breaded chicken breasts, all juicy and in their crunchy glory. ALL of my children ate this chicken and enjoyed it {now that is definitely something worthy of writing about}....

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and trimmed of any fat

1 cup plain greek yogurt

2 cups Italian panko bread crumbs

dash of salt, or pepper or any seasoning mixes or packets you want, we've done ranch and taco both were fabulous

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking sheet like olive oil because it makes a crispier crust on the chicken.

Rinse each chicken breast and pat dry.  Set aside.

Put the yogurt Into a medium mixing bowl.

In another mixing bowl or a ziplock bag, I prefer it in the bag because it makes for easier clean up  I can just chuck it. Add the panko bread crumbs and a dash of kosher salt, or seasonings.

Roll each chicken breast in the Greek yogurt, until you have a nice layer on each side.  

Then, roll the yogurt covered chicken breast in the bread crumbs, until completely coated on each side.

Place each chicken breast on lightly greased baking sheet.  Repeat for each chicken breast.

Place in oven {uncovered} for 25 to 30 minutes, I like to turn them over halfway through to get it really crisp on both sides, bake until the chicken is no longer pink in center.  

We eat it with baked green beans and baked potatoes, it all goes in the oven and finishes around the same time.

Wonton and Egg Roll Wrappers

2 cups flour (wheat or rice or any gluten free kind you want)
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 -1/2 cup cold water


Sift flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Whisk together egg, salt and 1/4 cup water. Pour into flour well. Mix together, adding additional water until the mixture will stay together in a ball. (You may need more or less then 1/2 cup, use your discretion. Keep in mind that you do not want it to be sticky.) Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and pliable. Let rest for 30-60 min. (This is so the gluten can relax. The longer it sits the easier it will be to roll out) Divide dough in half. Keep half covered (a damp towel works best) while you roll out the other out on a surface lightly coated with cornstarch (if you use flour it may toughen it up). Roll out as thin as you possibly can. Cut into 3.5 inch squares (You should be able to get about.12 wonton wrappers out of each half).  Makes 24 wrappers.



Helpful Tips: You can store them in your fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for longer storage. If you are not going to use them right away then they will probably shrink back a bit. But, the dough is so pliable they are easy to stretch out one at a time just before you fill/use them. If you are wanting to stack them, coat them in cornstarch. If you stack them with flour it will absorb into the dough and they will become one solid mass. If they have been in the fridge for a couple of days and the moisture seems to have removed most of the cornstarch re-coat them again before placing in the freezer. It is important to keep the dough covered as much as possible or it will dry out. Any dough/wrappers that are not being worked with should be covered, preferably with a damp towel. If you have a pasta maker then these are even easier to make. Just pass them through, gradually going to the thinnest setting
This same dough is used to make boiled wontons, fried wontons or pot stickers, egg-roll wrappers, spring roll wrappers, Chinese noodles and egg noodles, depending on the size you cut them and how you cook them.

 

How to soak and sprout wheat.

Here is how I sprout my wheat. Add wheat berries hard red or white (or grain of choice, oat groats or barley) to a bowl and cover the berries with filtered water it is essential to not use chlorinated water.  Allow the berries to soak for 6-12 hours, then dump off the extra water (I use a small strainer to make this step easy).
Twice a day, run fresh water over the grain and then strain off the excess water again.  Allow the berries to remain on the counter (covered) for 3 days until the berries have sprouted little 'tails' that are about a quarter of an inch long.  You can put them in a Ziplock bag that is not closed in the fridge.

Once the wheat berries have sprouted, throw the grains in your dehydrator for 12-ish hours, or until completely dry.  You could also do this on a baking sheet in your oven on the lowest temperature. 

Grind into flour and you're ready to go!  I then store mine in the fridge or freezer until I'm ready to use it.

 I do mine in a magic bullet cup though, it goes pretty fast. You can use a blender or a grain grinder.   If you don't have a grain grinder, you can also grind the grain in your coffee grinder.  Since most recipes don't call for more than a few cups of flour, grinding in the coffee grinder can be pretty efficient.


When you are just getting started use your favorite bread recipe, and substitute half a cup of flour that the recipe calls for with the sprouted wheat flour and up it next time you make it. Until you feel confident and satisfied with the result.

You may be wondering why should you want to sprout your grains and isn't whole grains good enough.  There are three main differences between whole grains and sprouted grains:
1) Sprouting activates essential enzymes in food
2) Sprouting increases the amount of vitamin content
3) Sprouting neutralizes anti-nutrients, like phytic acid, which constrict the body's ability to fully absorb nutrition.

Regular white or even whole wheat products can cause a lot of problems in our digestive systems, causing mucous buildup, allergic reactions, and even constipation. This means the body is unable to absorb the nutrients it needs. However, with sprouted wheat, these negative effects can often be eliminated. A lot of wheat-intolerant people are able to handle sprouted wheat bread products because the starch is already converted to simple sugars. It's a lot easier to break down. 

Homemade Ricotta Cheese or Cottage Cheese (continuation from Mozzarella post)

I usually make this cheese while making Mozzarella or right after...waste not, right?  And everyone around my house loves this stuff.
Make sure to do it with fresh whey, no more than 3 hours old, left over from making hard cheese.  If you don't have whey, buttermilk can be used as a wonderful substitute.

.

Heat the whey in a pot until foam appears.  This usually happens just prior to boiling; if the mixture boils, it will taste burned.
Turn off the heat; let the whey set for 5 minutes.
Gently skim off the foam and place the whey in a colander lined with butter muslin or fine hole cheese cloth.
Add vinegar to cooling whey. For each cup of whey add a tablespoon of vinegar.
If you want to any seasonings now is the time, I add a bout a teaspoon of salt.

Let drain for 15 minutes, then refrigerate.  This ricotta will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator.

About 1/2 pound per gallon of whey.


*For cottage Cheese, basically you follow the instructions above but add 2 tablespoons fulls of white vinegar to the hot whey and heat it to 95 degrees F, the curd will separate from the liquid.  Use a cloth lined colander and follow the steps above.

30 Minute Mozzarella from scratch and Ricotta Cheese

 

1/2 rennet tablet (can be bought at some Walmarts or Macey's usually in the baking or canning isles.)
1/4 cup cool chlorine-free water (most bottled waters are chlorine-free), you can boil it and let it cool completely if you don't have bottled water.

1 gallon 2% low-fat milk (1%, or skim or even powdered milk)
2 teaspoons citric acid (baking isle)
1 teaspoon salt (optional)

You will need a thermometer, a stainless steel pot or something similar, a large bowl or jar with a lid to store it in and a wooden spoon.


Crush the rennet into the water and stir to dissolve. I put mine in a mortar and crush it that way.
  Pour milk into a non-reactive pot (no aluminum or cast iron).
  Place over medium heat. Sprinkle the citric acid over the milk and stir a few times. Heat milk to 90 degrees F; milk will begin to curdle.
  At 90°F, add the rennet solution and continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the milk reaches 105°F Turn off the heat. Large curds will appear and begin to separate from the whey (the clear, greenish liquid).
  With a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, scoop the curd into a large glass bowl. (If it's still too liquid, let it set for a few more minutes). Press the curds gently with your hand and pour off as much whey as possible.
 ++ Microwave curds on high for 1 minute, then drain off all the excess whey.
  With a spoon, press curds into a ball until cool.
  Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each, and continue to drain the whey and work cheese into a ball.
  In the meantime, place the whey over medium heat and let it heat to about 175°F.
  When cheese is cool enough to touch, knead it like bread dough until smooth. When you can stretch it like taffy, it is done. You can sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons salt into the cheese while kneading and stretching it. The cheese will become stretchy, smooth and shiny. If it is difficult to stretch and breaks easily, dip it into the hot whey for a few seconds to make it warm and pliable. Then pick it up again and stretch it into a long rope. Fold over and stretch again. Dip in hot whey as needed to make the cheese pliable.
  When the cheese is smooth and shiny (this takes just a few minutes), it is ready to eat. Shape it into a log or golf-size balls, then store in a solution of 2 teaspoons salt to 1 cup water, I usually keep mine in a clean Mason Jar in the fridge.

Sometimes I like to put it in olive oil to store it, sometimes with herbs or garlic for extra flavor.

**Don't throw away the whey,cool it put it in a jar and put it in the fridge so you can use it in place of liquid in home made breads, or bread pudding.
***Or use the reserved whey to make ricotta or cottage cheese.   I will post the recipe for this on another blog.
Note: If you are using store-bought milk, and your curds turn into the consistency of ricotta cheese and will not come together, switch brands of milk. It may have been heated at the factory at too high a temperature when they pasteurized it.
++If you do NOT have a microwave:  After step 5, heat the reserved whey on the stove top to at least 175F.  Add 1/4 cup of cheese salt to the whey (you could probably substitute kosher salt, but cheese salt is best).  Shape the curd into one or more balls, put them in a ladle or strainer, and dip them into the hot whey for several seconds.  Knead the curd with spoons or gloved hands between each dip and repeat this process several times until the curd is smooth and pliable.  Please be careful!  This is really hot, and working with more liquid increase the risk of getting splashed!  If you use the non-microwave method, you cannot use the whey to make the Ricotta, because the whey will contain too much salt.

90 Minute Dinner Rolls

Makes 12 Rolls

2 cups unsifted flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package dry yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix 3/4 cup flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast.
Heat milk, water, and margarine until warm ( like baby bath warm to the wrist). Gradually add to the dry ingredients.
Beat 2 minutes at medium speed; add 1/4 cup flour. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes and stir in enough additional flour to make a soft smooth dough. Knead until smooth.
Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into balls and arrange in a greased 8" round pan. Cover rolls and place in a draft free warm area.
Let rise till it doubles and bake at 375F for 20 to 25 minutes.

I generally grind my own flour out of sprouted wheat berries or grains. I will post another blog on how to sprout grains.

Banana Coconut Raisin Bread Pudding.

 

10/5/12 1:23 PM
Mountain Standard Time
I do mine on low in my crockpot.
I use homemade 1/4 loaf of bread or 6 rolls torn up into small pieces (any kind of bread, twinkies or donuts work too :P). 1 can of coconut milk or sweetened condensed, 2 eggs beaten, 1 cup regular milk, 2 handfuls of raisins and a tablespoon of cinnamon. 1-2 overripe bananas mashed with a fork a bit. Put everything in my crockpot stir it with a fork till all the bread is mixed in. You want it wet but not too soggy.  Heat on high 1.5 hours or low for 3.

It's so easy and yummy too!

Yep that's my leg.  I really am a food bum.  Nothing better than a little warm comfort food settled in on my favorite spot on my couch.