One week before - cheese

So, as you can imagine there was a lot of food to make for the big surprise party.  So the cooking began one week ahead.  I never saw much of a need for a second refrigerator until this past week.  It was a god send!  I don't know what we would have done without it.

Anyway, a week ago Saturday started with intense cleaning and rearranging.  Then, Mary agreed to take the boys for the afternoon so we could "get unpacked and settled a bit more".  (right.)  Brett took off to run some errands and I set myself up to begin the cheese making process.  This was the first time I attempted Fromage Blanc.  I had read the recipe (that includes 4 steps) about 5 times and each time I apparently missed a key phrase.  "Let stand 12 hours."  I totally saw the part about it draining for 6-12 hours, so when I started the process at noon, I thought I would be done at dinner time.  WRONG!  It was then that I realized I would be up very late that night, and I might as well get as much done as I could.  So, I made fromage blanc:

Pour 1 gallon of milk into a large stainless steel pot and heat to 86˚F while stirring slowly
Add fromage blan starter packet (contains starter bacteria and rennet)
Allow to sit at room temperature for 12-14 hours
Line a colander with butter muslin and transfer the curds to the draining cloth
One cheese is transfered, gather the corners of the muslin and tie to make a pouch
Hang to drain for 6-12 hours (the less time is drains the smoother/more spreadable the texture)

So the curds set until exactly 12:35AM I tied and hung them, then set my alarm for 7AM to transfer them to a storage container and stir in Herbes de Provence (a combination of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender flowers and other herbs.)  This was then allowed to sit for the week in the fridge to really meld the flavors.


I served the fromage blanc with toasted pieces of sliced baguette.

Next I made the mozzarella.  I had done this a few times before, so I knew what to expect.  It's a quick and simple process that takes about 30 minutes total.  


Pour 1 gallon of milk (I use whole) into a stainless steel pot
Add one tablet of rennet to 1/4 cup of cool water (avoid tap water here) and set aside
Add 1.5 tsp of citric acid to 1 cup of water and set aside.  Be sure to stir until all is dissolved.
Stir the citric acid into the milk and heat to 90˚F
Stir in rennet for about 30 sec.  then cover and let stand for 5 minutes
Curd should look like custard
Slice curd with knife that reaches the bottom of the pot and reheat to 105˚
Transfer curd to a colander using a slotted spoon and gently drain of excess whey
Transfer to a microwavable bowl and heat for 30 seconds in microwave
Knead until becomes a ball - reheat if necessary - the more you knead the firmer the cheese will be
Then you stretch it just like taffy until it gets shiny

At this point I separated the mozzarella forming about 50 tiny balls.  I put them in a storage container and refrigerated them for the week.

On Friday night before the party I brought out the mozzarella balls and sliced each in half.  I then slid the cheese onto a toothpick with a leaf of fresh basil and half a grape tomato.  Voila! caprese salad on a stick!  I served them with oil and vinegar on the side.  They were a huge hit!

Too many secrets

It has been killing me this entire past week not to talk about all the things that I have been doing.  Just before moving into our new house, Brett and I decided we wanted to celebrate his parents' 40th wedding anniversary in a special way.  We knew that the date fell almost exactly 5 weeks after the move, but we thought, "Hey, we can totally do this."  Well, we did it.  And we are completely nuts!!

Anyway, over the last few weeks we have spent a lot of time planning and arranging and scheming because this was not just a party.  It was a surprise party.  The first thing to tackle was getting the emails for both sides of the family and all their myriad friends.  Normally we would just ask Mary, but that was kind of out of the question this time.  Brett worked for a few days tracking down as many contacts as he could and then, about 3 weeks out, sent the evite asking people to pass it along to those who would be interested.  We started getting responses immediately.  By the end of last week we were preparing for 30+ guests.

Brett handled the decorations, and I did the food.  His brother Jason and Uncle Terry and Aunt Theresa handled the bar.  Auntie Kathy brought fresh flowers.  By 5:30 on Saturday, people were pouring in the door and assembling on the back deck for the big surprise.  Tom and Mary were scheduled to arrive at 6.  They thought we were just heading out for a quiet dinner.

At 6:03 they pulled in just as Brett as "taking some boxes out to the garage."  He told them that the kids were playing in the backyard and asked if they would like to go say hi before we headed out.  The deck stood hushed and ready, and as they rounded the corner through the gate we all shouted, "SURPRISE!!"  Some of the crowd even burst into song!  They were flabbergasted.

We were thrilled that the plan had worked and a wonderful night was had by all.

But, I'm sure what you really want to know is the nitty-gritty!!  (I will be posting the various recipes for all the items served and some of the decorations we made.)  After throwing a few parties in my day, I have found the best thing to do is a nice combo of homemade and store bought items.  I think mixing something that no one expects you to make with something out of a box is a great way to create a relatively impressive, yet not overwhelming spread.  Here is the rundown:

Menu

Cocoa and spice crusted pork roast served on whole wheat buns
Dijon potato salad
Beet and carrot slaw
Hummus and pita chips
Curry dip and fresh veggies
Fromage blanc and toasts
Dilled crab dip and crackers
Caprese salad on a stick
Cheese plate of local cheese - Ama blue, Dill Havarti, Dubliner and Apple Smoked Cheddar
Fresh berry compote
Watermelon and cantaloupe
Almond stuffed olives
Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and candy rubies

Minted lemonade
Homemade ginger beer

The food was a big hit, and lots of people asked for recipes, so all this week, you will find them here!

We turned out screen porch into a bar area with benches to sit around the outside and our baker's rack as the bar.  We lined up all the bottles on the window sill (to keep out of the hands of the under-aged among us) and had the ginger beer and lemonade dispensers within reach.

The week everyone was at the cabin, we took the opportunity to break in to Tom and Mary's house and pilfer some pictures of the two of them through the ages.  Brett them assembled and hung them as decorations from the ceiling of the porch.  We added a few red paper lanterns and candles in Mason Jars as well as some pretty red plants along the sills.  Here is the result:

We wanted the decor to stay classy and not too over the top.  I think it ended up exactly the way we wanted.

Thanks to all who came and celebrated.  I hope you had as much fun as we did.

Everyone should read Voltaire

Or maybe just this quote: "The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out."

I spend my day designing.  I am a graphic designer by trade, and everyday I am faced with piles of information (many that end in exclamation points!!! and requests for bursts ...gah.)  And I am asked to arrange it, rearrange it and make it all make sense.

As a graphic designer I am, in many ways, an editor and filter.  I have to look at twenty pieces of information and not just make them visually pleasing with a fresh perspective, but also discern what is most important, what is second, third, etc.  And, most difficult, what is unnecessary.  Then, of course, I have to pepper in the answers to requests for this or that thing to "POP!" (shudder).

But, in design and in life, we can't include everything.  We must edit.  I fill my life with activities and people and projects, (it takes a lot to keep me busy ...I don't know if you've noticed) but I still have to schedule time (often) to sit down, take stock and decide on a hierarchy.  I can't do everything.  I know, you're all like, "WHAT?  Of course you can!  Have you met you?  You make cheese and sew buttons!"  (raucous laughter and a bit a milk comes from the nose...)

But seriously, as my lists of projects and responsibilities pile up, I need to take a moment and heed my own advice.  Look at it with a designer's eye.  What is most important?  What can be discarded or moved to the bottom of the pile?  Not everything can "POP!", and if you try to cram it all in, you end up with mush.  A big scary, muddled mess where no one knows where to look or what to do.  I walk this line, teetering to either side on occasion, realizing that eyes are glazing over as I relate my endless list of activities...  until I remember those words of Voltaire, and the one thing I never want to be is BORING!

So, Yes! to fun and interesting projects with my kids.  Yes! to hanging out with my husband and mother.   Yes! to this wacky, wandering blog.  Yes! to show choir.  Everything else... you may be edited.

Ginger Beer

I made ginger beer last weekend using a recipe I found on The Paupered Chef blog.  I made a full gallon, which is a double recipe, and instead of the champagne yeast suggested here, I used the bread yeast I had already.  It sat for 48 hours because I wanted to get it good and fizzy.  Last night was the grand transfer from fermentation (big red soup pot) to service (big glass jug with a spigot).  The "gallon" actually ended up being slightly more than the jug could hold, so I poured myself a tall glass.

Results:  very spicy and good.  I loved it - totally delicious.  But then I had both Urban and my mom try it, and both thought it was disgusting.  So, maybe it's a taste thing.  Of course, after spending the bulk of both pregnancies sucking down one ginger beer after another, I likely have more of a taste for the stuff than my two family members who are more used to Canada Dry.  It is definitely not a sweet soda pop flavor, but I really like it.  I'm thinking I may mix it with 7-Up or something and have both of them try it again.  We'll see.

So, who's up for a ginger beer tasting??  Anyone? Anyone?

Dandelion Cordial: UPDATE

It's done!  OK, yes, it looks a bit like a urine sample, but it is dandelion cordial, and it is YUMMY!  Brett and I tested it out on Saturday night.  It has a very nice lemony flavor, but a distinct woodsy/floral finish.  It is sweet, but has a nice burn to it too.  I loved it straight, but I am definitely going to experiment with mixers.

It's official.  We will be making more of this.

Yep, it means: White Cheese

This weekend I upped my home cheese making by attempting Fromage Blanc.  It is a mild, spreadable cheese (sort of like cream cheese or the herbed Alouette you can get at the store).  I was pretty excited to try my hand at something other than mozzarella or ricotta.

I started by ordering the formage blanc starter from the New England Cheese Making Supply Company.  I read the recipe – which consists of four steps – a number of times.  And yet, as I set out to start my cheese I realized that, although I saw the part about it draining for 6-12 hours, I missed the part about it setting up for 12 hours prior to that!  I looked at the clock and decided that this was a sacrifice I would make for cheese - I would stay up until 12:35AM so that I could drain and hang that fromage blanc, and then get up at 7AM to check it.  Done and done.

And, that's exactly what I did.  I made the cheese with organic whole milk from Lund's.  It turned out beautifully.  I only drained it for about 6 1/2 hours because I wanted the consistency to remain soft and spreadable.  After removing it from the butter muslin it had hung in, I folded in a tablespoon of Herbes de Provence, put it in an airtight container and moved it to my fridge.  I'm going to let it sit for a day or two, so the herbs really flavor the cheese, then it will be cheese meet cracker!  I cannot wait.

Too yummy!  So, this weekend, I stayed up really late and made white cheese with french herbs.  So very fancy...

I'm New Here

This morning after I dropped off Urban at daycare I was able to switch from KidzBop to The Current for the 3 minutes it takes to complete my drive to work.  In that 3 minutes I heard the tail end of the weather forecast and most of Bjork's new song, Crystalline.

As I listened, I tried to understand the lyrics – "Octagon, polygon; Pipes up an organ; Sonic branches;
Murmuring drone."  Now, I don't know about you, but I love lyrics.  In fact, I am a huge fan of 90's hip hop and rap mostly because of the lyrics.  I love the stories inside all the posturing.  (digression, sorry) However, if you have ever tried to listen to the lyrics of a Bjork song, you likely know they can be a bit hard to follow.  Beautiful in that perfectly odd, quirky Bjork way, but difficult.  As I listened, I started to think about Beringer.  – OK, this might seem a little weird to be reminded of my 17 mo-old while listening to Bjork, but bear with me.

This weekend Brett and I had a somewhat long conversation about Beringer, all centering around his frustration.  Beringer is frustrated.  Very frustrated.  He point and grunts and pleads with his eyes.  Then, when you inevitably don't get it; he flops into a howling cry, backs himself into the nearest corner and pouts.  Honestly, it's hilariously adorable, but really annoying – and frustrating!

Brett asked me if I thought this would get batter when he can talk more.  I said yes, then related this story to him:

Beringer loves books, and the other night after I got him ready for bed, I let him pick out a book to read. He has a new-found obsession with Dora.  (This is a little odd, because I don't think he's ever seen the show, but we have leftover stuff from Urban's Dora run.)  Anyway, he picked out a big book that originally had a little Dora iPod thingy that played a lot of her best-loved tunes.

The book just has pictures of Dora and then all the songs' lyrics printed out.  Needless to say, it's not exactly a cohesive bedtime story.  Beringer sat and paged through the book, giving me the opportunity to read maybe one set of lyrics before he would turn the page.  When he got to the last spread he stopped.  He stared.  He smiled and said, "BALL!"  and pointed to a bunch of balloons.  I said, "Yes!  Balloon!"  He kept looking at the picture and tracing the lines with his fingers, so I said, "Can you find the Mommy in this picture?"  He pointed at Dora's Mama.  I said, "Can you find the Daddy in this picture?"  He pointed at Dora's Papi.  This continued with him identifying Gramma, monkey, flower, star, banana, shoes, things that were blue, green, purple and red and some clouds.

I just looked at him.  He looked up into my face and grinned his big cheesy grin.

"You totally get it don't you?"

He just looked at me and said, "Mama."  And laid his head on my chest.  I felt like such a dolt as I suddenly remembered watching him follow complex instructions like: "Go pick up that napkin, wipe your face and throw it in the garbage." without a second thought.  He's not even a year and a half yet, and I expect him perform like Urban.  And, what's more, he lives up to it.  This poor little guy is understanding so much!  He listens and comprehends, but can't get us to understand anything he's trying to tell us.  How extremely frustrating!  I think, in that situation, I would back into a corner and pout too.

Which leads me back to Bjork.  Beringer, like Bjork, has beautiful things to say, but I just can't get to the meaning, so I smile and praise him and then move on to something I can understand.  How unfair.  I guess I can at least say that it won't last forever.  He'll talk soon.  And when I can finally understand him, I can't wait to hear what he has to say.  I'm sure it will be amazing.  And I guess the Bjork thing will just work itself out.