My 1st cheese!

I've taken up cheesemaking! With my ample free time available to silly hobbies, I've started dedicating myself to the art of cheese. I figured Ashton is making beer, Andy was making bread, what's the next best thing? Cheese! For someone as decidedly un-sciencey as myself, cheese is actually a pretty big challenge (what's a mesophilic culture??), but TOTALLY satisfying and REALLY fun. So far I've only got 1 cheese under my belt, but I've assembled a few more supplies and am ready for round 2!

The first cheese I made is probably one of the most basic ones around- a simple lemon basil cheese, made from a half gallon of pasteurized whole milk from a cow + 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt to taste, and some freshly picked basil from our pet plant. I slowly brought the milk up to 165 degrees F while stirring to avoid scalding, and once it was removed from the heat I added the lemon juice and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes. After that, I poured it into a cheesecloth lined colander and tied into into a ball and placed it in a large pot to catch the drippings while it sat in the fridge for an hour. Once I took it out, it had clumped into a ricotta-esque spread to which I added the salt and basil and voila! It's one of the few recipes that doesn't call for calcium chloride, rennet, or cultures, so for my first time it was absolutely perfect. In the end I could have used a bit more salt and maybe a tad more lemon juice for some zazz, but overall it was wonderfully spreadable and lent itself beautifully to a breakfast schmear.

Next I'll making paneer (the basic Indian cheese) and I've just gotten my cultures in the mail and some goat's milk chilling in the fridge, so stay tuned!

Vermont Volume 3: Snacks!!!

When we weren't sitting down to a full spread breakfast or 5 course dinner, we supplemented our starvation with many snack breaks to ward off weakness and fill our shrinking bellies. Let me just say that sitting in a screened-in gazebo with an unfettered view of Lake Champlain in the summertime surrounded by friends is a great place to be. Add snacks to the equation and you've got a damn near perfect day. Take down the ingredients to make your own perfect summer snack afternoon!


Wonderful summer spread- butter pretzels, Dakin Farm horseradish cheddar spread, fresh kalamata olives, thinly (and not-so-thinly) sliced Cob Smoked Vermont Cheddar (also from Dakin Farm) and local brews from Otter Creek!


Otter Creek Summer '09 disguised within these frozen antique Bud mugs.


Contemplating jumping in... and obviously being too lazy and full.


Pleased with the spread.. and quizzical as to why I was wasting time snapping a photo rather than diving in headfirst into snack heaven.


We migrated to the dock... and that is in no way depressing. Bottoms up!

Dakin Farm

Vacation is that wonderful time when food piles over plates, drinks flow a'plenty, and calories just don't seem to count as you soak them up unabashedly and continuously in an ever-mounting cycle of piggetry. Now, if you go on vacation with Mary Lou Ivey, let's just say that dinner is multiplied by five, and every hour on the hour is snacktime of epic proportions. This is only Part One of a multi-volumed blog series about our vacation in Vermont, land of delicious cheese, smoked meats, and enthusiastic brewmasters and snackmakers.

Dakin Farm is a tourist-style working farm in South Burlington, VT that is open 7 days a week to the public. Let's just say the clouds opened and angels sang their heavenly chorus when the doors opened during my first visit to the fabled land dedicated to the fresh and delicious. This roadside attraction is a must-visit hot spot to anyone who loves 1) cheese, 2) meat, 3) fudge, 4) jam, 5) honey, 6) syrup, or just damn good eats. My mind was continuously boggled by the amazing variety of treats and snacks made just around the corner, so freshness and flavor were apparent in every offering. Everything was available to sample, so you can bet your boots I did just that. Everything was basically the best thing I'd ever had, so this cornucopia of wonder turned into a wonderland of flavor that stretched through our entire week there.


Yes, that is a maple smoked garlic meat stick that I am enjoying.


Ashton and Virginia share my enthusiasm for yum.


This is only a smidgen of the fresh meats offered.


WANT. WANT IT ALL.




Their honey is so fresh they actually pull it from the bee's bodies. THAT IS FRESH.


Dakin's jams vary from the super sweet to succulently spicy, but the common thread is fresh flavor explosion guaranteed in every morsel.




These cheeses constituted about 89% of our diet for the week, and that was in no way depressing.




Virginia is as stuck as I am in what incredible variety to buy next!


If Vermont is the land of maple syrup, we hit the mother lode.




As pretty as it was delicious on the pancakes that we also got here!


Why go small? You know you want to drink gallons of the stuff. And you are on vacation, so it doesn't count! THAT IS SO CONVENIENT!

perfect way to start the day

You know how sometimes you just get the exact right amount of sugar and cream in your coffee, which is perfectly brewed and even though you make it the same way every day this particular day it's extra perfect and puts you in a great mood? That happened today. That, plus the delicious treat my co-worker made has jump-started my Tuesday! She sliced up this AMAZING rosemary/olive oil bread, lightly toasted it, added some cream cheese with a slice of sharp cheddar and cold shaved turkey... heaven. A perfect blend of flavors for a marvelous treat.