Slack

I really need to get back into Blogging!! I have been so slack!!

Simple Home Made Cheese

This week I decided to try my hand at some simple home made cheese, made from ordinary store bought Full Cream Milk. After some research I discovered it is really simple to do. So I thought I would add it to my Blog.

The photos are from 2 sessions of cheese making using different amounts of milk and are just to show the process.

What you will need:
2 Litres Full Cream Milk
8 Tbsp Vinegar
1 tsp Salt (optional)
1 Large Pot
Muslin or Cheese Cloth......I used a new Chux Kitchen Wipe which I boiled to sterilize it.
A Colander
A Wooden Spoon
some string or kitchen twine

Start with 2 Litres of Full Cream Milk in a pot. Slowly bring it to the boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning.


As soon as it is bubbling away nicely, turn off the heat and leave the pot on the hotplate.
Add the Vinegar to the pot and stir in well. The milk will split immediately and look like the image below. Cover and leave it to cool down for about 1hr.


Place the Muslin/Cheese Cloth into the Colander and place the Colander into a sink for draining.
Pour the contents of the pot into the cloth and let it drain out.
***(Optional step....Add salt and mix through the cheese)***


Gather up the outside edges of the cloth around the cheese and twist to form a ball around the cheese in the centre. Squeeze the cloth cheese ball to help remove more liquid. Use string or twine to tie up the cloth and hang it over sink/bowl to drain for 1 hr.


Reopen the cloth and put the cheese into a small bowl or mould of your choice, lined with Cling Wrap/Sandwich wrap to help prevent sticking. Place a weight of some sort on top if possible, this will help compress the cheese and make it firmer. Place in refrigerator for an hour.
***(Optional extra step.....before putting into final bowl/mould, try adding different flavours to the cheese and mix well in a bowl and then place into the final bowl/mould)***

I tried one with Crushed Garlic and Spring Onions. Image below.

THAT'S IT!!!! CHEESE MADE!!!

The cheese will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.....ENJOY!!

Small Offerings

I just got my first ripening Habanero Chilli.
It is only small but still packs a big punch !!! HOT HOT HOT!!!


I also harvested this ENORMOUS apple :p
Anyone for Apple Pie?

Nasturtium Flower Fried Rice

One of my great pleasures in life is cooking. It helps me relax after a day of work.

I like to use things I grow and try new ideas with them. One of these ideas was to add some Nasturtium Flowers to a dish of fried rice. The nasturtium flowers have a kind of pepper like heat to them and I think the idea worked quite well. I was happy with the result.

A Few Garden Visitors

Just a few random photos of some visitors to the garden.

Chrysanthemums

In May the Chrysanthemums burst into flower for the first time. The plant is only small and the flowers were very little as well. Still looked good though.

Moon Cactus

I thought I would share some photos of my moon cactus in flower. I really like the look of these flowers. For those who don't know, the flowers come out at night and only have a short life.
It is also the home of Dragonfruit.