Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Hey guys!
     Today is a good one- my fiancé finally did all the pushing and made me buckle down and actually commit to making homemade mozzarella cheese. I thought it would be easy, but still time consuming and a little difficult, and I was worried about getting all the ingredients too. Let me tell you- I was wrong! It was pretty easy to get the ingredients- citric acid is available in stores (just google it in your area), and you can order rennet online anywhere (got mine on Amazon- used animal rennet, make sure to refrigerate after receiving!). It was SO easy to make the cheese, and it only took maybe 30 minutes all together.
I'm going to link to the recipe we used, but show you the process through our pictures too, because we (but mostly fiancé J have made it twice now). It is so easy, and so delicious.
Most recipes around are quite similar, and the one the we used is here from The Kitchn.

The ingredients and most of the tools- milk, distilled water, citric acid, and rennet. You'll also need salt and  that thermometer at the back of the pic :)

Warm milk to room temperature, then add in your citric acid and water.

Heat to 90 F, then add rennet and water mixture.

Remove from heat, and stir for 30 seconds.

Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Gently run knife through curds, cutting into rough squares. (We used a plastic knife because this is a non-stick pot)

Return to heat and gently stir curds until the temperature reaches 105 F and the curds start to gather away from the whey.

Remove from heat, mix together curds for 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon, and you have this!

Reserve the whey (on the left) for storing the cheese (among other uses) later. Put cheese in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until the cheese reaches 135 F, heating 30 seconds at a time. Strain off the whey.

Wearing rubber gloves (these were not quite thick enough for the heat), add the salt then gently knead the mozzarella and shape into balls, whatever size you like.

Here are the finished balls from the first batch of cheese. We made two larger balls from the second batch. Store the cheese in a bowl of the whey to keep it moist and fresh.

And here's the cheese over tomatoes and basil- just awaiting a little balsamic! yum! (The cheese from the first batch, kneaded a little more and stored not as submerged in whey, is on the left, and the more gently kneaded and stored totally submerged in whey, is on the right).

Savor it! (thanks again for all the help and work, J!)
love, rue

Southwestern Chicken Mac and Cheese

Hello again!

I have another post inspired by the great and wonderful Fiance J, made from ingredients we had around after he got home from work one day. Let's go!!

The arsenal- the ranchero cheese turned out to be unusable for us, but the idea is to sprinkle that on top!

Cook your pasta most of the way in a pot of water. Make a beschamel and then add cheese in, stir.

Add in salsa to your cheese sauce for a southwestern flair.

The finished sauce and cheese.

Pour your sauce over your pasta, then bake!

Meanwhile, take whatever chicken your have on hand (we had some rotisserie that we shredded).

And don't forget to fry up a few onions and hashbrowns/matchstick potatoes.

And then put the browned chicken, onions, and potatoes on top once it's done!

Your finished product! Yumm!

Southwestern Chicken Mac and Cheese
-This is more of a process or idea than a recipe, so go with what you have and what you like!
-Make a beschamel, starting with equal parts flour and butter. Add milk, then cheese, to the consistency that you like it.
-Meanwhile, boil your pasta until just barely under done, so it can cook a tiny bit more in the oven.
-Add salsa to your cheese sauce, to your taste.
-Pour your sauce over your pasta in a pan that fits it, then bake at 350 F until browned.
-While cooking, brown up some chicken, onions, and hashbrowns to put on top. You can also put the chicken in the sauce if you do not want it crisp!
Have fun with this, experiment- it's hard to go wrong. Enjoy!

(thanks J!)
Savor it!
love, rue

Thai Lettuce Wraps

Hi everyone!

I've had these in the old recipe file for a while, just waiting for me to get around to them. So I suggested them the other night and the great BF helped me execute them beautifully! It's really easy and mostly a concept more than a specific recipe- you can change any vegetables out for any others, make your peanut sauce the way you like it, add other things, etc. So let's go!

Here's your fairly simple arsenal- I always include tortillas with wraps if you want to up your calorie content :)

The peanut sauce in progress...

And all of our ingredients ready to assemble, from chicken to veggies, noodles, and sauce.

Thai Lettuce Wraps
-Romaine lettuce
-chicken, cooked and chopped/shredded/etc.
-carrots
-cucumber
-bean sprouts
-ramen noodles, without the sauce packet
-Peanut Sauce
-Sriracha or other hot sauce
-optional: tortillas to wrap your wrap in! Very handy and tasty if you need to up your calorie or carb count!
Cut/peel the carrots and cucumber very thinly (see picture, I used a vegetable peeler).
Make your peanut sauce (look at the ingredients picture for some ideas, or you can buy some pre-maid sauce).
Cook your ramen noodles, drain.
Layer your chicken, veggies, noodles, and sauce into your lettuce shells and enjoy!!

Here is one of my finished but definitely not as beautiful wraps...

And here is one of the much more beautiful wraps the BF made- enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Fiesta Shrimp/Chicken

Hey there!

My family's been making this recipe ever since I can remember, I don't know where the recipe came from. We used to always make it on the grill in foil packets, but recently had the revelation come from other family members that you can- lo and behold - make it in a pan in the oven! So easy, and so delicious. So Jordan and I made it the other weekend for his family, the night before mother's day, so his mom didn't have to make dinner. It was delish! Let's do this.

Onions (I didn't cook them before this time, sorry!), beans, and corn, then throw in a little olive oil and a lot of Old Bay.

Here's your basic mix! So easy and quick.

Put it in a pan, and you can top with basically anything- some people wanted chicken and some shrimp, so we made both!

And here's the shrimp one! and now just pop it in the oven!

Fiesta Shrimp/Chicken
-olive oil
-1 chopped onion
-1 can black beans, rinsed (15 oz)
-1 cup + canned or frozen corn
- lots of Old Bay spice- to taste
- lots of cheese to top then to top again after cooking
- chicken or shrimp (peeled and deveined!) (about 2 lb.)
Saute the onions in a little olive oil until just starting to soften.
Mix together your onion, black beans, corn, a couple drizzles of olive oil, and old bay.
Grease a 9 x 13’’ pan (or largish pieces of foil if grilling), then pour the beans/corn/onions in.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Put your chicken or shrimp on top, and sprinkle with cheese.
Cover tightly with foil.
Cook at 350-380 F until the meat is done: If using shrimp, timing depends on how large your shrimp are, but it won’t take longer than 20 minutes, and it’s done when the shrimp are opaque and firm. If you are using chicken (large pieces), it’ll take 45+ minutes most likely- cook until the internal temperature is 165 F.
Leave cheese and Old Bay out for people to top their portions.

OPTIONAL! Jordan pulled out his torch and we crisped up the top of the cheese and shrimp.

Your finished dish- dig in! Serve with a salad or rice to make it heartier.

Savor it!
love, rue

p.s. sorry no finished pic of the chicken- it wasn't done until a few minutes after we started dinner, and I was too busy eating (so selfish I know!) to go get a pic before it was dug into. Rave reviews all around, though!

Raised/Yeast Waffles

Hey everyone!

Yes, it's about time for another waffle/pancake post! I know I've done some raised waffles before, but this time I did them a bit differently and I thought I'd share that recipe with you. These are some of the crispiest-yet-still-tender waffles I've ever made/had. This is sort of a standard kind of recipe- I made my particular recipe out of several different recipes and suggestions I found in various places, so it's not like these waffles are my idea, but I can show them to you!! Let's do it.

Mix your yeast and water in a large bowl.

Add in your next group of ingredients...

...and mix well until it's smooth. Cover and let sit overnight.

The next morning: what it looks like.

Add in your eggs, vanilla, and baking soda.

Beat well until smooth. Batter will be thin.

Make in (non-Belgian) waffle maker- pour in just over 1 cup of batter.

Raised/Yeast Waffles
-1/2 cup warm water
-1 packet/2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
-2 cups warm milk
-1/2 cup melted butter
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon sugar
-2 cups flour
-2 eggs
-1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Mix warm water and yeast in a large bowl, let stand for 5 minutes.
Add in the milk, butter, salt, sugar, and flour, and beat until smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap and let stand on the counter overnight.
Just before making (while your waffle maker is heating up), beat in the eggs, vanilla, and baking soda.
Make in your (non-Belgian; it won't work) waffle maker- keep a close eye on them, they are thin and delicate and do not take long and can get too crispy easily if you don’t pay close enough attention. Enjoy!

Just coming "off the press"- so good!

Some beautiful crispy waffles- give them a shot, it's a really easy recipe.

Savor it,
love, rue

Doughnut French Toast

Hi everyone,

I can't take credit for this idea, though I've had it, I didn't execute it. Jordan made this one happen. Last week, he went out and bought a bucket of doughnuts from Voodoo (which is a great deal if you ever want a huge bucket of doughnuts!! Yum), and it had a Giant Tex-Ass Challenge doughnut (the size of 6 of their regular doughnuts) in the bottom. Usually, these aren't too great if you get them a few days old, but it's perfect for turning into french toast. Jordan whipped up the egg mixture and fried it up and I'm just bringing it to you. Try it! Use any doughnut you want and top it how you like- make this your own, but try out this great idea!

Mix up your egg mixture: egg, milk, vanilla, cinnamon- simple simple.

Poke holes in the doughnut, then press around in the egg mixture.

Then start frying your doughnut!

Flip and fry the other side.

Doughnut French Toast
-1 Giant Doughnut (or several smaller ones) that has gone a little stale- cut in half if the thickness is over 1/2 inch
-1 egg
-1/3 cup approximately milk
-splash of vanilla
-sprinkle of cinnamon
Whisk together egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, adjusting to your liking.
Poke holes in the doughnut(s) with a fork, so that the egg mixture can seep in.
Soak the doughnut(s) in the egg mixture, then fry up to your liking in a pan in a bit of butter or a spray of oil.
Eat with whatever topping you like, though I find this does not need a lot in the sweetness department, starting out as a doughnut and all. Enjoy!

Take your doughnut out of the frying pan when it gets crisp on both sides.

This is delicious with a drizzle of maple syrup, but top it however you want!

Savor it!
love, rue

Taco Salad

Hey there everyone,

We've been making this recipe for a long, long time. I believe the recipe came to us via a friend of my mother's many years ago. We looked at it and were skeptical at the time of the Dorito and Italian dressing usage, but they truly bring it together. It's really simple and everyone I know loves it. Let's go!

Here are all of your ingredients except the ground beef.

Cook up your ground beef and season it with taco seasoning.

Taco Salad
-lettuce (romaine if possible)
-ground beef cooked, fat drained, then seasoned with taco seasoning
-Nacho Cheese Doritos, roughly crushed
-chopped tomatoes
-shredded cheese of your choosing (cheddar is a good bet)
-salsa
-Italian dressing
-optional: sour cream, avocados, olives, etc. - make it however you like it.
Layer all ingredients in this order in a large bowl/plate. Leave out what you don't like, and add more things that you do like. And use the Italian dressing- I know it's the weird ingredient out, but it really makes the dish.

Here's mine, with all of the ingredients and nothing else special added.

And here is Jordan's, which he chose to upgrade with some sour cream. Make it your own!

Savor it!
love, rue