3:54PM

Not that I deserve a break, I don’t. But I am taking one right now. I’ll save you my complaints of aches and pain because you probably have them too, but I am using that(as well as the house is quiet because of naptime) as an excuse to sit, drink coffee, and blog. Usually I sit, late at night and add to several posts I have cook’n until I have enough to publish. Well, this is on the fly.

The Day’s Cons: I’m pooped and have aches and pains(I know, I know). My compression hose waist band is strangulating my tummy and I feel stuck between a rock and hard place because I can’t go without them. Very uncomfortable. The goats have gotten out umpteen times today, I am thinking goat burgers sound good. Micah spilled >3000 air soft bb’s across my kitchen floor, then, when I went to dump Elijah's birthday cake out of it’s pan, it came out in about 6 pieces. And the worst of all, my baby turned two today. I miss my chubby little cling 'on child who is now becoming quite independent of Mommy(this IS a good thing, I know).

The Day’s Pros: I have a 2lb block of Farmhouse Cheddar sitting on the counter, salted. It will be waxed tonight and placed in storage to age 4-8weeks.

My first hard, pressed cheese made from Junie and Chloe’s milk. Jessica’s first 2lb pressed loaf of Queso Fresco is in the press and comes out at 6pm today, it does not age so we eat it together tonight for Eiljah’s birthday. I made a second birthday cake, larded and sprayed the tar out of the pan and it turned out. I hear our first three little turk-turks fumbling around in the hatcher.

  

Cheese making Rule #1 – Attention class. Your calibrated, sanitized thermometer is your BEST friend. Don’t leave the kitchen without one.

 

After the Queso Fresco is put in the press, we now process the leftover whey at a higher temp to force out our second batch of cheese, the ricotta! Jess could live off salted ricotta alone, I have to put a padlock on it in the fridge, but don’t tell her I said that.

      

Tada! It reeeeally needs some dressing up. It was pretty much a good base cheese…any ideas….Kristy J, you mastered this one? It needs something… garlic..peppers…??? I am SO not creative when it comes to this.