Cheese

I've been on a DIY kick in the kitchen this year.  I've grown my own beansprouts which are easy and delicious.  I've made my own yogurt for the second week in a row.  Also delicious but not as easy.  And today I made mozzarella cheese.  The cheese wasn't so easy because I had to drive to St. Louis Park to buy supplies but once you have the supplies, it's quicker to make than yogurt.  With yogurt you have to wait for the milk to heat up and cool down.  With the cheese, you just have to heat the milk up until that magic moment that comes between 100 and 105 degrees when the whey separates from the curds.  It's very exciting to watch it happen.  Success bubbling up before my eyes.  After straining the whey I microwave the curds and knead the whey out of them.  Microwave, knead, add salt, microwave, knead and it's done!  The cheese gets stretchy like taffy.  I hear squeaks when I chew it.  And it tastes pretty good too.  Makes me wish I had some home grown tomatoes and fresh basil to make a delicious salad.