I was able to get my hands on some fresh from the cow milk. I dreamed of making mozzarella cheese. Since I would never want to start with something easy like butter, or yogurt, or just skimming the cream off for my own whipping cream and drinking the milk. No, I felt a challenge was in order.
Actually, I was stocked up on other items and cheese sounded yummy.
I like cheese, even if my stomach isn't always a fan.
Mozzarella is the easiest and least time consuming of the cheeses to make. It does require precise temprature and careful monitoring. I set myself up and had everything ready for when the milk hit the magic temp of 80*F. At one point I carefully removed a fleck using my bare finger tip. I was surprised how it burned me. It was only at about 77*. As I was waiting and waiting and thinking how it was taking much longer than indicated on the recipe, I had a DUH moment.
A really LOUD and obvious DUH!
I was watching the Celisus side. And it had just reached 180*F or 80* C.
I now had a gallon of scalded milk.
But I saved it! Yes, I was able to rack my brain and remember a tid bit from reading about how to make yogurt. First the milk must be heated to 180*F! BINGO!!!
Now most yogurt recipes are done in 1 quart batches. So I did some adjusting, some guessing, and finished my scalded gallon milk off as yogurt.
Next time Grandma asks why I do things in such large batches, sometimes it's because of a dumb move on my part, and to salvage the situation I just quadruple the batch.
This has happened before.
With banana muffins, I thawed out four times the amount I needed.
And sometimes I just get carried away! If I want something to last more than the afternoon, I must double it. If I want to share with friends and neighbors, I must triple, and if I want my freezer to be well stocked for future use, well now we're at quadrupling. I'm sure that happens to everyone.
No?
Oh.
Well, I have a couple of crazy hairs and sometimes I let them make all my important decisions.
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