catinthehat

Wow - great topic!! I love to make all kinds of things from scratch, but hadn't really thought of mustard. I will be trying this very soon. Thanks so much for the detailed posts and photos! My dad used to make the most amazing homemade catsup that tasted like a cross between regular catsup and BBQ sauce. I've asked him for the recipe, but he cooks like I do (just throw in what you've got and see what happens) and he can't find a recipe, nor can he remember how it did it (it was 20 years ago). Does anyone out there have a homemade catsup recipe that sounds similar? I would love to make a bunch of it. Thanks for any help.

I'm so thrilled someone else has thought to add Peanut Butter to S'Mores!! I have been trying to spread the gospel of the PB s'more all around my home state of MN and no one else has ever heard of it. I also like to use dark chocolate on m s'mores. Delicious! I make them regularly on my gas stove. Bonfires in the city can be complicated, but s'more should be available all the time. And a note on the natural peanut butters that people don't like to stir - store them upside down. Works like a charm - no stirring involved and wonderful, nutty, no-sugar PB available whenever you want it. Just screw that lid on TIGHT so it doesn't leak. I have been doing this for years and it works great. (store it upside down the minute you buy it and you'll never have to stir. If you don't want the chance of a leak, store it upright in the fridge after you open it. It won't separate then). Enjoy all your wonderful PB creations.

Ok, so I'm months and months late, but you all have inspired me and I have some extract grade madagascar burbon beans on the way and I picked up some Icelandic Vodka earlier in the week. It wasn't cheap (about the same as Grey Goose) but the liquor store employee recommended it as THE most neutral vodka on the market. It's funny because I just returned from an Icelandic backpacking trip a few weeks ago! Everything is so expensive in Iceland, I think the imported vodka is actually cheaper here. It should be in jar by weeks end and maybe, just maybe ready for a little christmas baking in a few months. Am I setting my hopes too high on that one? Thanks, everybody, for all of your excellent information in this thread. I've learned a lot.

Hey, I just got started in cheesemaking. Have made a dozen or so batches of fresh mozzarella with mixed results. At first we started with $8/gal, organic non-homogenized milk and (believe it or not) didn't have much luck. As we got frustrated and started buying cheaper and cheaper milk our results got better and better. This could be due to a great many factors, but it's funny nonetheless. We have been unable to store it successfully. At first we tried a salt/water brine simliar to what fresh mozzarella comes in in the store. The cheese shrank, the outside got all slimey, and the core got really hard (like a tough string cheese). Not desirable results. Next we tried kneading it less (only to the point where it barely held together), and then double wrapped it in saran wrap and let it sit for a day or two in the fridge. That actually worked reasonably well. It was still more solid than then fresh mozzarella in the store, but the texture did improve (over the brine version), and generally was much better overall. I have decided, though, that it's just best to eat homemade fresh mozzarella really fresh. It's very tasty that way. We have just been using the citric acid/rennet version. Has anyone tried home cultured mozzarella? Are the results any better? I also just made a cultured Skyr - a very thick yogurt from Iceland. It's techincally a really soft cheese and it's delicious! I hope I can keep my culture going. I hear a lot of people say their culture eventually dies. Does anyone know why this happens or how to prevent it?