Taste Test Tuesday: Cheese Ravioli

Last week I shared the recipe for making homemade ricotta cheese, this week I am sharing a recipe that uses it--Cheese Ravioli.

I don't have a ravioli maker thing, so I used a rolling pin and a pasta maker to roll out the pasta to a uniform thickness then put globs of cheese filling on it like on a cookie sheet and covered it with another rolled pasta sheet (or folded it over).  I then used a pizza cutter to cut them down to size and sealed the seams simply by pressing a little.  I wasn't exact or anything and it shows in the pictures, if I had wanted to I probably could have made them look nicer.

Tastewise:  both the store bought egg and egg powder pastas turned out fine, without much taste difference between the two.  We did prefer the taste a day or two later to the first day, for some reason after cooking them and sitting in the fridge, then being nuked in the microwave, they actually seemed to taste better.

Enjoy!

Thrifty Thursday: Homemade Ricotta Cheese Cost Effectiveness

On Tuesday I shared a homemade ricotta recipe that uses dry milk.  So is it cost effective to make your own ricotta cheese?  Yes.  When I was at the store I priced 15 oz containers of ricotta to be around $1.80 on up in price.  According to my calculations, to make the equivalent amount at home costs around $1.25, give or take a few cents.  Using the current pricing of a can of dry milk from the LDS Home Storage Center ($8.60) the dry milk used in this recipe is about 67 cents according to my calculations, heavy cream is about 50 cents, salt 1 penny at most, vinegar about 6 cents.  So a total of:  $1.24.

Taste Test Tuesday: Dry Milk Ricotta Cheese

I adapted a recipe I found to make ricotta cheese, but to use dry milk instead.  I prefer to use the crockpot to heat the water, dry milk, cream and salt so I don't have to stand at the stove stirring and stirring while it heats.   If you like a drier ricotta, strain longer, whereas if you prefer it wetter, strain it for less time.

Catch the whey in a bowl if you want to save it for using in bread or soups or something, but also so that you don't get whey all over the counter.  You can line a strainer with the cloth or hang it like I did.

Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Fruit Leather

Today is a very simple recipe for making yummy and colorful fruit leather.  The ingredients:  apple sauce plus flavored gelatin or flavored drink mix if you want to flavor and color the fruit leather.  Plain applesauce without the gelatin or drink mix works just fine too.  Making a variety of colors, you can make a variety of designs.

Simply mix the gelatin or drink mix into the applesauce, mixing more or less in to get the color you want.  Yellow doesn't need drink mix or gelatin, I just added lemonade mix to it to flavor it.  I found that orange and blue needed more mix to reach colors that actually were orange or blue and not yellow or green.
 
If you don't have fruit leather trays for your dehydrator or even if you do and you want a very easy clean up, you can use plastic wrap.  Put the plastic wrap on the tray, getting it as flat as you can.  To make removal easier, spray it with cooking spray before putting the applesauce on it.  Spread a thin but even layer of applesauce onto the plastic wrap.  And dehydrate away at the fruit setting of about 135 degrees.  When they are dried, let them cool and then simply roll them up with the plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.  I use kitchen scissors to cut the rolled up fruit leather into about 1 to 2 inch wide strips for those that aren't specific designs.

Enjoy making very easy fruit leather!

 

Taste Test Tuesday: Strawberry Lemonade

A while back strawberries were on sale for a great price, so I bought a bunch and made freezer jam, jarred jam and strawberry lemonade concentrate.  The freezer jam is pretty much gone already because it is just so good--on bread, mixed in with homemade yogurt, to use as a topping for strawberry shortcake, etc.  MMM.  This is the first time I have made strawberry lemonade concentrate.  The process took a while, but it was worth it.  Opening a quart jar of it and making it up, mmmm.  The recipe I am sharing indicates to use a 1:1 ratio of concentrate to water or pop, but you can use more (or less) water and/or pop to reach the desired taste and consistency you want.  One of the things I love about canning is that I don't have to use freezer or fridge space until opening the canned product, I simply need shelf space.

Making freezer pops out of this is really yummy too!

Enjoy!

Saturday School: How to Make A Box Oven

Saturday School:  How to Make A Box Oven (also known as apple box oven or cardboard box oven)

Box ovens are great for baking as they are easy and cheap to make, and they do a good job of baking too.

Pros:  Cheap to make, easy to make, great for baking, use with charcoal

Cons:  can use only outdoors--do NOT use indoors, if you are a perfectionist making it may be a little frustrating in that the aluminum foil is hard to keep nice and wrinkle free

Costs:  cost of box, heavy duty aluminum foil, foil tape (if using), baking rack, pop bottles or other method to hold rack up, charcoal, pan that will fit.

So here is how I made mine:

Using Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil and foil tape I completely cover all surfaces of both the banker's box and its lid, using foil tape for the seams and around the handle hole that I use for ventilation.  No cardboard is exposed when I am done with it.  I have made a box oven in the past without using foil tape and it worked just fine, I folded the seams over a few times to make sure the heated air couldn't get under the aluminum foil.  I use empty pop bottles to hold up a rack and an aluminum pie pan for holding the charcoal.

Options:  There are different ways to make and use a box oven.  The method I use most often is where the lid is the side door.  But with the box oven I made, I can use the lid as the bottom, the side or the top.  Some box oven instructions have the lid going on top (so you first put in charcoal and whatever is holding the rack, the rack then the pan and put the box lid on the box as the top); while others have the box coming over top the food and rack system (set up charcoal and rack system and bring box over it) and no separate lid.    Some even have you make a oven window to see inside.

Here are a few links to resources of how others have made a box oven:

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/fsme/docs/boxoven.pdf ---this shows how to make the kind where the box comes over the top.  Great instructions and such for this type.

http://peaceofpreparedness.com/Resource%20Library/Cookers/Applebox%20Oven%20directions%20and%20instructions%202011.pdf  ---this shows how to make a box oven with a window.  Great instructions and information.

http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-make-cardboard-box-oven.html  ---this shows how to make the kind where the lid is just that--a lid for the top.  Great instructions for this type.

Thrifty Thursday: Cheap Homemade Firestarters

I had some jar candles that I had used to the point where there was still wax in the jar but it was hard to light the wick anymore because it was near the bottom of the jar.  So.... I used a candle warmer to heat the wax to a liquid and dipped cotton rounds into them.  I then placed the rounds with the wet wax onto wax paper to dry and harden.  When I used them to start a fire while camping last year, they worked great.  I did crinkle them up a little, first, to make some cracks in the wax so the cotton could catch fire, but with the wax on them they didn't ignite and burn up right away, but rather did as they were supposed to and burned more slowly than simple newspaper or cotton without the wax would have.   I can't remember where I got the idea from--whether someone told me about it or read it, but after having tried it, I now have a way to use all my candle wax that is too low to enjoy as a candle.

Here are some pics of the process:

Taste Test Tuesday: 3 Dry Milk recipes

Today I will be sharing 2 dry milk recipes that I got from www.everydayfoodstorage.net.  The first is a main dish, the second a dessert recipe.  The 3rd recipe I have shared before (see this post), but will share again because it is used in the dessert recipe.  I have really liked the recipes I've gotten and tried from www.everydayfoodstorage.net and highly recommend them.

Cheeseburger Mac & Cheese  http://everydayfoodstorage.net/2008/05/21/the-magic-of-magic-mix-recipes-perfect-for-kids/food-storage-recipes

2 C. White Sauce from Magic Mix 2 C. Uncooked Macaroni 

2 C. Cheese 1-2 tsp. salt or garlic salt (optional)
1/2 C. Ketchup 1 T. Yellow Mustard

1 lb. Cooked Ground Beef (I also like to add cooked cracked wheat to this)
1/4 C. Dehydrated Onion hydrated in 1/2 C. Warm Water, drained (optional)

1 Bag Frozen Mixed Vegetables or fresh tomatoes to top

Directions:  Cook Macaroni. Cook hamburger while macaroni cooks. Drain macaroni and make white sauce in empty pot. Combine all ingredients and heat through. 

**My notes:  This isn’t your store bought mac & cheese, but it IS yummy and a great way to use food storage including adding cooked wheat to the ground beef after it is browned.  MMM....

Ice cream Cups  http://everydayfoodstorage.net/2008/06/09/food-storage-ice-cream-cups-powdered-milk-food-storage-recipes/food-storage-recipes

2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips (or white chocolate chips or PB chips)

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk (can use homemade)

1 c finely chopped nuts, pecans, oreos, cookie pieces, etc.

In heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chips with sweet milk (can make own sweetened condensed milk), remove from heat and stir.  Stir in pecans.  In individual paper lined muffin cups, spread about 2 T of mixture.  With lightly greased spoon spread on bottom and up sides of each cup.  Freeze 2 or more hours.  Before serving, remove paper liners--it is easier to remove if allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes first.  Serve with icecream.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/2 c hot water 1 c dry milk

1 c sugar 1 T butter (optional)

Blend in blender, until thoroughly blended (a few minutes).  Can use immediately or freeze or put in fridge.   In the post I did before sharing this recipe, I also shared a couple other recipes using dry milk--like no bake cheesecake, and homemade yogurt.

Enjoy!

Milky May Introduction

I've been slack on doing posts recently, but hopefully I'll be able to get back on track and post more often. I'll catch up a little today by sharing some cream soup recipes. This month, Milky May, I will focus on ideas, recipes, information, etc. that deals with dry milk.

So today, being Thrifty Thursday, I will share some costs associated with making homemade cream soups (like cream of chicken or cream of mushroom). I will share 3 cream soup recipes. Version 1 made from SOS Mix, version 2 from Magic Mix and version 3 made from white bean flour. All of these versions work great. The Magic Mix version is the more expensive option (because of the butter), and depending on sales and generic brands at the store you may be able to find a can of cream soup for cheaper at the store. With all of these versions it is great to know exactly what is going into your soup and to have a way to make cream soup quickly and easily at home if you don't have canned soup available. Have fun using your dry milk and food storage!

Now onto the recipes and costs:

Cream Soup using S.O.S Mix: costs about $0.31 to make the equivalent of 1 can of soup plus any meat or veggie addins. SOS Mix comes from the USU cooperative extension. Here is a link to a booklet containing recipes using it: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FNP_101.pdf

Soup or Sauce Mix (S.O.S) Mix

1 can of soup substitute recipe: 1/3 c SOS mix, 1/4 c cold water. 

Whisk until blended. Stir while cooking on the stovetop or microwave until thickens.

SOS Mix:
2 c dry milk powder, 3/4 c cornstarch, 1/4 c instant chicken bouillon, 2 T dried onion, 2 t Italian seasoning (optional)

Cream Soup using Magic Mix: costs about $1.15 to make the equivalent of 1 can of soup plus any meat or veggie addins. Magic Mix comes from the cooperative extension at USU, here is a handout that has it and recipes using it: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/pub__3295363.pdf Another extension office at WSU has another handout: http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/em4693/em4693.pdf (this one doesn’t use butter in the mix, but in the recipes)

Magic Mix basic cream soup: 4 c water, 2 c magic mix, 1 cube or 1 t bouillon, chopped/mashed veggies or meat. Combine water and magic mix with bouillon in saucepan, heat over medium until slightly thick, add any veggies or meat.

Magic Mix:
2 1/3 c dry milk 1 c flour or 1/2 c cornstarch 1 c butter or marg softened

Combine until looks like coarse meal. Makes about 5 cups, keep in airtight container in fridge 6-8 months. If using instant dry milk use 4 cups. Using this magic mix, you can make white sauces, puddings, pudding pops, and more.

Cream Soup using White Bean Flour: costs about $0.24 to make the equivalent of 1 can of soup plus any meat or veggie addins. This cost is based on my calculations that 1/4 c of beans would be about 8 cents, and 1 t of bouillon would be about 4 cents. To see a video on how to make this, go to http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/03/29/beans-the-magical-fruit/.

Cream of Chicken Soup
5 T ground white bean flour 1 3/4 c water 4 t chicken bouillon
Combine in saucepan and cook on medium about 3 min or more until thickened and heated through. Add any veggies or meat want and use in recipes calling for cream of chicken soup.

NOTES: set wheat grinder to course setting to grind beans. About 1/4 c of beans will grind into 5 T bean flour. This recipe originally came from Country Beans, a wonderful book about using beans.

Make A Plan Monday: Freezer Inventory

April Showers...Freezing Food

Have you ever forgotten you had this or that because it wasn't out in the open or wasn't written down in an inventory?  Have you ever had to throw out food because it didn't get eaten in time or it got freezer burn--or you couldn't identify it?

Today I want to share my thoughts on keeping a freezer inventory and how I label foods I freeze, at least when I'm being good about labeling that is.  Freezing food does NOT make it last forever, or even years.  Freezing simply slows down the processes that cause food to go bad, it does not stop or kill the organisms--that is why once you defrost food it has to be used and can't just stay on the counter or in the fridge for long periods of time.  Some foods freeze better and longer than others, so besides inventorying your food, you should learn how to best freeze it and how long to freeze it for best results.

Inventories for your freezer, as well as other food (pantry, food storage, etc) is a good way to keep track of what you have and what you need to rotate through.  Below is a very simple freezer inventory that I have used with success--meaning I know what I have and can make a plan to use it while it is nutritionally, taste, texture and sight wise the best.

An inventory can be made on the computer or written out by hand, either works.

From the tables, a freezer inventory includes the type of food, amount, when to use it by and location, the date you put it in can also be included, but I think the more important date is the use by date.  Some freezer foods come with use by dates on them, others don't.  In general for home goods--leftovers, freezer meals, things like that I try to use them up within 1 month.  For meats, and store bought goods I follow basic freezer guidelines that can be found in food preserving books & resources, or in general I say 1-3 months for those things, depending if they are raw or cooked.  For things like flour, yeast, dried foods, etc. I use a 6-12 month time frame.

When I use something, I change the amount if I didn't use all of it, or I cross it off my list if I used all of it.  Yes, this means that every month or so a new inventory is needed to keep it up to date.  Most foods don't last long enough for a freezer inventory to only be updated once a year or even once every 6 months; it will need to be updated frequently so I keep mine on the fridge.  You can keep both the fridge freezer and the chest/upright freezer (if have one) inventories on one page or do a separate inventory for each one.  A separate one would be handy if the foods in the chest freezer are longer storage foods that can be stored 3-12 months instead of 1-3 months.  In the example above, I put them together.

The type of food, the type of container and the freezer temperature all play a part in how well and how long the food will maintain nutrition, taste, & texture.  By having an inventory, you will be able to know what needs to be used, and when it needs to be used so that food doesn't go to waste.  Also, by properly preparing and labeling foods when they are put into a freezer, waste can be limited.

When I label foods, besides simply saying what the food is (if not store bought), I put the date I am freezing it as well as the date I hope to use it by, plus any other information that would be helpful like bake temps and times, if it isn't something that doesn't already have that on it.

Examples:  store bought lasagna:  leave in packaging, label with date bought and date to use by; homemade lasagna:  freeze in pan going to use to cook it--if using disposable pan can leave it in it, if using regular baking pan, freeze in pan than remove from pan; wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and place in a freezer bag--labeling lasagna, date frozen and when to use it by, along with bake temp and times if frozen or thawed.

Properly preparing, labeling and inventorying food for the freezer can help limit food waste.  It can also help the food budget as foods aren't wasted, and foods can be bought and made in bulk.

Taste Test Tuesday: Homemade Freezer Jam

Freezer jam is so yummy!  The recipes that come with the fruit pectin are fine and dandy, I have used them and had success with both the process and the final product tasting great.  So, today's recipe is from when I made blueberry and cherry freezer jam.  For this time, I used Ball no sugar needed fruit pectin, but have used the regular one too as well as other brands.  I do like to use sugar--it helps with both the setting up and preserving the color.  But, you can go sugarless too--just be aware it won't gel quite as well and won't keep its color as well.  So on to the recipe...

I've made all blueberry, all cherry and a mix of the two and like them all.  I also love homemade freezer strawberry jam--probably my favorite.  I used a potato masher to mash the fruit.

Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Turkey Jerky

Today's recipe uses a name specific spice mix, but there are other ways to make turkey jerky with other spice mixes and such.  This is simply how I have made and liked it.  So here is the recipe and then will follow pictures from making it.

Be sure to start with the leanest meat possible, I got the 90% lean ground turkey.  After mixing the ground meat with the spice and cure mix, I used a jerky gun to make uniform strips and found it very helpful.  Dehydrate at 160 degrees.  If your dehydrator doesn't show or allow you to control the temperature, I wouldn't use it to dry meats.

After the first hour or 2, I wiped up what moisture and fat I could with paper towel, I found it helpful to simply lay the paper towel over the strips and press a little and let the paper towel absorb the fat.  Some of the time the paper towel did stick a little, and I had to peel it off, but nothing big.  You can see the paper towel absorbs quite a bit.  After absorbing one side this way, I flipped the strips over and then did the same to the other side.  I kept the dehydrator running and pulled out one tray at a time when I did this--that is one nice thing about a side mount fan dehydrator over the top mount or even bottom mount.

Have fun and enjoy!  Home dried jerkies don't last as long if not kept frozen, so be sure to use it up before it goes bad.

Thrifty Thursday: Grocery Shopping with Kids Tips

Today I want to share ideas on how to still get the best deal when shopping with kids.  I say get the best deal and not just how to shop with kids because sometimes when shopping with antsy kids we too can get antsy and do more of a grab and go shopping trip and thus forget something or not get the best deals because we just grab not taking time to see if it is the lowest price per unit.

The first tip, whether shopping with kids or not, is to go with a list.  If possible, be as specific as possible--listing brands, prices, how much to get.  Example:  Kroger brand frozen corn .88/each (5).  The 5 in () indicates to get 5 packages of corn.  Why is this helpful?  Well, it allows you to do a quick shopping trip, but also if someone else in the family ends up being the one to do the shopping they know exactly what you were expecting/wanting.  Another thing that is helpful about being specific is you can know before hand what your total should be, and you have a ready made inventory of the items you are getting.  If you have older kids, have them help make the shopping list and be a part of budgeting the money for groceries.

Now on to specific things that might help when shopping with kids.

Give them a picture shopping list.  This gets them involved.  You can even make it a race to see who sees the items on their list first (give each kid a separate list if needed to keep contention at bay).  Here is an example using pictures of items in the sales flyer for Kroger this week (including the 3 day sale):

This type of shopping list can also be made into a bingo type game by rearranging the items for each kid, and then as items are added to the cart they can mark it off on their bingo card.  For little kids I would suggest connecting the crayon/pencil to the list.  Making a picture list:  If you get printed flyers, you can cut out the pictures of the things you want the kids to be in charge of; if you don't get printed flyers, you can copy and paste from online flyers and then print it out.

Another option for kids who can read is to scramble the items on your list or make other word games (crossword puzzles, wordsearches, etc)  See if they can beat you--you get the items while they figure out the word puzzles.  Or if they solve them in the car, then they can help get the items while in the store.  Or make their list of the snacky/treat items that can only be gotten if they figure out the word puzzles.  Here is an example:

(the answers are the same as the picture shopping list but with one more item added:  bread)

And if you are learning/teaching other languages, here is an example of a puzzle shopping list using ASL hand letters (answer key is first then the ASL shopping list).  This can also simply be used if you are learning/teaching ASL and they can practice the letters while you shop.

And a Spanish match shopping list:

Other games that can be played:  have your kids quiz you by asking you to figure out the cost per unit and which is cheaper, or how much something is when given only a % off, etc.; play the ABC or 123 game where you have to get the next letter or number before the other does (like the license plate game), see who can get to Z first or to 100.  Use terms/phrases in any foreign language that is being learned/taught.

Maps:  give or have the kids draw a map of the store and have them guide you to where you need to go.   Also, they can do this for the town--just be aware they may be telling you at every stop to turn or go straight...  But it is fun.

I hope these ideas are helpful in making shopping a better and funner experience for all.  Besides these hands on tips, it is very helpful to do the shopping when no one is hungry or tired.


NOTE 1:  The food images, as mentioned, are from the Kroger sales flyer for this week.  Here are the actual sale prices for these items:
Kroger bottled water 2.99; Kroger apple juice:  1.58; Kroger milk 3.69; Kroger cheese 1.99, 8 lb oranges 5.99; 8 lb russet potatoes 2.49;  Fuji or Braeburn apples 1.69/lb; Kroger frozen veggies .88; 1 dozen roses 18.99

NOTE 2: The ASL hand images are one of the fonts found on Fonts4Teachers by Educational Insights (ISBN: 1-56767-555-7).

Taste Test Tuesday: Canning Chicken

I found out when I first tried canning chicken that it really wasn't that hard.  I read the pressure canner's instructions and studied up on different possible ways to can chicken (raw, cooked, with or without extra liquid, etc) and then tried it myself.  It turned out great.  I personally think that homemade canned chicken tastes better than store-bought canned chicken, and that is without adding any extra flavoring to the canned chicken.  Canned chicken is great to use in everyday recipes, but also for camping--as it doesn't need to be kept cold before use.

So here are the basics:  To can chicken or any meats, a pressure canner is needed--make sure it is working properly.  Prepare the canner, jars, lids, etc.  You want everything ready before starting.

Raw or cooked chicken can be canned.  If packing raw, you don't need to add water if you don't want to--the canning process will provide its own juices.  You can add broth or water to raw or cooked chicken, but again leave one inch headspace.  Use a nonmetal spatula to remove air bubbles.

Before putting the lid on be sure to wipe the rim to remove any chicken or juices that got onto it--otherwise it may not seal properly.  Once the jars are filled, cleaned and lids and rings on them, you place them into the pressure canner and follow the instructions for how much water, pressure, and time.    Error on the side of more than needed water, rather than less than needed, you do NOT want to run out of water while pressure canning!  Pay attention to the pressure canner throughout the process--this isn't something like a crockpot meal that can be left alone for long periods of time.  The time starts when the canner is to pressure, and you need to check often to make sure the canner is maintaining a constant pressure, that it isn't going over or below your target pressure listed for your pressure canner and altitude.  Once the canning is done, remove the jars onto a towel to cool.  Remove the rings (see note below).  Once cool, label and store.

Notes:  I suggest removing the rings even if you plan on storing the jars with the rings on them--the reason is by removing them you can do a visual to make sure it sealed properly.  Once you've done a visual, you can replace the rings leaving them slightly loose if you prefer to store your rings with the canned food.  If you've lost the instructions that came with your pressure canner, you will want to find and print a new set.

Enjoy!

Saturday School: Homemade Cheese using dry milk

Saturday School:  Homemade cheese from dry milk

I got this recipe from the dry milk handout found on peaceofpreparedness (see below).  I thought I’d give it a try.

Here is my experience trying it:  Mixing 3 c of dry milk into 4 cups takes a few minutes to get it all mixed, it also creates a lot of froth on top.  Heating it to 115* didn’t take long at all.  As soon as I added the oil and vinegar, the milk started to curd.  I still waited another 5-10 minutes, but it didn’t seem to curd a whole lot more after I initially added the vinegar/oil.  In fact, it curded so quickly that stirring the oil and vinegar into it left a clump of curd in my whisk that I had to use a knife to cut out.

I used a slotted spoon to scoop out the curds, since my bowl would have been too small for all the liquid at once if I had just poured the curds and whey into the cheesecloth lined strainer.  I twisted the cheesecloth to close it off and squeeze out the excess liquid.  I used dental floss to tie the ball of curds into a hanging position over a bowl to catch more liquid drain-off.

The results:  It was crumbly like the grated parmesan cheese from the store, similar in taste-somewhat.  I couldn’t grate it because it would just crumble.  Best for salads or on top of pasta I think.  I used about 1 T worth of salt when I made it and it wasn't too salty.  Taste wise--as it isn't bursting with flavor, it compliments parmesan cheese and things that are made with it, but by itself, I didn't think it had too much taste of its own.

Here are the pics from my first time making cheese this way:

Making Cheese with dry milk powder:

http://peaceofpreparedness.com/Resource%20Library/Recipies/Got%20Milk%20handout%202011.pdf

http://peaceofpreparedness.com/Resource%20Library/Recipies/Got%20Milk%20Recipes%202011.pdf

Cheese

Mix 4 c. water and 3 c. dry non-instant milk in large saucepan, heat until 115°. Add 2/3 c. oil and 1 3⁄4 c. white vinegar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.

When curds (cheese clumps) separate from whey (watery stuff) then pour them into a cheesecloth lined strainer.

Mix salt into curds. Pull up sides of cheesecloth, twist just above cheese, squeezing out water as you twist. Tie with string and hang overnight, hanging over bowl. Unwrap and grate.

Saturday School: Wonder Box Oven

Alternative Cooking Method:  Wonder Box Oven

A wonderbox oven is an insulating oven--meaning it doesn't bring heat to the food and heat it up, but rather it helps food that has already been heated retain that heat and thereby continue to cook.

Pros:  If you have limited fuel or simply don't want to use a lot of fuel in cooking your food, you can bring it to the temperature it is needed to bake/cook (most likely you will need to bring it to a boil for 3-5 minutes), then you transfer your pot with a lid to the wonder box oven and allow the retained heat to continue cooking the food.

Cons:  You will need a different heat source before you can use this method to continue cooking your food.  You will need to make your own.  Finding bean bag stuffing at a store near you may or may not be hard, but it is available on-line  (I got mine from Wal-mart).  I suggest using cotton or denim materials.

Directions for how to make a wonderbox oven are available online.  Here is the website I found very helpful in making my own wonderbox oven (includes pics of the process of making one):  http://www.iwillprepare.com/cooking_files/Wonder_Box.htm

Another great resource is:  http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/fsme/docs/wonderbox.pdf

So after getting the instructions, you will need to make your own pattern.  I used cardboard to make mine.  You will need to measure out the lengths and angle measurements (thought you were done with math and geometry right?).   The bottom pattern I had to tape on a little extra cardboard to get it the right size.

Once you have your pattern, you can then trace and cut your fabric (you will need 4 of both pattern pieces).  Follow the instructions on how & where to start sewing and such.  Leave a wide enough gap to fill both the top and the bottom with bean bag fill.  Be sure to not over-fill, you need to be able to put your pot in it.

Once the bean bag filling is in, you can sew the gap closed.  And you are done, ta da.

The above simply shows that a large pot can fit.  Below is where brown rice was brought to a boil for about 10 minutes, then transferred to the wonderbox oven to continue cooking for another 2-3 hours (even if you leave it longer, it stays warm and doesn't over-cook).

 

There are different types of insulating ovens, wonderbox is just one.  Another can be made easily by using a large icechest/cooler and pillows for insulation.  Either way, it helps cut down on the amount of fuel needed.