A Simple Cheese

This one is really easy to make and you can add your own touch, your own favorite flavors and herbs  to the mix.
I heat one gallon of milk to 175F degrees..

Stir in one cup of white vinegar...

Strain through cheesecloth..

I added salt to taste and about 2 tablespoons of butter...

I didn't use a cheese press. I just pressed it into a bowl, covered it and chilled overnight in the fridge...

Topped with a sweet, hot chile sauce...

I like this cheese, it's so easy to make and the variations are endless. You can add just about any of your favorite herbs or seasonings. Jalapenos, pickled peppers, scallions, garlic, etc..

It's not a good melting cheese but it's a great crumbling cheese.


Everything is going well here. The virus hasn't really been a factor in my life. The stores I frequent are still open and operating as usual. I live in the middle of nowhere so friends are still living live normally. The cattle still need tended, the pigs, chickens, etc., are thriving and the garden is doing great.

Hope everyone is healthy and happy and doing well!
Thanks for stopping by!

Hickory Smoked Beef Manicotti

This was an easy meal that turned out tastier than I had anticipated. It would be easy enough to toss into a 350F oven til hot and bubbly, but I wanted to cook it in the drum and let it catch a bit of smoke.

I made a batch of my favorite meatloaf recipe. Any meatloaf recipe will work.

I stuffed the mixture into uncooked manicotti pasta...

I spread a bit of store bought marinara sauce in the bottom of the skillet before lining up the stuffed pasta...

I filled the skillet about 1/2 way up the side, with some beef stock. I do this a lot when cooking with a dutch oven. It helps the pasta get tender...

I had leftover meatloaf mixture, so I just spread it around on top!

Topped with more sauce, then into the drum with a bit of hickory. The drum ran around 300F.

When the manicotti was heated through, I topped it with cheese...

Smoked til the cheese was melted and everything was hot and bubbly...

That's pretty much it. Supper was ready!

Served with some garlic bread and a salad.. no picture of the salad for some reason. lol

I sliced the manicotti in half to get a shot of the meat stuffing...

I really liked the way this turned out. The smoke from the drum added an extra layer of flavor.
It was really easy to make too!!


Hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe and warm!
The weather has been interesting here. 80 degrees one day and snowing the next!
It would be nice to have more moisture here, but I'm not complaining. The critters are doing great....It's been a nice winter!

Thanks for stopping by!