"cottage cheese" news and stories

Photo: Caitlinator, Flickr

• Farmer's market etiquette dictates not shucking that ear of corn to hunt for imperfections: Pulling off the husk quickens the loss of sweetness, and is, in one writer's opinion, rude to farmers.
  
• Adding herbs to cocktails can perk up everything from whiskey to margaritas.
• Forget lemonade stands: Two tykes make ice-cream treats to sell to neighborhood friends.
• A taste test of low-fat cottage cheese.
  
• Good Stuff discovers tasty tortillas, a celebration for Olga's Kitchen, how to loosen caps with nutcrackers, and some delicious Fair Trade chocolate, vis-à-vis the Equal Exchange Chocolate Bar.
• Recipes: Lavender Cookies, More-Vegetable-Less-Egg Frittata, Whole-Grain Rotini with No-Cook Tomato Sauce.

I'm often surprised to realize that many of the groceries I buy can be simply made at home. I tend to presume that cottage cheese just grows on supermarket shelves, for example, or that making vanilla requires complex machinery. So while it may be more convenient to throw these items into your cart than to cultivate them in your own kitchen, try making any of these eight treats at home the next time you're feeling bold.

1. Homemade cottage cheese from Serious Eats
2. Homemade vanilla extract from Simply Recipes
3. Homemade peanut butter cups from Baking Bites
4. Homemade girl scout cookies, also from Baking Bites
5. Homemade yogurt from 101 Cookbooks
6. Homemade soy milk from Just Hungry
7. Homemade butter from The Wednesday Chef
8. Homemade soda from Mother Earth News

Make something special at home? Share the recipe!

I became aware of cottage cheese dill bread when I started working in my pastry kitchen. It's one of the breads that I have to make on a regular basis, as it's used for all kinds of canapes and finger sandwiches. I've never seen it in a retail bakery and so far as I can tell, it's not a very popular bread, but it should be.

Cottage cheese dill loaves are made with a variety of savory ingredients that make for a saliva-inducing aroma and taste. In addition to the cottage cheese and dill you've got onion and horseradish, and in some cases Parmesan cheese (I've seen it in recipes, but don't use it in my bread).

The dill loaves I make are used mainly for smoked salmon canapes and cucumber finger sandwiches, and I also make a cottage cheese dill dinner roll. They make the pastry kitchen smell absolutely wonderful. They can make your house smell just as good, and you'll be very pleased with what this bread can do for your sandwiches, not to mention toast! This recipe I found online looks good, but I'd add a tablespoon of horseradish if you have it. Also, there's a good version in Bernard Clayton's "New Complete Book of Breads". Check out the gallery below for some inspirational photos.

I have always been a fan of cottage cheese. It is a staple in my family, purchased along side the eggs, milk and Trader Joe's Honey Whole Wheat bread for all the years when I was growing up. These days there's always a tub of it to be found in my fridge, as it is the perfect protein addition to breakfast, lunch or dinner (applesauce and cottage cheese is heaven in a bowl). However, it has never occurred to me to alter its curdy state and use it as the primary ingredient in ice cream. Thankfully, there are many creative thinkers in this world and Jessica at Su Good Eats is one of them. She has pureed cottage cheese and used it to make ice cream. The results look pretty darn good and when you couple that with my love of cottage cheese, I think that this is one I'm going to have to try out.

• Summer is salad time, including salads with green beans.
• When you order fish in a restaurant, does it come with bones or without?
• An interview with Darra Goldstein, author of Baking Boot Camp: Five Days of Basic Training at the Culinary Institute of America.
• What's the best cottage cheese you can buy at the supermarket?
• You've heard of the Slow Food trend? How about the Slow Sip?
• This week's recipes: Eggplant Gazpacho, Chicken Salad, Poor Man's Caviar, Ham and Cheddar Scones, Pecan Butter Ball Cookies, Angel Food Summer Pudding, and Lemonade.