This recipe makes 3 pounds of cheese. It keeps for two weeks in the fridge, or you can freeze it.

Ingredients:
Trader Joe's heavy cream, 16 oz. (1/2qt.)
Whole milk, 1 gal.
Trader Joe's heavy whipping cream, 1 qt.
Water, 1 qt.
Trader Joe's buttermilk, 1 qt.
Sugar, 3 tbsp.
Salt, 2 tbsp.
White vinegar, 3 tbsp.
Pam

Cookware:
Large pot
Candy thermometer
Colander
Cheesecloth
Dish or bowl which will hold colander and drainage mixture
Slotted spoon
Wax paper
Aluminium foil

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix the buttermilk and vinegar and set aside.
2. Spray large pot with Pam, so sides and bottom are lightly coated.
3. Add milk, cream, water and sugar to pot, give one stir and cook on medium heat until thermometer reaches 175 degrees. Depending on your stove, this may take two hours or more.

4. Add salt, giving one easy turn, and continue cooking until thermometer reaches 200 degrees. This doesn't take very long, though the temperature may drop slightly when you drop in the salt.
5. Once your mixture reaches 200 degrees, gently stir in the buttermilk-vinegar mixture. 
6. During the next 30-40 minutes, let the temperature rise to 200 degrees again, reducing heat to low if necessary. Gently give the mixture one turn at the 15-minute mark.
7. Remove the thermometer and allow the mixture to separate on low heat (~30 min). Do NOT allow mixture to boil!
8. Turn off heat, and leave pot alone for two hours.
9. Line your colander with cheesecloth, and with a slotted spoon lift out the curds from the pot into the colander (you may taste the curds at this point - I thought I died and went to heaven).

10. Cover your colander with wax paper and aluminium foil to form a tight seal. Place into refrigerator overnight.
11. The following day, the cheese can be removed from the colander and placed into containers or cut into pieces and frozen. If stored in the fridge, the cheese will become more firm as the days pass.

You can enjoy your cheese with eggs for breakfast. Place some cheese on a skillet on medium-high heat for a few moments. Add a cracked egg and wait until desired level of done-ness, serve.

As an avid cooker of what I like to call “man-food”, I have a strong passion for grilling.  The art of grilling chicken wings has a significant role in my “man-food” experience.  But, every batch of crispy skinned and tasty chicken wings needs a delicious sauce.  I have worked to the point of mastery at what I like to call “a world famous buffalo wing sauce” recipe for the last 10 years. (My dad passed down the buffalo wing sauce recipe to me and I currently hold the honor of preparing it for my family. This recipe and its back story will be released in due time for all to enjoy.) 

But, one man’s buffalo wing sauce is not enough.  So, I decided to expand my sauce-making repertoire to include exotic twists and specialty flavors.  A small chicken joint in New York called Smitty’s inspires this sauce.  My parents used to dine on Smitty’s chicken during their college and early marriage years.  Smitty’s is an exotically sweet and hot and sour style sauce that works perfectly on chicken wings, whole grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, or just about anything you are willing to try it on! 

Here we go:

Ingredients:   
2 cups of sugar
1-½ cups of white vinegar
5 oz of mustard
2 oz of ketchup
6 oz of honey
2 oz of Frank’s Red Hot
½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
8 oz. of crushed pineapple
½ cup of water

Preparation:

1)     Mix the sugar together with the vinegar on a low heat and stir regularly until the sugar completely dissolves (about 5-10 minutes).

2)     Combine all the other ingredients except for the water with the sugar-vinegar mixture and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes.  Stir every 5 minutes or so to make sure ingredients are mixing well.

a.       *Alternate Step 2*: blend the ingredients in a blender and then add to the sugar-vinegar mixture.  This creates a more well mixed sauce with smaller bits of pineapple, but I usually stick to the normal step 2 because I like the appearance, texture, and taste of the larger pineapple pieces in the sauce.

3)     Add the water.

4)     Coat chicken or food with sauce or refrigerate and save for later!

Special Preparation Suggestion:
Smitty’s would grill a whole chicken and then serve the chicken over a bed of macaroni salad.  Then pour the sauce over the chicken and macaroni salad.  Makes a hearty dinner plate and is great for a cookout!  

Enjoy Smitty’s Sauce and there will be more signature sauce recipes on the way including the best traditional buffalo wing sauce.   

Ingredients:

• 2 cups soft bread cubes
  
• 1 small onion chopped fine
  
• 1 green pepper
  
• 8 oz crab meat, imitation crab or vegan crab
  
• ¼ cup Lemon juice
  
• ½ cup Mayonnaise or Vegenaise
  
• Salt and Pepper
  

Cut your favorite bread (French or Italian bread works best) into 1/2 in. cubes. You may want to use only half the onion if you’re not too big on onions.  Chop and blanch the pepper, boil between 20 seconds and 1 minute, then remove quickly and run under cold water for a few seconds. Mix everything in a bowl and you’re done! 

The vegan mayonnaise is healthier and less calories so I like using it, and I think it tastes best with the imitation crab (which is also the cheapest of the crab options). 


Eating options:

• Straight out of the bowl
  
• Brush some olive oil on a piece of bread (left over from the bread you used for the cubes), put Salad on bread and toast to your liking
  
• As a side dish
  
• As a pita chip topping
  
• Stuff/roll in white fish (any white fish) fillets and bake at 400 for 30 min. 
  

Lesson of the day: Food bloggers have sous-chefs…
Simultaneously baking and photographing yourself baking is not an easy task!

I stumbled upon this wonderful idea on seriouseats.com and didn’t want to be rude, so I gave it a shot: Double Stuffed Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yes, that’s right: a cookie inside a cookie. Just use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and add an Oreo. 

As an advocate of healthy eating, I’m still working on perfecting my chocolate chip cookie. I’ve always been a sucker for the Nestle Tollhouse recipe (on the back of the semisweet chocolate chip bag), but at two sticks of butter, I always feel guilty both eating and sharing these treats with others. In my cupcakes and muffins, I now use at least a 1:1 ratio of applesauce to butter, but substituting with cookies has proven difficult.  The flavor is still there, but the cookies don’t hold their shape, becoming very flat.  So, for me, chocolate chip cookies are still about experimentation.

This time, I used the Nestle recipe, but used pureed pineapple and banana as a substitute for half the butter, and threw in some whole wheat instead of all-purpose flour. The dough was very sticky and thus difficult to handle, but baked just fine. The final product was moist, mainly chewy, and only had a mild banana flavor (recognized by only one devoted eater).

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  
• ¼ cup pureed pineapple
  
• ½ banana, ripe
  
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 2 cups chocolate chips. (I had my chocolate chips and Reese’s pieces in the same jar, so I used semisweet baking chips, Reese’s pieces, and tossed in some white chocolate chips, too, just for kicks.)

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, pineapple, banana, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolates.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop a spoonful of cookie dough and place an Oreo on top. Scoop another spoonful and place on top of the Oreo. Squish down the dough from the top and bottom and make sure to push together the seam where the two balls of dough meet. Place on greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 18 gigantic cookies.

Because the dough was so sticky, I had to coat my hands in flour in order to handle it and encase the Oreos. Also, the cookies were huge. Once I got the hang of the construction, I realized I could have made them significantly smaller and gotten a higher yield. There’s always next time…although I think in the future I want to try chocolate cookies with a nutter butter inside. Thank you, Serious Eats!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quinoa
  
• ½ yellow onion, chopped (1”)
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• ½ red pepper, chopped
  
• 3 baby portobella mushrooms, chopped
  
• ¼-1/2 cup frozen peas
  
• 4 chunks crystallized ginger, chopped
  
• 2 tsp minced ginger
  
• ¼ cup cashews, toasted
  
• 1-2 tsp turmeric
  
• 1-2 tsp ground cardamom
  
• 1-2 tsp curry powder
  

Instructions:

1. Boil 1 cup of water, add quinoa, and reduce heat. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until no water remains.
   
2. Heat 1-3 tsp olive oil over medium heat in sauce pan.  Sautee onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and peppers and stir. Add peas and ginger. Stir in spices. Toss in quinoa and continue heating/sautéing over medium-high heat. Mix in toasted cashews or reserve to be placed on top when serving.

It’s a butter! It’s a spread! It’s a sputter!

This isn’t a combination that would normally cross my mind, but carrots, cashews, and apricots taste excellent on a whole wheat sesame cracker! And it’s super easy too! (Recipe adapted from Whole Foods)

Ingredients

• 3 carrots, chopped 
  
• 3/4 cup raw cashew pieces 
  
• 1/2 dried apricots, quartered (10-15 apricots) 
  
• Crackers!
  

Directions

1. Put carrots into a small pot and cover with 2 inches of water
   
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low
   
3. Cover and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes 
   
4. Add cashews and apricots. Cover and continue to simmer until carrots are very soft (5 to 7 minutes more)
   
5. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water and then drain well. 
   
6. Transfer carrot mixture and reserved water to a food processor (or Magic Bullet) and purée until smooth
   
7. Either chill for at least an hour or eat while still warm…
   
8. Put it in a bowl and garnish with extra cashews
   
9. Spread onto or dip crackers
   

To most people, comfort food is usually defined as mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of either of these creamy American dishes, so when I find myself in need of a warm, delicious meal when I’m stressed I turn to their Italian equivalent: Risotto. Risotto is a creamy rice dish made from using high-starch rice and slowing adding hot liquid (I like to use chicken stock) while continually stirring. Last summer when I finally had the opportunity to cook for myself — the first time I didn’t have my parents or the residence halls to feed me — I decided I wanted to expand my culinary horizons and try something new. I’ve always heard risotto was delicious and with every other chef on the Food Network making it, I decided that this would be the perfect dish to flex my culinary muscles. It takes a little bit of work, but the end result is well worth the wait and elbow grease.



Ingredients:

• 1 cup Arborio Rice
  
• 3+ cups Chicken Stock*
  
• ½ pounds of Shrimp
  
• ½ cup Peas
  
• 1 tablespoon Garlic (minced
  
• Butter
  
• Parmesan Cheese
  

1. First, with olive oil sauté minced garlic in a deep pan or pot. Once the garlic starts to turn a little brown and the natural flavors are brought out add the Arborio rice. Let the rice brown a little in the oil and garlic to develop its natural nuttiness.
   
2. Once the rice starts to become opaque, turn the heat to medium/high and add enough chicken stock to just cover the mixture.  Stir constantly! The key to risotto’s creamy texture of awesomeness is taking the time and energy to keep it moving.
   
3. When the rice seems to have absorbed most of the liquid, add another ladle-full (about ½ cup) of stock. Continue this process until the rice is fully cooked and it reaches your desired texture — it should take around 20-30 minutes depending on the pan you use.
   
4. When your rice is nearing completion, add your shrimp to the mixture. For this recipe, I like to use pre-cooked shrimp that I season with pepper and garlic. Adding the shrimp at this time will warm it through and allow the natural shrimp-y taste to permeate the dish. (You’ll probably want to add one more ladle-full of stock after adding the shrimp, so plan accordingly).
   
5. When the rice is creamy, delicious, and fully cooked, it’s time to add the finishing touches. Simply add a handful of frozen peas (they’ll thaw quickly), 1-2 tablespoons of butter (all about preference there), and Parmesan cheese. Again, the amount of cheese is your personal preference, as it will add salty undertones as well contributing to the creaminess — I’d start will a tablespoon and continue adding until your satisfied.
   
6. Serve immediately!
   

Risotto is best when served hot, so, thankfully, you don’t need to wait. Simply dish out your dinner into perfect bowls of comfort and warmth.  Next time your feeling the need to dive into a bowl of mac’n’cheese, consider something a little more exotic and just as tasty. You’ll be able to impress your friends, and your taste buds will be grateful for the experience. 


*Note: the ratio between liquid and Arborio is 3/1 — different from the classic 2/1 for most rices — so if you want to smaller or larger amount, keep this in mind.

If you’re anything like me, your winter break was filled with a little overindulgence, especially in the sweets department. My mom is an excellent cook overall, but she really hits her stride when it comes to Christmas cookies. Every year, my family enjoys a variety of treats, including chocolate cherry kiss cookies, nut-butter balls (yes, the name is hilarious), mint squares, and ginger snaps. As I shared the remnants of the cookies with my friends on New Year’s Eve, it seemed that one type in particular was receiving a lot of attention: chocolate chip orange shortbread. Fortunately, this isn’t a holiday-themed cookie: you can make it all year round!

Before the new semester started, I stayed at a friend’s house in Jackson, where I suggested we try recreating the chocolate chip orange shortbread. After finding a recipe online and confirming it with my mom, we began seeking out the ingredients. But, we soon discovered that we didn’t have mini chocolate chips or icing sugar (otherwise known as powdered or confectioner’s sugar). Shrugging, we figured we’d just go with chopped up bar chocolate and a combination of granulated sugar and cornstarch (a recommended substitute for icing sugar). The chopped chocolate worked well. However, the granulated sugar, while not ruining the recipe, did produce a different consistency than what we had hoped. As shortbread, these cookies are meant to be light and crispy. Though the recipe isn’t complicated to make, little things—such as poking each slice with a fork three times—can greatly impact how the shortbread turns out. By adding granulated sugar, we created a much denser cookie, which was delicious, but not what we were aiming to achieve. 

So, Wolverine Cuizine readers, I provide you with a lesson. Sometimes substitutions work. Sometimes they don’t. It’ll take a bit of experimenting before you figure out which ones will best replicate their original ingredients. But, while you’re doing that, enjoy this recipe for chocolate chip orange shortbread. A buttery, sweet and slightly citrus-infused treat, it’s something a little off the beaten path of the cookie world. 

Chocolate Chip Orange Shortbread

COOKIES
1 Cup Icing Sugar
1 Cup Butter, Softened
1 TBSP Grated Orange Peel
1 ¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Cornstarch
¾ Cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips

GLAZE
½ Cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
1 TSP Shortening

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Sift or stir flour & cornstarch together—set aside
   
2. In a large bowl, beat icing sugar & butter until light & fluffy
   
3. Add orange peel & blend well
   
4. Stir in flour mixture—mix well
   
5. Stir in chocolate chips
   
6. Divide dough into 4 equal parts & shape each into a smooth, round ball
   
7. On ungreased cookie sheets, press or roll each ball of dough into a 6” circle ¼” thick
   
8. With a long knife, score each circle into 8 wedges
   
9. Leave in place on cookie sheet & prick each wedge about 3 times with a fork
   
10. Bake for about 17-20 minutes until the edges are very lightly brown (IMPORTANT: They should stay pretty pale, or else they’re hard to cut later)
    
11. Cool on cookie sheets for five minutes
    
12. Prick again & cut into wedges
    
13. Place on wire racks to cool completely
    

GLAZE

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips & shortening, stirring constantly
   
2. Dip rounded end of each shortbread wedge into chocolate
   
3. Place on cooling rack or wax paper. Let stand to set

Ingredients (adjust quantity based on how many hors d’oeuvres you want to make)

• Lemon juice
  
• Olive oil
  
• Apple(s)
  
• Goat cheese
  
• Bacon

Directions

1. Cook bacon until crisp
   
2. Cut apple(s) into thin slices and toss in lemon juice and olive oil, so they do not brown.
   
3. Top each slice with goat cheese and a piece of bacon.

For the Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons eggs beaten with cold water

For the Filling
2 pie pumpkins, cooked and pureed
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Prepare the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse twice. Add the butter and pulse until it forms small pieces. Add egg mixture and pulse twice. Place dough onto plastic wrap and form into a disk. Wrap tightly and place in refrigerator for one hour.
   
2. Preheat over to 350. Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Place rolled out dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp overhanging edges and pierce bottom with a fork all over. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   
3. Place dough in oven for about 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
   
4. Prepare the filling: Whisk all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour into crust and bake for an hour or until the edges are firm but the middle is slightly wiggly. 

Serve with whipped cream. Enjoy!