cheese
Another busy weekend
I think that one of these weekends, I’m just going to hole up in my house, turn off my phone, not check my email (ha ha ha ha) and refuse to go out.
I am exhausted. The last few days have been BUSY!
On Wednesday, we found out that, at long last, the architect has a job! He wasn’t ready to announce it, as all the background stuff wasn’t done yet, but we celebrated anyways (of course).
Thursday, I made him take me out for dinner, since he could no longer use the “I don’t have a job” excuse (even if he hasn’t yet been paid).
Friday, I yoga-ed in the morning (it was SUCH fantastic class – and my shoulders were SORE then next day), and then started the three day process that is otherwise known as ‘making parmesan cheese.’ Then, I took the architect out for dinner to celebrate his new job. As you do. We had some delicious New Orleans-style food, drinks, and I had this banana bread pudding with whiskey caramel sauce that was out of this world.
Saturday, we went training running, and then I made my kick-ass neighbor drive me all over the suburbs so I could buy a cheese cave (aka a wine fridge) in which to age my hard cheeses. Then, I started making chevre (as you do).
Then, I made lasagna (with fresh, homemade ricotta! woo!). Then I collapsed in a heap on the sofa & fell asleep.
Sunday, the architect & I headed out to meet some friends at the Banks-Vernonia trail. The newly employed architect & I biked, our friends ran (eight miles! woo!), and then we all went to the Helvetia Tavern for fantastic burgers & a post-workout beer.
I was wiped out, people! This is too much activity for me! So, I hid in my house. But not very effectively, apparently. I was found, brutally forced to put on a bra & shoes, and dragged, kicking & screaming down the street to the Fixin’ To for afternoon beers. (My friends are so mean!)
The night ended much later than I would’ve preferred, especially considering I had to be to work at 7 AM this morning and the architect had to be to work by 8! (Let’s just take a moment to bask in the beauty of that statement…the architect, after 20 months of unemployment, briefly interrupted by a couple paying contract jobs, had to go to work. A job. Where they will pay him in cashy money.)
Sigh….only 3.5 more days until it starts all over again! I think I need a vacation from my life for a bit.
Weekend adventures
Last weekend, I hosted a number of really cool people (many of them are sadly blogless) and helped them all make mozzarella for the first time. It was awesome.
There was cheese. And bread. And wine. (And then, we had wine.) Part of the wine drinking is because there is a point in the cheese making where you just have to let it sit for ten minutes, and I like to include in the instructions “and have a glass of wine.” Once you’ve helped make six batches of mozzarella (fortunately not all on the same day), that wine break becomes slightly ill-advised!
I have pictures! Awesome, awesome pictures.
Those pictures are all still on my camera, which is at home. So not useful. (I’ll post them later, because there are some really good ones involving rubber gloves.)
I think a good time was had by all – but especially by me. I can’t believe how much fun I had showing everyone how easy it is to make your own cheese (at least if it’s mozzarella).
I am branching out this weekend, though. This are about to get epic at the gazelle household.
I am going to make feta AND parmesan. Both of which require more work, more time, and (especially in the case of the parmesan) a LOT more patience (minimum aging time for parmesan is 10 months)!
I am also going to make some English muffins. Because I love them. And so many times at the market, I look at the ingredients and see high fructose corn syrup. (Which I’m sure is completely harmless, since it’s just corn, and what could be more natural than corn?) And I don’t want that, because I’m even MORE all-natural than corn. So, an experiment!
AND, then we’re going to start on the beer! Our life is a never-ending adventure (or, more accurately, a never-ending series of making the kitchen completely filthy).
There will be pictures.
Coming Soon to a Kitchen Near You
- making & canning marinara sauce
- making & canning pickles
- canning fruit (pears, peaches, apples, etc.)
- making/canning salsa (yum)
- quilt making 101
- pasta making (this will be presented by someone who definitely isn’t me…..)
- homemade laundry detergent
- and this fall? there will be lefse! (very similar to the movie, but with a lot less religion & oil – same amount of blood, though)
anything else you’ve always wanted to know in your quest to be a domestic god/dess? Hit me up in the comments.
So Much Fun!
So, tonight I did not go to yoga. Instead, I did 50 minutes on my elliptical and then the architect dropped me off at Blue Hour.
I walked in just after Junk Miles.
Shortly thereafter, the Ambitious One and her friend (who does not have a blog, but has run a marathon) showed up; and soon Mr. Pi (A’s hubby).
We were then joined by E from If you can’t beat them & Running Stories & her husband. Ms. HTC did not make it this time, but since we’ll definitely have to do it again, maybe next time.
We had a great time – drank wine and had a LOT of fondue. Most of us are natives of the midwest & Great Plains, so we mocked the wimpiness of non-snow states (seriously – chains after an inch of snow?).
I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all. We talked about running, and running shoes, and marathons and triathlons and books and dating and then, just for good measure, running.
What a great group of people! And somewhere, there are photos!
