Sleet and Ice Days

On Thursday we were pelted with 3/8" of ice and 4" of sleet. I was concerned that the electric lines would go down due to ice accumulation, and so I cleaned house like a crazy woman all Thursday morning until everything was caught up and spic and span. After that, I was able to relax and enjoy activities I don't normally have time to do. My first project was a simple home cooked soup for us to munch on.

 Since I have an abundance of fresh milk, I decided to make my potato soup a little differently than I ever have. It turned out amazing! Here is the recipe:

Best Ever Potato Soup:

One Gallon fresh, raw goat’s milk
Ten large/medium potatoes, diced
One large red onion, coarsely chopped
One stick of butter
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Sharp cheddar cheese
Three heaping TBSP corn starch mixed in a cup of cold water

Combine first six ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add corn starch to thicken. Return to boil. Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

My daddy has been fussing at me because I never make my own butter. He says there is so much cream in this milk that it is a shame to not skim it and use it. Since I had about five gallons of milk in the fridge, I decided to give it a try. With all the milk skimmed, I got enough cream to make about 2 cups of finished butter. It is LOVELY! Probably not something I will do all the time unless I am blessed to find an affordable separator, but it's nice to know it's an option.

Next, I used that lovely skimmed milk to make homemade mozzarella cheese. Interestingly, the recipe was titled 30 Minute Mozzarella, but it took ALL afternoon! I had heated the milk at 1:00. It didn't cool off enough to add the citric acid, lipase, and rennet until 6:00 P.M.! Just in time to make me late for chores! Argh! It is SOOOO yummy, though, it's hard for me to quit nibbling. :-)

While the mozzarella was cooling I made Lemon Cheese. It is very nice. It has a very light flavor and the lemon juice certainly adds a nice quality to the cheese.

Over the course of the three days I've been home I have been working on making homemade dishcloths. I received two as Christmas gifts, and fell in love with them! They are round and have a rippled edge. They fit so much more nicely in your hand than a square dish cloth. I hope to make an entire set.