Wax On!

I waxed my first cheese!  It's the Jack.  The Jack, as you may remember, was a bit dry due to my mid-cheesemaking trip to Goodwill for the said wax, crockpot.

Here's the waxing process:

Stirred Curd Cheddar is Whey Better

My Stirred Curd Cheddar is mutt better than the Jack cheese I made.  It helps when I don't leave the house while I'm supposed to be checking on the cheese.

Here it is in a slideshow:

Grilled Romaine Lettuce?

Yep, grilled Romaine lettuce.  Who knew?  I am seriously liking my new grill pan.  The steak turned out great.  We paid way too much on my last birthday to go to a fancy steak place.  Today's meal was so much better than that, and I think the steak may have cost around $10 at a meat market.  I wonder if I can get my money back from my birthday meal, hmmm.

Jack (not Russell Terrier) Cheese

I'm making Jack cheese today.  Not this which is a cheesy Jack Russell Terrier:

Feta

My feta did nicely overnight in the brine.

Cheese Glorious Cheese - Yes I can!

I did it!  I made cheese!  Woo hoo!

Don't Cry Over Sour Milk

Well, my first foray into cheesemaking was a flop :(.  I pretty much made sour milk.  But I learned what I did wrong.  Since I used store bought milk, I needed to use more Rennet and Calcium Chloride.  I also cut the batch in half so that if I do screw up again, I'm not out a whole gallon of milk.

I decided to split my gallon and make cottage cheese and feta - the two basic starter cheeses.  There is a point where you have to heat them VERY slowly.  I'm still working on that one.  I'll get there!

Cheese Glorious Cheese - Press

I can't wait to get my home cheesemaking starter kit in the mail.  It should be here tomorrow or the next day!

While I was waiting, this weekend I made my own cheese press.  As I told the guy at Lowes when he asked what does a cheese press do, it presses cheese.

How to Roll a Ball of Yarn with Bert and Ernie

Now that you've made your T-shirt yarn or are ready to start on your next knitting project, you'll need to roll your yarn into a ball.  It's easy and free.

For my next trick...T-shirt Yarn

You may have seen this around, but too bad, I'm making my own tutorial.  In case you haven't heard of T-shirt yarn, you're probably thinking, huh?  Here's the basics:

My Olfa Circle Cutter - Fun!!!

So my fav fav sewing tool is my Olfa Circle Cutter. Why do I love it so?

Pain pain go away

The pain is no bueno lately. So slow on the project front.
I give it 0 buttons up

Upcoming Projects - Biscuit Quilt & Cheese

I've got loads of time and a creative brain - scary mixture.  Luckily (?) not much stamina due to my neck pain, otherwise, lookout!

Here's what's coming up:

Failed Margarita Popsicles

Before my neck starts acting up I wanted to quickly make a post about the margarita popsicles I've seen on Pinterest.  The ones I made did not work :(.  Could be that I used $1 store popsicle molds, or could be that the alcohol prevents them from freezing properly.

Tennis Ball Mail, Keys, etc Holder

Spent too much time in front of the computer lately, neck and back are not enjoying it, so just photos of this one, and a few words....

Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder

You know all those things you see on Pinterest and are like, cool, I want to try that one day?  Well, I'm going to attempt to try a bunch of them and let you know how they turn out.  Here's one.

Cast Iron Grill/Griddle and an Ice Cream Maker - Reviews

Neck update:  went to see a rheumatologist last week (yet another doctor!).  He gave me tramadol bc I have a "very low" chance of having an autoimmune disease (specialists always think you have whatever it is they treat).  I think the tramadol is helping with the pain.  I felt completely pain free this morning for about 15min, then the usual here and there pain started.  Sitting/standing straight and sitting in a chair are still challenging.  Only problem is that it makes me sleepy.  It's hard to keep my eyes open.  It must affect the eyelids somehow.

Tramadol was a drug often given to my canine rehab patients for pain.  Those dogs usually had glassy eyes.  I'm hoping the side effect will go away once I've taken it for a little while.  Back to the fun stuff...

Grill Pan Review

I have always wanted a grill pan that you could put across 2 burners on the stove.  Well, I finally looked into it and they're not that expensive given the fact that they're cast iron and will last forever.  Only $29 at the dreaded Walmart, but I just had to go pick it up, no ordering or shipping.

Plastic Bag Dispenser / Holder

Neck update: feeling about the same today.  Not as good as a few days ago.  Some raw pain, but also not the deep down bad pain.  If I keep mobile, it helps.

A project I've always wanted to do was to make a dispenser / holder for plastic grocery bags.  I figured this was as good a time as any.  It took me a while bc I have to take lots of breaks bc of my neck, but I imagine a pain free person could knock it out in an hour or two.  Here's what I did:

Cut up some rectangular sections of fabric.  Mine were about 20" wide, but it's not an exact science, and I don't really care.  I did 3 colors of scrap fabric the height I wanted my bag to be.