That's one of my besties Dan. He's like a bacon super hero in this picture. As you can imagine, he likes bacon. He's even cooking bacon when that photo was taken. He is a firm believer in the title of this post.
So when we last spoke I believe I was about to make some fresh mozzarella. Well, I'm here to report that while it wasn't a complete success, I didn't totally eff it up either. I went to the farmers market and bought some amazing local milk from Ronnybrook Farms and Milk Thistle (the tastiest milk ever) which is really important when making cheese. Apparently, a lot of the milk we have in the grocery store has been ultra-pasteurized because of the long distances it has to travel to get to our dairy case. This does not make good cheese. It has been heated to such a high point that it ultimately won't make viable curds. It has something to do with destabilizing whey proteins and calcium not bonding... I don't know. I dropped chemistry for show choir in high school. Anyway, I felt like a mad scientist as I was measuring out my citric acid and my vegetable rennet (it's an enzyme). And I have to say, it was pretty magical - one minute I had milk in a pot and the next I totally had curds and whey!
It was so cool. And then cheese disaster struck. I'm still not exactly sure what happened. I drained the whey and put the curds back on the stove over a water bath and that's where I think I overheated them. I went to stretch the cheese and it just sort of turned hard and stringy - not unlike string cheese. The result was that my cheese tasted yummy, but didn't look so good.
Sean and I grated it that night and used on pizza. The good news is that my cheese making kit makes 30 pounds of cheese. So I have a few more chances. I'm gonna do some more fresh mozzarella and then try ricotta. And I even have a recipe for feta. Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that while I was making the cheese my best friend Eric was over with his one year old, Sammy. Sammy didn't really care too much about cheese. How could he when there is a guy (my hubby, Sean) in a funny hat playing Gladware drums and a giant keyboard that makes fun sounds when you sit on it?
OMG! As I am writing this post I just saw my friend on a commercial! This has is not a new experience for me, but I still get really excited. I literally shout at the television "I KNOW HIM!!! I KNOW HIM!!!" and immediately rewind my DVR. And then I think, "I'd like to book one of those big ol' national commercial spots." Ummmmm... yeah. I've been with my commercial and voice over agents for a couple of years now and have not come close to booking anything substantial. I try to make myself feel better by saying it's a total crapshoot. I mean, who can really say what makes someone the perfect actor to dress up as a giant Bud Light bottle? Who decides that one actor says the words "Mmmmmmm.... Butterball" better than every other actor? Oy vey. I try not to take it personally and have come to the conclusion that commercial auditions are a total exercise in letting go. You just have to go in, do it and immediately forget about it. I mean, it's a mystery. There's absolutely no rhyme or reason to the process. And I'm pretty sure I won't get a huge amount of artistic satisfaction doing a commercial. But let me tell you, if I can make a crap ton of money standing in my pajamas for half a day in a recording booth and saying one liners about the wonders of fabric softener I will take it!
On a Buddhist note, I'm going to the Everglades in a couple weeks to attend a giant Buddhist retreat. It's an Arts Conference and will be filled with other artists/Buddhists from all over the country. I'm really excited to go - first, to strengthen my faith; second, to share my experiences with people who go through similar struggles; and third, to get the heck out of the cold!! I'm so tired of wearing snow boots!!! I mean, seriously!! I have a fierce pair of Michael Kors black leather ankle boots that I am dying to wear with my skinny jeans and can't until the weather decides to co-operate. The place I'm going is called the Florida Nature and Culture Center and it looks beautiful. There's a pool and everything! So I'll be sure to bring my bathing suit... and my bug spray... and my ankle boots.I did have one cooking triumph this week. I made my own mayonnaise! If you've never done it, it is SUPER easy. Well, if you have a food processor or blender. You literally put an egg, a little oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice in the machine and blend. Then slowly add more oil. In about 3 minutes you totally have homemade mayo!!! And it is soooooo tasty.
OK. Sean and I have to finalize the details of a drinking game we're devising while watching "House." For the record, we're not playing right now. We just want to have the rules set if the opportunity ever arises. We are completely obsessed with that show and have seen almost every episode. So far, we've decided you drink whenever they say "amyloidosis" and "sarcoidosis." And if the diagnosis ever actually ends up as one of those diseases then you have to chug. If you ever watch "House" you know how quickly this could go downhill.
Until next time..... PEACE OUT!!!!
