Cheese, Words and Spring

OK, I have neglected this blog recently. Busy. You know. But, I have had things to say, just not the time to say them in an HTML format. I write this now remotely. Across the street to be precise. The computer can still pick up our wireless signal. So, not too remote.

Firstly, cheese. Everyone should make some farmer's cheese, as it is extremely easy. The idea of making cheese, I will say, is a big and scary one. The good news is that the actual execution of cheese-making, at least this type, is not big and scary. What it takes:

- One Gallon Whole Milk
- One Half Cup of Vinegar (cheap distilled vinegar is great)
- One Tablespoon Salt
- Cheesecloth
- Strainer

Now, bring milk to a slow boil (or, as I have found, a frothing you can barely control), stirring frequently to avoid burning, and remove from heat. Then, slowly add vinegar whilst stirring until curds develop. Congratulations, for this has been the hardest part. Pour this mixture through a cheesecloth within a strainer inside of a sink. What will collect are the curds. What won't is the whey. Goodbye whey! Anywhey, what you now have without the addition of salt is essentially ricotta cheese. If that is your stop, then go ahead to the next enlarged first letter. The rest of you will add the salt and mix it through. This works to further void the curds of liquid resulting in a more solid product. You can also add herbs, spices or even colorful flowers at this point which will all inform your cheese. I haven't yet elaborated on the plain cheese. Gather up the corners of your cheesecloth and tie them together, opposite to opposite, tightly. At this point, one can either hang this ball from a hook elevated over a bowl for the drippings, or one can put it on an angled cutting board (a lego or wine opener under one end) with another cutting board or pan or whatever on top, weighed down with any heavy thing you can find (I put my cast iron pan and a pumpkin on there). Wait two hours or more. Free it from its cheesecloth cage. You have made cheese! This cheese is often called paneer, used frequently in Indian cuisine. It can be cubed and toasted in a frypan, which really brings out its flavor. It doesn't melt and acts much like tofu. It is wonderful. The picture above is not of my own, though I do have pictures. They are not available to me at this remote location. Here is some paneer in action:

This, as well, is not mine. But it will suffice. Comment on this post if you make this cheese.

Secondly, words. I have recently, via the blog of Seattle' The Stranger, found a website called 750words.com. It works like this: you identify yourself by signing in through either Facebook, Google or Yahoo; you write 750 words or more a day and in doing so gain points that multiply in the way of bowling; when finished you get to view your stats for that day; etc. The statistics are your words-per-minute, amount of time taken, amount of words, number of distractions (three-minutes of idleness), weather while writing, rating (i.e. PG, PG-13, R, etc.), and more intensive analyzations like emotion of the piece, tense used, mindset, primary sense, frequently used words, etc. There is much going on here and it is very rewarding in some way to see how your writing is interpreted. These statistics are consolidated into all-time statistics also. 

My all-time mindset is Extrovert, Positive, Certain, Feeling whereas the World's mindset is Introvert, Positive, Uncertain, Feeling. I have a PG-13 rating. I have written 27,376 words, which will increase fairly soon by about 750 words or more. I have taken the April challenge, meaning that I will not miss one day of April's writing. I will buy myself an Indian feast if I am successful. If not, I will buy Lucas Cain a beer, maybe more. Lucas has also taken this challenge, but alas, he has failed. He now must buy me the liquor of my choice. I still have to figure out what that choice might be. 

All in all, I feel that this site has helped me immensely in my writing. Unlike a document file, I don't feel like what I write has to be anything absolute and final. It really helps stream of consciousness thrive. It is sort of a jump-start for writing. Ideas come out more easily. It can also help in a confessional sort of way, getting things off your chest and forming them into sentences and paragraphs and ideas. If anyone starts doing this, please leave a comment on this post with what you think. 

Thirdly, Spring! The blooms are weighing the trees branches down, the sun is high in the great blue sky, people are out with their babies and their dogs and occasionally their rats and joy is finally coming out of dormancy. Tulips and Rhododendrons and Japanese Magnolias. The air smells amazing. There is also these tiny little flowers that look like many white bells and they smell of honey, right next to my living room window. I need soon to visit the wineries and revel in this gorgeous weather. There is no point to this third section. I am drinking green tea in a cafe and my day off just so happens to be a day of clouds and looming sprinkles. Not like cupcake sprinkles either. Drizzle. 

I hope this was all appropriately informative/entertaining. If it wasn't, comment and say as much. Tell me how much you love Spring. Tell me that I have taken up a great deal of your time with my rambling. Whatever you want. Have a good day. Enjoy this poem that I am throwing in just because.

Country Fair

by Charles Simic

If you didn't see the six-legged dog,
It doesn't matter.
We did, and he mostly lay in the corner.
As for the extra legs,

One got used to them quickly
And thought of other things.
Like, what a cold, dark night
To be out at the fair.

Then the keeper threw a stick
And the dog went after it
On four legs, the other two flapping behind,
Which made one girl shriek with laughter.

She was drunk and so was the man
Who kept kissing her neck.
The dog got the stick and looked back at us.
And that was the whole show.