The Cheese Lady      

Week of August 8.         

FYI Cheese Lady hours          

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at the Muskegon Farmers’ Market  

Wednesday noon to 5 at the Bayside Centre.

FIND ME UNDER THE YELLOW FLAG AT THE MARKET

THE CHEESE PLANES ARE IN.   19 CHEESE PLANES @ $24.00 EACH.  

THE CHEESE GRATERS ARE IN 11 CHEESE GRATERS @ 20.00 EACH

I am back.   Last week I was with my family in West Olive.   We rented a cottage on Lake Michigan near the Pigeon Lake channel.   The cottage was a tree house.   We were on top of a high hill and completely covered in trees.   The cottage was vertical, too.   Lots of decks.   This has been a vacation summer.   Hot.   We enjoyed the beautiful beach.   We swam, fished, napped, played cards, napped, read, ate, napped and napped.   Actually I am not a napper but my husband and my daughter-in-law had a contest to see who could take the most naps.   I read 4 vacation books.

And I even cooked.   Not too fancy but we ate in courses.   5 courses.   Cheese first.   Though I think in France it would have been 4 th or 5 th .  

On Wednesday last we went to the Holland Farmers Market.   A little busman’s holiday?   We bought berries and vegetables.   The Holland market is new.   The brick walkway is lovely.   I found it hot, no roof.   But it was bustling.   Some of the same farmers are in Muskegon and Holland.

I missed the market last week.   It is a part of me now.   I hear I missed a birth, congratulations Kurt and Kate and little Konnor.   The ever-changing season has some vendors leaving and others joining.   There is something about being part of the cycle.

The world keeps turning.   This week there were births and deaths, smiles and tears. The words from the DESIDERATA by Max Ehrmann help me keep things in perspective. I first liked it in high school.   It seemed then that if I would just grow up life would be simpler.   HA    Do you remember the piece that begins “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, . . . “? Here it is.

Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.  
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.   Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.   Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

And how do I get any more cheesy?

I’m getting repetitive, cheesewise.   But for the benefit of those who have just begun to get my newsletter, and a reminder to everyone else. . .

mozzarella cheese
[maht-suh-REHL-lah, moht-suh-REHL-lah]
Hailing from Italy, mozzarella is a mild, white fresh cheese that's made by the special PASTA FILATA process, whereby the CURD is dipped into hot WHEY, then stretched and kneaded to the desired consistency. At one time, mozzarella was made only from the milk of water buffaloes. Today, however, the majority of it is made with cow's milk. Mozzarella comes in two basic styles. Most regular mozzarella , which can be found in lowfat and nonfat forms in supermarkets, is factory produced. It has a semisoft, elastic texture and is drier and not as delicately flavored as its fresher counterpart. This style of mozzarella is best used for cooking and is popular for pizza because of its excellent melting qualities. Fresh mozzarella , which is usually packaged in whey or water, is often labeled "Italian style." It's generally made from whole milk and has a much softer texture and a sweet, delicate flavor. Mozzarella di bufala   (also called simply buffalo mozzarella  ) is the most prized of the fresh mozzarellas. Most buffalo mozzarella available in the United States is made from a combination of water buffalo milk and cow's milk. Two popular forms of fresh mozzarella are boconccini  , which are little (about 1 inch in diameter) balls that are commonly marinated in olive oil and sometimes herbs, and a smoked version called mozzarella affumicata  . There's also the unique manteca  , in which the mozzarella is molded around a lump of butter. Fresh mozzarella can be found in Italian markets, cheese shops and some supermarkets. It's excellent simply spread on bread with salt, pepper and a little olive oil.

It was 1899, and the promise of a new century inspired Giuseppe Pollio to make the journey from his native Italy to America. His passport to a livelihood was the Pollio family legacy as skilled master cheesemakers.

With his young son Albert, Giuseppe began making ricotta and mozzarella cheeses on a deserted beach in Coney Island, New York, using the open fire method long employed by Italian cheesemakers.

From that determined beginning, the family's cheesemaking enterprise grew into a specialty Italian cheese shop that supplied other stores and restaurants in the New York City area. In the 1940s, the Pollio family began packaging mozzarella and other Italian-style cheeses especially for the consumer market with the new, easy-to-say POLLY-OŽ brand name. The company has been providing the highest-quality, authentic-tasting Italian cheeses to homes and restaurants alike for nearly 100 years.

Fresh Mozzarella with Red and Yellow Tomatoes and Basil Vinaigrette
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Ingredients
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 ripe red tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 ripe yellow tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
Basil Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Arrange the cheese and tomatoes on a platter and drizzle with the vinaigrette, p;              to taste, and garnish with basil leaves.
Basil Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar            p;                 salt and freshly ground pepper p;              ˝ cup olive oil              

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.   Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

 

 

Kathleen

The Cheese Lady

231-744-8652 or thecheeselady@comcast.net