Homemade Mozzarella & a Recipe Contest! (win your own cheese kit)

While I was perusing Chow I came across this article about making your own cheese. They had couple of links and one of them was http://www.cheesemaking.com/. I liked the simplicity of the site. It was geared more to the individual rather than say a factory. The explanations were simple. They styling was friendly. AND it looked like everything was geared to help you be successful in cheese making. So contacted them. They agreed to let me try it out and...this is a big AND....to give one away. I had been searching for great foodie holiday gifts. This is certainly one of them. Well you know many of us LOVE cheese. So I thought I would give you a chance to get your creative juices flowing. I am going to have a recipe contest!

1. Visit http://www.cheesemaking.com/. Look around. She has all different starter kits and recipes.

2. Decide which cheese you are going to incorporate in your recipe. If there is a kit for it on the site you can use it. Doesn''t matter which brand of cheese you use or how much.

3. Email me at mackfamily11@yahoo.com and tell me which cheese you are going to use in your recipe. Obviously this enters you into the contest.

4. Post about your recipe on your blog. It must include picture(s) and the recipe which has to be unique. The post must include a link to this post and must say Maman & Gourmand's Cheese Recipe Contest.

5. Once your blog post is complete email me a link again at mackfamily11@yahoo.com. Also please include the picture you want to represent your recipe. Hint: This is a visual contest. Neatness counts. Originality counts.

6. Once I receive all entries I will post it up and the public will have a 5 days to vote.

7. Have lots of fun! Sweet...savory...I want to see it all! Entries must be in by November 22, 2009 to qualify.

Prize: Winner will get a cheese making starter kit of his or her choice. (30 minute Mozzarella/Ricotta Kit, Basic Hard Cheese Kit, Fresh French Goat Cheese Kit, Marscapone Kit.)

CLARIFICATION: You don't have to make your own cheese! Unless you want to lol.

I had lots of fun making Mozzarella. The first time I tried it, it was a total bust. I read closer and found out that the milk is the most important part. It can't be Ultra Pasteurized or the curd won't form correctly. So I read that local milk is best. Once I tried that it went perfectly! Although I was really scared that I would mess it up. I shouldn't have been worried. You can make it from any type of milk from whole to skim. Although it says that skim will come out drier. I used whole milk. When you get the kit Ricki has instructions and on it with different options. She tells you how to incorporate fresh herbs or making Bocconcini (little mouthfuls). You can also braid it. Roll it into a tight ball or a log like I did. Cheesemaking.com also has a list of places to buy milk because so many milks are now UP. Did you know you can also make mozzarella from powdered milk? Ricki tells you how in the manual. I am going to have to try it some time just for fun. I included some pictures to show you the making of my homemade mozzarella!