So I was attracted to do-it-yourself Velveeta not because I desperately needed a whole-foods substitute in my kitchen, but because the cookbook I was editing needed it. And I was game for testing the recipe because it was odd. I am drawn to odd recipes, I know this.
Turns out, I was just mixing shredded cheddar with milk and gelatin. Cheese Jello!
The recipe was remarkably easy and accurate, but after I went ahead and tested a cookbook mac-and-cheese recipe with the DIY Velveeta, I had a fair amount left over (and the test recipe was a dud - my family and I like my slow cooker mac-and-cheese much better).
The flavor of the DIY Velveeta was not plastic-y at all, just a little less sharp than the original cheese.
I can't even remember what all I used it in, trying to use it up. The very last thing was melting it with some salsa, and then adding some cilantro and green onions to make a kind of queso that we poured over baked potatoes. It was tasty, but I don't think the gelatin aspect helped me in any way in my kitchen.
Helped the cookbook, sure, and now my big deadline is past and I have more time to catch up with freezer-filling and sewing before the baby comes. I think. It was just at this very time in my first pregnancy that Genevieve was born, catching us entirely off guard.
8 comments:
Hmmm...interesting sounding recipe. I've never heard of such a thing!
Margo, I have enjoyed your blog for some time. I do have a recipe for making process cheese that I like very much. It doesn't call for gelatin, just cheese, butter, dried milk, tapioca flour and white wine. I would send it to you if I could figure out how.
Ryvkeh, I'm fascinated. You can actually type it into a comment here if you want (others may be interested) or send it to me by email: thriftathome (at) gmail (dot) com
I seriously had NO clue you could DIY Velveeta!
I've never tried Velveeta, and if it's like cheese jello I don't think I'll seek it out!
Fingers crossed you get all your preparation done. Was Ben early too, or just Genevieve? My 3 were a mixture- very late, slightly early and on time. No pattern at all.
Hazel, Ben was 10 days early - with a little coaxing from the midwife. My sister, a nurse, tells me that third babies can be real wild cards in labor and delivery so I am just trying to roll with whatever :)
How strange....but how interesting! I am reading a book right now about processed foods which had quite the section on Velveeta. I can remember loving it as a child, but as an adult it was only so-so...gosh, its been decades I bet now. Something I haven't thought about in a long time until this book--and now your post! Happy prepping for the newest little one! I hope you get a lot done before the time arrives, whenever that may be!
As a youngster I liked Velveeta, but stopped eating it in my 20's - not sure why - anyway, recently I was reading recipes for southern style dips and it re-kindled my interest, so I bought a small package. It was expensive - almost as much as a large block of store-brand cheddar! And sadly, the taste did not compare to my childhood memories :)
I hope you get some "you" time after meeting your deadline!
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