Made, grown, tried, and kept

The family library.

Recipes you can cook from. Projects you can return to. Notes that help the next attempt start a little wiser.

30 records to explore in Kitchen.

Family collection

Kitchen

30 records

Field notes Version 2

Apple-Brine Paneer-Style Cheese

A firm, pressed fresh cheese salvaged after milk containing rennet was accidentally heated to 140°F. The batch was mild, creamy, crumbly and somewhat dry; it was later especially enjoyed on crackers with jam. Exact quantities and the final pressing details were not recorded, so this is a historical outcome with a practical reconstruction rather than a canonical formula.

Working reference

Field notes Version 2

Apple-Custard Sourdough Pudding

Heather’s first version had a great aroma, but the bread and apples were too dry. This record preserves that outcome and outlines an untested second trial with smaller bread pieces, apple-pie-style apples, more custard, a longer soak and a more controlled bake.

Working reference

Recipe Version 1

Belgian Sourdough Brussels Waffles

A completed working formula for the light, crisp, airy Brussels-style sourdough waffles Heather wanted after visiting Belgium. The source preserved the desired texture and method but not the original ingredient block or a tested result.

Field notes Version 2

Clabber Culture Experiment and Restart Notes

A raw-milk clabber experiment that began with unreliable setting and a strong barnyard or “moo” character, then improved after a restart and began setting consistently with a cleaner aroma. A later refrigerated batch developed pink coloration and was replaced rather than retained.

Working reference

Recipe Version 1

Claussen-Style Silver Slicer Refrigerator Pickles

A reconstructed cold-brined refrigerator pickle designed for Silver Slicer cucumbers and Heather’s preference for fresh, salty, garlicky Claussen-style flavor. The family source contains no completed or tested outcome.

Recipe Version 2

Cultured Butter

Cultured butter made from heavy cream and plain yogurt culture, with optional clarification for cooking. Heather prefers freezing the finished butter because refrigeration can give it an unwanted “fridge flavor.”

Recipe Version 2

Cultured Mozzarella

A two-gallon, half-day thermophilic mozzarella intended for hands-on cheesemaking with Heather’s daughter. The family source records the chosen method and a slow rennet set, but not the finished result; standard cultured-mozzarella steps have been added for usability.

Recipe Version 3

Duck-Egg Angel Food Cake

A complete one-pan working recipe with weighed whites, a clear sugar split and careful cooling. This is a new reference formula, not a claim to reconstruct the uncertain double batch.

Recipe Version 1

Easy Oven-Roasted Roma Tomato Sauce

A simple, low-stirring method that roasts Roma tomatoes on a sheet pan for efficient evaporation, lightly caramelized flavor, and easy skin removal.

Recipe Version 1

Family Sourdough Pancakes

A completed working formula for the Williams family's much-loved sourdough pancakes. The family source calls the pancakes “amazing” but does not preserve the original ingredient amounts or method, so the practical recipe below is a clearly identified reconstruction.

Field notes Version 2

Fire Cider: Finished Batch Note

Heather’s first confirmed finished batch was infused for four weeks, then strained, sweetened with honey, and refrigerated. The original ingredients and amounts were not recovered, so this is a process and outcome note—not a repeatable formula.

Incomplete reference

Field notes Version 2

First Farmhouse Cheddar

Heather’s first farmhouse-style cheddar, made with about 2.5 gallons of local milk and a combination of mesophilic culture and young clabber. The curd set slowly but was successfully cut, cheddared, salted, and pressed for about 20 hours at 25 pounds. The final aging result and standalone tasting notes were not recorded.

Working reference

Recipe Version 1

Fresh Cheddar Cheese Curds for Leo

A reconstructed two-gallon recipe for fresh, squeaky cheddar-style curds. Leo loved the family’s fresh curds; another batch developed a bitter finish after about a week in the refrigerator, so these are intended to be eaten promptly.

Practical guide Version 2

Gouda Practice: Washed-Curd Method and Aging Notes

A revisioned family guide for Gouda made with farm-fresh milk, mesophilic culture or developing clabber, rennet, two hot-water washes, pressing and brining. The family process and batch observations are preserved, while unconfirmed temperatures and doses remain intentionally unspecified.

Working reference

Recipe Version 2

Heather’s Sourdough Fried Donuts

Light, sweet, non-sour sourdough donuts with fresh nutmeg, hand-mixed enriched dough, and a clean-tasting tallow–refined coconut oil fry. The family loved the original dough; because its full formula was lost, the measurements below are a practical reconstruction from the surviving notes and require confirmation in Heather’s kitchen.

Recipe Version 2

Homemade Onion Powder

Low-temperature dehydrated onion flakes ground in small batches for a fresh, pungent powder. An optional butter-caramelized onion fraction adds sweetness but should be stored cold rather than treated as shelf-stable powder.

Field notes Version 2

Honey-Fermented Peaches That Became Alcoholic

A Williams-family experiment in which peaches covered with raw honey fermented vigorously, produced enough pressure for one jar to spew when opened, smelled exceptionally sweet and peachy, and became strongly alcoholic within a few weeks. Preserve as fermentation history, not as a canonical recipe.

Working reference

Recipe Version 2

Natural Pink Berry Cake with Berry Ermine Frosting

A high-altitude, oil-based pink layer cake created for Gia’s third birthday, colored and flavored with freeze-dried berries. The family-approved berry ermine frosting is light and cloudlike; the recovered cake formula includes a documented adjustment for berry-thickened batter.

Recipe Version 2

Organic Dry Lemonade Mix

A scoop-and-stir lemonade powder made with organic cane sugar, fresh lemon zest and citric acid. The family method separates lemon aroma, sweetness and tartness; this recovered version includes a milder-lemon completion because the exact V2 quantities were not preserved.

Recipe Version 1

Overnight Sourdough Biscuits

Flaky, tangy sourdough biscuits prepared in cups, refrigerated overnight, folded for distinct layers, and baked the next morning.

Recipe Version 2

Pectin-Free Peach Jam

Heather’s soft-set peach jam method preserves fresh peach flavor by briefly macerating the fruit, concentrating the syrup separately, and returning the peaches for a short final boil. The family batch was described as incredible; because its exact formula was missing, the cup-based quantities below are a practical completion for refrigerator or freezer jam.

Recipe Living record

Pineapple Tepache & the Vinegar Experiment

A complete recovered pineapple-rind recipe, with cinnamon and cloves. The family's maple-syrup and continuing-vinegar experiments are kept as separate variations, not silently substituted for the written base.

Recipe Version 1

Plain Sauerkraut for Kriss

A classic, plain cabbage ferment for a half-gallon jar, using 2% salt by weight and no spices or added water unless extra brine is needed.

Recipe Version 2

Raw-Pack Canned Peaches

An actionable boiling-water canning method completed from current NCHFP guidance for the Williams-family elevation range. Heather processed seven jars in the family session, but jar size, final yield, seals and eating quality were not recorded. Her aunt’s direct-sugar method is preserved only as family history.

Recipe Version 2

Russian-Style Fermented Apple Brine

Heather’s apple ferment for eating and for adding to sourdough: approximately six organic whole apples fermented with salt, maple syrup, fresh water and mullein leaf for about 10 days, then refrigerated. Later batches retained the brine while replacing the fruit roughly every two weeks.

Recipe Version 1

Slavic Cranberry Sauerkraut

A half-gallon self-brining cabbage ferment with carrot, whole cranberries, and caraway. The family source documents the chosen ingredients and that the first batch was packed, but not its exact formula or finished outcome; quantities and timing below are practical completions.

Recipe Version 1

Soft, Mild Sourdough Milk Bread

An easy sourdough sandwich loaf designed to be soft and mild rather than sour. Milk, butter, and honey tenderize the crumb; optional apple brine may replace a small portion of the milk. The recovered family source did not retain the complete formula, so practical quantities and baking instructions have been supplied but are not presented as family-tested.

Recipe Version 1

Sourdough Deep-Dish Pizza in a Cake Pan

A buttery, pastry-tender sourdough crust with cornmeal, baked in a generously buttered and oiled cake pan for a crisp, almost fried bottom. Mozzarella goes directly on the dough as a moisture barrier, with seasoned tomato sauce on top. This family-requested formula has no confirmed family bake outcome.

Field notes Version 2

Sourdough Flour and Sweetener Experiments

Historical sourdough observations covering whole-grain flour changes, an accidental maple-sugar batch, and a flavorful but under-salted conversion. These trials are useful for comparison but do not contain enough measured detail to serve as a canonical formula.

Incomplete reference

Recipe Version 2

Sourdough Naan

Soft sourdough naan made with unfed starter, milk, plain yogurt, olive oil and Heather’s confirmed addition of sugar. The cooking method has been completed for usability and is not documented as family-tested.