Archive | July 2021

Cheesemaking Class

Jul30

Dallas, TX

I made cheese!

Evidently, you CAN teach an old dog a new trick! I recently learned how to make fresh ricotta, mozzarella, a mozzarella & olive roll and string cheese. The Mozzarella Company, located in Dallas’s Deep Ellum district, has Saturday afternoon classes where you can learn to make these same cheeses. It was a very fun and informative class!


My husband and I took this class along with friends a couple of weeks ago to help celebrate my husband’s birthday. We donned our “closed toe shoes,” arrived at our assigned time and were given aprons and lovely hairnets. After snapping a few selfies of our “lunch lady” look, phones were put away, hands were washed, and instructions were given.

The class started with us being told the history of The Mozzarella Company (begun in 1982 by Paula Lambert). We were also given a behind-the-scenes tour of the working kitchen and facility. Afterwards, we broke into couples, manned a workstation, and began our cheesemaking endeavor. The cheesemaking process starts with raw milk (cow or goat) being pasteurized and cultures being added. This mixture turns into curds and whey. The curds are used to make the mozzarella and the whey becomes the ricotta.

We began the hands-on part of the class with each person stepping up to the industrial-sized cooker and scooping out a ladle full of watery ricotta. We placed each scoopful into a plastic basket where this cottage cheese-looking mass cooled and dried. This became the freshly-made ricotta that we got to take home. Yum!

Next up, we were shown how to make mozzarella balls by stirring curds in hot water, draining, and stretching until it became a “satiny mass.” We were instructed to then push the cheese up through your fists (think lightbulb shape), pinch it off, and toss into cold water to firm it up. Viola! Now we had a bucket full of fresh mozzarella balls to take home as well.

We were successful so far and were ready for the next task – making string cheese. Each couple made string cheese by using the same technique. This time instead of forming a ball shape, we continued pulling and stretching the mozzarella until lumps were out and the cheese was like taffy – in a long, narrow, ribbon-like strip. We then salted the “ribbon” and squeezed fresh lime juice over its length before rolling it up like a ball of yarn. Now we had a string cheese ball, or Queso Oaxaca, to add to our water bucket.

Lastly, we made a mozzarella roll stuffed with olives. We began with the same technique but patted this cheese out flat, like a pizza dough. We then spread a layer of chopped olives evenly over the cheese before rolling the cheese into a tight “log” form. This was wrapped tight in plastic wrap and chilled for us to take home later. I must confess, it was delicious!

After each couple in the class had made the assigned cheeses, we were treated to a Wine and Cheese Tasting! In a small room off the kitchen, there were pre-made plates of The Mozzarella Company’s specialty award-winning, fresh and aged cheeses along with some breads and wines. This cheese plate was delicious! We tried Queso Menonina, Queso Blanco, Hoja Santa (wrapped in a leaf that gives it a mint & sassafras taste), Herb Goat Cheese Log, Deep Ellum Blue (a favorite, for sure!), Dolce Habanero (apricot & habanero…hot!) and Caciotta la Cocina (with all types of colorful herbs from “the kitchen”) and several other types that I have forgotten. At this point of the evening, I was busy stuffing my mouth with delicious cheese samples and not paying attention to our instructor. What a fun and enjoyable experience this had been!

Before we collected our cheeses, gathered up our belongings and said our goodbyes – we were asked to pose for a class photo while wearing our aprons and hairnets. We gladly obliged. And what did we all emphatically shout out prior to getting our photo taken?

CHEESE!! 🙂

fruits of our labor!
graffiti in Deep Ellum
Max and David (the birthday boy)
some of my purchases!

    The Vampire Grave

    Jul21

    Lafayette, CO

    My daughter at the Vampire Grave

    Want to hear about a vampire grave in Colorado? Cool! This is how the story goes.

    In the early 1900s in Lafayette, Colorado (near Boulder) a pale, lanky man living in the area was pretty much a loner with no friends or family. No one knew much about him other than his name, Fodor Glava. When he died in 1918, townspeople took notice of his headstone at his gravesite. It was discovered that he was from Transylvania. Rumors spread through the town like wild fire that he was, of course, a vampire!

    No one had ever seen him much during the day when he was alive. He had always been very pale. He was originally from Transylvania. The facts were undeniable.

    Several townspeople dug up Glava’s grave and found blood by his mouth, his teeth seeming bigger than normal, and his nails long, pointed and still growing. The frightened and superstitious settlers drove a wooden stake through his heart and reburied him.

    Of course, we now know that all of these physical changes are natural for a decaying body.

    Shortly after his second burial, a tree “unlike any other in the area” grew straight up through the grave plot. Folklore claims it “grew from the wooden stake in his heart.” Red rose bushes suddenly sprang up around his grave. These wild roses were thought to be growing from his fingernails. They knew roses had some importance in his life since the word was on his gravestone. It was black magic at its best!

    Back to present day:

    My adult children live in Colorado. They always have fun things planned for us to see and do when we visit. Our most recent visit a couple of months ago was no exception. The first day there, we were off to see the Vampire Grave in Lafayette. My daughter and son-in-law had been given a book by a family member regarding “odd and interesting” places to visit in the state. We found ourselves marching through a wet cemetery in the rain to find this unusual tombstone. The folklore story is actually much more interesting than the actual gravesite.

    Now for the truth: Theodore “Fodor” Glava was a very pale, tall and lanky Transylvanian immigrant who came to America for a better life. He lived a very quiet and modest life as a coal miner before dying from the Spanish flu during the 1918 epidemic that ravaged Colorado. He was buried in the poorest section of the local Lafayette cemetery in a pauper’s grave. It wasn’t until after his death that he gained his notoriety.

    Glava’s headstone was carved/chiseled by a stonemason with his personal info, birthplace, and year of death. Among the inscription is the word “trandofir” which is the Romanian word for “rose.” Not much was known about Glava’s life in this area during this time, but the mention of his birthplace on his headstone actually sparked the rumors that he was a vampire. Many locals knew that Transylvania was home to Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler, therefore he must also be a “creature of the night.”

    The truth is most likely that this is the gravestone for Fodor Glava and his wife Trandatir (Rose). Both probably died from the influenza around the same time. He was from Transylvania (part of Romania today) and Rose was from Bucovina (part of the Ukraine and Romania today). They were both very poor and he worked as a miner, probably another reason he was so pale. He could also have been sickly and/or had a poor diet.

    Unfortunately, Glava was an easy target for these uneducated settlers who tried to explain away natural happenings with superstition.

    Rumors of this vampire still exist to this day. Local residents have claimed for many years that they have seen a mysterious figure walking near the gravesite late at night. Yikes!! If you do plan a visit to the Vampire Grave, go in the day time. It is also a sign of respect that you take and leave a small gift – a coin, rock, token or a bouquet of roses.

    No garlic, please.

    Note: This is what is actually engraved on the headstone. A vertical line divides the sections. The right side reads –

    FODOR GLAVA, BORN IN TRANSYLVANIA, a small cross, AUSTRO-UNGARIA (should read Austro-Hungarian, which Transylvania was a part of), DIED DECEMBER 1918

    The left side (that people seem to ignore) reads – + 2 ROMANION (two Romanians buried here), TRANDATIR (Rose), BORN IN PAR-HAUTIBOCVINA (from Parhauti Village in Bocvina, an area also in Austro-Hungary).

    May they both rest in peace.

    Rosini Vineyards

    Jul18

    Rockwall, TX

    Rosini Vineyards

    It is time to raise your glass – your wine glass that is. Napa Valley has come to Rockwall, Texas!

    My husband and I were fortunate enough to attend Rosini Vineyard’s Grand Opening this past weekend. This beautiful vineyard had caught my eye several times while driving by on my way to and from Terrell. The perfectly-spaced grape vines out front and the gorgeous Italian-inspired building are quite impressive and certainly set the tone for a wonderful escape to Napa, Sonoma, or Tuscany. Let the night begin!

    We entered the huge wooden doors and stepped into a large open, beautifully-decorated room and were immediately met by the owner, Greg Rosini. We appreciated his personal greeting and talked for several minutes. We were certainly made to feel welcome and learned a lot about Greg, his wife, and their vision for Rosini Vineyards. This was customer service at its best and something the staff here did very well the entire evening. Kudos!

    A brief overview: Located on Hwy 205 between Rockwall and Terrell, Rosini Vineyards is the brainchild of Greg and Carol Rosini. Greg was originally in the restaurant equipment business and Carol worked in the commercial printing industry. They both closed this chapter of their life and decided on a new adventure – a winery it will be! In 2018 they bought the Double D Ranch, a rural 25-acre property in Rockwall County (east of Dallas) that came with ponds, barns, a house and a pool. It took 6 months to renovate the property that now functions as a Airbnb and VRBO rental. The new construction of the Italian-styled building began on the front of the property in the summer of 2020. It is now nearing completion. The entrance gate and a covered arbor in back were still under construction when we were there.

    The main bulk of Rosini’s grapes are grown in other regions of Texas, many from east Texas, central Texas and the High Plains (Lubbock and Amarillo). Their first wines in 2019 were made from 19 tons of grapes at a “custom crush” facility in Nacogdoches. Greg and Carol are involved in every step of the winemaking. From the very second the grapes arrive through the crushing, tasting, bottling and label designs – they are 100% hands on.

    The first harvest wines in 2019 were a Blanc du Bois (dry and semisweet), Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Viognier, and a sweet Red Blend. Rosini wines were entered in the Lone Star International Wine Competition in 2020 and won a silver medal for their Blanc du Bois (dry version) and their Cabernet Sauvignon. I have tasted both and fully agree with the accolades bestowed upon them!

    The Grand Opening we attended awarded us the chance to try these delicious wines along with a fabulous four-course “tasting meal” (think tapas) with wine pairings. We were welcomed with a tasty glass of champagne upon arrival and were given a coupon for a drink of our choice following the meal. Beautiful charcuterie boards were made available to us after our tasting meal so that we could graze, drink, and mingle with the other guests. The lovely sitting area inside the winery and the beautiful views from the back patio had all of us enjoying the food, drink and company. It was a most enjoyable evening!

    Rosini Vineyards will soon be open to the public Thursday through Sunday. Stop in and visit their beautiful new grounds and have a glass of their award-winning wines. They will offer a limited food menu as well.

    I may see you there. Look for the lady sitting contently with a glass of frozen blueberry/pomegranate/wine drink with a big ole smile on her face!

    Cheers!!