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[kaysixteen]

Au contraire, madame, la Velveeta is one of the greatest developments of American culture, technology, and civilization.

[betty_p]

Ricotta cheese is cheaper than cottage cheese. There is no excuse for using cottage cheese in a lasagna.

[kaysixteen]

Ricotta and cottage are very similar-- Stouffer's uses the latter in its lasagna, or used to.   Why would anyone seriously criticise a large family for economizing?

[drsyn]

Au contraire, madame, la Velveeta is one of the greatest developments of American culture, technology, and civilization.

I must confess.  We like melted Velveeta with a can of chile's dumped in.  Add freshly chopped garlic and serve.

Highlights the worst of at least two cultures.

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

I put cottage cheese in my lasagna. It tastes way better than ricotta in lasagna. Y'all need to just try it.

[fiona]

They should spend more time studying varieties of cheese and less time making babies.

That is my considered opinion.

In a world that has such treats as Roquefort, Cantal, Brie, Cotswolds, Feta, Havarti, Stilton, Gorgonzola, and even Cheddar . . . why, oh why, must they choose Velveeta?

They need to give up fking and start studying the fromage.

The Fiona

[scheherazade]

I put cottage cheese in my lasagna. It tastes way better than ricotta in lasagna. Y'all need to just try it.

That's because you don't use good ricotta.  Never, ever get the crappy supermarket kind.  If you are forced to do so, you must drain it for awhile.  Better yet, get good ricotta.  Best - make your own ricotta.  It's not hard to do at all, and it's absolutely delicious.  Takes maybe 20 minutes.

Real ricotta is NOTHING like cottage cheese.

[drsyn]

I put cottage cheese in my lasagna. It tastes way better than ricotta in lasagna. Y'all need to just try it.

That's because you don't use good ricotta.  Never, ever get the crappy supermarket kind.  If you are forced to do so, you must drain it for awhile.  Better yet, get good ricotta.  Best - make your own ricotta.  It's not hard to do at all, and it's absolutely delicious.  Takes maybe 20 minutes.

Real ricotta is NOTHING like cottage cheese.

Please provide recipe.

[betty_p]

Cafoni!

[scheherazade]

I put cottage cheese in my lasagna. It tastes way better than ricotta in lasagna. Y'all need to just try it.

That's because you don't use good ricotta.  Never, ever get the crappy supermarket kind.  If you are forced to do so, you must drain it for awhile.  Better yet, get good ricotta.  Best - make your own ricotta.  It's not hard to do at all, and it's absolutely delicious.  Takes maybe 20 minutes.

Real ricotta is NOTHING like cottage cheese.

Certainly!  As soon as I can dig it out of the mess that is my recipes (I recently moved).
Please provide recipe.

[dolljepopp]

OK, having now visited their website, I am going to revise my previous live and let live thoughts somewhat.

These people are scary.

Not because they have seventeen children, although it wouldn't be my choice.

Not because they think birth control pills kill babies. (What, I wonder, do condoms kill?)

Not because they take a literal view of the Bible that I personally cannot accept.

Not because they home school.

Not even because they freely and publicly admit that they eat "Tater Tot Casserole" -- or that they encourage others to do so.

It is a combination of several things, mostly that seventeen young people, some of whom are very likely smart and curious, are being programmed to believe that the end and be-all of life is to produce babies. Producing babies is a great thing, of course, a profound miracle, but...

What happens when one of these kids, as kaysixteen wisely observed, wants to do something different? They have a college-aged kid now. Would he (Josiah, I think they said) be allowed to go to college -- or Vocational school? Or join the military? Does he still have to go to bed at ten? Is he -- legal adult that he is in every state -- allowed to go to a movie on his own? Read a book that isn't part of the home school curriculum? Take a walk? Skip "Bible time with Daddy?"

What happens when one of these kids -- because one of them will -- wants to use those piano lessons to write unauthorised music? Or wants to hang out with other teenagers that aren't siblings and talk about girls/boys?

Any random group of seventeen is bound to produce at least one rebel. What happens to the Duggar's first rebel? Or artist? Or, I don't know, lawyer or teacher or journalist or medical doctor (whose scientific training teaches them that Creationism is not science) or stripper or some other profession that might expose them to ideas that expand their thoughts beyond the carefully designed set offered them in the 7000-square-foot dormitory in which they have been raised (by, as noted) primarily siblings?

What happens if one of them is gay? One out of seventeen -- it's more than possible?

What happens if one of them decides that life as some sort of public display of religious extremism -- "Yay, mommy's pregnant again -- maybe this time we can go on Larry King!" -- is less than they would like to dare imagine for themselves?

No, it isn't anywhere near child abuse.  But it is sad...

[betty_p]

Ricotta and cottage are very similar-- Stouffer's uses the latter in its lasagna, or used to.   Why would anyone seriously criticise a large family for economizing?

Ricotta costs less.

[dolljepopp]

And Velveeta is not food.

It may be technically edible, but that quality alone does not make it food.

[scheherazade]

AHA!  Found it!

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

1 gallon 2% reduced-fat milk
5 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt


1. Line a large colander or sieve with 5 layers of dampened cheesecloth, allowing the cheesecloth to extend over outside edges of colander; place colander in a large bowl.

2. Combine milk and buttermilk in a large, heavy stockpot. Attach a candy thermometer to edge of pan so that thermometer extends at least 2 inches into milk mixture. Cook over medium-high heat until candy thermometer registers 170° (about 20 minutes), gently stirring occasionally. As soon as milk mixture reaches 170°, stop stirring (whey and curds will begin separating at this point). Continue to cook, without stirring, until the thermometer registers 190°. (Be sure not to stir, or curds that have formed will break apart.) Immediately remove pan from heat. (Bottom of pan may be slightly scorched.)

3. Using a slotted spoon, gently spoon curds into cheesecloth-lined colander; discard whey, or reserve it for another use. Drain over bowl for 5 minutes. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely. Hang cheesecloth bundle from kitchen faucet; drain 15 minutes or until whey stops dripping. Scrape ricotta into a bowl. Sprinkle with salt; toss gently with a fork to combine. Cool to room temperature.

**Things to note: As the milk is heating to 170°, be sure to stir gently and occasionally; if you stir too vigorously or too frequently (more than every few minutes), the curds won't separate from the whey as well, and you won't get as much cheese. And don't stir after the milk mixture reaches 170°, or the cheese will become grainy and thin. When you scoop out the cheese, don't scrape up from the bottom of the pot - that cheese is overcooked and doesn't taste good.  Just take the stuff that floats.  If you can't hang the bag on the faucet, lay a long wooden spoon across one corner of the sink, and hang the bag on the handle.

This makes about 3 cups of cheese and keeps in the fridge safely for about four days.  It looks way more complicated than it is - after I made it once, I could pretty much do it in my sleep.

[betty_p]

Thanks, Scheherazade!