Sauerkraut = Fail

Soy Milk 1

We decided to try to make soy milk and then tofu today. The first step is finding the ingredients. You'll need ~1lb of soy beans and nigari (or gypsum salt). Here in NYC you can get both at Sunrise Mart in the east village.

The beans need to soak in cold water until they are softish (~8 to 24 hours).

More detailed instructions can be found at http://www.justhungry.com/milking-soy-bean-part-1-soy-milk

Sour Kraut 1

We decided to try Foxfire's recipe for sour kraut as part of the preparation for an attempt to make brats. They recommended adding some hot peppers for extra flavor, other than that all you need is a nonreactive container, cabbage and kosher salt.

Valentine's Mussels

For Valentine's day we made mussels a la mariniere from a Julia Child recipe. It was a lot easier then I expected, just a little cleaning and steaming.

It's the Year of the Tiger, It's the thrill of the fight...

Sausage Making 101 Part 6: Making the Links

Finally the best part, making the links. This has the most amazing technique it goes like this:

First, make the first link by squeezing the filling aside and twisting clockwise (or counterclockwise what matters is that you remember which direction you started and stay consistent).

Next, squeeze the filling to make the second link but do not twist it off.

Now, squeeze off the third link and twist it in the same direction as the first link (in this case clockwise). Twisting off the third link should also twist the second link counterclockwise.

Rinse and repeat.

Sausage Making 101 Part 5: Stuffing

Now it is time to stuff the casing