# How do you doll up your cottage cheese?



## Cooking Goddess (Feb 12, 2020)

After *GotGarlic* mentioned cottage cheese in her dinner post on Monday, we kinda got onto a tangent about adding flavorings to cottage cheese. (Us? Off topic? Never...) Anyroad, if you eat cottage cheese, do you like it with certain toppings or sides? Here are a few ways that I like it:

- with Greek Seasoning blend sprinkled on top and mixed in
- with apple butter. If you don't have apple butter, applesauce will do. Just add a bit more cinnamon.
- along side watermelon and blueberries
- with strawberries

Himself likes it with pineapple. That's OK, different people have different tastes.

Do you have any favorite way of enjoying cottage cheese?


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## taxlady (Feb 12, 2020)

We mostly use cottage cheese as a substitute for ricotta in lasagna and have used it that way in ravioli.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 12, 2020)

Any flavor of Mrs. Dash. Not crazy about fruit with my cottage cheese.


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## cookieee (Feb 12, 2020)

Yesterday, I had canned Mandarin oranges over mine. Today, I had Tajin sprinkled over some and later just salt over some more, but this is my very favorite way to have cottage cheese......

Blintz Pancakes

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 TB. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
4 well-beaten eggs

Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Add remaining ingredients; fold only till flour is barely moistened. Bake on greased griddle. Stack cakes; serve with Blueberry Sauce. Makes 16

Source: B H & Garden Cookbook


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## RCJoe (Feb 12, 2020)

For me, Cotty is dusted with Season-All or Lawry's.  

I may have pineapple with it and some shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

A fine salad/dessert to promote good digestion.  Love the stuff.


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## skilletlicker (Feb 12, 2020)

Cottage cheese is one of those foods I never have on hand because I eat it all as soon I bring it home from the store. It isn't as self-destructive as a compulsion to do the same with whiskey or ice cream but I just can't resist it. Been like that since I was a little kid. Promise myself I'm just going to have a little reward for putting the groceries away, then eat the whole 24-oz container in one sitting.

I like it with any and all kinds of fruit but also plain or with just freshly ground black pepper.


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## taxlady (Feb 13, 2020)

Does anyone else make their own?


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## skilletlicker (Feb 13, 2020)

taxlady said:


> Does anyone *else* make their own?



You make your own? I haven't researched it but from a cursory reading of this one site, it looks like a pretty involved process.


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## taxlady (Feb 13, 2020)

skilletlicker said:


> You make your own? I haven't researched it but from a cursory reading of this one site, it looks like a pretty involved process.



I make it the easy way. I don't remember the amounts, but it's basically just add some vinegar (I use ACV) or some lemon juice to some milk and let it sit until it curdles, then strain off the whey. Be sure to add a bit of salt or it will be flavourless.

Here are more specific directions. I have never bothered to heat the milk, but it would probably be quicker if I did.

Quick Cottage Cheese Courtesy of Alton Brown.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Feb 13, 2020)

In Hawaii, Cottage Cheese is sold with the Pineapple in the container already!
It's okay, but I think you can do so much better.

I really enjoy Cottage Cheese with a can of well drained chopped Clams and some Chives!   Served with a side of Triscuits.  My favorite!  HEH!  I have can of Clams in the pantry 

Also, drained, canned Tuna (keep it super chunky for me please) with chopped Black Olive, Green Onions and again Triscuits for dipping/scooping.

How about just lots of Black Pepper?

Fresh Pears diced and some Pecans (or Walnuts).

This harkens to the days when my Mother was trying to diet when I was a kid.
So we had a lot of Cottage Cheese in the house 
MAN!  I haven't had Tricuits in forever...


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## skilletlicker (Feb 13, 2020)

taxlady said:


> I make it the easy way. I don't remember the amounts, but it's basically just add some vinegar (I use ACV) or some lemon juice to some milk and let it sit until it curdles, then strain off the whey. Be sure to add a bit of salt or it will be flavourless.
> 
> Here are more specific directions. I have never bothered to heat the milk, but it would probably be quicker if I did.
> 
> Quick Cottage Cheese Courtesy of Alton Brown.


Thanks, taxlady. 

AB's recipe looks pretty simple. I'm strongly tempted to halve the recipe and give it a go. Don't keep cream or half-and-half on hand so it'll have to wait till next grocery trip.


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## taxlady (Feb 13, 2020)

skilletlicker said:


> Thanks, taxlady.
> 
> AB's recipe looks pretty simple. I'm strongly tempted to halve the recipe and give it a go. Don't keep cream or half-and-half on hand so it'll have to wait till next grocery trip.



I don't usually make a lot in a go. I usually use about a litre of milk, sometimes less. The cream isn't essential, but it is nice. BTW, the Indian cheese "paneer" is pretty much the same thing, but pressed and then cut into cubes for adding to some dishes.


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## Just Cooking (Feb 13, 2020)

CC is a staple in our house.. We, usually, have some daily..

We like it with diced peaches or diced avocado and tomato, depending on if wanting savory or sweet and what we have on hand..

Mostly, as a quick snack, we sprinkle "Everything Bagel" seasoning for a bit of crunch..

Ross


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## dcSaute (Feb 13, 2020)

large curd fans here - 4% variety for taste.
a sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper for 'topping'
sometimes a 'side' to a bowl of diced fruit . . .


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## CWS4322 (Feb 13, 2020)

My CC has to be 4% large curd, whole milk. I don't like it sweet. Bring on the Frank's hot sauce.


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 13, 2020)

I'm another one for the fruit with CC.  And I often put a large spoonful of chia seeds in, esp. when the container is runnier than usual, and stir it through the container - thickens quickly.  Pineapple is probably my favorite fruit, and probably the one I eat the most with CC.

I've made my own before, but it's actually cheaper to buy it.  The method used to make it is basically the same as that for making paneer or queso fresco, but these have more whey pressed out, to make them firm.  And I can't make it with vinegar!  First, some of it's left in the whey, which I want to use in things, and I don't  want that, and I can still taste a hint of the vinegar in the cheese.  So I use lemon juice, or, easier and cheaper (at least with the prices of lemons, these days), citric acid, dissolved in a little water.


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## Silversage (Feb 13, 2020)

This is going to sound awful, but my mother always put sugar on it!  She grew up in Clewiston FL, in the heart of sugar cane country.  Her father was a big mucky-muck with US Sugar, headquartered there.  She put sugar on nearly everything!


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## taxlady (Feb 13, 2020)

Pepperhead, it might well be cheaper to buy it than to make it. But, if you only want a small amount and the rest of a package would go off, it's cheaper to make it. It's also handy to know how to make it in cases when you need a bit of cottage cheese, but you don't have any. I have seen recipes for the cc that called for rinsing the curds to get rid of the vinegar flavour.


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## msmofet (Feb 13, 2020)

I also like 4% cottage cheese. I like it with fruit or on salad.


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## cookieee (Feb 13, 2020)

cookieee said:


> Yesterday, I had canned Mandarin oranges over mine. Today, I had Tajin sprinkled over some and later just salt over some more, but this is my very favorite way to have cottage cheese......
> 
> Blintz Pancakes
> 
> ...



DH made these for breakfast this morning. He cut up a couple of peaches and also had some blueberries. He put a little homemade Simple Syrup over both fruits. Very Good!!!!!  (especially with a LOT of bacon) lol


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## Kayelle (Feb 13, 2020)

One of my favorite ways of dolling up cottage cheese is with meat sauce and pasta. It's a sub I love to use for *Lasagna*, as I don't like Ricotta cheese. You can blend it smooth if the texture is a problem for you.


I see now that Taxi beat me to this idea. Great minds and all that.


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 13, 2020)

taxlady said:


> Pepperhead, it might well be cheaper to buy it than to make it. But, if you only want a small amount and the rest of a package would go off, it's cheaper to make it. It's also handy to know how to make it in cases when you need a bit of cottage cheese, but you don't have any. I have seen recipes for the cc that called for rinsing the curds to get rid of the vinegar flavour.


I almost never have milk in the fridge, unless I had a particular recipe I was making, yet I almost always have cottage cheese, and it never goes bad - I am always having it with fruit as a dessert, or breakfast.  It's milk that would go bad on me, so I sometimes make some queso fresco or buttermilk with the leftover milk.


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## larry_stewart (Feb 13, 2020)

I dont eat it much anymore, but I liked it plain.

Also, I had a recipe that called for using it ( in addition to feta cheese) for spinach pie.
I was skeptical at first, but after trying it, it became my go to spinach pie recipe ( with some modifications .  But now since my wife went vegan, I have many more modifications and challenges .


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## Linda0818 (Feb 13, 2020)

taxlady said:


> We mostly use cottage cheese as a substitute for ricotta in lasagna and have used it that way in ravioli.



My mom made the best lasagna and she always put cottage cheese in it. I miss that so much. I've never been able to make it that way because my boys (my son and my late husband) refused to eat lasagna with cottage cheese 

As for eating cottage cheese on its own, I absolutely love the stuff. However, other than maybe a couple twists of black pepper, I prefer to eat it plain.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 14, 2020)

I enjoy CC any eay I can get it.  A favorite is to make a string ragu, with lots of ground beef
  I then add cottage cheese and stir it in well.  I parboil manicotti noodles, drain, then pipe the ragu-cottage cheese mixture into the manicotti tubes.  Place the manicotti into a rectangular bakin dish, cover with tomato sauce, and mozzarella, cover tghtly with foil, and bake at 325' for 45 minutes.  This is involved and a bit time consuming, so make a lot.  Leftovers freeze well.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Pellice (Feb 14, 2020)

I got started on cottage cheese with Craig Claiborne's recommendation to combine it with chopped cucumbers, scallions, and mayonnaise for a "light lunch."  I branched out various greens, often radishes, and now mostly use red onions.  When I use cucumbers, I peel and only quarter them, then dry, as they leak water, as you could guess.  I serve it with those wonderful Finn Crisp flat crackers.  

Although I'm usually an advocate for whole-dairy products, for this dish I like 2% cottage cheese, as otherwise, with the mayo, it tastes almost too rich.

A sprinkling of hot pepper, flakes, or chopped jalapenos is great as part of this, but I think most raw vegetables dull the taste (whatever that means  )  This is one of my summertime staple lunches.


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## cookieee (Feb 14, 2020)

Pellice said:


> I got started on cottage cheese with Craig Claiborne's recommendation to combine it with chopped cucumbers, scallions, and mayonnaise for a "light lunch."  I branched out various greens, often radishes, and now mostly use red onions.  When I use cucumbers, I peel and only quarter them, then dry, as they leak water, as you could guess.  I serve it with those wonderful Finn Crisp flat crackers.
> 
> Although I'm usually an advocate for whole-dairy products, for this dish I like 2% cottage cheese, as otherwise, with the mayo, it tastes almost too rich.
> 
> A sprinkling of hot pepper, flakes, or chopped jalapenos is great as part of this, but I think most raw vegetables dull the taste (whatever that means  )  This is one of my summertime staple lunches.



Hi Pellice, I am sooo glad you mentioned mayo. I have been going crazy since this thread was posted, trying to remember what it was that I used  to put on the CC with mayo.  I didn't want to mention it here in case everyone thought I was crazy putting mayo on CC. lol  But it is good, right?


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## Linda0818 (Feb 14, 2020)

Hmmm... now you guys have me curious about the mayo with cottage cheese. I'll have to try that sometime.


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## Pellice (Feb 14, 2020)

Craig Claiborne called a combination CC with mayo and the other ingredients "a joy."  It really is a summery lunch.  Takes well to deep-flavored crackers.  And strong greens.  And you don't need all that much mayo.


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## Linda0818 (Feb 14, 2020)

Pellice said:


> Craig Claiborne called a combination CC with mayo and the other ingredients "a joy."  It really is a summery lunch.  Takes well to deep-flavored crackers.  And strong greens.  And you don't need all that much mayo.



I'll definitely have to give that a go. Sounds like it would be good on my favorite crackers, the Back To Nature multigrain flax flatbreads.


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## Oldvine (Feb 14, 2020)

I like my cottage cheese with a shake of pepper and some crispy bacon instead of fried eggs for breakfast.  My mother-in-law gets credit for coaxing me to try it.  She was right, I liked it and still do.


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 15, 2020)

*Oldvine*, bacon can make anything better! 



Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> ... A favorite is to make a string ragu, with lots of ground beef
> I then add cottage cheese and stir it in well...


This reminded me of another way we've enjoyed it. Instead of a plate of fried cabbage and noodles, Himself said his mom also made fried noodles with cottage cheese. If we have wide noodles leftover from soup or stroganoff, I'll fry the noodles in butter until they get a bit crispy in spots, then add the cottage cheese and stir just until it starts to melt. If you let it go too long, it gets watery.

I see a number of you like it with pepper. Your posts reminded me of my Dad.  He'd kill it with pepper the few times he would eat "that diet food".  It's not like he didn't like cottage cheese, he just really loved pepper.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 15, 2020)

So many great ideas here - thanks, all, and thanks to CG for starting the thread.

That doesn't mean it's done [emoji38] Keep 'em coming if you think of more!


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## cookieee (Feb 15, 2020)

Oldvine said:


> I like my cottage cheese with a shake of pepper and some crispy bacon instead of fried eggs for breakfast.  My mother-in-law gets credit for coaxing me to try it.  She was right, I liked it and still do.


ha ha CG is right, ANYTHING is better with bacon.  I have never tried pepper on my CC, will have to give this idea a try. But I do love SALT on it.  Good thing the store had a bogo on CC the other day.


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## Linda0818 (Feb 15, 2020)

When I was a kid, I used to love mixing my cottage cheese into my mashed potatoes. I just thought that was so good. And, admittedly, I still do it on occasion.


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## Linda0818 (Feb 15, 2020)

Cooking Goddess said:


> *Oldvine*, bacon can make anything better!
> 
> 
> *This reminded me of another way we've enjoyed it. Instead of a plate of fried cabbage and noodles, Himself said his mom also made fried noodles with cottage cheese. If we have wide noodles leftover from soup or stroganoff, I'll fry the noodles in butter until they get a bit crispy in spots, then add the cottage cheese and stir just until it starts to melt*. If you let it go too long, it gets watery.
> ...



THAT sounds heavenly.


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## Kayelle (Feb 15, 2020)

Speaking of noodles and cottage cheese, what could be better than a Jewish Kugel?


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## Linda0818 (Feb 15, 2020)

Kayelle said:


> Speaking of noodles and cottage cheese, what could be better than a Jewish Kugel?



Oh my gosh, yes. I made that one time, many years ago, because I ran across a recipe for it and couldn't resist. And I had it all to myself because I was the only one who would eat cottage cheese. Hence the reason I probably haven't made it since because, although I loved it, I don't often make casseroles that I have to finish up all on my own.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 15, 2020)

cookieee said:


> ha ha CG is right, ANYTHING is better with bacon.  I have never tried pepper on my CC, will have to give this idea a try. But I do love SALT on it.  Good thing the store had a bogo on CC the other day.



Have you ever tried chicken skin cracklings?  Fried until light brown and crispy, and salted, IMHO the flavor is even better than bacon.  You can crumble htem and put over anything that you would put bacon crumbles in or over.  They are great eaten like you would consume chips as well.

I've never tried them with cottage cheese.  Can't say how they's go with it.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## GotGarlic (Feb 15, 2020)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Have you ever tried chicken skin cracklings?  Fried until light brown and crispy, and salted, IMHO the flavor is even better than bacon.  You can crumble htem and put over anything that you would put bacon crumbles in or over.  They are great eaten like you would consume chips as well.


Oooohh, yum, I make those every time I make braised chicken thighs, except that I bake them in the toaster oven. Sometimes I season them with whatever I used on the chicken. So good


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## GotGarlic (Feb 15, 2020)

Breakfast this morning - cottage cheese with pineapple, topped with honey from our hives and Penzeys Pie Spice.


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## Kayelle (Feb 15, 2020)

^That^ looks delicious ..


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 15, 2020)

Looks and sounds fantastic, *GG*!

I have uncut 2 pineapples in the kitchen now...


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## GotGarlic (Feb 15, 2020)

Kayelle said:


> ^That^ looks delicious ..





pepperhead212 said:


> Looks and sounds fantastic, *GG*!


Thanks [emoji2]



pepperhead212 said:


> I have uncut 2 pineapples in the kitchen now...


Have you seen this cool method for cutting them up? It's less wasteful than the usual way and leaves you with cute fan-shaped pieces: https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/knife-skills-how-to-cut-a-pineapple.html


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 15, 2020)

That's basically how I cut up the pineapples, except that I trim the eyes out with a small paring knife - even less wasteful, and I'm cheap!  I'll have to remember that method, giving the decorative slices, when that would be nice to have.  And I always save the cores - I use them for smoothies, and they can also be used to make a mild vinegar (along with some of the other trimmings - a tip I learned from Diana Kennedy).


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## skilletlicker (Feb 15, 2020)

pepperhead212 said:


> That's basically how I cut up the pineapples, except that I trim the eyes out with a small paring knife - even less wasteful, and I'm cheap!  I'll have to remember that method, giving the decorative slices, when that would be nice to have.  And I always save the cores - I use them for smoothies, and they can also be used to make a mild vinegar (along with some of the other trimmings - a tip I learned from Diana Kennedy).



I learned the "vinagre" trick from Daisy Martinez about 30 years ago. I'll confess to having a TV crush on her during her PBS show, _Daisy Cooks_.

She briefly explains and demonstrates beginning at 21:35 on the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_-rqtzgbY&list=PLFsVsIyZt2Ujr3F08SAIQjJeV3VticL39&index=17&t=0s


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