I'm not familiar with dry cottage cheese, but I have the same trouble trying to find fresh hoop cheese nowadays. If the results of the "dry" cottage cheese making are too wet, you might consider pressing the cheese. You could also make a sieve frame with wood and mesh (or buy stretcher bars from an art supply, or even a premade screen printing screen), and prop it up over a big tray or pan so that you can spread your curds way out. If you can make this all fit in the fridge, so much the better, so you can drain and age the curds for a long time. If your fridge uses an evaporator to defrost itself, so much the better. :) You might also ask Jim at New England Cheesemaking Supply Company (cheesemaking.com). The recipe Sleevendog linked is adapted from them, but he might know more about getting it to be what you want.

Hello! I freeze cottage cheese as well as cream cheese. But as the first person said the cheeses do change texture. They can still be eaten but will not have that smooth creamy feel in your mouth. It will be slightly granular. I use cottage cheese in my lasagna sometimes in place of the ricotta if I can't get it in the shop. I use the frozen cream cheese to make cheese cake and it is fine. You will have to mix the cheeses once thawed, but I find they freeze fine. I freeze milk, butter, soured cream, bags of grated cheese and sometimes blocks (grated freezes better) buttermilk. I freeze egg whites if I make a custard and use the yolks only. My daughter calls me the freezer queen lol

glenda,actually I just looked at what I had saved and it is a little bit different but it got rave reviews. Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball 1- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 stick butter, softened 1/2 cup chopped pecans, finely chopped 2 tbls. light brown sugar 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips Combine all ingredients (except choc. chips) in a bowl, much like you would a cookie dough. Refrigerate for at least half an hour. Take out mixture, form into a ball, then roll it in the choc. chips. Refrigerate again until ready to serve. Serve with graham crackers, or shortbread cookies. alterations: marscapone in lieu of butter add toffee bits serve with gingersnaps

Cheese Ball 8 oz. cream cheese 1/2 lb. sharp cheddar 1/2 C. chopped pecans 1 clove garlic mashed with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1 T. mayo MIx in blender. Chill. form into ball in roll in chopped nuts. Crab, cream cheese and chili sauce 8 oz. crab meat 8 oz. package cream cheese green onions sliced Sauce 1/2 C. chili sauce 1 tsp horseradish 1 tsp worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce 2 T. lemon juice 1 tsp chopped chives 1/4 tsp. parsley 1 tsp salt Spread cream cheese in small pie plate. Cover with crab meat. top with sauce. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve with triscuits. Christmas pudding (I don't know where this name came from but that's what we call it) 8 oz. cream cheese 1 pkg. chipped beef 1/8 sp. pepper 2 tsp. milk 2 tsp. minced green onions 1/2 C. sour cream Mix together and place in 8" pie plate. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Bake 350 for 15 minutes. Serve with crackers Beef Cheese logs 1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 T.mayo 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 T. chopped green olives (I like to use jalapeño stuffed) * 1 T. minced parsley 1 tsp. finely chopped onions 1/2 C. finely snipped dried beef Blend cheese with mayo and worcestershire. Add olives, parsley and onion. On waxed paper, shape into two rolls 1 1/2" in diameter. Chill until firm. Roll in chopped dried beef. Serve with crackers. *Can use pimento stuffed olives, too. I don't even like olives but I love this. This post was edited by georgysmom on Sat, Jan 10, 15 at 13:37