Here's some info that I got on that subject for future reference (I've not done any). Two different parties. One with labels not covered, and the second has the option of having the labels covered (this one sounds really interesting). Party One Lay a table with eight to 12 cheeses, at least three different wines, bread, crackers and fruit accompaniments, and perhaps a bowl of olives or some nuts in the shell for guests to crack. For a more formal tasting with real cheese lovers, make individual tasting plates and serve two or three courses of cheese with selected wines and accompaniments; for instance, you could start with a selection of cow's and goat's milk soft and semisoft cheeses, strawberries or peach slices and a baguette with a dry white or light-bodied red wine. Follow with an interesting array of aged firm and hard cheeses, dried figs and apricots, and hearty rye bread, accompanied by a full-bodied red wine. Then serve a plate of blue cheeses, pear slices, walnut bread and a glass of port. Finish with a dessert of Medjool dates accompanied by a fresh cheese, such as mascarpone. ******************** Party Two Cheese Party Forget serving cheese as a simple hors doeuvres  this culinary delight makes an exquisite entrée at any party. Read on for ideas and tips on how to make your cheese party a crowd pleaser. Invitation Ideas For the perfect cheesy invite, cut yellow card stock into a triangular shape. Using a hole punch, make several holes in the slice of cheese, so it resembles Swiss cheese. A cheese party is perfect at cocktail hour or later. Decorations Keep the décor simple, yet elegant, taking inspiration from a European vineyard. YouÂll want the wine and cheese to be the highlight, so use white linen on the tables and accent with red, burgundy, green (use dried grape vines and a variety of washed grapes as a centerpiece) and silver or gold (think napkins, napkin rings, wine glass charms and coasters). If you live in a home with several rooms available for the party, decorate each room with by theme (France, Italy, England) and serve corresponding wine and cheese in each area. Label each cheese with a ceramic or metallic label, or to improvise, use "Hello my Name is" stickers (stick two together on either side of a toothpick). If youÂre serving a variety of cheese from various countries, try a miniature toothpick flag for each cheeseÂs origin and handwrite the name of the cheese on the flag. Playlist Ideas Match your music to your menu by playing music from the countries of the cheese you select. For inspiration, try these: French: Serge Gainsbourg, Air, St. Germain-des-pres-Café collection, Amelie soundtrack British: Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, KT Tunstall, James Blunt, Kate Bush Italian: Andrea Bocelli, theme from Life is Beautiful, La Dolce Vita soundtrack, Il Postino soundtrack Canadian: Sarah McLachlan, Sarah Harmer, Daniel Powter, Chantal Kreviazuk, Ron Sexsmith, David Usher, Shania Twain, Our Lady Peace, Melissa OÂNeil, Barenaked Ladies or Sloan Cocktail/Menu Ideas Cheese plate: A gourmet cheese plate will impress guests and let them mingle as they try a variety of cheeses (set each cheese at a different table or room). Select five types of cheeses  and just adjust the quanity of each depending on the number of guests. Try to choose at least one type of cheese from each category (ripe, semi-soft, semi-hard, hard, blue) and type (cow, sheep, goat). Tip: Let cheese sit at room temperature at least an hour before serving (unwrap from plastic or paper first) and serve cheese whole, allowing guests to cut their own piece. Beverages: For a sensational experience, pair each cheese with a complementary wine. For example, match soft cheese with champagne or white wine, blue cheese with port, hard cheese with fuller-bodied reds. Tip: the more pungent the cheese, the sweeter the wine should be. Try to match the region of cheese with a similar wine (ie Italian Amarone with Parmigiano-Reggiano or an Ontario wine with Thunder BayÂs Thunder Oak, an artisanal gouda). For a non-alcoholic option, serve apple cider or low-acidity tea (avoid fruit teas), both of which can be served hot or chilled. Cheese fondue: In addition to the cheese plate, set out a cheese fondue [link to Foodtv.ca recipe] using a medium-sharp cheese (such as English cheddar). Arrange fondue spears or long wooden spears to dip artisanal bread, crudités (pickles, baby carrots, mushrooms, picked cauliflower), cubed ham and fingerling potatoes. Dessert Cheesecake makes a thematic end to a savoury meal by adding a touch of sweet. Try Mocha Cheesecake or Philadelphia Lemon Bumbleberry Cheesecake for a twist on the traditional, or, to give guests variety, make miniature cheesecakes (in mini muffin pans), and set out bowls of toppings (blueberry, strawberry and cherry sauces) for guests to create their own concoctions. Party Activities To get guests in the spirit of all things cheesy, test your guests knowledge by not labeling the cheese and having them guess the variety or each, or make a playlist on your iPod of cheesy 90s musicians (Kenny G, anyone?) and have guests guess the artist. Favour Ideas Tie pretty fabric ribbons in a variety of wine-and-cheese inspired colours (think merlot, silver, gold, dark green) around an assortment ornate cheese knives and place them in a wire basket so each guest can help themselves to one when they leave.

"How long did you do the cure/aging Jim?" Hmm. That's a somewhat embarrassing question. Most of it was deemed inedible and was discarded at a young age, but in my fridge there is a rock hard small wheel that is several years old. "Did you purchase a press or cobble one together?" I bought a cylindrical stainless steel container from a cooking supply store and drilled a lot of holes in it with a 1/8" drill. I cut a circle from a polyethylene cutting board to fit inside the cylinder and apply pressure. I weighted this down on top of the cheese. I have a screw mechanism for building a real press, but haven't gotten around to it. Might have to build a wood fired, outdoor pizza oven first. :-) "I haven't checked the health food store to buy milk...but wished that I had a dairy available for sure." Cheese works out to be as expensive as the milk at retail price used to make it. I understand that using dehydrated milk will work and reduce the cost. Haven't done that yet. Best would be to buy milk at the farm if you can. It takes a lot of milk to make a little cheese. It's not surprising that Jessy and I cited the same source for supplies. That company dominates the cheese making hobby. They have lots of information and every supply you could want. Jim

Fresh mozzarella on homemade arepas - now that's good stuff!!! I pasteurize raw (goat's) milk when I occasionally use it (the dairy is 2-1/2-miles from where I live), and I would pasteurize all raw milk before using it because there are more kinds of bacteria, and more deadly bacteria, than existed even 20-years ago. There was a day we drank gallons of raw cow's milk growing up and I used a lot of raw goat's milk for fermenting. Today I wouldn't do it, especially after taking a food safety class through Kansas State University from Dr. Karen Penner - Ph.D.Extension Specialist, Food Science. But that's going to be a choice you get to make because you'll get cheese either way. ;-) For mozzarella I use powdered milk - which is a food storage staple at our house. That food storage cutie, "Chef Tess Bakeress" (she has her own web site), gives a great tutorial at the link below. I occasionally make curds with water, vinegar and powdered milk. Season them to make "cheese (no burger)" patties (plain, beef- or chicken-flavored). I use the recipe in Rita Bingham's "Natural Meals in Minutes". Other recipes from the book include: Quick Soft Pressed Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, Queso Blanco, Bag Cheese, Cottage Cheese and NO-Cook Cottage Cheese, Yellow Cheddar Cheese, Panir, Caraway Cheese, Jalapeno Cheese - and all the recipes are made with powdered milk. She uses non-instant powdered milk in the recipes. If all you have is instant powdered milk you simply run it through a blender to pulverize it to a fine powder, then you can measure it cup-for-cup for non-instant powdered milk. I think you'll be surprised how easy and fun it is! Have a great time. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: How to Make American Mozzarella Cheese Out of Powdered Milk

You could make any breakfast casserole, either bread and egg based or potato based, and add a layer, or two, of cheese slices in the middle or on top. Here is a link to a few recipes. Just sub the slices for the cheese in recipes that it makes sense to do so. Won't be as good as the originals but should still be OK. When we were young my Mom made us the yummiest lunch. She would split a hot dog lengthwise being careful not to cut all the way through. Then she would "open them and broil for a few minutes, just to warm them. Then she would fill them with mashed potatoes and top with a folded cheese slice and broiled until the cheese was bubbly. Another treat was tuna mixed with mayo , chopped onion and chopped celery. Loaded on top of a lightly toasted hamburger bun half, topped with a cheese slice and broiled until bubbly. As an aside, I think you have a long time after the sell buy date before those slices spoil, especially if they are individually wrapped. Someone brought some slices to the cottage last summer and they still look OK. I'm loathe to throw out food so I'm saving them for the person who brought them originally but so far no one has claimed them ! LOL Here is a link that might be useful: Breakfast casseroles.