Here's the recipe for cottage cheese daughter has! She got it from the program 'Good Eats'! She and her two boys, ages 4 and 5 love that show! They tape them and the boys beg her to play them over and over. They've really gotten interested in cooking, themselves and even use play dough to reinact the shows! She's letting them help her alot now! Quick Cottage Cheese 1 gallon pasteurized skim milk 3/4 cup white vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 cup half-and half-or heavy cream Pour the skim milk into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat to 120 degrees F. Remove from the heat and gently pour in the vinegar. Stir slowly for 1 to 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pour the mixture into a colander lined with a tea towel and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cloth and rinse under cold water for 3 to 5 minutes or until the curd is completely cooled, squeezing and moving the mixture the whole time. Once cooled, squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and stir to combine, breaking up the curd into bite-size pieces as you go. If ready to serve immediately, stir in the half-and-half or heavy cream. If not, transfer to a sealable container and place in the refrigerator. Add the half and half or heavy cream just prior to serving. Oh, and her hubby (our SIL) is here with the boys right now, having watched Ohio State and Illinois (boo hoo--OSU lost) and he says it's really good and not gritty at all, when she makes it!

There's a first step I follow with split peas and dried beans to speed cooking and reduce intestinal flatulence. Put the legumes into a pot of water with at least 3X the volume of water as the volume of dry beans/peas. Bring to boil. Turn off heat, cover, let sit one hour. Pour off water, then use the almost fully cooked legumes to prepare whatever recipe you're making. Soup can be done in as little as one more hour. You can saute onions and other veggies in another pot while the peas sit. Or, take out the peas when done, use the soup pot to saute the veggies, then add back the peas and whatever liquid and other things you use.

Here are two I have used. I make the first one most often, but the second one is a meatless pea soup recipe I have also made: Hearty Split Pea Soup 1 bag (1 lb.) dry split peas 8 cups water 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 large onions, chopped - 2 medium carrots, chopped 2 cups cubed cooked ham ½ cup chopped celery 5 tsp. chicken bouillon granules 1 tsp. each dried marjoram, poultry seasoning, rubbed sage ½ to 1 tsp. pepper ½ tsp. dried basil ½ tsp. salt 2 bay leaf  remove after cooking In Dutch oven combine all ingredients, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours until peas and vegetables are tender. Yield: 12 servings (3 qts.) Add water if desired ANDERSENÂS ORIGINAL SPLIT PEA SOUP (Meatless) 2 qts. Water (8 cups) 2 cups green split peas 1 branch of celery, coarsely chopped 1 large carrot, chopped 1 small onion, chopped ¼ tsp. ground thyme 1 pinch cayenne pepper  1 bay leaf (remove after cooking) salt and black pepper. Combine ingredients except salt and pepper in large kettle, bring to boil and boil vigorously, uncovered for 20 minutes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until peas are tender, about 40 minutes. Taste and season w/salt and pepper to taste. Whirl in blender or food processor for finely textured soup. 8 servings  1 cup = 185 calories.

I'm glad you liked it. It's one of those things, as with sometimes adding an acid (like vinegar) to a dish as suggested above, the flavor effect is broader than would be expected. If you don't otherwise use it, sprinkle some garlic powder into it too. Same effect in a different way.