A great place you can check out for recipes is foodnetwork.com I just looked up "bridal shower" for you & they have recipes there & I bet you can find something really cool & easy to make as well as inexpensive. Betty

Wow, this reminds me of last spring when I was making cheese nearly every morning because my husband decided to milk 2 of our beef cows that lost their calves. Kind of like a science project, temperature, cultures,enzymes and timing are very important. (the New England Cheese Supply is awesome) I made my own press with a PVC pipe with holes and made wood disks to fit inside. My weighting were not accurate, but I guess it didn't matter since most of the cheese got eaten before it totally aged anyways. The harder the cheese (Romano or Parmesan) the more pressure._ Quite frankly there's not big money to be saved making your own but it is fun and I learned to appreciate the process. It takes 10 lbs of milk to make 1 lb of cheese and I can buy basic cheddar around here for $4.00 a lb. (homemade yogurt is definitely money saving though 1 gallon milk =1 gallon yogurt) I like the fast mozzarella recipe using citric acid when ever I was in a hurry but I did experiment with some of the other hard cheeses although most did not make it through the aging process because of sampling.

I make a combination of Alton Brown's & the Cook's Illustated versions. They're both made on top of the stove, no oven baking. Here's my combined recipe with notes about differing quantities. I use a lot less cheese because of my husband's low sodium diet. And I often use just one egg and a combination of sharp cheddar & Swiss (Swiss is naturally lower in sodium content). But, all in all, the recipe satisfies our mac & cheese hankerings and is quite easy. CookâÂÂs Illustrated & Alton Brown Serves 4 as a main course or 6-8 as a side dish Toasted Bread Crumbs (Cook's Illustrated): 1cup fresh breadcrumbs from French or Italian bread Pinch table salt 1 ý tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Creamy Macaroni and Cheese: 2 large eggs 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk (AltonâÂÂs recipe calls for only 6 oz. milk) ü teaspoon hot pepper sauce 2 teaspoons table salt, divided use (I omit) ü teaspoon ground black/white pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water (or prepared mustard) ý pound elbow macaroni 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 12 ounces (about 3 cups) sharp cheddar cheese, grated (AltonâÂÂs recipe calls for 10 oz. of cheese; I use only 8 oz.) Instructions: Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bread crumbs and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, and mustard mixture in small bowl; set aside. Meanwhile, heat 2 quarts water to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender, but still a little firm to the bite (I cook the macaroni a bit more). Drain and return to pan over low heat. Add butter; toss to melt. Pour egg mixture over buttered noodles along with three-quarters of the cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining milk (DonâÂÂt let it get too soupy) and cheese, stirring constantly, until mixture is hot and creamy, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately topped with toasted bread crumbs.

I think we have become so used to having our food sources possibly contaminated that the manufacturers are doing a huge CYA on the recommendations. You can make your own cream cheese....but warning it involves unrefrigerated milk and cream for 12 hours while the culture grows....and you will need to leave it out another 5 or 6 hours to drain. Cheese needs to be aged in a cool place....most cheeses...but when it has developed it's fine at room temp. Cheese is funny stuff....it won't "set" if there is any antibiotics at all in the milk used.....and if you are using pasteurized milk, you need to add a culture. As cheese ages it gets more acedic ( that's a very general statement) and less friendly for harmful bacteria to grow....check on line and see the number of cheese makers that ship their aged cheeses through the mail....without ice packs!