Ever want to try your hand at cheesemaking, but you don't have a goat or cow?  I found this easy recipe at www.hobbyfarms.com for making cheese with Yogurt or Kefir.

Kefir is a fermented-milk beverage, purported to have beneficial effects on health, beauty and weight-loss. Some of the most popular commercial brands are available in the healthy foods area or dairy section of many supermarkets.

Using store-bought plain yogurt or plain kefir, the process is the same:

• Line a plastic or stainless-steel colander with two layers of cheesecloth (finely woven butter muslin works, too).
• Put the colander in a large bowl.
• Pour or spoon the yogurt into the lined colander.
• Place the colander and the bowl in the fridge for three to eight hours. The longer it drains, the drier the resulting cheese will be.

A Few Pointers

Kefir Differs
Making kefir cheese with store-bought kefir takes longer and produces a more soupy cheese than homemade kefir. Store-bought kefir is smoother than homemade.

With homemade kefir, four hours of draining produces cheese the texture of fromage blanc, because the liquid whey flows right through the cheese cloth.

In contrast, after 12 hours of draining store-bought kefir, the resulting cheese is like thick sour cream. After 16 hours of draining, the store-bought kefir cheese is thicker than sour cream and thinner than fromage blanc. With chives and powdered garlic mixed in, it makes a substantial dip, and it’s great as a milk substitute in mashed potatoes.

Adding Flavors
If you plan to blend chives, dill or other herbs into the cheese for a spread, don’t drain the whey for very long.