Tales of the Crowdsourced Kosher Cheddar (Part II)

This is one of my favorite food stories from the last year or so, and it's especially great because it involves kosher foodies, entrepreneurs, artisan cheesemakers and dreams. We first met Mark Bodzin when he was just a mashgiach with a Kickstarter idea, and then he turned it into something great. Read part one of the story here.

Recently, I got the chance to taste the first fruits of Mark's labors (and I have another pound in my fridge if anyone wants to make me an offer!), and I had the great pleasure of interviewing him again. This time I also interviewed the head cheesemaker at Shelburne Farms (yes, that's a real job! Isn't it cool?). Here is my part two.

It's just such a joy to meet people who are as committed to their work as they are committed to quality. Coming in Jan-Feb 2016, the next Shelburne Farms' kosher cheddar... this time Chalav Yisroel. Looking forward to hearing many more good things from Mark Bodzin and Shelburne Farms.

Soft-Baked, Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Altered from my sister Jacq's excellent recipe. Very easy, egg-free and tastes just like Entenmann's!

1/2 c margarine (1 stick)

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c white sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 and 1/4 c flour

1/4 c oatmeal

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 c chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and sugars, then add the other wet ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients and mix until matter is well-combined. Add chocolate chips at the end.

Roll into round ball and place on baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 8 to 12 minutes. When you pull them out, they should be puffed up, almost doughy looking. They will shrink down. Enjoy!