This Alpine Village Cottage Cheese is just an old family favorite my mom used to make when we were kids back in Kansas. I always loved it, but had no idea how to make it until I stumbled across a magazine recipe. It’s really simple and quick (which explains why my mom loved it – six kids kept her really busy!)

The recipe has just a few ingredients: caraway seeds, a little sugar, white pepper, dried chives, celery salt and monosodium glutemate (which Mom added in the form of “Accent” seasoning.) A lot of people shy away from MSG, based on some long-debunked “Asian restaurant syndrome” which pointed the finger at MSG as the cause of headaches, etc. In reality, MSG is just as natural as yogurt or beer, being created from a simple fermentation process. It’s included here to bring out the umami flavors hidden in cottage cheese, making it far more savory and delicious.