I made ricotta

Just because it's good. And actually really easy.

My simplified recipe is 1 pint of cultured buttermilk and 1/2 gallon of whole milk. Mix the two together in a large pot. Put on a burner that's no higher than medium-low (and maybe lower depending on your stove) and gently bring up the temperature. It should take at least 40 minutes to get to 180 degrees F (80 deg C) and longer is OK so go do something else and leave the pot alone. Stir very gently once or twice to make sure it's not sticking or scorching on the bottom of the pan (it shouldn't be a problem because you've got the heat on low).

Once it gets to 180 F you should watch more carefully and don't stir much or you'll break up the curds. The final temperature should be about 205 F/95 C. I've started going lower than the original recipe because I think it's more tender. The pot will look like piles of white trying to erupt and almost boiling but not quite. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes or more. I usually get impatient at this point because my cheese is right there and I want it now.

Scoop the curds into a  fine strainer then pour the whey through to catch the rest. You may want to put the first part in another bowl first. Let it drain to the consistency you want them fluff up in a bowl and add salt to taste. Make your favorite recipe or just eat with a spoon.

Here's the final stages:

Straining the curds

Warm ricotta ready to eat (I like it piled on whole grain bread)

Finally make bread or polenta or porridge out of the whey.
This method is a mashup of recipes from cookbooks by  Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Rikki Carroll. They have more detail but once you've done it a few times ricotta's really easy.