All Hail the Cheese

Enough Said

In celebration of National Cheese Lover's Day on January 20th and since it is an ingredient in our weekly recipe (and most recipes in fact), I thought I would spend a little time professing my undying love to this dairy delicacy.  Judging by the fact there is a national day set aside to pay it homage I would say I am not alone.  However, when poking around the interwebs I also saw National Cheese Lover's Day shares its holiday with National Buttercrunch Day so maybe not.  Let's just chalk that one up to the over-inclusiveness of these nationally recognized food days.  Can't offend the plum pudding fans (Yes, there is a day for that too.  It's February 12th). But I digress..

The Cheesiest

Cheese and I have had a long history stemming from my early youth and my love of "cheese products" i.e. your basic cheese doodle (probably not cheese),  Kraft Mac and Cheese (cheese-like powder?) string cheese and the beloved grilled cheese.  While I still may opt for a grilled cheese every now and again, my adoration of cheese has grown to include many different types and varieties.  However, in the spirit of honesty, I will also admit I still make Kraft Mac and Cheese.  And at the risk of starting an all out war I will boldly say it crushes its Velveeta counterpart every.single.time.  I said it and I'm not taking it back.

Jamon & Queso Manchego & Pan

Cheese can provide an ooey-gooey topper for nachos or pizza, a sharp bite on top of pasta or just enjoyed by itself.  In what other world does your popularity go up relative to how stinky you are?  A sharp cheddar is nice with wine but bring out the more pungent Stilton and you are sure to appeal to the die hard cheese lovers of the group.  One of my favorite cheeses to this day is Manchego.  I first fell in love with this cheese when I interned in Spain for the summer when I was nineteen.  Jamon y queso manchego en el pan (my spanish is very rusty but this should translate to ham and cheese on bread) was my go-to lunch, both a great taste and friendly to my student budget.  

Now the cheese I most frequently eat is a horseradish cheddar.  Whenever my two best friends and I get together for a wine night, we always make sure this is on the menu.  Don't be fooled; this is not as fancy a night as it sounds.  Basically we drink wine, catch up, eat the ENTIRE brick of this cheese and then lament the fact that we just ate an entire brick of cheese.  Four weeks later, we repeat the cycle.  

Truly, I could go on and on about my love for cheese but that would be a far longer post than anyone would care to read.  So in closing I leaving you with:

Long live the cheese!

Joanne