Grateful for Cheese!

Landbeck's First Law of Culinary Excellence;

If it goes good with cheese, it goes better with more
cheese.

When Mrs. L and I were engaged, we attended a cookout with her family, and I was horrified to discover that no one had brought cheese for the hamburgers. It has become my mission as an adult to expand the horizons of her family and ensure that everyone has a chance to encounter cheese in all of its wonderful manifestations.

I love cheap, plasticky cheese melted on a hot dog, or a fried egg.

I love pepper jack melted there, too. One of each is great.

I love shredded fresh parmesan mixed in with my pasta. Or cheap powdered store-brand parmesan, fillers and all, layered on my pork chops.

Our friends know that we don't drink alcohol, so when invited to dinner, they usually bring a dessert rather than a bottle of wine. But if they wanted, they could bring an exotic cheese, too.

For almost a year, we had a HUGE brick of asiago cheese (thanks Grandma Jane!) in our freezer that we would get out and grate onto spaghetti. I mourned its passing when we finally ground it down to knuckle-scraping crumbs. And ate the crumbs.

I have joked that I could happily eat almost every left-over in a quesadilla, toasted in our little toaster oven, with extra cheese. Well, except that wasn't a joke. Tip; use a pizza cutter to slice the quesadilla into eighths.

Pizzadillas (quesadilla with pepperonis)
Spaghettidilla (exactly what it sounds like)
Nachodilla (perfect for stale nacho chips)
Quesadilla with barbecue chicken

MMMMMmmmmm

Cheese has been an indulgence, a refuge, a way to make nearly every meal a little more yummy, every snack a little more delightful. I am grateful for the glorious spectrum of cheeses (and cheese-foods).