I find it kind of funny when i think about there being whole committees and associations around cheeses alone! I guess this is true for all things food, but the dedication to one was certainly apparent at the Seattle Cheese Fest this year. Judy and I took a nice stroll through Pikes Place Market on this lovely day, amazing weather, and checked out the wares.
They had everything from cheedar to gouda. Supposedly we tasted the “best gouda in the world” which tasted pretty good. The amount of people at the festival made it hard to grab some cheeses but after wrestling through the crowds we managed to snag a few. It was not until then I realized that cheese tasting is almost as developed as wine tasting. Sure you pair the too up very well but even on it’s own, telling the differences between good cheeses is near impossible. In my mind, if it wasn’t some store bought brand, it was good 
I must confess that I am no where near a cheese guy, and being a veggie boy means it is no where near my diet. It’s nice to step out of ones tastes to explore what wonderful things other folks are doing though. At the festival there were a few cooking demonstration, one about gnocchi and another about making your own cheese. They were very well put together and I was very pleased to see the amount of people watching. My hope is at least half of that will make their own cheese or gnocchi one day rather than buying.
So the Cheese Fest was a success by terms of people, the way the cheese impacted, and the robustness of not just providing cheeses to try but also things to do with them. I will see you again next year Seattle Cheese Fest!
I grew up with this basic dish eating it at least 4 times a week. It wasn’t until I reached my teens I found out that there was an even better version that didn’t all come out of a box. Have fun with the cheese in this recipe as there is no real one choice. Cheddar is a safe bet (staying close to original recipe) but by just combining some white new york cheddar I added a bit of a smoky flavor and made the overall look a bit brighter. Let me know how the cheeses turn out for you and make sure to share this with friends, they will love it!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 (16 ounce) package of elbow macaroni
- 1/2 pound brick of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 pound brick of New York White Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 1 dash of salt
- 1 dash of pepper
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add elbow macaroni to boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with vegetable oil. Place a quarter of the macaroni in the bottom, followed by a layer of cheese slices (half new york white and regular sharp). Dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Repeat until once again and then pour milk over top of dish. Bake in the oven for one hour or until the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes, cut and serve. This will make 6 generous portions.a
Of course the old standby breakfast for eggs toast sausage and milk is great but, every one in awhile it helps to change up the method. This great breakfast bake takes all the goodness of a breakfast and bakes it together into a nice casserole! This recipe is great for making on a Saturday or Sunday for the week and it’s extremely tasty and filling.
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 slices bread, cubed
- 1 pound sausage, browned and drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon, salt
- 1 dash of pepper
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 325. Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl and blend evenly. Pour over ingredients in pan.
Place bread evenly in greased 9×13 pan or baking dish. Sprinkle sausage and cheese. Bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, and cut into squares to serve.
You ask and I deliver Jason, here you go! Lasagna… With the weather cooling it’s time to break out that oven and put a nice smell in the house. This meal is good for 6-8 servings, if you do 6 I won’t tell, so be sure open up your stomachs and enjoy this mash of tomato sauce, pasta, and three cheeses. Be sure to leave your requests and any tips or tricks are always welcomed in the comments.
Lasagna
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 box of no boil lasagna noodles (16 pieces)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 jars of tomato sauce (48 ounces)
- 1 15 ounce ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 2 eggs
- 1 table parsley
- 1/2 salt
- 1/2 pepper
- 1 dash nutmeg
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown the ground beef on a skillet and drain the juice. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix until blended.
In a 9 x 13 glass baking pan, pour 1 cup of tomato sauce and cover the bottom. Lay 4 pasta noodles down and make sure they overlap a little bit. Put 1/3 cheese mixture and 1/3 meat in a nice layer. Repeat starting with another layer of tomato sauce and continue until you are out of pasta. The top layer should just be tomato sauce and pasta. Add some additional parmesan cheese on top.
Cover with a sheet of foil (shiny side down) and bake for 60 minutes, remove the foil for the final 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 15 minutes and serve.