{"id":15532,"date":"2014-03-29T16:46:46","date_gmt":"2014-03-29T21:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankymouse.com\/?p=15532"},"modified":"2014-03-30T16:46:22","modified_gmt":"2014-03-30T21:46:22","slug":"a-little-cheese-to-get-you-through-the-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/2014\/03\/29\/a-little-cheese-to-get-you-through-the-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"A Little Cheese to Get You Through the Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven cheese recipes to inspire you to create this weekend.<\/em>
\n\"Saputo
\n
I have an obsession with the cheese counter. I hover over rounds and wedges, reading labels and searching country of origin on paper triangles that stick out from each kind. I wonder about the cows and goats and sheep that gave milk to create the cheese, the type of wash and rind, the aging process. I try to imagine where they come from, to taste the difference in the air.
\n
I feel like cheese can tell the stories of the people who make and eat them. My favorite wineries in California are those that feature local cheese alongside the wine. I hold my glass and stare, accept samples when offered, ask questions when they come. Mostly, though, I dream.
\n\"Saputo
\n“So, what do you do?”
\n
The problem with hovering silently is this question. Often asked as part of requisite small talk that occurs when you linger too long at the cheese counter or loiter in front of a cheese tray while at a birthday dinner with a mixed group of friends and acquaintances.
\n
It may seem like a small, innocent question, and yet, each time I am presented with it, I falter as I attempt to figure out a way to explain. I stare at my hands, which are hopefully holding some form of liquid encouragement. “Well\u2026” The answer is not quite straightforward, and I never seem to be very good at explaining myself with audibly spoken words. I’m better in print.
\n
Where tomorrow I may be fine-tuning book proposals or working on research for a novel, today I’m doing recipe development and photography for a brand and writing informational articles a magazine. A few weeks ago I was speaking to a group of farmers about social media and the role it can play in farming, and in the midst of all of it, I am trying (sometimes unsuccessfully) to juggle my own social media presence and maybe even post something on my personal website which is often neglected.
\n
On the recipe development side, I recently completed a recipe development project for Saputo Cheese. For weeks, it was cheese dish after cheese dish as I played with ideas and then flavors and then fine-tuned the recipes. The cheese counter had come to me. I turned family and friends into taste testers, and then I stared into the cheese drawer one day and thought, “I should visit the cheese counter.”
\n\"Saputo
\nI had the pleasure of creating recipes for seven different cheeses, some imported, some local. My favorite, however, was the Apple Wood Smoked Blue Cheese. Ole won’t shut up about it, and I agree with him. Smoked blue cheese where the nutty richness from the smoke combines with the pungent tang opens the door of this cheese to allow for a multitude of pairings. You can find my recipes on their DCI Cheese Company website:

\nGoat Cheese Croutons on Arugula with Preserved Lemon Honey Dressing<\/a>
\nArtichoke, Sun-Dried Tomato and Fontinella-Stuffed Chicken<\/a>
\nSmokey Blue Cheese with Seared Brussels and Prosciutto<\/a>
\nManchego Gougeres <\/a>
\nButter Lettuce Salad with Feta and Strawberries<\/a>
\nPear Pistachio Brie Crostini <\/a>
\nHam and Lorraine Swiss Pretzel Sandwiches with Dijon Spread <\/a>
\n\"Saputo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seven cheese recipes to inspire you to create this weekend. I have an obsession with the cheese counter. I hover over rounds and wedges, reading labels and searching country of origin on paper triangles that stick out from each kind. I wonder about the cows and goats and sheep that gave milk to create the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15532","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news-giveaway","8":"entry"},"mv":{"thumbnail_id":15533,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/saputo-cheese-brussels-smoked-blue-cheese-300x200.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15532"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15553,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15532\/revisions\/15553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}