Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1/2 c Tomato sauce
1/2 c Dry bread crumbs
1/2 c Cheddar cheese, diced
1 ts Salt
1 1/2 lb Ground beef
1/4 c Onions, diced
1 Egg, slightly beaten
Pepper
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in a larger bowl. Shape into a loaf pan and
bake 350F for 1 hr. Cover with any remaining tomato sauce or ketchup and
serve with mash potatoes
Readmore »»
Thursday
Cheddar Fondue
by Gerald Edgerton
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1 lb Cheddar cheese; shredded
2 tb Flour
1 c Milk
1 ts Onion; grated
1 ts Worcestershire sauce
1 pn Cayenne
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Mix shredded cheese and flour until cheese well coated. In a fondue pot
heat milk and onion to not quite boiling. Stir in the cheese a little at a
time, continuing to heat and stir until all the cheese is melted. Add
worcestershire sauce and cayenne, and salt to taste. Keep hot over alcohol
burner. Serve with French bread cubes. Readmore »»
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1 lb Cheddar cheese; shredded
2 tb Flour
1 c Milk
1 ts Onion; grated
1 ts Worcestershire sauce
1 pn Cayenne
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Mix shredded cheese and flour until cheese well coated. In a fondue pot
heat milk and onion to not quite boiling. Stir in the cheese a little at a
time, continuing to heat and stir until all the cheese is melted. Add
worcestershire sauce and cayenne, and salt to taste. Keep hot over alcohol
burner. Serve with French bread cubes. Readmore »»
Bread Machine Pizza - A Win-Win Situation
by Nola Redd
I will always remember the day I bought my bread machine. I was at a garage sale and found it marked at $30. After examining it, I insisted on plugging it in to make it work. Once the light sensors came on, I had no idea what to do next. So I paid for it.
I took it home and made five loaves of bread. Four of them fell. I read everything I could find on the Internet about bread machines and made sure to diligently manage the measurements. I finally decreased the falling of my loaves to about two in five - but somehow, those two always fell when I had no other bread in the house and was counting on the loaf to feed us our lunch. Finally, like I suspect so many women do, I left it on the counter as a beautiful appliance. Store-bought bread was just less hassle.
Several months passed, and I came across an article about making your own pizza, my husband's all-time favorite meal. Quick research revealed that I could actually make the pizza in my bread machine! I happily dumped the products in and we began saving about $60 a month (that is $720/year) by making our own pizza dough:).
Pizza dough is very quick and easy to make, and, for me at least, much less likely to fall. If your bread maker has a timer, you can even set it to mix while you are at work. Or, you can make the dough on the weekend and freeze the crust, ready to be cooked as your very own frozen pizza - for significantly less money.
There are a million dough recipes out there, and I encourage you to experiment. We use the most basic recipe. Remember in your bread machine you want to add the wet ingredients first, followed by the dry, with the yeast going in last.
Start with 1 3/8 cup of water and pour it in the bottom of the machine bowl. Add two tablespoons of oil. Next, add two teaspoons of salt. Most recipes call for a teaspoon of sugar, but we decided we did not like the taste so we omitted it. We also add a teaspoon of powdered flax seed to the mix to at least make me feel like we were doing something healthy for dinner. Next, add 3 ½ cups of flour. Then, make a little hole for the yeast and add two teaspoons.
I always check on my dough after about five minutes. Sometimes the whole mixture sloshes; I add a little more flour to firm it up. Sometimes there is flour caked to the side of the machine; I add more water and oil, little by little. Unlike bread, we very rarely have problems with our dough, and the addition of the frozen crust to our repertoire has made my nights even easier. We use regular spaghetti sauce rather than expensive 'pizza' sauce and add our own ingredients.
Lest you wonder about the cost savings, we purchase our yeast (by far the most expensive part) from a warehouse club. We pay less than $4 for what would cost us over $30 when bought in individual packets. We also purchase our cheese and pepperoni (our topping of choice) from the warehouse store. These are the most costly items that are least likely to go on sale.
Our recipe feeds two adults and two toddlers; once our third child started eating and our other two began growing we increased the ingredients a little and used 4 lbs of flour. When the dough finished mixing, we allow our older children to make their own 'pan' pizza, which they enjoy. Talk about getting the family involved.
Homemade pizza is a win-win situation. Your children get the taste they love, your husband gets to write smaller checks (and you don't have to worry about delivery charges or tips), and, most importantly, you get to use your bread machine for more than decoration.
Readmore »»
I will always remember the day I bought my bread machine. I was at a garage sale and found it marked at $30. After examining it, I insisted on plugging it in to make it work. Once the light sensors came on, I had no idea what to do next. So I paid for it.
I took it home and made five loaves of bread. Four of them fell. I read everything I could find on the Internet about bread machines and made sure to diligently manage the measurements. I finally decreased the falling of my loaves to about two in five - but somehow, those two always fell when I had no other bread in the house and was counting on the loaf to feed us our lunch. Finally, like I suspect so many women do, I left it on the counter as a beautiful appliance. Store-bought bread was just less hassle.
Several months passed, and I came across an article about making your own pizza, my husband's all-time favorite meal. Quick research revealed that I could actually make the pizza in my bread machine! I happily dumped the products in and we began saving about $60 a month (that is $720/year) by making our own pizza dough:).
Pizza dough is very quick and easy to make, and, for me at least, much less likely to fall. If your bread maker has a timer, you can even set it to mix while you are at work. Or, you can make the dough on the weekend and freeze the crust, ready to be cooked as your very own frozen pizza - for significantly less money.
There are a million dough recipes out there, and I encourage you to experiment. We use the most basic recipe. Remember in your bread machine you want to add the wet ingredients first, followed by the dry, with the yeast going in last.
Start with 1 3/8 cup of water and pour it in the bottom of the machine bowl. Add two tablespoons of oil. Next, add two teaspoons of salt. Most recipes call for a teaspoon of sugar, but we decided we did not like the taste so we omitted it. We also add a teaspoon of powdered flax seed to the mix to at least make me feel like we were doing something healthy for dinner. Next, add 3 ½ cups of flour. Then, make a little hole for the yeast and add two teaspoons.
I always check on my dough after about five minutes. Sometimes the whole mixture sloshes; I add a little more flour to firm it up. Sometimes there is flour caked to the side of the machine; I add more water and oil, little by little. Unlike bread, we very rarely have problems with our dough, and the addition of the frozen crust to our repertoire has made my nights even easier. We use regular spaghetti sauce rather than expensive 'pizza' sauce and add our own ingredients.
Lest you wonder about the cost savings, we purchase our yeast (by far the most expensive part) from a warehouse club. We pay less than $4 for what would cost us over $30 when bought in individual packets. We also purchase our cheese and pepperoni (our topping of choice) from the warehouse store. These are the most costly items that are least likely to go on sale.
Our recipe feeds two adults and two toddlers; once our third child started eating and our other two began growing we increased the ingredients a little and used 4 lbs of flour. When the dough finished mixing, we allow our older children to make their own 'pan' pizza, which they enjoy. Talk about getting the family involved.
Homemade pizza is a win-win situation. Your children get the taste they love, your husband gets to write smaller checks (and you don't have to worry about delivery charges or tips), and, most importantly, you get to use your bread machine for more than decoration.
Monday
Pairing Cheese and Wine
by Kadence Buchanan
After taking my degree from the wine classes I have been following for a whole semester I do not consider myself to be an expert in wine consumption, but an amateur who likes to taste the unexpected. Our professor, a 35-years wine producer, was an extremely knowledgeable individual who managed to introduce a class of fourteen people to the proper wine drinking and the differences one should be aware of when tasting a new bottle of wine and tasting cheese. From the very first lesson, he served as wine and cheeses so as to familiarize us with the pairing of two ingredients that go so well together. In fact, as he supported, any season is appropriate for a cheese and wine party, particularly at this time of year where the need for a fast yet festive food and wine pairing is in order. But I was wondering which type of cheese should I serve with which wine?
If you have had the painful experience of attending the pairings of the uninformed and well intended, you know that boxed wine does not lend itself to a satisfying experience, even with those American cheese slices. In the chemical additive competition, it would be hard to determine, in fact
After taking my degree from the wine classes I have been following for a whole semester I do not consider myself to be an expert in wine consumption, but an amateur who likes to taste the unexpected. Our professor, a 35-years wine producer, was an extremely knowledgeable individual who managed to introduce a class of fourteen people to the proper wine drinking and the differences one should be aware of when tasting a new bottle of wine and tasting cheese. From the very first lesson, he served as wine and cheeses so as to familiarize us with the pairing of two ingredients that go so well together. In fact, as he supported, any season is appropriate for a cheese and wine party, particularly at this time of year where the need for a fast yet festive food and wine pairing is in order. But I was wondering which type of cheese should I serve with which wine?
If you have had the painful experience of attending the pairings of the uninformed and well intended, you know that boxed wine does not lend itself to a satisfying experience, even with those American cheese slices. In the chemical additive competition, it would be hard to determine, in fact
, which one of these produced that post-party headache. But wine and cheese go together for more reasons than meet the eye. First of all, both are products of fermentation-wine is fermented grape juice and cheese is made from fermented milk. Second, both can express "terroir," or the taste of the place from which they come-wine expresses the roots of grapevines, while cheese the milk of animals. If one adds their shared ease of preparation, wine and cheese indeed go hand in hand -one hand holding the wine glass and the other the piece of cheese to accompany it.
But not all wines go with all cheeses. Due to their unique strong taste, cheeses different considerably and cannot be combined with any type of wine. The best way to get the feel is to explore the sensation of combining the two foods yourself. In fact, as our professor supported, "it's a veritable and delightful education for your mouth's palate." While he told us that Sauvignon Blanc is usually selected to accompany cheese, he firmly supported that the best wines for this kind of combination are those that are light and fruity. Finally, I advice you to select crisper and fruiter wines for white fresh cheese. Fatty cheese go best with rich wines or with light and zesty ones, salty cheese taste can be combined with sweet wines or high-acid ones, fruity red wines suit soft cheeses and dry sparkling wines are brilliant with a bloomy white rind. Finally the classic combination of Champagne and brie can always appear on your table.
Remember that the key to successful events is variety. Offering a wide range of both wines and cheeses will make your guest feel special and your party successful, interesting and enjoyable.
About the Author
Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Food, Travel, and Golf
Readmore »»
But not all wines go with all cheeses. Due to their unique strong taste, cheeses different considerably and cannot be combined with any type of wine. The best way to get the feel is to explore the sensation of combining the two foods yourself. In fact, as our professor supported, "it's a veritable and delightful education for your mouth's palate." While he told us that Sauvignon Blanc is usually selected to accompany cheese, he firmly supported that the best wines for this kind of combination are those that are light and fruity. Finally, I advice you to select crisper and fruiter wines for white fresh cheese. Fatty cheese go best with rich wines or with light and zesty ones, salty cheese taste can be combined with sweet wines or high-acid ones, fruity red wines suit soft cheeses and dry sparkling wines are brilliant with a bloomy white rind. Finally the classic combination of Champagne and brie can always appear on your table.
Remember that the key to successful events is variety. Offering a wide range of both wines and cheeses will make your guest feel special and your party successful, interesting and enjoyable.
About the Author
Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Food, Travel, and Golf
Pseudomonas in Cottage Cheese and Dairy
pseudomonas, cottage cheese,
By Leon Van Der Westhuizen
Under refrigerated conditions, Gram-negative rods that are able to produce under such conditions ( psychrotrophic/cold-loving bacteria ) usually predominate, especially Pseudomonas spp.
This is especially so when the milk has a high initial infection of these bacteria and the milk is stored for 2-4 days before pasteurization - which is often the case these days, where milk is mostly being picked up from farms every second day only.
This deterioration also often influences the final products made from such milk, because although bacteria will mostly be killed by pasteurization, some produce exo-enzymes
By Leon Van Der Westhuizen
Under refrigerated conditions, Gram-negative rods that are able to produce under such conditions ( psychrotrophic/cold-loving bacteria ) usually predominate, especially Pseudomonas spp.
This is especially so when the milk has a high initial infection of these bacteria and the milk is stored for 2-4 days before pasteurization - which is often the case these days, where milk is mostly being picked up from farms every second day only.
This deterioration also often influences the final products made from such milk, because although bacteria will mostly be killed by pasteurization, some produce exo-enzymes
that survive pasteurization and even the UHT (Ultra High Temperature/Long Life) process in some cases.
An example of Pseudomonas attacking dairy products happen a lot with cottage cheese. Pseudomonades are widely distributed and aerobic. They tend not to need much carbohydrate, which help them a lot in attacking cottage cheese, because most of the lactose has been removed in the cheese making process. They live very well on high-protein foods like cottage cheese producing slime, pigments and odours. They also prefer high water activity ( high moisture), which makes cottage cheese pretty much the ideal food considering everything that has been said.
Many Pseudomonas spp. are psychrotrophic ( cold-loving ) bacteria although they will grow a lot faster from 15 degrees Celsius to temperate.
Thus a temperature shock during transport for example will give them a big boost - to cause even more destruction.
Readmore »»
An example of Pseudomonas attacking dairy products happen a lot with cottage cheese. Pseudomonades are widely distributed and aerobic. They tend not to need much carbohydrate, which help them a lot in attacking cottage cheese, because most of the lactose has been removed in the cheese making process. They live very well on high-protein foods like cottage cheese producing slime, pigments and odours. They also prefer high water activity ( high moisture), which makes cottage cheese pretty much the ideal food considering everything that has been said.
Many Pseudomonas spp. are psychrotrophic ( cold-loving ) bacteria although they will grow a lot faster from 15 degrees Celsius to temperate.
Thus a temperature shock during transport for example will give them a big boost - to cause even more destruction.
Quick guide to cheese
by Tim Sousa
Cheese. It's a wonderfully versatile food. We use it to top pizzas, to sprinkle on our spaghetti, to spread on crackers. And without cheese, a grilled cheese sandwich would be nothing but buttered toast.
Cheese is produced in many parts of the world, two of the most well known countries being France and Italy. There are many varieties of cheese, but they are all made in a similar fashion. Milk and cream consist of two parts, the solid milk fats, and the whey. Cheese is produced by causing the fats to come together, forming curds. This is done by either adding acid or various bacteria to the milk or cream, causing it to curdle.
The curds are then processed in different ways to form different cheeses. The type of cheese made depends on the type of milk used, the percentage of fats in the milk, and the process used to make the cheese. Most cheeses come from cow's milk, but cheeses are also made from goat's milk, sheep's milk, and real mozzerella cheese is made from water buffalo milk. Cheese is generally categorized
Cheese. It's a wonderfully versatile food. We use it to top pizzas, to sprinkle on our spaghetti, to spread on crackers. And without cheese, a grilled cheese sandwich would be nothing but buttered toast.
Cheese is produced in many parts of the world, two of the most well known countries being France and Italy. There are many varieties of cheese, but they are all made in a similar fashion. Milk and cream consist of two parts, the solid milk fats, and the whey. Cheese is produced by causing the fats to come together, forming curds. This is done by either adding acid or various bacteria to the milk or cream, causing it to curdle.
The curds are then processed in different ways to form different cheeses. The type of cheese made depends on the type of milk used, the percentage of fats in the milk, and the process used to make the cheese. Most cheeses come from cow's milk, but cheeses are also made from goat's milk, sheep's milk, and real mozzerella cheese is made from water buffalo milk. Cheese is generally categorized
by it's texture, hard, semi-firm, semi-soft, or fresh.
Hard cheeses are generally aged for 12 months or more. They usually have a sharp salty taste, and are excellent for grating over pasta or salads. Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano are examples of hard cheeses.
Semi-hard cheeses may or may not be aged. In general, the longer the cheese ages, the sharper the flavor will be. A taleggio, which only ages for about 6 weeks will have a milder flavor than a cheddar that has aged for months. Semi-firm cheeses are good melting cheeses, or good to eat on their own.
Semi-soft cheeses like Camembert are good cheeses for spreading on crackers or crusty bread.
Fresh cheeses range from a mild cream cheese, to a rich creamy marscapone. These cheeses can be eaten spread on crackers, but are also commonly used for cooking desserts. Marscapone is an essential ingredient in tiramisu.
While talking about cheese, we can't forget to mention blue cheese, which is a cheese, with blue-green veins of mold, which gives the cheese a sharp flavor and aroma. Blue cheeses include gorgonzola, roquefort, and stilton.
If you are going to be serving cheese as part of a cheese course, hard, semi-firm, and semi-soft cheeses shoud be allowed to stand at room temperature for an hour before serving. Fresh cheeses, should be served chilled. Choose three or four types of cheese, either cheeses with similar characteristics and flavors, or contrasting cheeses. If you like, you can serve the cheese with crackers or crusty bread. Also some people serve their cheeses with a variety of fruits, apples, pears, figs, and seedless grapes would be good choices, as well as shelled walnuts.
Whether you like using cheese for cooking, or eating on it's own, cheese delivers it's own goodness and flavor.
Readmore »»
Hard cheeses are generally aged for 12 months or more. They usually have a sharp salty taste, and are excellent for grating over pasta or salads. Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano are examples of hard cheeses.
Semi-hard cheeses may or may not be aged. In general, the longer the cheese ages, the sharper the flavor will be. A taleggio, which only ages for about 6 weeks will have a milder flavor than a cheddar that has aged for months. Semi-firm cheeses are good melting cheeses, or good to eat on their own.
Semi-soft cheeses like Camembert are good cheeses for spreading on crackers or crusty bread.
Fresh cheeses range from a mild cream cheese, to a rich creamy marscapone. These cheeses can be eaten spread on crackers, but are also commonly used for cooking desserts. Marscapone is an essential ingredient in tiramisu.
While talking about cheese, we can't forget to mention blue cheese, which is a cheese, with blue-green veins of mold, which gives the cheese a sharp flavor and aroma. Blue cheeses include gorgonzola, roquefort, and stilton.
If you are going to be serving cheese as part of a cheese course, hard, semi-firm, and semi-soft cheeses shoud be allowed to stand at room temperature for an hour before serving. Fresh cheeses, should be served chilled. Choose three or four types of cheese, either cheeses with similar characteristics and flavors, or contrasting cheeses. If you like, you can serve the cheese with crackers or crusty bread. Also some people serve their cheeses with a variety of fruits, apples, pears, figs, and seedless grapes would be good choices, as well as shelled walnuts.
Whether you like using cheese for cooking, or eating on it's own, cheese delivers it's own goodness and flavor.
Research and Markets: Higher Per Capita Consumption and Higher Prices
cream cheese, raw milk, cottage cheese
Research and Markets: Higher Per Capita Consumption and Higher Prices for Raw Milk Leading to Increasing Prices in US Cheese Market
This report reviews the U.S. cheese market, including natural and imitation cheeses sold in FDM channels and natural food channels. Cheese sales in the U.S. climbed to $11.9 billion in 2004, a 10.2% increase compared to 2002 figures of $10.8 billion. This represents a steady growth as overall sales are up 24% in current prices since 1999, and 9% in constant prices. Main reasons for the increase are two-fold: higher per capita consumption, and more recently, higher prices for raw milk, which manufacturers often pass to consumers.
USDA data reveals that over 30% of the world's cheese is made in the United States. Total U.S. cheese volume consumption in 2004 (excluding cottage cheese) reached 8.8 billion pounds, a 6.0% increase compared with 8.3 billion pounds in 2001 and a 47% increase compared to 6 billion pounds in 1990. About 39% of all cheese is sold at the retail level, while 18% of cheese sales are for food processing. Foodservice accounts for about 43% of total cheese sales.
The three key factors influencing cheese consumption patterns are convenience, health and flavor. In order to save time, convenience-driven products like precut cheeses-sliced, cubed, diced, shredded, string--reign in popularity across all segments of the population. The low carb diets that enamoured millions of consumers redefined cheese as a healthful, high-protein snack and meal base, which also fueled sales in the past two years
. As evidence, the Laughing Cow brand of cheese, which was mentioned by name in the South Beach plan, sold 50% more product in 2003 than in 2002, and 93.5% more between 2003 and 2004.
The American palate is increasingly sophisticated and previously rare cheeses are becoming more mainstream. Fast food outlets like Subway are offering consumers Asiago cheese, while Wendy's includes feta on the menu. Future growth in the cheese market will be recognized by companies who know what consumers demand in terms of flavor and convenience.
This report covers the main categories of cheese, including whole and shredded natural cheese; American and other processed cheese; cream cheese; ricotta cheese; cottage cheese; aerosol or squeezeable cheese; and refrigerated and shelf-stable grated cheese. The topics covered are mostly dairy cheese, but include, where possible, other types such as goat cheese. Imitation cheese is also included as part of the processed cheese segment.
Readmore »»
Research and Markets: Higher Per Capita Consumption and Higher Prices for Raw Milk Leading to Increasing Prices in US Cheese Market
This report reviews the U.S. cheese market, including natural and imitation cheeses sold in FDM channels and natural food channels. Cheese sales in the U.S. climbed to $11.9 billion in 2004, a 10.2% increase compared to 2002 figures of $10.8 billion. This represents a steady growth as overall sales are up 24% in current prices since 1999, and 9% in constant prices. Main reasons for the increase are two-fold: higher per capita consumption, and more recently, higher prices for raw milk, which manufacturers often pass to consumers.
USDA data reveals that over 30% of the world's cheese is made in the United States. Total U.S. cheese volume consumption in 2004 (excluding cottage cheese) reached 8.8 billion pounds, a 6.0% increase compared with 8.3 billion pounds in 2001 and a 47% increase compared to 6 billion pounds in 1990. About 39% of all cheese is sold at the retail level, while 18% of cheese sales are for food processing. Foodservice accounts for about 43% of total cheese sales.
The three key factors influencing cheese consumption patterns are convenience, health and flavor. In order to save time, convenience-driven products like precut cheeses-sliced, cubed, diced, shredded, string--reign in popularity across all segments of the population. The low carb diets that enamoured millions of consumers redefined cheese as a healthful, high-protein snack and meal base, which also fueled sales in the past two years
. As evidence, the Laughing Cow brand of cheese, which was mentioned by name in the South Beach plan, sold 50% more product in 2003 than in 2002, and 93.5% more between 2003 and 2004.
The American palate is increasingly sophisticated and previously rare cheeses are becoming more mainstream. Fast food outlets like Subway are offering consumers Asiago cheese, while Wendy's includes feta on the menu. Future growth in the cheese market will be recognized by companies who know what consumers demand in terms of flavor and convenience.
This report covers the main categories of cheese, including whole and shredded natural cheese; American and other processed cheese; cream cheese; ricotta cheese; cottage cheese; aerosol or squeezeable cheese; and refrigerated and shelf-stable grated cheese. The topics covered are mostly dairy cheese, but include, where possible, other types such as goat cheese. Imitation cheese is also included as part of the processed cheese segment.
Some price sensitivity in cheese?
Dairy Foods
Editor's note: This is the first in a an occassional segment-specific installation of Dairy Market Trends.
It's been clear for some time that last year's high milk prices had a detrimental effect on sales. There's also evidence that cheese sales were slowed when the increased cost of raw milk was passed on to consumers.
A look at quarterly sales of natural cheese shows that as dollar sales went up in the last three quarters of 2004, unit sales began to lose momentum. For processed slices, the picture is less clear. That category was shrinking by both dollar and unit measures before the prices of raw milk jumped last spring. But afterward, dollar sales increased, while unit sales were shrinking at a slower rate.
In the latter half of 2003. natural cheese in all its forms was growing at a significant rate both in terms of dollar sales and units. But starting with the second quarter of last year. dollar sales reached double-digit growth, and unit sales began to cool off.
For processed slices, unit sales have been lower each of the last six quarters, comparative to the same period in the year prior. A look at the top 10 brands of natural cheese in different forms shows that all but one experienced gains in dollar sales in 2004, but five of them sold less units than in 2003.
Shredded cheese has been one of the segment's best performing subcategories for the past few years. A look at the top shredded cheese brands shows that it's a competitive market, with some brands growing and others shrinking. But seven of the brands grew dollar sales last year, while only half saw an increase in unit sales.
The table of the top brands of natural cheese also demonstrates that the most popular forms continue to be chunks and shreds. All of the top 10 brands of shredded cheese are natural cheese. Readmore »»
Editor's note: This is the first in a an occassional segment-specific installation of Dairy Market Trends.
It's been clear for some time that last year's high milk prices had a detrimental effect on sales. There's also evidence that cheese sales were slowed when the increased cost of raw milk was passed on to consumers.
A look at quarterly sales of natural cheese shows that as dollar sales went up in the last three quarters of 2004, unit sales began to lose momentum. For processed slices, the picture is less clear. That category was shrinking by both dollar and unit measures before the prices of raw milk jumped last spring. But afterward, dollar sales increased, while unit sales were shrinking at a slower rate.
In the latter half of 2003. natural cheese in all its forms was growing at a significant rate both in terms of dollar sales and units. But starting with the second quarter of last year. dollar sales reached double-digit growth, and unit sales began to cool off.
For processed slices, unit sales have been lower each of the last six quarters, comparative to the same period in the year prior. A look at the top 10 brands of natural cheese in different forms shows that all but one experienced gains in dollar sales in 2004, but five of them sold less units than in 2003.
Shredded cheese has been one of the segment's best performing subcategories for the past few years. A look at the top shredded cheese brands shows that it's a competitive market, with some brands growing and others shrinking. But seven of the brands grew dollar sales last year, while only half saw an increase in unit sales.
The table of the top brands of natural cheese also demonstrates that the most popular forms continue to be chunks and shreds. All of the top 10 brands of shredded cheese are natural cheese. Readmore »»
The Rotary Cutter - It's Not for Pizza
by Pauline Rogers
People have been known to use screwdrivers to pry open paint tins and wrenches as hammers, but the poor rotary cutter has endured the worst type of tool abuse. At first glance, it may look like a pizza cutter but the only oil that should ever touch the blade is a dab of machine oil. It is therefore wise to keep it well hidden.
The Rotary Cutter is the best invention ever for cutting all those pieces for patchwork. Along with a ruler and mat, rotary cutting offers the quilter the ability to cut a large number of fabric pieces quickly and accurately. Rotary cutters are extremely sharp and caution should be used when rotary cutting. Always close the blade or make sure that the blade guard is engaged, when you put down the cutter. You should also only use the rotary cutter with a specially designed rotary cutter mat. Using any other surface, can damage the blade, the surface, and can even cause the cutter to slip while cutting.
Besides hiding it from any non-quilting pizza makers, with a bit of care you can ensure the rotary cutting blade will have a long life. Be careful that when you are cutting you don't touch the side of the ruler with your cutter or run over pins. Either of these actions will create a dead spot in the blade. It is important to change the blade in the rotary cutter as soon as it becomes dull.
For easy cutting, keep the rotary cutter clean. Lint and fluff can build up under the blade preventing it from rotating smoothly. Every six hours of use, remove the blade and clean out all the lint that has accumulated. Then oil the rotary cutting blade by putting a dab of machine oil on a rag and wiping it over your blade. Reassemble the cutter and presto - it will cut like a dream.
Rotary cutters come in many sizes. The medium sized rotary cutter is the most used, as it is great for single or multi layer. The jumbo rotary cutter is ideal for cutting through multiple layers. The mini cutter is superb for cutting around curves and trimming ½ square triangles back to size. Readmore »»
People have been known to use screwdrivers to pry open paint tins and wrenches as hammers, but the poor rotary cutter has endured the worst type of tool abuse. At first glance, it may look like a pizza cutter but the only oil that should ever touch the blade is a dab of machine oil. It is therefore wise to keep it well hidden.
The Rotary Cutter is the best invention ever for cutting all those pieces for patchwork. Along with a ruler and mat, rotary cutting offers the quilter the ability to cut a large number of fabric pieces quickly and accurately. Rotary cutters are extremely sharp and caution should be used when rotary cutting. Always close the blade or make sure that the blade guard is engaged, when you put down the cutter. You should also only use the rotary cutter with a specially designed rotary cutter mat. Using any other surface, can damage the blade, the surface, and can even cause the cutter to slip while cutting.
Besides hiding it from any non-quilting pizza makers, with a bit of care you can ensure the rotary cutting blade will have a long life. Be careful that when you are cutting you don't touch the side of the ruler with your cutter or run over pins. Either of these actions will create a dead spot in the blade. It is important to change the blade in the rotary cutter as soon as it becomes dull.
For easy cutting, keep the rotary cutter clean. Lint and fluff can build up under the blade preventing it from rotating smoothly. Every six hours of use, remove the blade and clean out all the lint that has accumulated. Then oil the rotary cutting blade by putting a dab of machine oil on a rag and wiping it over your blade. Reassemble the cutter and presto - it will cut like a dream.
Rotary cutters come in many sizes. The medium sized rotary cutter is the most used, as it is great for single or multi layer. The jumbo rotary cutter is ideal for cutting through multiple layers. The mini cutter is superb for cutting around curves and trimming ½ square triangles back to size. Readmore »»
Sunday
Fondue 101 - How To Make Cheese Fondue
by Anthony Tripodi
The word fondue comes from the French word fondre and it means to melt or to blend. They should have named it after the French word for outstandingly delicious but even that would be limiting. There are so many varieties and types of fondues out there that perhaps one word really can't describe it.
I'm sure you've probably heard of or even tried cheese fondue. It was popular in the 70ies. If you weren't around back then, maybe you got a fondue pot as a wedding present and have been meaning to try it. Or maybe you have never tried it at all. Whatever your background, this guide will show you the basics of cheese fondue and hopefully get you excited to experiment with the many other varieties such as hot oil, broth or dessert fondues.
Cheese fondue originated in the alps at the end of winter when food supplies were low. Farmers would use what they had on hand to feed their families. Cheese, bread and wine were usually all that was available. So they threw the wine and cheese in a pot and dipped their bread in there and waited for Spring.
So why is fondue popular again?
It's not because people are having a hard time finding food during the winter. Supermarkets took care of that problem. No, fondue is popular again because it's fun and delicious. A fondue party is a great way to have a dinner party. All the prep can be done before the guests arrive and the host can enjoy the meal and their company without running back and forth from the kitchen to the dinner table.
Okay, so lets get you cooking. First thing you'll need to try fondue is a fondue pot. The electric fondue pots are best for a beginner. Just plug them in, set the temp and you're all set. There are also ceramic pots and metal pots that you could use but you can't cook hot oil fondue in a ceramic pot and the metal pots aren't great for cheese fondue. The electric fondue pots are the most versatile and they are even made dishwasher safe now.
Classic Cheese Fondue. is the first recipe you should try. When people talk about fondue this is what they are talking about. Remember to use the real Gruyere and Emnenthaler cheeses and not some swiss from the supermarket. You'll taste the difference and so will your guests.
Classic Cheese Fondue 1/2 lb Emnenthaler Cheese (shredded) 1/2 lb Gruyeye (shredded) 1 clove Garlic 2 cups Dry White Wine 1 tbs Lemon Juice 2 tbs Flour 3 tbs Kirsch (also known as Kirschwasser - cherry brandy) 1/4 tsp White Pepper Nutmeg and/or Paprika to taste
Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove - add clove to pot or disgard it (your choice) Heat up the White Wine & Lemon Juice - should be hot but do not boil Reduce heat to low and slowly add cheese while stirring Slowly add remainder of ingredients while stirring
To Dip: Italian Bread (or any crusty bread) cut into bite-sized cubes Vegetables - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Bell Peppers, etc.
Fondue Tips & Traditions: * If the fondue is too hard add more wine * If the fondue is too soft add more cheese * Have your guests stir in a figure eight pattern each time they dip something * Tradition says that if the item you're dipping comes off of your fork: --- Men: Next round of drinks is on you --- Women: You must kiss the man to your left * Make up your own traditions.
The ones above are outdated and sound a little chauvinistic to me. * Cold drinks are not usually served. * The traditional drink for fondue is hot tea or the wine that you used to cook with. * Ignore the rules and serve Merlot. It goes great with cheese fondue.
Readmore »»
The word fondue comes from the French word fondre and it means to melt or to blend. They should have named it after the French word for outstandingly delicious but even that would be limiting. There are so many varieties and types of fondues out there that perhaps one word really can't describe it.
I'm sure you've probably heard of or even tried cheese fondue. It was popular in the 70ies. If you weren't around back then, maybe you got a fondue pot as a wedding present and have been meaning to try it. Or maybe you have never tried it at all. Whatever your background, this guide will show you the basics of cheese fondue and hopefully get you excited to experiment with the many other varieties such as hot oil, broth or dessert fondues.
Cheese fondue originated in the alps at the end of winter when food supplies were low. Farmers would use what they had on hand to feed their families. Cheese, bread and wine were usually all that was available. So they threw the wine and cheese in a pot and dipped their bread in there and waited for Spring.
So why is fondue popular again?
It's not because people are having a hard time finding food during the winter. Supermarkets took care of that problem. No, fondue is popular again because it's fun and delicious. A fondue party is a great way to have a dinner party. All the prep can be done before the guests arrive and the host can enjoy the meal and their company without running back and forth from the kitchen to the dinner table.
Okay, so lets get you cooking. First thing you'll need to try fondue is a fondue pot. The electric fondue pots are best for a beginner. Just plug them in, set the temp and you're all set. There are also ceramic pots and metal pots that you could use but you can't cook hot oil fondue in a ceramic pot and the metal pots aren't great for cheese fondue. The electric fondue pots are the most versatile and they are even made dishwasher safe now.
Classic Cheese Fondue. is the first recipe you should try. When people talk about fondue this is what they are talking about. Remember to use the real Gruyere and Emnenthaler cheeses and not some swiss from the supermarket. You'll taste the difference and so will your guests.
Classic Cheese Fondue 1/2 lb Emnenthaler Cheese (shredded) 1/2 lb Gruyeye (shredded) 1 clove Garlic 2 cups Dry White Wine 1 tbs Lemon Juice 2 tbs Flour 3 tbs Kirsch (also known as Kirschwasser - cherry brandy) 1/4 tsp White Pepper Nutmeg and/or Paprika to taste
Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove - add clove to pot or disgard it (your choice) Heat up the White Wine & Lemon Juice - should be hot but do not boil Reduce heat to low and slowly add cheese while stirring Slowly add remainder of ingredients while stirring
To Dip: Italian Bread (or any crusty bread) cut into bite-sized cubes Vegetables - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Bell Peppers, etc.
Fondue Tips & Traditions: * If the fondue is too hard add more wine * If the fondue is too soft add more cheese * Have your guests stir in a figure eight pattern each time they dip something * Tradition says that if the item you're dipping comes off of your fork: --- Men: Next round of drinks is on you --- Women: You must kiss the man to your left * Make up your own traditions.
The ones above are outdated and sound a little chauvinistic to me. * Cold drinks are not usually served. * The traditional drink for fondue is hot tea or the wine that you used to cook with. * Ignore the rules and serve Merlot. It goes great with cheese fondue.
Fast food revelation: that greasy French fry or double cheese-burger is calling your name? Know how to be smart about it
Girls' Life,
It's summer, it's lunchtime, you're starving. You only have 15 minutes between swim practice and your afternoon babysitting job, and the drive-thru at Mickey D's is right on the way. Next day, you're having lunch with your girls at Olive Garden, Chili's or Applebee's. Here's the deal: You don't have to stay home with a plate of steamed veggies. You can indulge--just order wisely.
THE FAST-FOOD FACTS
It tastes good, so what's the prob? Well, fast foods are often heavily processed. And many eat-in restaurants aren't any more healthful than fast-food places. Most chain restaurants cook foods in a way similar to boxy burger or taco joints.
The foods are usually super high in fat, since so many menu items are fried. Plus, the oil used to cook with is often hydrogenated, which is loaded with bad-for-you trans fat. The bread tends to be white, not whole-grain. And the potatoes for fries are peeled, so a lot of the good-for-you fiber is stripped away.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
If portions are HUGE, you're tempted to eat more. Not surprisingly, studies show that those who eat the most fast food tend to be the least healthy.
Go to fastfoodfacts.info/index.shtml to find out what's in your takeout. Type in the name of your favorite restaurants and menu items, or do a search of every burger made by every chain. You'll get the complete lowdown--fat, calories, carbs, protein, fiber, sodium and sugar.
FORGET FRIED IF FEASIBLE
Whether it's fried mozzarella sticks, fried zucchini, fried ice cream or a French fry, they're all soaking in bad fats. If you've gotta have it, order the smallest portion possible and go with only one fried thing in your meal. Order grilled chicken rather than breaded. Or get a baked potato instead of fries. Steamed and sauteed items are smart choices, too.
GETTIN' SAUCY
Creamy, cheesy sauces are code words for calorie-laden belly-bloaters. Foods like fettuccini Alfredo or cream of crab soup are loaded with fat. If you must indulge, get a side or half order. Or split it with your best friend. If you order a main course with a rich sauce, ask for it on the side--then you can use it for flavor ... sparingly. Smart-choice sauces? Marinara, salsa or vinaigrette.
HAVE SALAD SMARTS
Many fast-food joints offer salads, but don't be fooled. Piled with croutons, bacon bits and creamy dressing, salads are as fattening as a Big Mac. And the ones in a fried-tortilla "bowl"? Way high in fat! Get dressing on the side, or go for olive oil and vinegar. Your hang has a salad bar? Pile on the veggies, beans and dark green lettuces, like nutritious spinach. Oh, and just a small spoonful of mayo-drenched potato or tuna salad.
GOT WATER?
Skip the high-in-sugar soda. Instead, quench your summer thirst by downing [H.sub.2]O or a low-cal drink like unsweetened iced tea. Bottoms up!
Q & A
I've noticed some fastfood places stopped super-sizing. But aren't those better deals?
Say "no" to super-size! Restaurants try to trick you out of a little more money in exchange for a lot more food. But the more food you have, the more you'll eat, even if you're full. And beware of all-you-can-eat specials. Do you really need to devour two dozen fried shrimp? Sure, it's more bang for your buck--but why spend more to fill your face? Eat 'til you're satisfied, not stuffed.
Readmore »»
It's summer, it's lunchtime, you're starving. You only have 15 minutes between swim practice and your afternoon babysitting job, and the drive-thru at Mickey D's is right on the way. Next day, you're having lunch with your girls at Olive Garden, Chili's or Applebee's. Here's the deal: You don't have to stay home with a plate of steamed veggies. You can indulge--just order wisely.
THE FAST-FOOD FACTS
It tastes good, so what's the prob? Well, fast foods are often heavily processed. And many eat-in restaurants aren't any more healthful than fast-food places. Most chain restaurants cook foods in a way similar to boxy burger or taco joints.
The foods are usually super high in fat, since so many menu items are fried. Plus, the oil used to cook with is often hydrogenated, which is loaded with bad-for-you trans fat. The bread tends to be white, not whole-grain. And the potatoes for fries are peeled, so a lot of the good-for-you fiber is stripped away.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
If portions are HUGE, you're tempted to eat more. Not surprisingly, studies show that those who eat the most fast food tend to be the least healthy.
Go to fastfoodfacts.info/index.shtml to find out what's in your takeout. Type in the name of your favorite restaurants and menu items, or do a search of every burger made by every chain. You'll get the complete lowdown--fat, calories, carbs, protein, fiber, sodium and sugar.
FORGET FRIED IF FEASIBLE
Whether it's fried mozzarella sticks, fried zucchini, fried ice cream or a French fry, they're all soaking in bad fats. If you've gotta have it, order the smallest portion possible and go with only one fried thing in your meal. Order grilled chicken rather than breaded. Or get a baked potato instead of fries. Steamed and sauteed items are smart choices, too.
GETTIN' SAUCY
Creamy, cheesy sauces are code words for calorie-laden belly-bloaters. Foods like fettuccini Alfredo or cream of crab soup are loaded with fat. If you must indulge, get a side or half order. Or split it with your best friend. If you order a main course with a rich sauce, ask for it on the side--then you can use it for flavor ... sparingly. Smart-choice sauces? Marinara, salsa or vinaigrette.
HAVE SALAD SMARTS
Many fast-food joints offer salads, but don't be fooled. Piled with croutons, bacon bits and creamy dressing, salads are as fattening as a Big Mac. And the ones in a fried-tortilla "bowl"? Way high in fat! Get dressing on the side, or go for olive oil and vinegar. Your hang has a salad bar? Pile on the veggies, beans and dark green lettuces, like nutritious spinach. Oh, and just a small spoonful of mayo-drenched potato or tuna salad.
GOT WATER?
Skip the high-in-sugar soda. Instead, quench your summer thirst by downing [H.sub.2]O or a low-cal drink like unsweetened iced tea. Bottoms up!
Q & A
I've noticed some fastfood places stopped super-sizing. But aren't those better deals?
Say "no" to super-size! Restaurants try to trick you out of a little more money in exchange for a lot more food. But the more food you have, the more you'll eat, even if you're full. And beware of all-you-can-eat specials. Do you really need to devour two dozen fried shrimp? Sure, it's more bang for your buck--but why spend more to fill your face? Eat 'til you're satisfied, not stuffed.
Electronic Cheese
by Allan T. Price
On her twenty-third birthday Angela dragged herself out of bed at 5am to get ready for another ten-hour workday. Monday to Friday she did a two hour round trip to various boutique cheese makers before nine am then ran her store until five in the afternoon. However, today was Saturday so she could sleep in a little if she left the paperwork until after work. She struggled out of bed. Better to get up and do it before she opened up her shop.
Sunday afternoon at her birthday party, her older sister again started preaching to her about websites. What did the Web have to do with hand-made cheeses? Sick of Helen not taking 'no' for an answer, Angela shifted her ground. "I'd love to have one, but it would be too expensive." "They are cheaper than you'd think." Helen smiled. "I'll pay for it, for two months. Call it an extra birthday present." "Fine, waste your money...As long as I don't have to do anything." "Well, you are the cheese frea... connoisseur. I'll need a few hours of your time to design your webpage. Tuesday? About three?" A few more hours added to her usual sixty hour week? Helen clearly had no idea how hard Angela worked. "It will have to be after work."
So Tuesday, after another ten-hour day, Angela spent time designing a webpage. She listed all of the cheeses she stocked with a standard order form. To her surprise, Helen had the webpage up on the Internet the next day. So Thursday, she stayed after work sending out the two orders that had been placed via the website. The next week, she got a couple of orders, and then it was three or four per week. Angela kept careful track so she could prove it wasn't worthwhile.
"Well, Helen. Your webpage has made me a grand total of a hundred bucks." She held out five twenties. "Would you like it to cover the cost of the website?" Helen smiled and leaned across the table. She took one of the offered notes. "That'll cover it." "No, take enough for the whole month." "Sis, twenty will cover the two months I promised, and leave me two dollars tip for my work."
The following Tuesday, feeling foolish, Angela started filling orders during quiet times throughout the day, rather than staying after work. So, her days were busier, although back to only ten hours long. However, there was now more quiet time for some reason. Less people were coming into the shop. So on Friday, she had all of Thursday's web orders done by midday.
A half hour later, she'd sold the last of the Asadero she hadn't yet wrapped to send out. Hopefully, no-one else would want any. Just after two o'clock an irritable woman came in and asked for two pounds. Asking her to wait, Angela dashed into the backroom and took the wrapping off a two pound parcel of Asadero to fill this customer's order. Then, she spent twenty minutes staring at the wrapping with its neat label showing the name 'Jessica Sabine', a woman who wanted Asadaro cheese and now wouldn't be getting it. Feeling guilty for her 'theft', Angela rang one of her Asadero makers.
"Jose, can you send me some more Asadero? It's a rush order, so wrap it and post it to..." Angela stared at the discarded wrapping in her hand with its neat address label. "Can you send it direct to the customer?" "I guess so, if you cover the postage." She read out the address.
It turned out that most of her suppliers were willing to send out cheese for her if she covered postage costs. Two turned her down flat, and one agreed, but with the condition of doing it only if she emailed the details. "It will save me scribbling down addresses." Steve looked across his farm avoiding her eyes, "and having to stress about my terrible spelling."
She nodded. "Addresses can be tricky." "I've heard they are, even if you aren't dyslexic." He looked her in the eye, blushing. "That's why I became a cheese maker, instead of getting an office job." He looked around again, at his animals and his workshop, slowly smiling. "Gee, to think I have to do this instead of being bent over a desk all day."
Helen set up Angela's computer to forward orders to the correct supplier, and printed out the website to stick on the front door. When she saw it, Angela nearly took it down. "Why does anyone need the website if they are at my store?" Helen shrugged. "People may walk past, and decide later that they...People must walk past on Sunday when you're closed." For the next week Angela dropped off wrapping paper and labels when she collected cheese. Then she spent Sunday visiting new cheese makers to find replacements for the two that wouldn't mail cheese to her webpage clients. Feeling bad about automatically sending them orders, Angela talked to her bank and arranged to pay her suppliers automatically too.
During the last month of winter Helen caught the flu and gave it to Angela. Helen recovered in two days, but Angela was in bed for a week and her shop stayed closed. Returning the following Tuesday Angela found some spoiled cheese and a lot of messages on her answering machine. At first she heard mostly complaints about her being closed. Then there were some apologies because their cheese had arrived promptly. Surprised, Angela reviewed her records.
While she was ill, some people who'd normally shop in her store had used her website since Helen had listed it on her door. All of her website customers had ordered, paid, and received their cheese, all without her being there. Feeling melancholy and slightly useless, Angela threw out the spoiled cheese, closed up and went home to bed.
That afternoon, she lay in bed and considered her finances. Sadly, she couldn't survive without running her shop. The webpage sales were almost enough, but not quite. At midnight, she woke up feeling ridiculous and subtracted 'rent - shop' from her list of expenses. Then 'utilities - shop'. That tipped the balance, even ignoring the savings of not driving out to collect cheese, or her no longer suffering any losses due to spoilage. Surely all her loyal customers would adjust to buying over the Internet, given time. Heck, she could visit her favorite customers personally to help them. Then all she'd have to do is stay in touch with them and her cheese makers by email.
Two days after her twenty-fourth birthday, Angela dragged herself out of bed at nine am. After taking three days off, she'd have to work a solid four-hour day and actually leave the house, rather than just checking things on her computer. Readmore »»
On her twenty-third birthday Angela dragged herself out of bed at 5am to get ready for another ten-hour workday. Monday to Friday she did a two hour round trip to various boutique cheese makers before nine am then ran her store until five in the afternoon. However, today was Saturday so she could sleep in a little if she left the paperwork until after work. She struggled out of bed. Better to get up and do it before she opened up her shop.
Sunday afternoon at her birthday party, her older sister again started preaching to her about websites. What did the Web have to do with hand-made cheeses? Sick of Helen not taking 'no' for an answer, Angela shifted her ground. "I'd love to have one, but it would be too expensive." "They are cheaper than you'd think." Helen smiled. "I'll pay for it, for two months. Call it an extra birthday present." "Fine, waste your money...As long as I don't have to do anything." "Well, you are the cheese frea... connoisseur. I'll need a few hours of your time to design your webpage. Tuesday? About three?" A few more hours added to her usual sixty hour week? Helen clearly had no idea how hard Angela worked. "It will have to be after work."
So Tuesday, after another ten-hour day, Angela spent time designing a webpage. She listed all of the cheeses she stocked with a standard order form. To her surprise, Helen had the webpage up on the Internet the next day. So Thursday, she stayed after work sending out the two orders that had been placed via the website. The next week, she got a couple of orders, and then it was three or four per week. Angela kept careful track so she could prove it wasn't worthwhile.
"Well, Helen. Your webpage has made me a grand total of a hundred bucks." She held out five twenties. "Would you like it to cover the cost of the website?" Helen smiled and leaned across the table. She took one of the offered notes. "That'll cover it." "No, take enough for the whole month." "Sis, twenty will cover the two months I promised, and leave me two dollars tip for my work."
The following Tuesday, feeling foolish, Angela started filling orders during quiet times throughout the day, rather than staying after work. So, her days were busier, although back to only ten hours long. However, there was now more quiet time for some reason. Less people were coming into the shop. So on Friday, she had all of Thursday's web orders done by midday.
A half hour later, she'd sold the last of the Asadero she hadn't yet wrapped to send out. Hopefully, no-one else would want any. Just after two o'clock an irritable woman came in and asked for two pounds. Asking her to wait, Angela dashed into the backroom and took the wrapping off a two pound parcel of Asadero to fill this customer's order. Then, she spent twenty minutes staring at the wrapping with its neat label showing the name 'Jessica Sabine', a woman who wanted Asadaro cheese and now wouldn't be getting it. Feeling guilty for her 'theft', Angela rang one of her Asadero makers.
"Jose, can you send me some more Asadero? It's a rush order, so wrap it and post it to..." Angela stared at the discarded wrapping in her hand with its neat address label. "Can you send it direct to the customer?" "I guess so, if you cover the postage." She read out the address.
It turned out that most of her suppliers were willing to send out cheese for her if she covered postage costs. Two turned her down flat, and one agreed, but with the condition of doing it only if she emailed the details. "It will save me scribbling down addresses." Steve looked across his farm avoiding her eyes, "and having to stress about my terrible spelling."
She nodded. "Addresses can be tricky." "I've heard they are, even if you aren't dyslexic." He looked her in the eye, blushing. "That's why I became a cheese maker, instead of getting an office job." He looked around again, at his animals and his workshop, slowly smiling. "Gee, to think I have to do this instead of being bent over a desk all day."
Helen set up Angela's computer to forward orders to the correct supplier, and printed out the website to stick on the front door. When she saw it, Angela nearly took it down. "Why does anyone need the website if they are at my store?" Helen shrugged. "People may walk past, and decide later that they...People must walk past on Sunday when you're closed." For the next week Angela dropped off wrapping paper and labels when she collected cheese. Then she spent Sunday visiting new cheese makers to find replacements for the two that wouldn't mail cheese to her webpage clients. Feeling bad about automatically sending them orders, Angela talked to her bank and arranged to pay her suppliers automatically too.
During the last month of winter Helen caught the flu and gave it to Angela. Helen recovered in two days, but Angela was in bed for a week and her shop stayed closed. Returning the following Tuesday Angela found some spoiled cheese and a lot of messages on her answering machine. At first she heard mostly complaints about her being closed. Then there were some apologies because their cheese had arrived promptly. Surprised, Angela reviewed her records.
While she was ill, some people who'd normally shop in her store had used her website since Helen had listed it on her door. All of her website customers had ordered, paid, and received their cheese, all without her being there. Feeling melancholy and slightly useless, Angela threw out the spoiled cheese, closed up and went home to bed.
That afternoon, she lay in bed and considered her finances. Sadly, she couldn't survive without running her shop. The webpage sales were almost enough, but not quite. At midnight, she woke up feeling ridiculous and subtracted 'rent - shop' from her list of expenses. Then 'utilities - shop'. That tipped the balance, even ignoring the savings of not driving out to collect cheese, or her no longer suffering any losses due to spoilage. Surely all her loyal customers would adjust to buying over the Internet, given time. Heck, she could visit her favorite customers personally to help them. Then all she'd have to do is stay in touch with them and her cheese makers by email.
Two days after her twenty-fourth birthday, Angela dragged herself out of bed at nine am. After taking three days off, she'd have to work a solid four-hour day and actually leave the house, rather than just checking things on her computer. Readmore »»
Cottage cheese tradition at Smith’s Dairy
BY Saimi Rote Bergmann REPOSITORY FOOD WRITER
ORRVILLE - Cottage cheese at Smith Dairy is made by hand, by eye, and by feel.
“It’s a craft,” said plant manager Karl Kelbly.
Smith’s in Orrville has been owned by the same family since it was founded in 1909. It still makes cottage cheese the old-fashioned way, with no premium placed on speed.
“A lot of people don’t make their own cultures like we do. Then we do a longer set, longer cook — just a slower process,” Kelbly said.
Cheesemaker Randy Hicks closely monitors the process, baby-sitting the 36-foot-long vats as the yeastlike cultures grow and the milk slowly separates into whey on top and a gelatinous block of curd on the bottom. Then he cuts the curd with “knives” that look like giant screens, creating the small pieces of curd you see in cottage cheese.
“Then they are cooked for two hours. It gets up to about 140 degrees,” Kelbly said. “Randy watches it closely. If it gets too firm it’s like eating BBs, if it-s too soft, they’ll fall apart, be pasty.”
How does Smith’s cottage cheese compare to brands that use chemicals to quick-set? Well, Kelbly may be partial, but he believes Smith’s has more flavor.
“Others can be too sharp, too acid, or musty,” he said. “Ours is creamy, with buttery notes.”
STEADY SALES
What’s the best way to enjoy cottage cheese? Purists like it plain. President Nixon liked it covered with ketchup and black pepper. Dieters in the ’60s and ’70s ate it on top of a canned peach half.
Try it on a slice of tomato, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Stir a tablespoon of your favorite jam into 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, then spread on a toasted bagel. Mix cottage cheese with chopped herbs and use as a topper for baked potatoes.
Other than a brief surge during the low-carb craze, cottage cheese sales have been steady for decades, according to Penny Baker, Smith’s director of marketing.
“Sour cream goes up and down, like for the holidays, because they see it as an ingredient,” Baker said. “With cottage cheese, they see it more as a stand-alone item, and we’re trying to show them they can cook with it.”
Baker recommends substituting cottage cheese for applesauce when baking low-fat muffins, cookies and cakes. Her recipe for “Guilt-Free Brownies” calls for cottage cheese instead of butter or oil.
MAYO SUBSTITUTE
Cottage cheese also can serve as a substitute for mayonnaise as in a recipe for “Humpty Dumpty” egg salad from “The Cottage Cheese Cookbook” by G&R Publishing. ($4.50). Chopped egg is combined with chopped celery, cottage cheese, shredded cheddar and mustard.
To cut calories, replace some of the cream cheese in cheesecake recipes with cottage cheese, as in the recipe for a crustless cheesecake with sour cream topping from “The Cottage Cheese Cookbook.”
Of course, not all recipes made with cottage cheese are low-calorie. The indulgent Dairy Potatoes recipe found at www.smithdairy.com is creamy and cheesy. Better yet, it’s simple to make. Just combine diced potatoes, onion, garlic, cottage cheese, sour cream and cheddar cheese in a casserole dish and bake until bubbly.
Cottage cheese can substitute for ricotta in Italian dishes such as lasagna and manicotti. The low-carb crowd will like the pasta-free manicotti recipe from Smith’s Web site. Instead of pasta, chicken breasts pounded thin are rolled around a cottage cheese filling, then baked in tomato juice and topped with mozzarella cheese. Readmore »»
ORRVILLE - Cottage cheese at Smith Dairy is made by hand, by eye, and by feel.
“It’s a craft,” said plant manager Karl Kelbly.
Smith’s in Orrville has been owned by the same family since it was founded in 1909. It still makes cottage cheese the old-fashioned way, with no premium placed on speed.
“A lot of people don’t make their own cultures like we do. Then we do a longer set, longer cook — just a slower process,” Kelbly said.
Cheesemaker Randy Hicks closely monitors the process, baby-sitting the 36-foot-long vats as the yeastlike cultures grow and the milk slowly separates into whey on top and a gelatinous block of curd on the bottom. Then he cuts the curd with “knives” that look like giant screens, creating the small pieces of curd you see in cottage cheese.
“Then they are cooked for two hours. It gets up to about 140 degrees,” Kelbly said. “Randy watches it closely. If it gets too firm it’s like eating BBs, if it-s too soft, they’ll fall apart, be pasty.”
How does Smith’s cottage cheese compare to brands that use chemicals to quick-set? Well, Kelbly may be partial, but he believes Smith’s has more flavor.
“Others can be too sharp, too acid, or musty,” he said. “Ours is creamy, with buttery notes.”
STEADY SALES
What’s the best way to enjoy cottage cheese? Purists like it plain. President Nixon liked it covered with ketchup and black pepper. Dieters in the ’60s and ’70s ate it on top of a canned peach half.
Try it on a slice of tomato, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Stir a tablespoon of your favorite jam into 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, then spread on a toasted bagel. Mix cottage cheese with chopped herbs and use as a topper for baked potatoes.
Other than a brief surge during the low-carb craze, cottage cheese sales have been steady for decades, according to Penny Baker, Smith’s director of marketing.
“Sour cream goes up and down, like for the holidays, because they see it as an ingredient,” Baker said. “With cottage cheese, they see it more as a stand-alone item, and we’re trying to show them they can cook with it.”
Baker recommends substituting cottage cheese for applesauce when baking low-fat muffins, cookies and cakes. Her recipe for “Guilt-Free Brownies” calls for cottage cheese instead of butter or oil.
MAYO SUBSTITUTE
Cottage cheese also can serve as a substitute for mayonnaise as in a recipe for “Humpty Dumpty” egg salad from “The Cottage Cheese Cookbook” by G&R Publishing. ($4.50). Chopped egg is combined with chopped celery, cottage cheese, shredded cheddar and mustard.
To cut calories, replace some of the cream cheese in cheesecake recipes with cottage cheese, as in the recipe for a crustless cheesecake with sour cream topping from “The Cottage Cheese Cookbook.”
Of course, not all recipes made with cottage cheese are low-calorie. The indulgent Dairy Potatoes recipe found at www.smithdairy.com is creamy and cheesy. Better yet, it’s simple to make. Just combine diced potatoes, onion, garlic, cottage cheese, sour cream and cheddar cheese in a casserole dish and bake until bubbly.
Cottage cheese can substitute for ricotta in Italian dishes such as lasagna and manicotti. The low-carb crowd will like the pasta-free manicotti recipe from Smith’s Web site. Instead of pasta, chicken breasts pounded thin are rolled around a cottage cheese filling, then baked in tomato juice and topped with mozzarella cheese. Readmore »»
Cheese-Topped Beef and Potato Bake
by Mary Beth Roe
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb Ground beef
1 md Onion; diced
1 md Celery stalk; diced
32 oz Tomato sauce
4 oz Mushrooms; sliced
1/2 c Water
3/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Sugar
1/4 ts Pepper
3 md Potatoes; thinly sliced
4 oz Mozzarella cheese; shredded
Instructions:
Cook beef , onion, and celery until browned. Stir in tomato sauce,
mushrooms, water, salt, sugar and peppe. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to
low. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Into a 9x13-inch baking dish, spoon 1/3 of
beef mixture. Arrange 1/2 of potato slices on top. Repeat, ending with
ground beef mixture. Cover dish with foil. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1
hour or until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven. Discard foil. Sprinkle
with cheese. Return to oven just until cheese melts. Readmore »»
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb Ground beef
1 md Onion; diced
1 md Celery stalk; diced
32 oz Tomato sauce
4 oz Mushrooms; sliced
1/2 c Water
3/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Sugar
1/4 ts Pepper
3 md Potatoes; thinly sliced
4 oz Mozzarella cheese; shredded
Instructions:
Cook beef , onion, and celery until browned. Stir in tomato sauce,
mushrooms, water, salt, sugar and peppe. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to
low. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Into a 9x13-inch baking dish, spoon 1/3 of
beef mixture. Arrange 1/2 of potato slices on top. Repeat, ending with
ground beef mixture. Cover dish with foil. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1
hour or until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven. Discard foil. Sprinkle
with cheese. Return to oven just until cheese melts. Readmore »»
Cheese technology coming to Madison
cheesemakers, dairy products
2006 International Cheese Technology Expo scheduled for April
International cheese, butter and whey manufacturers will gather April 25-27 in Madison, Wis., for the largest cheese industry event in the United States. The International Cheese Technology Exposition (ICTE) combines world-class seminars, exciting special events and the nation's largest dairy processing trade exposition for an unparalleled networking opportunity.
In even-numbered years, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research host cheese manufacturers and suppliers from across the nation and around the world. The ICTE is an intensive combination of morning seminars, two full afternoons of uninterrupted Exposition and evening social affairs. It is the world's largest gathering devoted solely to the multi-billion dollar market for cheese and related dairy products. The events take place at the Alliant Energy Center.
In 2004, 249 companies involved in the manufacture, processing and packaging of cheese and related dairy products attended the ICTE. In all, more than 1,900 industry manufacturers and suppliers attended the ICTE. Cheese company attendees included: Cheese company executive level & plant managers, cheesemakers, and lab/technical personnel. Cheese companies in 35 states attended the most recent ICTE, as well as cheese company representatives from 11 countries around the globe.
Exhibitors include a broad variety of suppliers of goods and services to dairy processors. In addition to the supply of ingredients, equipment and services directly associated with cheese manufacture, the ICTE is an excellent opportunity for suppliers of manufacturing and design services, transportation vehicles, laboratory technology, warehousing systems, industrial clothing, sanitation products and services, refrigeration equipment, milk tankers, product safety equipment, information resources, computer production and storage hardware and software and other integrally related supplies.
The conference also features results, samples and auctions of cheeses from the 2006 World Championship Cheese Contest which will be held in Madison March 21-23.
Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the finest products in 51 classes. The contest draws competitors from around the world.
Educational programs will touch on topics including pricing and price policies, energy prices and potential savings, security, food safety and more. Readmore »»
2006 International Cheese Technology Expo scheduled for April
International cheese, butter and whey manufacturers will gather April 25-27 in Madison, Wis., for the largest cheese industry event in the United States. The International Cheese Technology Exposition (ICTE) combines world-class seminars, exciting special events and the nation's largest dairy processing trade exposition for an unparalleled networking opportunity.
In even-numbered years, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research host cheese manufacturers and suppliers from across the nation and around the world. The ICTE is an intensive combination of morning seminars, two full afternoons of uninterrupted Exposition and evening social affairs. It is the world's largest gathering devoted solely to the multi-billion dollar market for cheese and related dairy products. The events take place at the Alliant Energy Center.
In 2004, 249 companies involved in the manufacture, processing and packaging of cheese and related dairy products attended the ICTE. In all, more than 1,900 industry manufacturers and suppliers attended the ICTE. Cheese company attendees included: Cheese company executive level & plant managers, cheesemakers, and lab/technical personnel. Cheese companies in 35 states attended the most recent ICTE, as well as cheese company representatives from 11 countries around the globe.
Exhibitors include a broad variety of suppliers of goods and services to dairy processors. In addition to the supply of ingredients, equipment and services directly associated with cheese manufacture, the ICTE is an excellent opportunity for suppliers of manufacturing and design services, transportation vehicles, laboratory technology, warehousing systems, industrial clothing, sanitation products and services, refrigeration equipment, milk tankers, product safety equipment, information resources, computer production and storage hardware and software and other integrally related supplies.
The conference also features results, samples and auctions of cheeses from the 2006 World Championship Cheese Contest which will be held in Madison March 21-23.
Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the finest products in 51 classes. The contest draws competitors from around the world.
Educational programs will touch on topics including pricing and price policies, energy prices and potential savings, security, food safety and more. Readmore »»
Cheese Salad
by E. Fleetwood, Lincoln, NE.
Serves: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
2 c Crushed pineapple
1 pk Lemon flavored gelatin
1 tb Unflavored gelatin
2 tb Cold water
Juice 1 lemon
1/4 c Chopped pimento
1/2 c Chopped nuts
1 Stalk celery, chopped
6 Marshmallows, quartered
1 c Whipping cream
6 oz Cream cheese
1/8 ts Salt
Instructions:
Drain juice from pineapple. Add water to make 2 cups. Heat to boiling.
Pour over lemon flavored gelatin, and the unflavored gelatin, which has
been softened in cold water. Stir until dissolved. Add lemon juice and
salt. Mix thoroughly. Cool until partially set. Add pineapple which has
been mixed with cream cheese, pimento, nuts, and celery. Add marshmallows.
Fold in whipped cream. Pour into mold which has been rinsed in cold water.
Let stand in cold place 12 hours. 10 servings. Readmore »»
Serves: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
2 c Crushed pineapple
1 pk Lemon flavored gelatin
1 tb Unflavored gelatin
2 tb Cold water
Juice 1 lemon
1/4 c Chopped pimento
1/2 c Chopped nuts
1 Stalk celery, chopped
6 Marshmallows, quartered
1 c Whipping cream
6 oz Cream cheese
1/8 ts Salt
Instructions:
Drain juice from pineapple. Add water to make 2 cups. Heat to boiling.
Pour over lemon flavored gelatin, and the unflavored gelatin, which has
been softened in cold water. Stir until dissolved. Add lemon juice and
salt. Mix thoroughly. Cool until partially set. Add pineapple which has
been mixed with cream cheese, pimento, nuts, and celery. Add marshmallows.
Fold in whipped cream. Pour into mold which has been rinsed in cold water.
Let stand in cold place 12 hours. 10 servings. Readmore »»
Cheese & Flavor Scale
By: Jerry Powell
The scale for cheese flavors ranges from sharp to sweet. Sharp cheese is more bitter and stronger tasting. Sweet cheese on the other hand is more subtle and creamy.
In addition to sharp and sweet, different cheese flavors include buttery, earthy, nutty, peppery, robust, and tangy. The flavor of the cheese helps determine how the cheese will be prepared. It also determines what foods and drinks should accompany the cheese.
The texture of the cheese also has an affect on how you can eat it. For example, you wouldn't necessarily use the same cheese to make a sandwich that you would use to make a cheese sauce. The different types of textures range from crumbly, dense, hard, silky, smooth, soft, or velvety.
The old saying "you get what you pay for" certainly holds true when it comes to cheese. While you will find cheese at all supermarkets, the quality is not as high as what you would find at a gourmet cheese store. Supermarket cheese is packaged for everyday use, but if you really love cheese you don't just eat it in a sandwich.
Gourmet cheese stores specialize in providing cheese gifts. This means you will get quality information and recommendation about the cheese you are buying. You may even learn about a new cheese you never even knew existed.
Many gourmet cheese stores are taking their business online making it easier for you to buy cheese. Online stores tend to have more information about their products and sell cheese at lower prices. Best of all, you can have your cheese gifts sent to the recipient's doorstep in no time.
To buy cheese or not buy cheese that is the question. There are many reasons to buy cheese. Whether its a cocktail party complete with hors d'oeuvres or a BBQ abundant with juicy burgers, cheese is a great addition to any meal or snack.
Cheese has been around for thousands of years and is a main staple of the human diet. Different flavors have resulted from massive experimentation. You can find cheese everywhere, from your local grocery store to a gourmet delicatessen.
If you are craving high quality cheese it is best to buy it from a gourmet cheese business. These types of businesses specialize in providing the best flavors and offer you a larger assortment of cheeses than you would find at a grocery store. Not only will you find cheese of the highest caliber at a gourmet store, but you will find many cheese gifts you can buy for all occasions.
Countries throughout the world are in the business of selling imported cheese to the United States. Many of these companies specialize in picking all types of individual cheeses and selling them together in gift baskets for all occasions. There is no better gift for a food lover than a basket full of imported cheese from around the world.
When your special person opens a cheese gift box, they will feel like they are back in some other country happily analyzing the choices at the local markets. There are hundreds of cheese choices that sound delicious even when they are pronounced incorrectly. Imported cheese will taste good from just about any retailer or wholesaler in the country.
The goal of international cheese companies is to provide delicious, high quality gourmet products to American consumers at reasonable prices. These companies can either sell their products online or import them to American companies at wholesale prices. Either way, imported cheese is a popular item that many people can't seem to live without.
American companies in the imported cheese business provide the best quality product at affordable prices to all of their customers. They thoroughly sample the best examples of each gourmet item from different wholesalers before they purchase a product. They bring their customers only the best of the best.
Cheese is a requirement for many occasions and is something we take for granted. You can not serve appetizers without having some assortment of imported cheese and crackers. I personally could not live without wine and cheese parties. They are my favorite.
Cheese is probably best known for being an appetizer at wedding receptions and other formal events. These wouldn't be the same without your choice of fine imported cheese to celebrate these wonderful occasions. The many varieties of imported cheese alone can easily fill up the largest of men.
Cheese is the ultimate symbol of decadence. There are many varieties of cheese that are sure to satisfy your pallet. When you buy cheese you can turn a boring meal into something exquisite. Readmore »»
The scale for cheese flavors ranges from sharp to sweet. Sharp cheese is more bitter and stronger tasting. Sweet cheese on the other hand is more subtle and creamy.
In addition to sharp and sweet, different cheese flavors include buttery, earthy, nutty, peppery, robust, and tangy. The flavor of the cheese helps determine how the cheese will be prepared. It also determines what foods and drinks should accompany the cheese.
The texture of the cheese also has an affect on how you can eat it. For example, you wouldn't necessarily use the same cheese to make a sandwich that you would use to make a cheese sauce. The different types of textures range from crumbly, dense, hard, silky, smooth, soft, or velvety.
The old saying "you get what you pay for" certainly holds true when it comes to cheese. While you will find cheese at all supermarkets, the quality is not as high as what you would find at a gourmet cheese store. Supermarket cheese is packaged for everyday use, but if you really love cheese you don't just eat it in a sandwich.
Gourmet cheese stores specialize in providing cheese gifts. This means you will get quality information and recommendation about the cheese you are buying. You may even learn about a new cheese you never even knew existed.
Many gourmet cheese stores are taking their business online making it easier for you to buy cheese. Online stores tend to have more information about their products and sell cheese at lower prices. Best of all, you can have your cheese gifts sent to the recipient's doorstep in no time.
To buy cheese or not buy cheese that is the question. There are many reasons to buy cheese. Whether its a cocktail party complete with hors d'oeuvres or a BBQ abundant with juicy burgers, cheese is a great addition to any meal or snack.
Cheese has been around for thousands of years and is a main staple of the human diet. Different flavors have resulted from massive experimentation. You can find cheese everywhere, from your local grocery store to a gourmet delicatessen.
If you are craving high quality cheese it is best to buy it from a gourmet cheese business. These types of businesses specialize in providing the best flavors and offer you a larger assortment of cheeses than you would find at a grocery store. Not only will you find cheese of the highest caliber at a gourmet store, but you will find many cheese gifts you can buy for all occasions.
Countries throughout the world are in the business of selling imported cheese to the United States. Many of these companies specialize in picking all types of individual cheeses and selling them together in gift baskets for all occasions. There is no better gift for a food lover than a basket full of imported cheese from around the world.
When your special person opens a cheese gift box, they will feel like they are back in some other country happily analyzing the choices at the local markets. There are hundreds of cheese choices that sound delicious even when they are pronounced incorrectly. Imported cheese will taste good from just about any retailer or wholesaler in the country.
The goal of international cheese companies is to provide delicious, high quality gourmet products to American consumers at reasonable prices. These companies can either sell their products online or import them to American companies at wholesale prices. Either way, imported cheese is a popular item that many people can't seem to live without.
American companies in the imported cheese business provide the best quality product at affordable prices to all of their customers. They thoroughly sample the best examples of each gourmet item from different wholesalers before they purchase a product. They bring their customers only the best of the best.
Cheese is a requirement for many occasions and is something we take for granted. You can not serve appetizers without having some assortment of imported cheese and crackers. I personally could not live without wine and cheese parties. They are my favorite.
Cheese is probably best known for being an appetizer at wedding receptions and other formal events. These wouldn't be the same without your choice of fine imported cheese to celebrate these wonderful occasions. The many varieties of imported cheese alone can easily fill up the largest of men.
Cheese is the ultimate symbol of decadence. There are many varieties of cheese that are sure to satisfy your pallet. When you buy cheese you can turn a boring meal into something exquisite. Readmore »»
Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Supreme
Serves: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
** 6 Chicken Breast halves,
** Boneless, skinless
** Vegetable Oil
** 10 oz Cream of Broccoli soup
** 1/2 c Milk
** 1 c Cheddar Cheese, shredded
** (and Extra shredded cheese)
Instructions:
Brown chicken breasts on both sides in a small amount of oil; drain off
excess oil. Combine soup & milk; pour over chicken. Bring to a boil; cover
and cook over low heat 5 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove
chicken from pan; keep warm. Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese to sauce; stir
until melted. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle additional cheese over all.
Serve with hot cooked pasta or rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings. NOTE: Lite
Cheddar may be substituted but increase milk to 2/3 cup. Readmore »»
Ingredients:
** 6 Chicken Breast halves,
** Boneless, skinless
** Vegetable Oil
** 10 oz Cream of Broccoli soup
** 1/2 c Milk
** 1 c Cheddar Cheese, shredded
** (and Extra shredded cheese)
Instructions:
Brown chicken breasts on both sides in a small amount of oil; drain off
excess oil. Combine soup & milk; pour over chicken. Bring to a boil; cover
and cook over low heat 5 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove
chicken from pan; keep warm. Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese to sauce; stir
until melted. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle additional cheese over all.
Serve with hot cooked pasta or rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings. NOTE: Lite
Cheddar may be substituted but increase milk to 2/3 cup. Readmore »»
Tuesday
Cheese Pudding
sandwiches, cheddar cheese, chicken stock,
Serves: 8 Servings
Ingredients:
4 Eggs
8 sl Stale bread
60 g Softened butter
150 g Cheddar cheese; grated
1 c Chicken stock
1/2 c Cream
Freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 150 deg C. Remove crusts from bread, butter each slice one
side only. Sprinkle 2/3 of the grated cheese onto 4 slices, sandwich with
the remaining bread. Cut cheese sandwiches in half diagonally. Grease a
shallow ovenproof dish with remaining butter. Arrange cheese sandwiches
over base of dish. Beat eggs, stock and cream, pour egg mixture over
sandwiches making sure each one is moistened. Allow to stand 30 minutes.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, season with ground black pepper. Bake for
30 minutes or until pudding is set and golden. Readmore »»
Serves: 8 Servings
Ingredients:
4 Eggs
8 sl Stale bread
60 g Softened butter
150 g Cheddar cheese; grated
1 c Chicken stock
1/2 c Cream
Freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 150 deg C. Remove crusts from bread, butter each slice one
side only. Sprinkle 2/3 of the grated cheese onto 4 slices, sandwich with
the remaining bread. Cut cheese sandwiches in half diagonally. Grease a
shallow ovenproof dish with remaining butter. Arrange cheese sandwiches
over base of dish. Beat eggs, stock and cream, pour egg mixture over
sandwiches making sure each one is moistened. Allow to stand 30 minutes.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, season with ground black pepper. Bake for
30 minutes or until pudding is set and golden. Readmore »»
Cheese Latkes
wheat germ, cottage cheese, wheat bran,
Recipe By : Annice
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1/2 lb Cottage cheese, dry curd; or
-farmer cheese
3 Eggs
3 tb Matzo meal, wheat bran, or
-wheat germ
1/2 ts Salt
2 tb Sugar; optional
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together till smooth. Spray a non-stick griddle or
skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto
hot griddle. Cook till browned on bottom; turn over and cook the other
side. Readmore »»
Recipe By : Annice
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1/2 lb Cottage cheese, dry curd; or
-farmer cheese
3 Eggs
3 tb Matzo meal, wheat bran, or
-wheat germ
1/2 ts Salt
2 tb Sugar; optional
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together till smooth. Spray a non-stick griddle or
skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto
hot griddle. Cook till browned on bottom; turn over and cook the other
side. Readmore »»
Thursday
Sargento shredded cheese blends disappointing
by Supermarket sampler
Sargento Bistro Blends. Mozzarella & Asiago With Roasted Garlic, Mozzarella With Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil, and Cheddar Salsa With Tomato & Jalapeno Peppers. $2.79 to $2.99 per 7-ounce resealable bag.
Bonnie: I love cheese. In fact, I enjoy calcium-rich cheese in some form each day, which is why I looked forward to testing these new Bistro Blends. Unfortunately, these were, for the most part, disappointing.
The Cheddar Salsa With Tomato & Jalapeno Peppers contains way too many additives, including artificial flavors and the flavor enhancers monosodium glutamate and yeast extract. Why didn't Sargento just add some stronger seasonings and hotter jalapeno peppers to improve the taste? It also contains at least a third more fat than the other two varieties. (Using a Monterey Jack cheese instead of the cheddar would have solved that.)
The Mozzarella With Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil doesn't have those additives, but it also doesn't have enough of the promised basil. In fact, I realized it was supposed to contain basil only when I typed the product's name. The sun-dried tomatoes overpower everything.
Garlic also dominates the Mozzarella & Asiago With Roasted Garlic, but in a more pleasing way, at least for garlic lovers. Use it in salad, on pasta, over a pizza crust or anywhere you'd like to add a bit of flavorful cheese.
Carolyn: Sargento has taken the idea of cuisine-coordinated shredded cheese blends one step further with the addition of seasonings. The problem with seasonings, of course, is that everyone has a different idea of what's enough, including Bonnie and me. That's why most herbs and spices come with shaker tops.
For instance, although the Italian-oriented Mozzarella & Asiago With Roasted Garlic is the most interesting Bistro Blend, I also thought the garlic in it was a bit much. But unlike Bonnie, I didn't think any one taste dominated the Mozzarella With Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil. It was just bland and confused.
The hotness level of the Cheddar Salsa With Tomato & Jalapeno Peppers is just right. It's just not very interesting (cheddar has long been associated with Mexican) or innovative (jalapeno-flavored block cheeses have been sold for years).
Dark Chocolate M&M's. Peanut and Plain. $2.69 per 14-ounce bag. Also available in king-size.
Bonnie: Some things just shouldn't be tampered with. I put M&M's in this category. I grew up knowing they'd melt in my mouth, not in my hand, as the old jingle said. The candies have that unique milk chocolate kind of melt, not the classy dark kind. Dark chocolate just seems too sophisticated for M&M's candy coating.
Don't get me wrong. When I splurge on chocolate, I mainly choose dark. I did so even before scientists began to tout the virtues of the antioxidant polyphenols called flavanols in dark chocolate. (Scientists say that flavanols have the potential to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and that dark chocolate has more than double the flavanols of milk chocolate.)
But when it comes to M&M's, only milk chocolate seems right. Don't you agree, Carolyn?
Carolyn: Actually, I do. I, too, like dark chocolate, but it's not something I need or want from M&M's, which is probably why the company is going to be selling these for only a limited time.
Like Dark Chocolate Kit-Kat and extra-peanut buttery Peanut Butter Lover's Reese's, Dark Chocolate M&M's are designed to create a flurry of excitement and sales, and then to be dismissed for the inferior idea it is.
Dark M&M's graphics and name tie-in (they're called Darth Mix) with the new (and last) "Star Wars" movie, "Revenge of the Sith," will be even more interesting to "Star Wars" collectors, and for those who remember when M&M's maker Mars (now Masterfoods) turned down the chance to be in another otherworldly movie, and E.T. ended up a big fan of Reese's Pieces. Like Luke Skywalker, Masterfoods has learned from its trials.
Ocean Spray Craisins Trail Mix. Cranberry & Chocolate, and Cranberry, Fruit & Nut. 79 cents per 1.75-ounce or $2.19 per 6- ounce pouch.
Bonnie: This new Craisins Cranberry & Chocolate Trail Mix is my kind of snack -- fruit, nuts and a little chocolate combined in one pouch for easy nibbling. The fruit is dried cranberries; the nuts, a blend of peanuts, almonds and cashews; and the chocolate, semi- sweet. The Cranberry, Fruit & Nuts version is also good, but I prefer the chocolate to its mix of pineapple, papaya and coconut.
Dried cranberries, which Ocean Spray calls Craisins, are rich in antioxidants and have the urinary tract health benefits of cranberry juice; that is, they prevent bacteria associated with infections from sticking to the urinary tract wall. To get that benefit, you'd need to eat a third of a cup of Craisins, or a few servings of this new trail mix.
If you're interested in Craisins primarily for that benefit, I'd suggest drinking cranberry juice or adding Craisins to your cereal instead of overeating this trail mix.
Carolyn: Ocean Spray's latest way to offload its cranberries is in trail mixes where dried cranberries replace raisins. Eaten alone, dried cranberries are chewier and not as sweet as raisins. But in the Cranberry, Fruit & Nut variety, Ocean Spray has made up for any potential sweetness deficit with dried pineapple, papaya and coconut. They've even honey-coated the peanuts! Still, the primary impression isn't of sweetness so much as chewiness. A better name for this variety would be Fruit 'n Fiber. Readmore »»
Sargento Bistro Blends. Mozzarella & Asiago With Roasted Garlic, Mozzarella With Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil, and Cheddar Salsa With Tomato & Jalapeno Peppers. $2.79 to $2.99 per 7-ounce resealable bag.
Bonnie: I love cheese. In fact, I enjoy calcium-rich cheese in some form each day, which is why I looked forward to testing these new Bistro Blends. Unfortunately, these were, for the most part, disappointing.
The Cheddar Salsa With Tomato & Jalapeno Peppers contains way too many additives, including artificial flavors and the flavor enhancers monosodium glutamate and yeast extract. Why didn't Sargento just add some stronger seasonings and hotter jalapeno peppers to improve the taste? It also contains at least a third more fat than the other two varieties. (Using a Monterey Jack cheese instead of the cheddar would have solved that.)
The Mozzarella With Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil doesn't have those additives, but it also doesn't have enough of the promised basil. In fact, I realized it was supposed to contain basil only when I typed the product's name. The sun-dried tomatoes overpower everything.
Garlic also dominates the Mozzarella & Asiago With Roasted Garlic, but in a more pleasing way, at least for garlic lovers. Use it in salad, on pasta, over a pizza crust or anywhere you'd like to add a bit of flavorful cheese.
Carolyn: Sargento has taken the idea of cuisine-coordinated shredded cheese blends one step further with the addition of seasonings. The problem with seasonings, of course, is that everyone has a different idea of what's enough, including Bonnie and me. That's why most herbs and spices come with shaker tops.
For instance, although the Italian-oriented Mozzarella & Asiago With Roasted Garlic is the most interesting Bistro Blend, I also thought the garlic in it was a bit much. But unlike Bonnie, I didn't think any one taste dominated the Mozzarella With Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil. It was just bland and confused.
The hotness level of the Cheddar Salsa With Tomato & Jalapeno Peppers is just right. It's just not very interesting (cheddar has long been associated with Mexican) or innovative (jalapeno-flavored block cheeses have been sold for years).
Dark Chocolate M&M's. Peanut and Plain. $2.69 per 14-ounce bag. Also available in king-size.
Bonnie: Some things just shouldn't be tampered with. I put M&M's in this category. I grew up knowing they'd melt in my mouth, not in my hand, as the old jingle said. The candies have that unique milk chocolate kind of melt, not the classy dark kind. Dark chocolate just seems too sophisticated for M&M's candy coating.
Don't get me wrong. When I splurge on chocolate, I mainly choose dark. I did so even before scientists began to tout the virtues of the antioxidant polyphenols called flavanols in dark chocolate. (Scientists say that flavanols have the potential to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and that dark chocolate has more than double the flavanols of milk chocolate.)
But when it comes to M&M's, only milk chocolate seems right. Don't you agree, Carolyn?
Carolyn: Actually, I do. I, too, like dark chocolate, but it's not something I need or want from M&M's, which is probably why the company is going to be selling these for only a limited time.
Like Dark Chocolate Kit-Kat and extra-peanut buttery Peanut Butter Lover's Reese's, Dark Chocolate M&M's are designed to create a flurry of excitement and sales, and then to be dismissed for the inferior idea it is.
Dark M&M's graphics and name tie-in (they're called Darth Mix) with the new (and last) "Star Wars" movie, "Revenge of the Sith," will be even more interesting to "Star Wars" collectors, and for those who remember when M&M's maker Mars (now Masterfoods) turned down the chance to be in another otherworldly movie, and E.T. ended up a big fan of Reese's Pieces. Like Luke Skywalker, Masterfoods has learned from its trials.
Ocean Spray Craisins Trail Mix. Cranberry & Chocolate, and Cranberry, Fruit & Nut. 79 cents per 1.75-ounce or $2.19 per 6- ounce pouch.
Bonnie: This new Craisins Cranberry & Chocolate Trail Mix is my kind of snack -- fruit, nuts and a little chocolate combined in one pouch for easy nibbling. The fruit is dried cranberries; the nuts, a blend of peanuts, almonds and cashews; and the chocolate, semi- sweet. The Cranberry, Fruit & Nuts version is also good, but I prefer the chocolate to its mix of pineapple, papaya and coconut.
Dried cranberries, which Ocean Spray calls Craisins, are rich in antioxidants and have the urinary tract health benefits of cranberry juice; that is, they prevent bacteria associated with infections from sticking to the urinary tract wall. To get that benefit, you'd need to eat a third of a cup of Craisins, or a few servings of this new trail mix.
If you're interested in Craisins primarily for that benefit, I'd suggest drinking cranberry juice or adding Craisins to your cereal instead of overeating this trail mix.
Carolyn: Ocean Spray's latest way to offload its cranberries is in trail mixes where dried cranberries replace raisins. Eaten alone, dried cranberries are chewier and not as sweet as raisins. But in the Cranberry, Fruit & Nut variety, Ocean Spray has made up for any potential sweetness deficit with dried pineapple, papaya and coconut. They've even honey-coated the peanuts! Still, the primary impression isn't of sweetness so much as chewiness. A better name for this variety would be Fruit 'n Fiber. Readmore »»
Rediscovering Grilled Pizza
by Scott Schirkofsky
America's favorite food has long been the pizza cooked in a traditional oven but is that about to change? While most Americans have probably never indulged in a grilled pizza, the origins of pizza are making a big comeback. There is no denying that we love our traditional backyard barbeque but rarely, if ever has the barbeque included grilling a pizza. Despite the seemingly odd combination of grill and pizza, the grill is the ideal tool for cooking pizza and in fact is deep in the origin of pizza making. The high, dry heat is ideal for a nice crisp crust and the flavor provided from your grill will on a whole new world of backyard grilling.
Before the word pizza was ever used, Greeks and Romans used wood-fired brick ovens to prepare the original version of pizza - flatbread. In ancient times each diner was given a piece of flat bread along with a piece of meat on the bread. This food was eaten with the fingers with an occasional knife to cut the meat. Little did they know that this would eventually spark the creation one of the America's favorite foods.
Grilled Pizza Techniques:
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon dried yeast 1 tablespoon soy oil 1 teaspoon sugar ½ cup warm water (110°F) 1 ½ cup bread flour 1 tablespoon soy flour 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions: Combine yeast, sugar and ½ cup very warm water in bowl, let sit for five minutes. Combine flour and salt in bowl. Mix yeast mixture with bowl containing dry ingredients. Add a little extra flour if dough is sticky. Knead for a good 10 minutes. Put into a greased bowl and let rise for 60 minutes until it doubles in size. Turn out onto a floured surface then knead lightly until smooth. Roll out into a ¼" thick, 12" diameter circle. The thinner the dough is rolled, the better.
Before placing your crust on the grill, be sure that your grill is both clean and well oiled. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the grill. You will need something large enough to transport your dough to the grill. A pizza spatula is highly recommended for this task. Brush an even coat of extra virgin olive oil on the side that will be facing down first. The oil will introduce flavor and help to keep the dough from sticking to the grill as well as giving the crust a nice crisp finish. Before placing your pizza on the grill, you may want to remove the top rack of your grill to make it easier to flip your pizza. Cook the first side from 1-3 minutes before flipping depending on the heat of your grill. During this time you will need to brush olive oil on the side that is facing up. While cooking the first side, peak under the edge of the crust to monitor its finish. Cook until you are satisfied with the finish and then flip your crust over. After flipping, immediately apply any topping that you would like. It's highly recommended that you keep the topping very light, as they will not have a chance to cook on the grill without burning the crust. You may consider precooking certain ingredients such as meats and thick vegetables. Be sure to lower the lid as soon as possible to trap the heat in and finish cooking the toppings. Cook the pizza for an additional 2-3 minutes or until you are satisfied with the crust's finish.
You are now ready to experience one great pizza with deep tradition. Cut your pizza into triangle shaped slices or try cutting them into 1" wide strips. This shape is great for a party snacks! Readmore »»
America's favorite food has long been the pizza cooked in a traditional oven but is that about to change? While most Americans have probably never indulged in a grilled pizza, the origins of pizza are making a big comeback. There is no denying that we love our traditional backyard barbeque but rarely, if ever has the barbeque included grilling a pizza. Despite the seemingly odd combination of grill and pizza, the grill is the ideal tool for cooking pizza and in fact is deep in the origin of pizza making. The high, dry heat is ideal for a nice crisp crust and the flavor provided from your grill will on a whole new world of backyard grilling.
Before the word pizza was ever used, Greeks and Romans used wood-fired brick ovens to prepare the original version of pizza - flatbread. In ancient times each diner was given a piece of flat bread along with a piece of meat on the bread. This food was eaten with the fingers with an occasional knife to cut the meat. Little did they know that this would eventually spark the creation one of the America's favorite foods.
Grilled Pizza Techniques:
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon dried yeast 1 tablespoon soy oil 1 teaspoon sugar ½ cup warm water (110°F) 1 ½ cup bread flour 1 tablespoon soy flour 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions: Combine yeast, sugar and ½ cup very warm water in bowl, let sit for five minutes. Combine flour and salt in bowl. Mix yeast mixture with bowl containing dry ingredients. Add a little extra flour if dough is sticky. Knead for a good 10 minutes. Put into a greased bowl and let rise for 60 minutes until it doubles in size. Turn out onto a floured surface then knead lightly until smooth. Roll out into a ¼" thick, 12" diameter circle. The thinner the dough is rolled, the better.
Before placing your crust on the grill, be sure that your grill is both clean and well oiled. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the grill. You will need something large enough to transport your dough to the grill. A pizza spatula is highly recommended for this task. Brush an even coat of extra virgin olive oil on the side that will be facing down first. The oil will introduce flavor and help to keep the dough from sticking to the grill as well as giving the crust a nice crisp finish. Before placing your pizza on the grill, you may want to remove the top rack of your grill to make it easier to flip your pizza. Cook the first side from 1-3 minutes before flipping depending on the heat of your grill. During this time you will need to brush olive oil on the side that is facing up. While cooking the first side, peak under the edge of the crust to monitor its finish. Cook until you are satisfied with the finish and then flip your crust over. After flipping, immediately apply any topping that you would like. It's highly recommended that you keep the topping very light, as they will not have a chance to cook on the grill without burning the crust. You may consider precooking certain ingredients such as meats and thick vegetables. Be sure to lower the lid as soon as possible to trap the heat in and finish cooking the toppings. Cook the pizza for an additional 2-3 minutes or until you are satisfied with the crust's finish.
You are now ready to experience one great pizza with deep tradition. Cut your pizza into triangle shaped slices or try cutting them into 1" wide strips. This shape is great for a party snacks! Readmore »»
Quick Reference Guide for Buying, Storing and Serving Cheese
By Michael Colucci
Cheese is more than just peeling back the wrapper on a slice of American cheese. There are proper buying, storage and serving procedures that will help maintain freshness and ensure enhanced flavor and texture.
When buying cheese consider these three items.
*** Where to Shop
- Choose a reliable source such as a specialty market or gourmet grocery store.
- Find a cheese only market or a cheese restaurant. Many large metropolitan areas have restaurants that serve only cheese and wine.
- Shop at a gourmet food store that specializes in cheese.
*** Amount to Purchase
- Buy only what will be consumed with in a few days. Flavors and aroma of fine cheeses change over time in a home refrigerator.
*** Characteristics of Cheese
- Cheese should present the characteristics of that particular style. The interior should not have cracks, mold or discoloration in any form.
- Natural rind cheeses have a rustic appearance. The rind on the outside of these cheeses is a side product of production.
Blue or Roquefort styles will have some mold and cracks Readmore »»
Cheese is more than just peeling back the wrapper on a slice of American cheese. There are proper buying, storage and serving procedures that will help maintain freshness and ensure enhanced flavor and texture.
When buying cheese consider these three items.
*** Where to Shop
- Choose a reliable source such as a specialty market or gourmet grocery store.
- Find a cheese only market or a cheese restaurant. Many large metropolitan areas have restaurants that serve only cheese and wine.
- Shop at a gourmet food store that specializes in cheese.
*** Amount to Purchase
- Buy only what will be consumed with in a few days. Flavors and aroma of fine cheeses change over time in a home refrigerator.
*** Characteristics of Cheese
- Cheese should present the characteristics of that particular style. The interior should not have cracks, mold or discoloration in any form.
- Natural rind cheeses have a rustic appearance. The rind on the outside of these cheeses is a side product of production.
Blue or Roquefort styles will have some mold and cracks Readmore »»
An appetite for cheese: a food futures forecast
by Marilyn Wilkinson
The American palate for cheese is changing. Consumers are leaving the sanctuary of traditional cheese varieties, such as mild Cheddar and Swiss, to indulge in more artisan, farmstead, ethnic and organic type cheeses.
As evidence, in Wisconsin, specialty cheese production rose by 9% in 2004 to 331 million lbs. In addition, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade reports that nationwide sales of specialty cheese were up 29.1% in 2004 from 2002, to $905 million, excluding sales at Wal-Mart.
Americans are also consuming more cheese now than ever before with total U.S. per capita cheese consumption at an all time high of 31.2 lbs. A number of food trends are fueling the American love affair with cheese.
There is a growing interest in local or farm-friendly foods. Today's premium product shoppers are paying attention to the origin of their food. Americans want to learn more about who makes their food and how it is cared for. Organic cheeses continue to grow at a fast pace, and Wisconsin, which already touts the largest number of organic dairy farms in the country, is embracing this trend. Farm-friendly foods add a historic dimension of traditional American agriculture and connote an element of family and hands-on care.
world
In the culinary world, everything from television cooking shows to dazzling restaurants, is feeding the American cheese obsession. Today's celebrity chefs feature sophisticated cheeses in their dishes and offer cheese courses on their menus. The courses are sometimes all-American, sometimes a mix of domestic and imported cheeses and sometimes flights, a concept that offers the same type of cheese at various ages. For instance, The American Club in Kohler, Wis., offers a Wisconsin Cheddar flight, with cheeses aged at intervals from 1 to 10 years old.
When it comes to eating healthy, Americans are still counting carbohydrates, fats and calories, but overall there hits been a shift in the way consumers think about food. A well-balanced diet that includes "fresh" foods has become important. Technomic, Inc., a market research firm, reports that health conscious restaurant customers care less about fat or calories than freshness. Foods that are considered "fresh" or without preservatives or additives, such as natural cheeses are in high demand. In fact, according to data from a leading retail marketing information firm, International Resources, Inc. (IRI), sales of exact weight natural sliced cheese grew by 19.2 % from 2003 to 2004 while individually wrapped processed sliced cheese sales declined.
The latest "Eating Patterns in America" study from the NPD Group, reports that 51 billion sandwiches were consumed in the U.S. in 2004. From McDonald's, where the most popular item is still the double cheeseburger, to the upscale Solera restaurant in Denver, where Chef Goose Sorensen serves a panini with bacon, Wisconsin Brie and avocado mayonnaise, sandwiches and cheese are inseparable. MenuMonitor[TM], a new service from research firm Technomic, Inc., reports that the top 10 cheeses menued on sandwiches in 2005 were:
The American palate for cheese is changing. Consumers are leaving the sanctuary of traditional cheese varieties, such as mild Cheddar and Swiss, to indulge in more artisan, farmstead, ethnic and organic type cheeses.
As evidence, in Wisconsin, specialty cheese production rose by 9% in 2004 to 331 million lbs. In addition, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade reports that nationwide sales of specialty cheese were up 29.1% in 2004 from 2002, to $905 million, excluding sales at Wal-Mart.
Americans are also consuming more cheese now than ever before with total U.S. per capita cheese consumption at an all time high of 31.2 lbs. A number of food trends are fueling the American love affair with cheese.
There is a growing interest in local or farm-friendly foods. Today's premium product shoppers are paying attention to the origin of their food. Americans want to learn more about who makes their food and how it is cared for. Organic cheeses continue to grow at a fast pace, and Wisconsin, which already touts the largest number of organic dairy farms in the country, is embracing this trend. Farm-friendly foods add a historic dimension of traditional American agriculture and connote an element of family and hands-on care.
world
In the culinary world, everything from television cooking shows to dazzling restaurants, is feeding the American cheese obsession. Today's celebrity chefs feature sophisticated cheeses in their dishes and offer cheese courses on their menus. The courses are sometimes all-American, sometimes a mix of domestic and imported cheeses and sometimes flights, a concept that offers the same type of cheese at various ages. For instance, The American Club in Kohler, Wis., offers a Wisconsin Cheddar flight, with cheeses aged at intervals from 1 to 10 years old.
When it comes to eating healthy, Americans are still counting carbohydrates, fats and calories, but overall there hits been a shift in the way consumers think about food. A well-balanced diet that includes "fresh" foods has become important. Technomic, Inc., a market research firm, reports that health conscious restaurant customers care less about fat or calories than freshness. Foods that are considered "fresh" or without preservatives or additives, such as natural cheeses are in high demand. In fact, according to data from a leading retail marketing information firm, International Resources, Inc. (IRI), sales of exact weight natural sliced cheese grew by 19.2 % from 2003 to 2004 while individually wrapped processed sliced cheese sales declined.
The latest "Eating Patterns in America" study from the NPD Group, reports that 51 billion sandwiches were consumed in the U.S. in 2004. From McDonald's, where the most popular item is still the double cheeseburger, to the upscale Solera restaurant in Denver, where Chef Goose Sorensen serves a panini with bacon, Wisconsin Brie and avocado mayonnaise, sandwiches and cheese are inseparable. MenuMonitor[TM], a new service from research firm Technomic, Inc., reports that the top 10 cheeses menued on sandwiches in 2005 were:
Swiss
Monterey Jack Cheddar Parmesan Provolone Blue Mozzarella
Cream Cheese American Pepper Jack
NPD reports the number of meals purchased at a restaurant and eaten in the car has gone from 19 per person per year in 1985 to 32 per person today. Popular restaurants and some supermarkets are tapping this trend by adding drive-up or pick-up windows, adding yet another area of growth for fast-food meals that incorporate cheese.
The opportunities for cheese are endless. America's cheesemakers will continue to cultivate the country's passion for cheese by crafting unique and memorable specialty cheese products that engage today's educated cheese consumers. Wisconsin's cheesemakers have more than 160 years of cheesemaking experience and, with 500 varieties, types and styles of Wisconsin cheese to choose from, Wisconsin is committed to leading the nation's specialty cheese charge.
Readmore »»
Cheese Consumption In The United States
hamburgers, mozzarella, parmesan
by William Lockhart
According to recent figures, the United States has the 7th largest per capita consumption of cheese. In 2004, that position in the world rankings equated to 31.2 pounds of cheese being eaten by every person in America. That's a lot of pizzas! In fact, if all of that cheese consumption was pizza-related, a person would have to eat over 80 pizzas in a year. Not surprisingly, the Italians and Greeks rank higher than America in the cheese consumption stakes, but the gap is closing.
There are so many different types of cheese produced in America, but the most popular one for the cheese eaters of the country is Mozzarella. This pizza-topping favorite overtook cheddar to take the nation's favorite crown in 2002 and shows no sign of giving up the title anytime soon. This is supported by the change in cheese production over the 10-year period from 1995 to 2005. In 1995, cheddar represented 34.9% of the cheese production in America. Mozzarella was a close second, accounting for 30.7%. However, in 2005, the cheddar production had dropped to 33.4% and mozzarella had climbed to almost equal cheddar at 33.1%. The most prolific cheese making state, not surprisingly is Wisconsin. Over a quarter of all American cheese is produced by the so-called 'Cheese State' ? a name it richly deserves.
The rise in cheese consumption in America can largely be attributed to the convenience of the product. Cheese can now be bought shredded or sliced and in re-sealable bags to keep it fresh for longer. The variety of cheese and mixed cheese combinations ensure that there is bound to be a cheese to suit any dish. Pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches and pasta are just some of the foods that cheese enhances. The use of cheese in many fast foods and take-outs has also contributed to the increase in the amount of cheese that Americans eat on a yearly basis.
The rising trend for cheese consumption shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Between 1980 and 2004, the amount of cheese eaten per person rose from 17.5 pounds to 31.2 pounds. That is a huge increase and the projected figure for the year 2015 is 34 pounds per capita. There is no doubt that the majority of Americans enjoy cheese in one form or another on a regular basis.
Of course, it isn't just convenience that has led to the increase of cheese consumption in America ? health factors have also had an impact. Cheese is an excellent source of calcium. This essential nutrient helps strengthen bones and teeth. Interestingly, the amount of calcium in cheese differs by type. The best source of calcium in the cheese family is parmesan. Parmesan provides almost twice as much calcium, by weight, as mozzarella. There is no doubt, if you are looking for a quick and simple source of calcium, then a pizza with a mixture of cheese in the topping would be the ideal choice.
About the Author
William Lockhart is Founder of HomePizzaChef.com. He is also a self proclaimed pizza lover. www.HomePizzaChef.com delivers pizza recipes to subscribers email box. The slogan on the web site reads, "They'll Get Down On Their Knees And Beg You For Your Pizza Making Secrets". Visit William at http://www.homepizzachef.com
hamburgers Readmore »»
by William Lockhart
According to recent figures, the United States has the 7th largest per capita consumption of cheese. In 2004, that position in the world rankings equated to 31.2 pounds of cheese being eaten by every person in America. That's a lot of pizzas! In fact, if all of that cheese consumption was pizza-related, a person would have to eat over 80 pizzas in a year. Not surprisingly, the Italians and Greeks rank higher than America in the cheese consumption stakes, but the gap is closing.
There are so many different types of cheese produced in America, but the most popular one for the cheese eaters of the country is Mozzarella. This pizza-topping favorite overtook cheddar to take the nation's favorite crown in 2002 and shows no sign of giving up the title anytime soon. This is supported by the change in cheese production over the 10-year period from 1995 to 2005. In 1995, cheddar represented 34.9% of the cheese production in America. Mozzarella was a close second, accounting for 30.7%. However, in 2005, the cheddar production had dropped to 33.4% and mozzarella had climbed to almost equal cheddar at 33.1%. The most prolific cheese making state, not surprisingly is Wisconsin. Over a quarter of all American cheese is produced by the so-called 'Cheese State' ? a name it richly deserves.
The rise in cheese consumption in America can largely be attributed to the convenience of the product. Cheese can now be bought shredded or sliced and in re-sealable bags to keep it fresh for longer. The variety of cheese and mixed cheese combinations ensure that there is bound to be a cheese to suit any dish. Pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches and pasta are just some of the foods that cheese enhances. The use of cheese in many fast foods and take-outs has also contributed to the increase in the amount of cheese that Americans eat on a yearly basis.
The rising trend for cheese consumption shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Between 1980 and 2004, the amount of cheese eaten per person rose from 17.5 pounds to 31.2 pounds. That is a huge increase and the projected figure for the year 2015 is 34 pounds per capita. There is no doubt that the majority of Americans enjoy cheese in one form or another on a regular basis.
Of course, it isn't just convenience that has led to the increase of cheese consumption in America ? health factors have also had an impact. Cheese is an excellent source of calcium. This essential nutrient helps strengthen bones and teeth. Interestingly, the amount of calcium in cheese differs by type. The best source of calcium in the cheese family is parmesan. Parmesan provides almost twice as much calcium, by weight, as mozzarella. There is no doubt, if you are looking for a quick and simple source of calcium, then a pizza with a mixture of cheese in the topping would be the ideal choice.
About the Author
William Lockhart is Founder of HomePizzaChef.com. He is also a self proclaimed pizza lover. www.HomePizzaChef.com delivers pizza recipes to subscribers email box. The slogan on the web site reads, "They'll Get Down On Their Knees And Beg You For Your Pizza Making Secrets". Visit William at http://www.homepizzachef.com
hamburgers Readmore »»
Tuesday
Find right cheese to please your guests
parchment paper, farmhouse, cheesecloth
by Martha Stewart
How often have you gone to a party and been confronted with large trays piled high with small squares of medium-hard yellow and white cheeses and undistinguished crackers and crudites? Personally, I have lost count of such occasions, and I usually pass up the offerings and instead think about how easy it would be to improve upon such a cheese plate or platter, and what I would choose to put out for guests at that particular time of year.
Indeed, the cheese selections available have become ever more plentiful and varied, a mix of fine imported varieties and well- crafted, surprisingly complex domestic artisanal cheeses that are delicious and beautiful and utterly competitive in quality, texture and interest with those many tasty cheeses that come from abroad. Whenever I am planning a party or dinner, I like to include cheese - - it is as intriguing to find a cheese that is unusual and complementary to a meal as it is to find a perfect wine to serve with the dinner.
I first became enamored of cheese when I visited Paris as a young woman. Every day I ate another type, keeping a list of my favorite varieties. I devoured an entire wedge of Mimolette (a hard, orange cheddarlike cheese) while reading my travel guide in the shadow of Saint Sulpice on the Left Bank, and I went back for seconds of a very wonderful semisoft cheese called Vacherin that I scooped from the wooden box with slices of Comice pear.
When I returned to New York City I discovered that I could, in fact, find good French cheeses at a store called Zabar's, and then even more unusual choices at E.A.T. Eli Zabar was a pioneer in introducing Americans to the joys of fresh, wonderful, handmade French cheese. I am happy to report that many neighborhoods now have great cheese shops -- there's Artisanal Fromagerie and Murray's Cheese in Manhattan and Darien Cheese and Fine Foods in Connecticut, not to mention farmers' markets everywhere from Mount Kisco, N.Y., to San Francisco, where local cheeses crafted by adventuresome cheesemakers are well worth sampling.
I enjoy the discussions I have with the fromageres (cheese experts) when selecting from the array of cheeses in a beautiful display case. Always discuss what you are purchasing to make sure that the cheese is "ready," or ripe, for when you are going to serve it, that the amount is correct for the number of guests and that you are going to have the right bread or cracker or fresh or dried fruit for that particular cheese.
Tell the cheese seller what you're planning -- an hors d'oeuvres platter or after-dinner tasting, for example -- and he can suggest cheeses with complementary flavors and textures. And he'll often give you tastes of various cheeses; sampling is the very best way to figure out exactly what you like.
It is not important to have a lot of cheeses, but it is very important that each cheese offered is ready to eat, just like the fruit you might serve along with it. A blue cheese with a ripe and juicy Bartlett pear is superb. A homemade cracker is a nice accompaniment to a sliver of English farmhouse cheddar. And crisp bread sticks, flavored with rosemary and olive oil, are great with freshly "chunked" Parmigiano-Reggiano.
The temperature at which you serve cheese is also very important. Make sure to check this with the cheese seller. An ice-cold Brie is much less appealing than one that is room temperature, creamy and slightly runny.
Keep cheeses in the crisper of the refrigerator, wrapped in cheesecloth, parchment paper or the wrapping used by the cheese store. Completely enclosing the cheese in plastic wrap or foil does not let it breathe. If these are the only materials you have on hand, leave the rind exposed so air can reach the cheese. Most cheeses should be removed from the refrigerator 45 minutes to an hour before being served.
A cheese course following the dinner is a lovely gesture. Keep it small, however, and be sure the cheese is extra special. Cheese courses have long been very popular in restaurants in France, followed by rich desserts.
These days, with so many people watching their weight, we often choose either cheese or dessert. But if, perchance, you come across a cheese that is utterly fabulous, offer it with abandon -- and hope that some remains to enjoy while you're washing the dishes.
parchment paper
farmhouse Readmore »»
by Martha Stewart
How often have you gone to a party and been confronted with large trays piled high with small squares of medium-hard yellow and white cheeses and undistinguished crackers and crudites? Personally, I have lost count of such occasions, and I usually pass up the offerings and instead think about how easy it would be to improve upon such a cheese plate or platter, and what I would choose to put out for guests at that particular time of year.
Indeed, the cheese selections available have become ever more plentiful and varied, a mix of fine imported varieties and well- crafted, surprisingly complex domestic artisanal cheeses that are delicious and beautiful and utterly competitive in quality, texture and interest with those many tasty cheeses that come from abroad. Whenever I am planning a party or dinner, I like to include cheese - - it is as intriguing to find a cheese that is unusual and complementary to a meal as it is to find a perfect wine to serve with the dinner.
I first became enamored of cheese when I visited Paris as a young woman. Every day I ate another type, keeping a list of my favorite varieties. I devoured an entire wedge of Mimolette (a hard, orange cheddarlike cheese) while reading my travel guide in the shadow of Saint Sulpice on the Left Bank, and I went back for seconds of a very wonderful semisoft cheese called Vacherin that I scooped from the wooden box with slices of Comice pear.
When I returned to New York City I discovered that I could, in fact, find good French cheeses at a store called Zabar's, and then even more unusual choices at E.A.T. Eli Zabar was a pioneer in introducing Americans to the joys of fresh, wonderful, handmade French cheese. I am happy to report that many neighborhoods now have great cheese shops -- there's Artisanal Fromagerie and Murray's Cheese in Manhattan and Darien Cheese and Fine Foods in Connecticut, not to mention farmers' markets everywhere from Mount Kisco, N.Y., to San Francisco, where local cheeses crafted by adventuresome cheesemakers are well worth sampling.
I enjoy the discussions I have with the fromageres (cheese experts) when selecting from the array of cheeses in a beautiful display case. Always discuss what you are purchasing to make sure that the cheese is "ready," or ripe, for when you are going to serve it, that the amount is correct for the number of guests and that you are going to have the right bread or cracker or fresh or dried fruit for that particular cheese.
Tell the cheese seller what you're planning -- an hors d'oeuvres platter or after-dinner tasting, for example -- and he can suggest cheeses with complementary flavors and textures. And he'll often give you tastes of various cheeses; sampling is the very best way to figure out exactly what you like.
It is not important to have a lot of cheeses, but it is very important that each cheese offered is ready to eat, just like the fruit you might serve along with it. A blue cheese with a ripe and juicy Bartlett pear is superb. A homemade cracker is a nice accompaniment to a sliver of English farmhouse cheddar. And crisp bread sticks, flavored with rosemary and olive oil, are great with freshly "chunked" Parmigiano-Reggiano.
The temperature at which you serve cheese is also very important. Make sure to check this with the cheese seller. An ice-cold Brie is much less appealing than one that is room temperature, creamy and slightly runny.
Keep cheeses in the crisper of the refrigerator, wrapped in cheesecloth, parchment paper or the wrapping used by the cheese store. Completely enclosing the cheese in plastic wrap or foil does not let it breathe. If these are the only materials you have on hand, leave the rind exposed so air can reach the cheese. Most cheeses should be removed from the refrigerator 45 minutes to an hour before being served.
A cheese course following the dinner is a lovely gesture. Keep it small, however, and be sure the cheese is extra special. Cheese courses have long been very popular in restaurants in France, followed by rich desserts.
These days, with so many people watching their weight, we often choose either cheese or dessert. But if, perchance, you come across a cheese that is utterly fabulous, offer it with abandon -- and hope that some remains to enjoy while you're washing the dishes.
parchment paper
farmhouse Readmore »»
Cheese's Tour de France
french cheese, sandwiches
by Jolene Thym
It was a Friday night and I had a choice: I could stay home and cook, or I could accept an invitation to meet a group of French cheesemakers on tour in the U.S. -- and to eat French cheese in San Francisco.
I love to cook, but because I am convinced that there is nothing more delicious than a hunk of smelly French cheese, I headed across the bridge. I followed my nose to the second floor, and into a room where tables were mounded with cheese.
More cheeses were cut into wedges and chunks, but my eyes focused on the giant hunks of seven different cheeses at each place setting. I do love cheese, but this appeared to be overkill.
Slowly and methodically, I tasted the cheeses in order. Some were soft and spreadable, others just the right texture for grating on pasta, or slicing for sandwiches.
The cheese-de-resistance came last, a Roquefort made with sheep's milk that was smooth in texture, gorgeous in color, and pungently delicious.
The funniest thing about the evening was when we left. Each guest was handed several pounds of cheese to enjoy. We were told that the French cheesemakers had overestimated their cheese needs -- by a few hundred pounds.
I, for one, was happy to lighten their load.
french cheese Readmore »»
by Jolene Thym
It was a Friday night and I had a choice: I could stay home and cook, or I could accept an invitation to meet a group of French cheesemakers on tour in the U.S. -- and to eat French cheese in San Francisco.
I love to cook, but because I am convinced that there is nothing more delicious than a hunk of smelly French cheese, I headed across the bridge. I followed my nose to the second floor, and into a room where tables were mounded with cheese.
More cheeses were cut into wedges and chunks, but my eyes focused on the giant hunks of seven different cheeses at each place setting. I do love cheese, but this appeared to be overkill.
Slowly and methodically, I tasted the cheeses in order. Some were soft and spreadable, others just the right texture for grating on pasta, or slicing for sandwiches.
The cheese-de-resistance came last, a Roquefort made with sheep's milk that was smooth in texture, gorgeous in color, and pungently delicious.
The funniest thing about the evening was when we left. Each guest was handed several pounds of cheese to enjoy. We were told that the French cheesemakers had overestimated their cheese needs -- by a few hundred pounds.
I, for one, was happy to lighten their load.
french cheese Readmore »»
Critical Thinking To Go: Dodging The Pepperoni Pizza Fallacy
pepperoni pizza
by Carson C. Day
Today we commonly hear in the news journalistic items about religion and politics, or faith and something else, where the suggested "duo du jour" usually sit in opposition to one another. One could do this, of course, just as easily with other areas of human thought, as with sociology vs. history, or economics vs. psychology. But most people do not seem nearly as interested in this exercise as they seem anxious to set "religion" over against whatever other area they might find interesting.
But this represents quite an odd way to view things (at the very best), and one might rightly call it propaganda (at the worst) in many instances. You see, life does not come at us in slices, as though it were one very large pepperoni pizza to go. When humans experience an event, we do not encounter it in a parade of neatly snipped segments, as though the civil war first showed us its psychological effects, then came its economic aspects, only after which we then got a look at its technological innovations.
Just as with the runningback who grasps a fumbled football in the midst of many linesmen, life happens to us "all at once." Only after taking in an historically important event, and reflecting on it a bit, can we slice it up to study some of parts or aspects in isolation from the others -- as pundits might do, say, in an economics textbook. This, of course, makes students especially prone to confuse the way things happen on paper with how they occur on a battlefield, or in the midst of a revolution.
Now this fallacy -- the error of confusing real life with its written counterpart, does not show up in informal logic texts. But it should, since it clearly misleads many these days.
So, what to call it? I at first tried the "fallacy of compartmentalized reality." I can hear the students now, "WhatEVER." Then I mused, "fallacy of reflective segmenting." huh? Finally, I landed on the more user-friendly label, the "Pepperoni Pizza" fallacy. Surely students could grab and digest this supreme combination of words (or was that "combination supreme"?).
By way of illustration, I recently engaged a lively proponent of Mr. Darwin's views. In the course of our discussion, he suggested that evolutionary notions merely comprised "biological theories," and that I had mistakenly inquired about the ethics of it all. Here, the pepperoni began to fly.
He didn't seem to realize (as Mr. Darwin clearly did) that theories we might properly call "biological," (or scientific) can -- and often do -- have obvious ethical implications. Ideas have logical effects not restricted to one academic field. You cannot win a debate by simply put an arbitrary fence around an idea and yelling at its entailed offspring "Now stay!" Like illegal aliens -- they tend to jump the borders when you aren't looking.
This means that Darwinism, neo-Darwinism and "Punctuationism," like all other ideas, have logical consequences (implications) that affect every area of human thought and life. This is why you can find evolutionary ideas discussed in psychology textbooks, history books, and even pop magazines.
In any case, evading or ignoring certain aspects of an idea's logical consequences to gain the upper hand in a debate -- or else to keep one's ship from sinking altogether -- now has a name. Armed with this knowlegde, you can clearly and distinctly show others when the need arises, that life tranpires only as a set of integrated circumstances, and that ideas have logical effects not properly limited to any one academic field.
Reality and logic do not come made-to-order with extra cheese, so you don't get a discount on them with a coupon. To make a good case, then, we must follow the rules of valid and sound reasoning.
pepperoni pizza Readmore »»
by Carson C. Day
Today we commonly hear in the news journalistic items about religion and politics, or faith and something else, where the suggested "duo du jour" usually sit in opposition to one another. One could do this, of course, just as easily with other areas of human thought, as with sociology vs. history, or economics vs. psychology. But most people do not seem nearly as interested in this exercise as they seem anxious to set "religion" over against whatever other area they might find interesting.
But this represents quite an odd way to view things (at the very best), and one might rightly call it propaganda (at the worst) in many instances. You see, life does not come at us in slices, as though it were one very large pepperoni pizza to go. When humans experience an event, we do not encounter it in a parade of neatly snipped segments, as though the civil war first showed us its psychological effects, then came its economic aspects, only after which we then got a look at its technological innovations.
Just as with the runningback who grasps a fumbled football in the midst of many linesmen, life happens to us "all at once." Only after taking in an historically important event, and reflecting on it a bit, can we slice it up to study some of parts or aspects in isolation from the others -- as pundits might do, say, in an economics textbook. This, of course, makes students especially prone to confuse the way things happen on paper with how they occur on a battlefield, or in the midst of a revolution.
Now this fallacy -- the error of confusing real life with its written counterpart, does not show up in informal logic texts. But it should, since it clearly misleads many these days.
So, what to call it? I at first tried the "fallacy of compartmentalized reality." I can hear the students now, "WhatEVER." Then I mused, "fallacy of reflective segmenting." huh? Finally, I landed on the more user-friendly label, the "Pepperoni Pizza" fallacy. Surely students could grab and digest this supreme combination of words (or was that "combination supreme"?).
By way of illustration, I recently engaged a lively proponent of Mr. Darwin's views. In the course of our discussion, he suggested that evolutionary notions merely comprised "biological theories," and that I had mistakenly inquired about the ethics of it all. Here, the pepperoni began to fly.
He didn't seem to realize (as Mr. Darwin clearly did) that theories we might properly call "biological," (or scientific) can -- and often do -- have obvious ethical implications. Ideas have logical effects not restricted to one academic field. You cannot win a debate by simply put an arbitrary fence around an idea and yelling at its entailed offspring "Now stay!" Like illegal aliens -- they tend to jump the borders when you aren't looking.
This means that Darwinism, neo-Darwinism and "Punctuationism," like all other ideas, have logical consequences (implications) that affect every area of human thought and life. This is why you can find evolutionary ideas discussed in psychology textbooks, history books, and even pop magazines.
In any case, evading or ignoring certain aspects of an idea's logical consequences to gain the upper hand in a debate -- or else to keep one's ship from sinking altogether -- now has a name. Armed with this knowlegde, you can clearly and distinctly show others when the need arises, that life tranpires only as a set of integrated circumstances, and that ideas have logical effects not properly limited to any one academic field.
Reality and logic do not come made-to-order with extra cheese, so you don't get a discount on them with a coupon. To make a good case, then, we must follow the rules of valid and sound reasoning.
pepperoni pizza Readmore »»
Cherry Cheesecake
cherry pie, cheesecake, vanilla extract
By Elizabeth Morgan
Looking for the perfect dessert to bring for Thanksgiving dinner or a deliciously sweet treat to impress an important date? Then a cherry cheesecake is your answer. This simple yet intricately flavorful cheesecake is great for both a big family lunch fest and a romantic dinner, especially with a light sparkling wine.
And no, forget about buying the cherry cheesecake. Why don’t you make one instead? With the right tools and this simple how-to, you’ll be able to put together a scrumptious cherry cheesecake in no time.
For the crust, you will need a cup of graham cracker crumbs, sugar (about three to four tablespoons is enough), and some melted butter. To make the cheesecake, you will need softened cream cheese and about three to four medium-sized eggs (both the eggs and the cream cheese should be at room temperature). You will also need about fifteen ounces of chilled, cherry pie-filling, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Now that you have all the ingredients on hand, you can start by making the crust. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, the melted butter and the sugar, and then force the mixture down into the bottom of a spring-form pan. Pop this in the oven and bake it at about 350 degrees for ten to twelve minutes.
While baking, go right on to making the cake. It’s a good idea to use an electric mixer to blend together the cream cheese, the eggs (remember to drop them in one by one), and then the vanilla and sugar. Once you get a firm consistency, bake it at about 450 degrees for ten minutes. Then, adjust the temperature to about 25 degrees lower and go on baking for another forty minutes.
You can then carefully take the cake off the pan and let the cake cool. Pop it in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least nine to twelve hours). Finally, generously spread the cherry filling over the cake.
cherry pie
cheesecake Readmore »»
By Elizabeth Morgan
Looking for the perfect dessert to bring for Thanksgiving dinner or a deliciously sweet treat to impress an important date? Then a cherry cheesecake is your answer. This simple yet intricately flavorful cheesecake is great for both a big family lunch fest and a romantic dinner, especially with a light sparkling wine.
And no, forget about buying the cherry cheesecake. Why don’t you make one instead? With the right tools and this simple how-to, you’ll be able to put together a scrumptious cherry cheesecake in no time.
For the crust, you will need a cup of graham cracker crumbs, sugar (about three to four tablespoons is enough), and some melted butter. To make the cheesecake, you will need softened cream cheese and about three to four medium-sized eggs (both the eggs and the cream cheese should be at room temperature). You will also need about fifteen ounces of chilled, cherry pie-filling, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Now that you have all the ingredients on hand, you can start by making the crust. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, the melted butter and the sugar, and then force the mixture down into the bottom of a spring-form pan. Pop this in the oven and bake it at about 350 degrees for ten to twelve minutes.
While baking, go right on to making the cake. It’s a good idea to use an electric mixer to blend together the cream cheese, the eggs (remember to drop them in one by one), and then the vanilla and sugar. Once you get a firm consistency, bake it at about 450 degrees for ten minutes. Then, adjust the temperature to about 25 degrees lower and go on baking for another forty minutes.
You can then carefully take the cake off the pan and let the cake cool. Pop it in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least nine to twelve hours). Finally, generously spread the cherry filling over the cake.
cherry pie
cheesecake Readmore »»
Friday
Iowa cheese co-op helps preserve a way of life
goat milk , cheesemaking
Rural Cooperatives
Like the blue cheese it produces, the Golden Ridge Cheese Cooperative had to age a while before it was ready to go.
Founded five years ago by 40 Old Order Amish dairy farmers in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, Golden Ridge was plagued by a series of production problems before the first blue cheese wheels were shipped from its 12,500-square-foot plant north of Cresco, Iowa, last January.
The Amish farmers invested more of their own capital into the plant, for a total of $1 million, and brought in Neville McNaughton, a New Zealand native and cheese consultant who now lives in St. Louis. Like the blue mold that turns the Amish milk into cheese, McNaughton's addition as general manager has turned the Golden Ridge co-op into a going operation.
The co-op got a big boost in July when its Schwarz und "Weiss natural rind blue cheese tied for first place in the blue cheese category of the American Cheese Society's annual contest held in Milwaukee.
The competition is "considered one of the world's most influential and prestigious competitions in recognizing the art of specialty cheesemaking," according to the American Cheese Society's Web site. Since the announcement of the award, McNaughton said, "Cheese is now flying out of here. People are calling us." Prospects at the co-op weren't so rosy when McNaughton first showed up at the Golden Ridge plant.
"This was a stalled project," he said.
"They couldn't decide how to get this up and running."
McNaughton did a three-day assessment of the operation and re-wrote the co-op's business plan. The co-op had been focused on making what McNaughton called commodity blue cheese. "We refocused the plant on making a quality product that plays to the strength of the milk," he said.
A $2 million loan guarantee was obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rural development agency [USDA Rural Development]. That loan guarantee allowed the co-op's bank to advance it more money to reconfigure the plant.
Dan Gingerich, an Old Order Amish dairy producer from Lanesboro, Minn., said the co-op members "didn't realize what we were getting into" when they decided to form the co-op and make cheese. The dairy, producers milk their small herds by hand and sell the milk in stainless steel cans weighing 80 pounds that hold just under 10 gallons of milk. The number of dairy, processors willing to handle their milk cans had dropped from five to one, Gingerich said, narrowing their marketing options considerably.
"I'm trying to hang on to the dairy," he said. "It got tougher to make a living on the farm than 20 years ago."
Forming a cooperative to produce cheese in a modern plant needed to be examined by leaders of the Old Order Amish, Gingerich said. For religious reasons, Old Order Amish do not use many kinds of modern machinery. Their lifestyle is best known for the horse-and-buggy transportation on which the Amish rely. "Our elders thought that in order to keep the family farms going, we needed to change," Gingerich said.
"We needed something like this so our children won't have to live on one or two acres and become factory workers. On the one hand, it might be a modern concept, but on the other hand, we needed to have something like the cheese plant to keep our way of life going."
With McNaughton on board and the American Cheese Society award, Gingerich said he thinks Golden Ridge has turned the corner. Golden Ridge makes three cheese products: Schwarz und Weiss, which means "black and white" in German; Harmony Blue, which has extra cream added, and Ultimate 50, which is half Amish cow milk and half goat milk supplied by Joy Peckham, whose Peckview Dairy Goats operation is near the plant.
Peckham sells the Golden Ridge cheese and her other dairy goat products at the Metro Market in Des Moines and the Des Moines Farmers Market.
"Last weekend, I sold everything I brought in from Golden Ridge in the first hour," Peckham said. "I wish I had brought more." Peckham said she hopes the Ultimate 50 cheese takes off so she can eventually sell to Golden Ridge all of the 500,000 pounds of goat milk produced annually by her goats. Now, she sells almost all of her goat milk to a plant in Illinois.
Steve Logsdon, owner of the Basil Prosperi Bakery in Des Moines, said Schwarz und Weiss is selling well out of his dairy case.
"We carry European blue cheeses and Australian blue cheeses, and we've had a really good response to the Golden Ridge cheese," Logsdon said. "People like the fact that it's from Iowa and that they are using their own milk." The Golden Ridge cheese also is priced competitively, he said, with a half-pound selling for $7 to $8, about the same as the nationally known Maytag blue cheese, the only other blue cheese made in Iowa.
Swiss Valley Farms, a farmer-owned cooperative with operations in Iowa, makes blue cheese at its plant in Mindoro, Wis. Myrna Ver Ploeg, president of Maytag Dairy Farms, said she did not think the Golden Ridge and Maytag blue cheeses can be compared. "Ours is so different because it is made by hand," Vet Ploeg said. "They are very different cheeses, and they satisfy different markets." Readmore »»
Rural Cooperatives
Like the blue cheese it produces, the Golden Ridge Cheese Cooperative had to age a while before it was ready to go.
Founded five years ago by 40 Old Order Amish dairy farmers in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, Golden Ridge was plagued by a series of production problems before the first blue cheese wheels were shipped from its 12,500-square-foot plant north of Cresco, Iowa, last January.
The Amish farmers invested more of their own capital into the plant, for a total of $1 million, and brought in Neville McNaughton, a New Zealand native and cheese consultant who now lives in St. Louis. Like the blue mold that turns the Amish milk into cheese, McNaughton's addition as general manager has turned the Golden Ridge co-op into a going operation.
The co-op got a big boost in July when its Schwarz und "Weiss natural rind blue cheese tied for first place in the blue cheese category of the American Cheese Society's annual contest held in Milwaukee.
The competition is "considered one of the world's most influential and prestigious competitions in recognizing the art of specialty cheesemaking," according to the American Cheese Society's Web site. Since the announcement of the award, McNaughton said, "Cheese is now flying out of here. People are calling us." Prospects at the co-op weren't so rosy when McNaughton first showed up at the Golden Ridge plant.
"This was a stalled project," he said.
"They couldn't decide how to get this up and running."
McNaughton did a three-day assessment of the operation and re-wrote the co-op's business plan. The co-op had been focused on making what McNaughton called commodity blue cheese. "We refocused the plant on making a quality product that plays to the strength of the milk," he said.
A $2 million loan guarantee was obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rural development agency [USDA Rural Development]. That loan guarantee allowed the co-op's bank to advance it more money to reconfigure the plant.
Dan Gingerich, an Old Order Amish dairy producer from Lanesboro, Minn., said the co-op members "didn't realize what we were getting into" when they decided to form the co-op and make cheese. The dairy, producers milk their small herds by hand and sell the milk in stainless steel cans weighing 80 pounds that hold just under 10 gallons of milk. The number of dairy, processors willing to handle their milk cans had dropped from five to one, Gingerich said, narrowing their marketing options considerably.
"I'm trying to hang on to the dairy," he said. "It got tougher to make a living on the farm than 20 years ago."
Forming a cooperative to produce cheese in a modern plant needed to be examined by leaders of the Old Order Amish, Gingerich said. For religious reasons, Old Order Amish do not use many kinds of modern machinery. Their lifestyle is best known for the horse-and-buggy transportation on which the Amish rely. "Our elders thought that in order to keep the family farms going, we needed to change," Gingerich said.
"We needed something like this so our children won't have to live on one or two acres and become factory workers. On the one hand, it might be a modern concept, but on the other hand, we needed to have something like the cheese plant to keep our way of life going."
With McNaughton on board and the American Cheese Society award, Gingerich said he thinks Golden Ridge has turned the corner. Golden Ridge makes three cheese products: Schwarz und Weiss, which means "black and white" in German; Harmony Blue, which has extra cream added, and Ultimate 50, which is half Amish cow milk and half goat milk supplied by Joy Peckham, whose Peckview Dairy Goats operation is near the plant.
Peckham sells the Golden Ridge cheese and her other dairy goat products at the Metro Market in Des Moines and the Des Moines Farmers Market.
"Last weekend, I sold everything I brought in from Golden Ridge in the first hour," Peckham said. "I wish I had brought more." Peckham said she hopes the Ultimate 50 cheese takes off so she can eventually sell to Golden Ridge all of the 500,000 pounds of goat milk produced annually by her goats. Now, she sells almost all of her goat milk to a plant in Illinois.
Steve Logsdon, owner of the Basil Prosperi Bakery in Des Moines, said Schwarz und Weiss is selling well out of his dairy case.
"We carry European blue cheeses and Australian blue cheeses, and we've had a really good response to the Golden Ridge cheese," Logsdon said. "People like the fact that it's from Iowa and that they are using their own milk." The Golden Ridge cheese also is priced competitively, he said, with a half-pound selling for $7 to $8, about the same as the nationally known Maytag blue cheese, the only other blue cheese made in Iowa.
Swiss Valley Farms, a farmer-owned cooperative with operations in Iowa, makes blue cheese at its plant in Mindoro, Wis. Myrna Ver Ploeg, president of Maytag Dairy Farms, said she did not think the Golden Ridge and Maytag blue cheeses can be compared. "Ours is so different because it is made by hand," Vet Ploeg said. "They are very different cheeses, and they satisfy different markets." Readmore »»
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