Bonding over perilous cheese experiences

This Thursday past, I had an appointment to go to with my orthopedist, so I left work and went home for a bit of lunch before I went to the purgatory known as a doctor’s waiting room.

I heated up some canned soup and made a grilled cheese sandwich.  Due to a recent ridiculous foray into the cheese area of Whole Foods, I walked away with raw milk, cave-aged Emmenthaler cheese.  It sounded exciting, and for eight bucks for a sizable block, it had better be.

Well, I guess the cave-aged technique doesn’t sit well with my stomach.  Since I’m lactose-intolerant, I can tolerate a certain amount of cheese, so I wasn’t worried about the amount in a grilled cheese sandwich much.  So it was surprising that I couldn’t finish either the soup or the sandwich.

And then… it began.

My stomach made rumbling similar to what might have been heard on the streets of Pompeii moments before disaster.  I couldn’t move.  I couldn’t eat.  I just wanted to curl up until my stomach was done rioting against me.  I had to call the doctor’s office and let them know I wasn’t going to be able to make it.  So I called and left a message, and yes, I did mention I made a poor cheese choice for lunch that day.

Within the hour, I got a call back from one of the staff members in charge of the appointments.  She called me back quickly, not to reschedule, but to relate her *own* bad experience with what she deemed some “stinky cheese” at a wine tasting event.  She told me, “Oh, I completely understand!  That cheese was so good, but I did not feel good the next day!”

So, Kat from the doctor’s office and I bonded over the phone with our cheese-eating mishaps.  It’s just one of those ways food can bring strangers closer together.

Happy Inauguration Day

I’ve never wished anyone a Happy Inauguration Day.  This is the first time ever, and hopefully, it won’t be the last.  I left work early today to watch the inauguration on television, and Barack Obama’s inauguration speech was very moving.

There is so much work set forward for President Obama, and all of us as US citizens: war, climate change, energy consumption, international relations.  Also, cheese.  Prior to leaving office, Dubya has put forth legislation to increase the tariff for Roquefort cheese to 300 percent.  Seriously, what the hell?  It’s bad enough young raw-milk cheese is verboten in the United States (see Illegal Cheese), but now Roquefort!  Roquefort!  I haven’t even tried it, to be honest, but it looks good!

Hopefully, Obama will rectify this situation.

In more inaugural-food news, NPR has an article, Charity Organization Helps with Inaugural Meals, which features Michelle Obama’s Shortbread Cookie recipe.  It certainly sounds good.  I love shortbread cookies, and these cookies seem a lot more dressed up than the cookies I’ve made in the past.  I don’t know if I’ll make them anytime soon, as I normally don’t have cake flour on hand (although I know cake flour can be substituted with all-purpose with a bit of measuring and mixing), but anything that blends lemon and orange zest together is a happy thing.

Also, Slashfood has a little list of the wine President Obama had at today’s luncheon.  All things considered, the cost of each bottle is actually very modest–even I can afford them, exception being the 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir at $50.  Another point of note is that these bottles are all American picks.  According to the Bloomberg article the Slashfood article cites, “Only U.S. wines are served at all events, a policy since the Carter administration.”

Yesterday I hosted a potluck, and it turned out well.  Thanks to everyone who came; it was good to see some folks I haven’t seen in a while.  The apartment Clark and I share really wasn’t meant to hold as many people as it did, but it was good fun.  There was LOADS of food, and there still is; our fridge is packed with mac n’ cheese, risotto, broccoli casserole, pasta salad, soda… we couldn’t fit Clark’s chili in our fridge (it’s in Marie and Mike’s fridge now), and we have cornbread and root beer cake on the table.

Does anyone want to come by for some leftovers?

Clark’s chili was a big hit, and it looks like my root beer cake sustained some damage from potluckers who managed to save a little room for dessert.  I was still icing the thing when people arrived, but at least I finished it in time for Jeanette to put her samosas, salsa and egg dish on the table I cleared off.  Fran and Joe brought siopao from one of the Asian groceries, and I may have a few boxes of those in my fridge or freezer (oooh!).  My parents brought the broccoli casserole and pasta salad, which will likely be my dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow.  In addition to the root beer bundt cake I made from the book Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, which I received from Clark for the holidays, I made mac n’ cheese and blueberry cornbread.  

If you happened to miss it, you can hear President Obama’s inaugural speech on NPR.

Thanksgivnin’s

Right now is not the best time to have to be at the grocery store, but unless you have somehow finagled out of doing any cooking or baking this holiday, you likely have to buy something.  And, chances are, that something may be something the store is completely out of, like the buttermilk and organic cranberries I was looking for at the biggie Whole Foods at the intersection of Sand Lake and Turkey Lake.  Completely out.  Lucky for me, I had a box of organic cranberries already, and I know that one can often replace buttermilk with sour cream (although you may need to add a liquid, like whole milk, to the batter), which I did for the cranberry cornbread I made at a potluck Thanksgiving dinner I went to yesterday with Clark.  It was a work party, so there was quite a bit of shop talk I didn’t participate much in.

By the way, I had to call in from work this morning because something I ate or drank didn’t agree with my stomach.  I’m better after some Publix Tums and a nap, but my stomach is still a bit dodgy.  Tonight’s dinner menu will likely be regulated to soup and garlic naan, coupled with tea, or perhaps some hot oatmeal with cinnamon and ginger.  As of this weekend, I’m loosely following a diet based on Chinese Food Therapy to ameliorate a dampness issue I have that could be inhibiting the healing of my joints.  It’s a long story to get into, but basically I have been ordered to avoid cold salads and potatoes in any form (although I think sweet potatoes are okay), and eat hot foods and drink hot beverages as much as possible.

Anyhoot, although the potluck is behind me, the holiday itself looms, and even though the holiday will be spent as a micro-meal with my mother and me, that’s no excuse not to get a little fancy-pants.  I’d like to make more cranberry cornbread, assuming I can find organic cranberries.  If not, I may resort to the frozen blueberries I have in the freezer.  Although I have leftover’s from last night’s party, I kind of want to make a fresh batch for my ma and I, because that way she can keep any leftovers for later snacking and also for my father, who’s working that day.

Also, there’s this wonderful dish I found while perusing my old copies of Everyday Food called Spinach-and-Cheese Puff.  It was in last year’s November issue, and I’d really like to give it a go.  It’s a large dish that serves eight, but I’m not sure if I want to try and half it since I’ve never made it before.  Plus, this would make great leftovers.  The recipe calls for Gruyere cheese, but after perusing Wikipedia, I think I can use a variety of somewhat similar cheeses which may be cheaper at the store: Comte, Beaufort, Fontina, Gouda, Taleggis, Emmental, Edam.  The Publix on 17-92 near Krispy Kreme had Gruyere, but it was $12 for a block of it, so I may need to amend the recipe in favour of cheese that’s a bit less expensive.  Plus, I could also throw in some not-so-similar cheeses for a contrasting flavour and texture.

So, tonight, I’ll be braving Whole Foods once more for frozen spinach, half-and-half, fancy cheese, organic cranberries, and perhaps another dozen eggs to be on the safe side.  I’ll be opting for the closer Whole Foods on Aloma Avenue, which I imagine will be full of shoppers getting ingredients for their own Thanksgivings.

Early birthday celebrations

Yesterday, my friends Marie and Mike held an early birthday party for me.  Marie, who is the party planning queen among our troupe, asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday a few weeks back, and it was tough coming up with something somewhat original.  I mean, my birthday is actually Wednesday, the 27th, which makes an inconvenient time to stay up and drink/party for those of us who work the following day, which would have been everyone.  Even I can’t stay up late, since I’ve got to be at the airport at 5 am in the morning Thursday to go to Seattle.

Since I’d be in Seattle on the weekend after my birthday, that left the weekend prior.  I opted for something that would enable a small gathering of folks to get together and hang out.  Thus, the idea for a cheese party was born.  This was the e-mail I sent to my friends whom I invited:
 
Subject:  for my birthday, we’re cutting the cheese

Hey there, movers and shakers. 

To celebrate the momentous occasion of my divine birth, hostess-with-the-mostess Marie will be holding a cheese party this Sunday, the 24th, at the MMM Mansion on Ferncreek at 5 pm.  She has asked me to send out invites to people, and here it is: an invitation.

So, your presence is requested at ~~~ Ferncreek Avenue on Sunday, August 24th, at 5 pm Eastern Standard Time.  Please bring along the following items:

1. A tasty block of cheese

2. A tasty beverage accompaniment suitable for quaffing down with cheese and crackers, which means no bad beer.

Because we are in a recession, I will completely understand if you cannot manage to bring one of the above items, but at the very least, bring along a hunk of cheese.  My birthday (which is actually on the 27th) will be used as an occasion for us to all get together and try out different nibblies we normally don’t get around to enjoying often, especially some of the more exotic, fancy cheeses in the Whole Foods cheese bin (but you don’t have to go to Whole Foods for your block of dairy goodness).  If you’d like to bring a friend, please ask that he or she contribute to the cheese education cause, or perhaps some crackers, fruit, magic dippy stuff, or drinks.

For beer and cheese pairings, feel free to refer to this article for ideas: Delicate Pairings of Beer and Cheese.  For those of you who may only think of cheese as Velveeta, which I don’t think is any of you, this article on Cheese Varieties can help you get started on making a selection.  If you’d like to bring along some other accompaniments, here’s a Guide to Cheese Condiments.

Please RSVP, and let me know if you’re bringing along any guests.

 

Anyway, naturally the e-mail went out to more recipients than attendees… in fact I think only my friend Kate replied for her and Rob.  Yep, this is why Kate is on my speed dial–not only will she bring you back jam from the wilds of Tennessee, but she will let you know that she’ll be somewhere, or not.  Ah well, my group of friends is tiny and small, but they’ve got spirit, and I had a fantastic time with a kick-ass cake and loads of different types of cheese.

Seriously, the cake was the shit: a chocolate cake with buttercream frosting lookin’ like a cheese round, complete with fondant mice and a fondant cat, just ‘cuz.  I’m sure once people see the cake, and all the cheese, they’ll wish they were there at Mike & Marie’s, too.

Even better, Marie took all the leftover cheese and crackers and made a fabulous mac n’ cheese this evening that was superb, it was like the party continued the next evening with a guest who couldn’t make it the previous night. 

I’d like to thank everyone who showed up yesterday evening, and a big high-five to Kate for the pillows, Mike and Marie for the cookbook and for hosting the event, and a squeeze for Hao… because he’s Hao.

But my birthday doesn’t end there!  There’s the monthly office “cake day” tomorrow in my department for everyone whose birthday is this month (four of us), then on Wednesday, I have Ethiopian food to look forward to with my parents for lunch, and after that, Seattle and Debbie’s wedding!  I might get to go out to dinner on my birthday, too.  I won’t push it, though.  At the very least, I think it’s high time I make some madeleines with my pan I bought last month prior to my wrist injury.

Happy birthday to me.