Giveaway: Wisconsin Cheese Serving Set
We love serving Wisconsin Cheese as a simple weeknight meal, morning breakfast or afternoon snack. In our new Cheese Cupid videos, Wisconsin Cheese is paired with a favorite libation for any simple occasion. To celebrate our new Cheese Cupid stories, we’re giving away a Wisconsin Cheese Serving Set today.
How to Enter:
Answer the following question in the comments section below –
Which Cheese Cupid video is your favorite?
- One entry will be chosen at random
- Giveaway ends Friday, May 18, at 5 p.m. EST
- Winner will be notified by email
- One entry per household; U.S. only
A Peaceful Night
by Ashley of Not Without Salt
My Cheese Cupid story is that a night alone is so rare that it deserves to be celebrated. At least that’s my logic. I’m the sort who makes celebrations out of a completed task, a clean house, a full night of sleep and Wednesdays. I heartily welcome Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and National Pie Day because they are an excuse for making the day feel special, chocolate, Irish stout and pie. Life needs celebrations, and for me a night to myself is more than enough reason for something special.
Cooking for myself is a completely different experience than when I have four other mouths to please. I spend much of the day calling upon my cravings and gathering ingredients for whatever it is I want. The food is often simple but plentiful. My favorite meals are those that involve many tastes and the idea is to simply graze the plate. Which is why a cheese plate is often my meal of choice alone.
A couple of Wisconsin cheeses – Gorgonzola and Les Frères – dried fruits, toasted nuts and a few haphazardly broken pieces of dark chocolate are my idea of the perfect meal. A light salad on the side helps lessen the guilt and rounds out the richness nicely. With crusty bread and hearty crackers I break into the cheeses, creating different combinations of flavors and tastes, leisurely researching which is my favorite – try a bite of pungent and sweet Wisconsin Gorgonzola with dried apricot and chocolate, or toasted walnuts drizzled with honey paired with Wisconsin Les Frères.
I linger over the meal with a Belgian beer in one hand and a good book in the other. The silence is almost as enjoyable as the meal. When the celebration and cheese are finished, I relish the satisfaction of feeling full and being refreshed at that time.
The Daily Grind
by Holly of The Healthy Everythingtarian
Have you ever had one of “those days” when all you want to do after work is head straight to the grocery store and buy the biggest block of cheese and most gargantuan bottle of wine you can find?
Oh wait. Is that just me?
Seriously, sometimes the daily grind is just too much! I don’t know about you, but something as simple as a small paper cut can suddenly send me and my already frizzy hair into a stress-induced frenzy when coupled with looming deadlines, to-do lists and not nearly enough cups of coffee.
That is why I am glad there is always Wisconsin Cheese and wine. If I have learned one thing in life, it’s that cheese and wine cure all.
So, if you find yourself having one of those days, may I suggest going to the grocery store, buying a block of Wisconsin Sartori Raspberry BellaVitano, a high-quality chocolate bar (nothing below 60% cacao, please), a small bag of almonds, one jar of Nutella, and the freshest, most wonderful-smelling baguette you can find.
Slather the bread with a rich smear of Nutella. Slice your cheese – a Cheddar-Parmesan hybrid soaked in New Glarus Raspberry Tart ale – into thin slices. Pour yourself a (large) glass of riesling and take one almond, a small piece of chocolate and a slice of Raspberry BellaVitano and…go to town!
It’s like a dessert tray for one. Just for you. To enjoy whenever the daily grind has got you down. Or whenever – because, as Cheese Cupid Cinema teaches us, do we really need a reason to pair cheese and wine?
Front Porch Pairings
by Matt of Have Her Over for Dinner
I’ve always been a sucker for dining en plein air – and now that the beautiful spring weather is officially upon us, I thought it prudent to gather up a group of friends for an afternoon twilight hour filled with conversation, wine and, of course, great cheese.
Assembling such a front porch gathering is my favorite form of dining with friends. Instead of slaving away for hours in a kitchen, I like to carefully put together a board of varying ingredients – each delicious in their own right. Be advised, however, that this is not simply an opportunity to clean out the pantry. Rather, I like to put quite a bit of thought into everything that hits my plate.
First and foremost, it’s important to remember that your meal (or, in this instance, cheese platter) will only be as good as your ingredients. Inspired by Wisconsin Cheese Cupid’s new Cheese Cinema videos, I started out with a 10-year aged Wisconsin Cheddar and a reserve German-style Wisconsin Blue cheese as my base. Ah, life is good.
From there, I added in some fresh fruit, providing a nice bit of acidity to cut the sharpness of the cheese. Blackberries and kiwi provided a colorful and unique flavor profile to accompany these selections. Of course, I always like to include some local honey to help sweeten the deal.
Finally, I finished everything off with some extra-dry Italian salami along with some toasted bread slices to create the perfect bite to round out this fantastic platter. Serve with either a light pinot noir or an oak-aged chardonnay. You and your guests are sure to enjoy the very best of food, friendship and life. Bon appétit.
Sweet & Savory Breakfast Crepes
by Megan of Take a Megabite
Breakfast is my favorite – and crepes filled with cheesy goodness are one of my main go-to weekend breakfasts (or dinners!). I really love them because they can be savory or sweet – and honestly, I can never really decide which I’d rather have at breakfast time, so why not have some of both?
For savory crepes, I used Wisconsin Gruyère, roasted mushrooms, prosciutto and avocado slices. Gruyère is just such a dreamy cheese. You can crisp up the prosciutto, but no pressure.
Then for my sweet tooth, I stirred together Wisconsin Ricotta, lemon zest and honey, and served it with jam and berries. They are just sweet enough – fresh and lovely.
Both of these crepe creations were inspired by Wisconsin Cheese Cupid and their Cheese Cupid Cinema– what better way to pair delicious Wisconsin cheeses than for breakfast, in sweet and savory crepes, with a side of OJ.
by Megan of Take a Megabite
Serves 4
Crepes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
Savory
5 ounces mushrooms, roasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups Wisconsin Gruyère, grated
1 ounce prosciutto
1 avocado, sliced
Sweet
1 1/2 cups Wisconsin Ricotta cheese
Zest from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons honey, to taste
3/4 cup strawberry jam
1 cup strawberries, quartered
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the mushrooms with a tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and wrap in foil until time to serve.
Meanwhile, make crepes. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the milk, eggs and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.
Heat a frying pan/nonstick skillet on the stove at medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 cup batter into the pan at a time, twirling the pan so the crepe batter thins and spreads out evenly. Flip when top is almost set. Remove from pan 30 seconds after flipping and place on a cookie sheet in a 200-degree F oven. Spray the pan with more cooking spray every few crepes to prevent sticking.
When all crepes are done, divide savory mushroom filling among half of the crepes. Top each crepe with Wisconsin Gruyère , prosciutto and avocado slices. Roll up and place seam-side down on a plate.
Spread jam on the remaining crepes to make sweet crepes. Stir the ricotta, lemon zest and honey together. Spread over the jam and top with strawberries. Roll up and place seam-side down on the plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Giveaway: Wisconsin Cheese Slicer
GIVEAWAY CLOSED – Congratulations to Pat, Brenna, Craig, Angela, Jessica, Amelia, Kelly, Lisa, Melody and Randy
Four Grilled Cheese Tips
Today’s the last day of April, and National Grilled Cheese Month has been going strong.
Have you entered our Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Contest yet?
If not, don’t fret. The recipe contest continues until May 8. So enter today!
Need some tips? We’ve collected several.
- Think outside of the box when trying new cheeses on your grilled cheese sandwich – Wisconsin Cheese Curds and Feta are creative alternatives to the common Cheddar cheese.
- For a little extra something, coat the outside of your sandwich with a French-toast-style bread dip or Italian bread crumbs. Yum.
- Use more than one type of cheese on your sandwich. Why? Why not?
- Cut your grilled cheese in quarters and share your masterpiece with a best bud.
(Week One Tips & Week Two Tips.)
Three Ways: Asparagus
Spring is all about asparagus. Fresh, crisp and bursting with flavor, asparagus is the perfect addition to countless Wisconsin Cheese dishes. Get creative with your asparagus recipes this month. Here are our three ways to enjoy this delicious vegetable with Wisconsin Cheese.
A fantastic breakfast on a warm spring morning – try a Wisconsin Gouda, Asparagus & Mushroom Omelet. Delicious.
Wisconsin Gruyère, Asparagus and Prosciutto Pizza may just be the next crowd-pleasing treat you’ve been searching for to really “wow” guests at your next get-together.
Asparagus Bundles with Wisconsin Camembert Dressing – yum.
Giveaway: Grilled Cheese Creation Set
Four Grilled Cheese Tips
Craving a grilled cheese sandwich yet?
We’re famished.
Luckily, there’s still plenty of time to enter our Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Contest, and though there are no rules when designing your favorite grilled cheese sandwich, here are some tips for certain deliciousness. (More tips.)
- Mix sweet and savory – try using sweet bread and hearty, savory fillers such as bacon or Wisconsin Blue cheese.
- Soft cheeses go a long way – Wisconsin Mascarpone makes for a sweet filling.
- Cover your sandwich during the cooking process. This will help the cheese melt faster and more evenly.
- Different cheeses will call for different cooking times – a soft cheese will heat up and spread quickly, while a harder cheese will need a longer time to melt.
