REUNION and CHEESE Medley

 This photo was taken in 1980.
Check out all the Reunion info at Question 6 below.


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Everything below this line is from the National Day Calendar website.

(My responses are in blue)

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NATIONAL CHEESE DAY – June 4th

NATIONAL CHEESE DAY

Moooove over whiners! June 4 is National Cheese Day!

 I am SO glad to hear that this is National Cheese Day.

Although I've never liked cheese curds (and they still allow me to call myself a Wisconsinite), I love CHEESE, and mostly hard cheeses. YUM!!

An encyclopedia of cheese will cover the alphabet and broaden your vocabulary. It will undoubtedly contain more varieties of cheese than what’s found at the local grocer. Cheese is produced from the pressed curds of milk. The milk can come from cows, buffalo, goats or sheep. Temperature and aging affect the flavor and texture of the cheese as well as spices and other seasonings added during the process.

The opportunity to go to a cheese tasting or visit a cheesemonger who is knowledgeable about pairings will improve your enjoyment of the cheese you choose.  Does Stilton melt? (I don't know, but Stilton with cranberries is delicious.) Can you serve Chévre with a salad? Be sure to ask questions and provide your preferences. Your favorite wine might find a new sidekick. You might discover a smokey spread to go with bruschetta or a tangy cheddar to pack with lunch.

In the United States, a road trip to Wisconsin isn’t out of the question for quality and variety. (I added the bold.) But, they aren’t the only place to find outstanding flavor and choice. Local delis have selections of domestic and imported cheeses, and independent shops offer a rotating inventory beckoning us to keep visiting to see what’s new.

You might want to visit the Hawes Creamery in Hawes, North Yorkshire. They give away lots of free samples of the many varieties of cheeses made right there. Delicious! And besides, it's the home of Wallace and Gromit!  You can't go wrong with that. 

Cheese samples at Hawes Creamery

I tried not to be too greedy.

Excellent as a snack on its own, cheese is also a perfect ingredient in pasta, soups, souffle, and many other recipes. We slap it on a sandwich cold but why stop there when it can be grilled and melted like this amazing Swiss and Tomato Grilled Cheese recipe.  When company comes to visit, nothing is better than a cheeseball, especially when bacon is added. 

(My grilled cheese link in #4 below includes recipes to both a bacon/jalapeno grilled cheese and a pepper jack/pesto grilled cheese. They're delicious!)

Grilled cheese with basil pesto on homemade bread

Too delicious!

Cheese is multinational, too! Every nation in the world has its own variety of cheese. Italy seems to have harnessed the market. They did add it to pizza, and that’s pretty amazing.  Savor the opportunity if you ever have the chance to taste cheeses from around the world. For example, hop on over to Greece.  They have this dessert called cheesecake. Delicious!

HOW TO OBSERVE

There are many ways to celebrate National Cheese Day.  Try a new recipe or take a risk and try a type of cheese you’ve never heard of before. Ask for recommendations from friends or share your favorites.  Make sure you post to social media using #NationalCheeseDay

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Everything above this line is from the National Day Calendar website.

 Aw Maaaa, do you always have to do your giraffe thing??
(cows just across the road)

1.  National Cheese Day is Tuesday, rather than Wednesday, but I think we should celebrate cheese this week!!  Let's start by sharing your favorite cheese with us.  Which one is always in your fridge?

My favorite is probably Dubliner. It's almost always on hand.

2.  What is your preference? Mild, Sharp, or Extra Sharp?  How do you use cheese most often?

Sharp or extra sharp is my favorite. Most often used simply by cutting a chip off the old block.

 Evening grazing

just across the road

3.  Cheesecake?  New York style or what other flavors would you rather have?

Plain cheesecake drizzled with crushed strawberries. Yeah, that would be good.

4.  When you do grilled cheese sandwiches, which cheese do you prefer to use and what condiments do you use, if any?

See photo above. That basil pesto added to the grilled pepper jack cheese is amazing!  RECIPE HERE .

5.  Number 5 on June 5th... Say happy birthday to my sister, Tammy!!

Happy Birthday, Tammy!!

6.  Share something with us about your week. If it includes using cheese in a recipe, please also share that with us too!!

The big excitement of our week was on Sunday when we were reunited with a summer exchange student from Mexico who had lived with us for three months way back in 1980!

Out of the blue, I got an Instagram message from him that read, 'Guess where I am. Viroqua.'

WHAT?? He was in Viroqua, Wisconsin??? That's only three hours from us, although at the time I got this message we were on our way to Wausau. When I found out how long he was going to be in Viroqua, I texted both our son and our daughter who had been his playmates that first time we'd met in the summer of 1980, to see if they could drive the next day to Viroqua to meet Daniel. We'd not seen him since December of 1983. Our daughter drove up from Madison and our son over from Stewart, MN. We drove from Wausau, and all met at Culver's.

From summer of 1980:

 Look at those cute kids!
Photo at the Barron County Historical Society Museum

 From left: Daniel, Angela, Kevy

 I think this photo was taken on the ferry at Bayfield

 AND...

Here they are now!

From left:
Angela, Daniel, Kevy, and Daniel's lovely Lizette

 Even Mr. C. and I were young once upon a time.

 Daniel's little grandson in the foreground

No, it's not like we've been corresponding all this time. So it was such an incredible SURPRISE AND GIFT from God that we got to see him again. He was in Wisconsin for his stepson's high school graduation. And Viroqua of all places, the town where Mr. C was born and the ancestral region - Viroqua/Westby. Thank you to our daughter and son and grandson for driving the few hours (each way) to be part of this reunion.

Daniel and his family are living in San Miguel Allende, Mexico (real people get to live there???!!! - it's gorgeous!) where he traded in the life of an architect for the life of a restaurant entrepreneur. It sounds like he loves it there and is happy with his family and his life. And that makes me happy.

 Somewhere in San Miguel Allende

I remember expecting to see Truman Capote there. Not sure why.

BUT, a funny story here: We visited Daniel's family in late 1983 (they graciously took us many places, including San Miguel Allende, in Mexico and we had an incredible once-in-a-lifetime adventure with them!) and our younger daughter was born in September of 1984. Daniel's mother is convinced that she was named after Daniel and his brother, Carlos, hence, Dänika. Actually, I had never even thought of that. I saw the name Danica in a baby name book and liked it -  but now I'm beginning to wonder if subconsciously that is what attracted me to that name. Hmmmmmm.

 ***

 Tommy & Smokey love napping in the screen room, now that warmer weather is here.

Only THREE DAYS until their potential new caregiver arrives.

:-((((((((

As I wrote last time, I will be sure to let you know how that meeting goes.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning 

Thanks for the Medley, Terri!