Cheese Bar!

Finally! The kind of bar I can get behind! Murray's Cheese Bar in the village. Ugh! Why is everything cool in NYC!!!???

All day I dream of dinner parties

DIY Chalkboard Cheese Tray

Was this craft invented just for me?!?! I think so.

Unless you are a cheese

Cheese Cake

Brilliant.

At our 25th anniversary party, 23 years from now, we should totally have a cake of cheeses.

The Perfect Cheese Plate, according to Gwyneth

This is actually a great education in cheese, from Gwyneth Paltrow (of all people)...

And now I want cheese.

Cheese Heaven

{found here}

Cheeeeese

This is the lunch of my dreams

I want all of it, including that fork-tine-parmesan label. Seriously, how cool is that.

Pretty Cheese

Every time I make a cheese plate I want to take a picture. It's just so beautiful.

Am I taking this cheese snobbery thing too far?

Modernist Cheese Portrait

Seriously, I had two thoughts when I saw this image:

1) Ooo! Cheese!

2) Rothko?

Cheese & Cherries

On our ongoing pursuit of cheese snobbery, Husband and I have been scouring the greater Provo area in search of a decent cheese counter. Sunflower market was a bust, as was Smith's. There are no Trader Joe's or WholeFoods to be found.

And then we discovered Harmon's and we almost threw a party right there in the store. They have a cheese counter, like a real live wheels-of-cheese-cut-into-wedges-from-all-over-the-world cheese counter! They still wrap their cheese in plastic, bleh, but it was by far the best thing we've found yet. (Although I hear a rumor that there is a nice little cheese place in Midway? I'll be looking into it...) So we picked up a gouda, a brie and a bleu, and spent the remainder of the evening erupting into giggles and yelling out "Cheese!" to each other from across the apartment.

And today, this was my afternoon snack. It was delicious.

The cheeses are Rembradt Gouda and Brie Fromage Meaux Rouzaire. The gouda is a really nice, flavorful, aged gouda - not too sharp and not too flat. The brie is a really nice soft texture, and it starts with that soft buttery brie taste, but then it ends with a little bit of an edge to it. The fresh cherries were a really nice balance to the brie.

And our rampant cheese snobbery is back on track!

UrbanCheesecraft

Make my own cheese?! Um, YES.

Ferry Building Marketplace

Now, I'd just like to say that there was more to this vacation than food, but Northern California is the mecca of the artisan food world and it would just be a crime not to take advantage of that.

Therefore, our first stop in San Francisco was the Ferrry Building Marketplace. It was kind of like Oxbow, except bigger and louder. And with macarons.

Husband and I were very impressed with the amazing selection and service at Cowgirl Creamery. We made some significant additions to our cheese stash and went home very very happy.

The other highlight of the Marketplace was Miette. I finally tried macarons and I was blown away. Soft yet crispy little magical bits of deliciousness. We tried pistacchio, chocolate lavender, vanilla and hazelnut.

Oxbow Market

One of my favorite stops along along our trip was at Oxbow Market in Napa.

We were just looking for a great cheese shop and stumbled upon this amazing little market. It was a big open room with cafe's, fresh produce stands, olive oil sellers and yes, amazing cheese.

Everything was fresh and delicious looking. It felt like all the best parts of Napa Valley in one amazing little market.

I nominate that they build one of these in every town I will ever live in. Starting now.

Dear Universe, that means you have one month to put one in Provo. Ready, set, go.

John Raymond

This is John Raymond.

John is one of the world's leading experts in cheese and one of the gate keepers of the true art of cheese making.

During our trip we were fortunate enough to attend a tasting with John, and we learned a ton. If you are serious about cheese, this is the best place to start.

Cheese Snobs

Husband and I have recently decided to become cheese snobs. We want to know the difference between all of the fancy dance cheeses and where they come from and what they taste good with.

Just last night, Husband ordered what I am calling our "textbooks." Once we give them a whirl I'll let you know if they are helpful.

So considering our recent goal of cheese snobbery, we I checked up on Joanna this afternoon, I was surprised to see her post about cheese! And then I looked back and noticed her last cheese post that I totally missed.

Weird. Sometimes I wonder if becoming submersed in the blogging world is about sharing individual and unique ideas... Or whether its turning into blogging groupthink and we're all becoming homogenized.

At any rate, you should totally become a cheese snob too. Everybody's doing it.

Fancy Cheese

Nothing makes me feel sophisticated like eating fancy cheese.

The United States of Cheese

This fancy little etsy shop sells cutting boards in the shape of states.

Awesome, right?

*Lesson learned: If you cut something in the shape of a state, people will buy it.

Look closely at the boards for my favorite detail... You can have your little heart of start custom placed to represent the town you call your own.

{via Cup of Jo via I *Heart* You via Happiness Is...}

Roasted Vegetables and Polenta

IKF is a wonderful husband. The way our schedules are arranged right now, he gets home before me everyday and makes dinner. This week however, I requested two nights of the kitchen to myself to try out some of the recipes that I uncovered in our new cook books. (Yay for wedding presents!)

I wish I had taken pictures because it was so pretty! But alas, a description will have to suffice and you'll have to see for yourself.

This entire preparation took less than 30 mins and was delicious. I am so thrilled to find ways to eat that are healthy (vegetable based, low-fat), affordable (no obscure and expensive ingredients), sophisticated (not tuna casserole or top ramen) and quick (30 mins max).

Shopping list:
Various vegetables - The more variety you have the less you need of each.
     This time I picked up:
     One small zucchini
     One small red onion
     One red bell pepper
     One handful of fresh green beans
Fresh rosemary (optional, but adds a neat flavor)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Polenta (They sell this pre-made in tubes, but I couldn't find any. The dry kind only took 10 mins to make in the microwave however)
Goat Cheese or similar (This time I used Boursin. It is easy to find in the cheese section and I wanted to use it in another recipe this week. It is really flavorful, a little goes a long way.)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400
Step 2: Make polenta in microwave according to the instructions on the package, pour into a dish (I used an 8 in square pyrex) and put it in the fridge to cool and firm.
Step 3: Chop the vegetables into bite size pieces. Throw them together in a bowl and drizzle in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Make sure they are well coated, this recipe goes south when the vegetables get dry because they weren't covered.
Step 4: Spread the vegetables on an aluminum covered baking sheet, salt and pepper to taste, add a sprinkle of rosemary leaves. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 20 mins.
Step 5: Pull out the polenta, turn over on a cutting board and cut into pieces. I cut the 8 inch square pan into four pieces. I like the larger, thicker polenta. Brown the polenta in a skillet on high heat using butter or olive oil.
Step 6: Assemble. Polenta on the plate, vegetables on top of the polenta, sprinkle with the goat cheese. Bon Appetite.

I turned out really well. IKF loved it. I was proud of myself.

Although next time I'm going to use a little more balsamic vinegar on the vegetables..