M. Suzanne Terry

I just sat here for ten minutes trying to come up with a witty title for this post. But then I said to myself, “Self, it’s finals week. Forget the wit and move on.”

Today, I’m going to talk about cheese.

I’ve been reading cookbooks lately – even more so than usual – and the recipes that get me the most excited are the ones where cheese is a significant part of the show. So when Andi suggested to our writing group that we write about cheese this week, I knew I could meet that challenge.

I love cheese.

I love the way it melts and oozes. I love the way it binds things together in my favorite baked comfort foods. I’ve already written my ode to goat cheese, but today, I bring you ten things I’m excited to try with cheese when classes are finished and I have time to cook again.

1. Harvest Breakfast Braid – So I’m totally going to replace the cranberries with dried apricots and replace the apples with peaches (because seasons), but this looks delicious.
2. Goat. Cheese. Risotto. If a person were to design the perfect comfort food for me, this would be it. And if I manage to have leftover risotto (because no to the fast risotto…just no)…
3. Kale and Goat Cheese Risotto Cakes – I would like to think that I would make these for appetizers to share. But that would require me NOT to eat all the risotto and then NOT to eat all the fried things before the guests arrived. This might be the greatest feat of willpower I have ever conquered.
4. Ham and Gruyere Thumbprints – A savory answer to one of my favorite cookies. We might skip the ham.
5. Mediterranean Dip – Oh, feta. I love you so.
6. Pizza Pasta Casserole – One big bucket of happiness.
7. Caprese Skillet Eggs – I love this for sentimental multiple reasons. First, I just love a caprese anything. It’s hard to mess that up. Second, I love eggs. Third, one skillet = easy cleanup. This is something I would make when I wake up late enough to still want breakfast but it’s almost time for lunch.
8. Breakfast Enchiladas – They had me at “cheese sauce.” And “enchiladas.” And “breakfast.” Basically, they just have me.
9. Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta – WHAT?! There’s at least three kinds of happiness in that dish.
10. Any (or all) of these grilled cheese sandwiches – Think you can’t improve on just bread and cheese? Click on that link and bask in the glory of how wrong you are. Deliciously, fantastically wrong.

What are some of your favorite things to do with cheese?