Cheese

The Lady, The Man and I traveled north in a rental car this week… with me stuffed in that darn box… to the trendy Seattle neighborhood known as the Kingdom of Ballard… where the hippies of days gone-by roam and cheese lovers of all ages sigh in relief that a new Murray’s Cheese Shop is opening tomorrow to bring them the best selection of specialty cheeses from the friendliest cheesemongers known to man… Yep, The Lady was right there at the epicenter of cheese, slinging away with her “Cheese Children”, Jennae and Doug, and the extraordinary CheeseMaster, Samantha and her team of crack mongers… getting ready for their Grand Opening, tomorrow at 11am. If you live anywhere near Ballard, be sure you drop in to Freddy’s and pick-up some of the specials: Crave Brothers Fresh Mozzarella Balls on BOGO; Beecher’s Flagship at an amazing $9.99 a pound with their crackers also on special BOGO. Brie de Margaux wheels are also Buy One, Get One Free. There will be cupcakes at 11am and samples galore… at Murray’s Cheese Shops you can try anything they sell before you fork over the dollars… it doesn’t get any cheesier than that… Be sure to let Will…I…Am delight you with his cheese stories… most of which you shouldn’t believe… and tell him “The Cat Sent Me”. Fred Meyer in Ballard is located at 915 NW 45th St, Seattle, WA 98107, Store Phone Number: (206) 297-4300 View Ballard Fred Meyer in a larger map

At the counter of Max & Moritz. I’m afraid I dropped out of the döner race after only my second one in Berlin. A friend had warned me that there’s only so much greasy meat one can take, and I didn’t believe her. Maybe that’s why I failed to move past two döners, maybe it’s because there was so much other food to try, or maybe it’s because I’m just not cut out for döner. Whatever the case is, the establishment I chose, following several recommendations, was the Max and Moritz (“M&M”) stand underneath the Charlottenburg S-bahn station. I had had a döner at Mustafa’s, but this time, I opted for the durum version—essentially the same thing as a classic döner, but bigger and wrapped in a large flatbread. Service was fast, with an element of trickery. Carrots, onions, and herbs were neatly ordered in rows behind the counter, but when I told the man behind the counter that I wanted vegetables, the “real” stuff they served—cabbage and various chopped vegetables, were hidden behind those rows. It wasn’t major transgression, but it kind of threw me off. But hey, the durum cost something like 3,80 euro —so much food for so few euros! The guy at the counter piled on the sauces and thin slices of grilled chicken, rolled everything into a hefty package, and I was sent off to enjoy lunch in the sun. Durum! I took a bite, and another. The cucumber, carrots, and cabbage gave it much-appreciated crunch, while the meat was tender with just a bit of crunch along the grilled edges. Each döner place has its secret sauce recipes, and these were explosively good—tangy, creamy, spicy, and garlicky. I kept on munching until I suddenly noticed just how salty everything was, just how greasy the meat was, just how sated I was. And so, with that, the race to find the best Berlin döner ended. As delicious as this experience was, I knew my stomach was ready to explore other foods. Compared to Mustafa’s, M&M’s concoction was much saltier and heavier. There were no roasted potatoes and no spritz of lime, two elements I adored in Mustafa’s döner. Obviously, there’s no one way to make a döner, but M&M’s was a little too one-dimensional for my taste. Musafa’s wins this round. I’m going to have to come back and maybe enlist some help to try out the other great döner places! The goods.

This post is sponsored by Cracker Barrel Cheese. My passion for cheese. The “official” story behind the blog is that a small cheese shop opened in my old neighborhood, and Jill and I set out to sample every cheese in the case. We attended classes as often as they were offered and our love affair with fermented milk grew along with the shop — which, like us, has now spread to two locations. Jill moved away to Minnesota, and our sharing of cheese became virtual. In truth, though, it was a childhood memory that inspired my passion for gathering together over cheese. My grandparents used to visit us in Oregon for a month or so in the summers, driving their Airstream across country to temporarily take up residence in our gravel driveway. My grandmother had been an only child, so the annual re-immersion into the noisy life of a family with three lively children took its toll. She would retire to the Airstream each afternoon for a siesta. (Avid travelers in their retirement, this was a habit she was happy to acquire after spending time in Mexico.) At 5 o’clock, they would emerge for their next daily ritual: wine and cheese before dinner. I was eager to join them and hear tales of the exotic places they’d been in the past year, and perhaps nibble on a few crackers as well. The cheese was nothing fancy, but it was the ritual of gathering over the cheese board for a few moments of calm that stuck with me. While I’m always happy to pour a glass of wine or crack open a new beer with my cheese board, cheese itself is a family-friendly alternative to happy hour. Sharing new cheeses with my own family has become our Sunday tradition, a few moments of relatively quiet gathering over something we all love. The cheeses we share don’t always have to be fancy, either. A little creativity goes a long way in dressing up whatever you have on hand. It’s nice to know there are brands like Cracker Barrel that are crafted with the same passion and tradition and can be found in the supermarket. As I’ve immersed myself in the dairy world, it’s the stories behind the cheese that keep me inspired. There’s nothing better than sharing a new cheese with friends and family, and telling them of the time I stood in the cave with the cheesemaker seeing how it’s aged. To that end, I’m off to Wisconsin to sample a bit more of the dairy state’s cheese culture in advance of this summer’s cheese con. Stay tuned for highlights. This post is part of a series sponsored by Cracker Barrel Cheese. I am being compensated as part of their Influencer program, but all words and opinions are entirely my own. Read our full disclosure policy here.

Update from Montana Jones: A four foot stack of disclosure documents in the CFIA against Montana Jones and Michael Schmidt and two others case. Photo: Montana Jones. This four foot high stack of disclosure is “almost” all of it, says CFIA investigator David Eagleson. Vincent Lam’s novel “Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures” seems an appropriate accompaniment, since CFIA’s bloodbath killing of the country’s finest heritage Shropshire genetics only proved that my flock was healthy, and did not carry any scrapie disease. It has not however, cured the CFIA of their mission. Yesterday in the Cobourg Ontario Provincial Court, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) advised Justice Robert Graydon they intend to file a Motion that would prevent defendants Michael Schmidt and myself (Montana Jones) from having our preferred legal counsel of choice, lawyers Karen Selick and Shawn Buckley. Eagleson has publicly declared he may decide to call on Ms. Selick as a witness since she was present at the farm rally for the sheep on April 2nd, 2012. That  same day the CFIA arrived to destroy the healthy pregnant sheep and they were missing. He claims that would be a conflict of interest. How convenient.There are another 70 or so other people that were present that morning whom CFIA could easily call upon for testimony, thereby allowing the defandants the freedom to choose their own lawyers. A May 29th, 2013 date was set to appear again, and a tentative date near the end of June is scheduled for a hearing in Peterborough court to determine if there is indeed a conflict of interest. The actual trial date has yet to be determined, but the CFIA have already spent in excess of an estimated one million tax payers dollars on this case of the healthy, rare breed Shropshire sheep. No money at all has been spent on replacing the bloodlines of over 80 healthy rare Shropshires that CFIA killed. My Wholearth flock contained Canada’s oldest and rarest heritage genetics dating back to the early 1900′s, when the first British imports were brought in by the Millers. The Miller family are Agricultural Hall of Fame Premier breeders credited with providing our country’s prize foundation livestock. Judge Graydon reiterated that it was a complex, contentious and highly emotional issue. The legal bills will jump considerably if CFIA is able to convince a court to bump our chosen lawyers. We’ll need to start from scratch. Shouldn’t we have lawyers we are confident will provide us the best representation? Isn’t that our right? Please help by sharing widely and donate if you are able…http://GoFundMe.com/FarmedAndDangerous. Thank-you so much! Now I’ve got some reading to do…. This is a follow-up on this post from two days ago

The Great Canadian Cheese Festival is mighty pleased to have CHEESEWERKS as a Presenting Partner for the second year. In addition to lending its considerable promotional support, Canada’s only dedicated cheese restaurant will sponsor and organize an all-new, best-in-show awards program at the June 1-2 Festival in Picton, in the heart of Ontario’s Prince Edward County. It will also return as a featured food vendor with awesome Mac + Cheese and Nachos like you’ve never had them before—all made with Canadian artisan cheese, of course! PEOPLE’S PICKS CHEESEWERKS presents the first-ever PEOPLE’S PICKS at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival this year. CHEESEWERKS is about experiences and creating memories through comfort and great food. The Toronto eatery will present PEOPLE’S PICKS, awards to recognize and honour the most popular cheese, foods and drinks and their artisan producers. Guests will be given a ballot of PEOPLE’S PICKS that will act as votes for their favourites

Market-fresh flowers. The farmers markets dotted around Berlin are pop-up microcosms of freshness and sensory overload. Near my apartment is the Kollwitzplatz market, which takes place every Thursday and Saturday. It stretches out over three streets, and once within its confines, you can soak in all of the offerings: fresh produce, baked goods, fresh meat, fish, sausages, pasta, cheeses, flowers, arts & crafts, prepared foods . . . . I always tried to get there early to avoid the inevitable fair weather crowd. There’s nothing like browsing the stalls of a farmers market to start the day off right. The first morning I went, tulips were in full swing and peony season was just beginning. I couldn’t help myself and bought three tightly closed peony buds and a bunch of roses, which captured my attention for the next week as they all bloomed. My market spoils! Vegetables—I can admire farmers market vegetables all day! Unfortunately, with my limited kitchen, I could only bring a few home with me. It was more a feast

Alice Jongerden after her 27 day fast Mother’s day was the last day of my fast. How could I turn down the special, – made with love – bowl of soup? After 27 days of milk, Real Milk, I thought it was time for a taste of something else. It was worth it. Although, interestingly enough, I am still loving the milk, and the way I feel when it is all I have, so I have decided I will continue to enjoy it most of the day, and slowly add other foods. In the 4 weeks of my Real Milk Only fast I lost 16 lbs. People often would ask me why I was doing it…and for all the reasons I mentioned, the biggest reason was simply ‘because I choose to, and can’. A number of times I have been asked about the nutrition aspect of only Real Milk, and am I not worried that I am not getting enough nutrition. I find that question kinda funny… as if real milk from grass fed cows doesn’t have enough nutrition, especially comparing it with the western diet of processed and dead foods. The day befo

Chocolate and ginger join forces in this magnificent cake. My stomach has been working overtime trying to make room for everything I want to try in Berlin. While Americans don’t generally think of Germany as a bastion of pastries like they do France, there is a surprising variety of unique breads and cakes that deserve recognition. Moreover, many of these baked goods incorporate quark or yogurt in ways you just don’t find very often in the States, so I am doubly curious to try things. I’ve already written several times at how much the fresh cheese quark is incorporated into Germany’s culinary fabric. It is used as is like yogurt, but also in doughs (like in doughnut-y quarkballchen) and as part of cake fillings (as in cheese cakes/käsekuchen). It can be used to accompany savory dishes. Quark and roasted potatoes is a legitimate traditional dish here. Yogurt also seems to be quite widespread, and it is used much like quark, although to a lesser degree. Yogurt-raspberry. I need more yogurt cakes in my life. The

Today The Lady and I are pleased to feature Andrea Horton working at Whole Foods in Atlanta, Georgia and another of the proud 121 ACS Certified Cheese Professionals of 2012. Andrea is a lifelong cheese lover who has been working in the food industry for 9 years. She is happily residing at the Whole Foods Market in Atlanta with aspirations to become a cheese maker herself. Like me, Andrea runs the blog, Whiskey Chicken,  in her spare time.I asked Here are the questions I like to ask and Andrea’s charming answers: 1.      What is your favorite cheese pairing: I really enjoy any strong blue cheese (such as Valdeon) with muscadine jelly. 2.      Please create a cheese platter for us: Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. Bijou, Herve Mons Pyrenees Brebis, Beaufort, Meadow Creek Grayson, Rogue River Blue with plenty of Savannah Bee Co. honey comb and sliced pears. 3.       What is your favorite grilled cheese? Mahon and Prosciutto on raisin bread with plenty of butter! 4.      Tell us one non-cheesy fact about you: I&

Here’s what she published yesterday on her fundraising page: Back in Court tomorrow for the next appearance in the sheep case. The CFIA is now trying to have my lawyers bumped off this case and not permitted to represent me, stating that my excellent legal counsel may be “a conflict of interest”. Unbelievable…will find out how an earth they might try to weave any reasoning into such utter nonsense. The only conflict I can see is for them. Of course they don’t want the odds stacked any higher against them—it can’t always be easy opposing what is good and right. The CFIA is up against an incredibly qualified team that includes two highly experienced, well-informed, astute, ethical legal minds who have chosen fields where they regularly fight for the right of individuals. They care about a future where people can voice their choices about their health, food, farming and freedom. Please sharing widely, and donate if you are able…every bit helps so much—we’re fighting for your future too.” Link to Montana’s fundraising page. The Montana Jones’ story on ShropshireSheep.org