This Cheese Stands Alone

Premium Gourmet Dutch Cheese, from 20 feet below sea level to you. Beemster Cheese has generations of making cheese behind them and they offer a variety of cheeses that start in the peaceful, canal lined pastures of North Holland. This rich landscape originally was 20 feet below sea level and was reclaimed from the sea in the year 1612.

With the help of  much manual labor, dykes and 55 windmills this area is presently known as the ‘Beemster’ polder and consists of lush pastures of sweet grasses, which, in turn, influence the milk from which the cheeses are made.

Here are two of several serious, but not intimidating cheeses:

Beemster Classic, the first  Beemster cheese to be introduced to the United States, is matured for no less than 18 months to ensure a delicious complex  taste. The beautiful color is reminiscent of caramel and  to this day remains the best selling Beemster cheese.  The flavor of Beemster Classic translates well on a sandwich or with a selection of fine wines for party guests. Or try it for breakfast with fruit and toast.

Beemster X-O is matured for 26 months and is their oldest cheese. Beemster maintains that this is as old as a fine cheese needs to be. “As a cheese matures, the flavor… expands. As this process happens moisture also exits the cheese, thus leaving the cheese tasting crumbly and granular… Because of Beemster's unique milk, X-O- is able to obtain one of the widest flavor ranges possible in only 26 months and still retains its smooth and creamy taste.” And this is true. The taste is hearty, full-bodied and still delightful. Grate this cheese over pasta or other dishes or savor it by itself perhaps on a thin slice of home-made bread.

Life is short. What you eat should be savored and enjoyed, and stay in your memory long after it has left the plate.

http://www.beemster.us/

                       

Wrap it Up

In a hurry in the morning but don’t want to skip (you know you shouldn’t) breakfast? And maybe you’d like something interesting and portable that you can bite into on the way out the door?

Give Amy’s new Breakfast Scramble Wrap a try. You’ll find these in the grocery frozen foods section. Just heat it, let it cool, maybe add a seasoning-- ketchup, hot sauce or, nothing. This delicious hand-held breakfast is an appetizing blend of Organic Tofu, Vegetables, and Cheese and will satisfy your breaking –the- fast hunger and your taste buds.

You will make it a point to make time for this in the morning.

Make Mine Mac

There is something about winter and winter sports that needs to be fed by Mac and Cheese. Skiers and Snowboarders have been known to stock up on cartons of this hearty, tasty, and fast-cooking food to have on hand after voracious runs on the slopes. Who doesn't appreciate the delicious pleasure of a creamy pasta and cheese dinner?

But wait, why not consider an alternative that has no artificial flavors or preservatives, and with a creamy cheese sauce mix made with real, certified organic cheese. California-based Back to Nature Foods has created a line of pasta and cheese dinners like Cheddar Spirals made with White Cheddar or Crazy Bugs, with the pasta in shapes that should interest kids. But in any shape or form, these dinners are a hit.

We found that each and every one tasted just like, well, Mac and Cheese, only better because you know it is healthier for you. It just doesn’t taste like it. Sort of a trompe de l'oeil for the taste buds-- trompez la bouche?

Once in Love with Amy…

...always in love with Amy's Kitchen, produced by Amy’s Kitchen, founded in 1987 by Rachel and Andy Berliner,--and yes, there really an Amy—their daughter, who was born around the same time as the company. Amy’s still retains the culture of a family business, even though it has grown over the years.

Amy’s Kitchen offers a wide selection of vegetarian meals and snacks. Focusing on pizza this time around, we tried several varieties: Margherita Pizza, Cheese & Pesto Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust, Spinach Pizza and regular Cheese Pizza.
(Some other varieties include Soy Cheeze Pizza, Rice Crust Spinach Pizza). Bought frozen at most grocery chains, they are best cooked in the oven for about 25 minutes.

Everyone loved them--the varieties, the freshness, the portion size, the ingredients. Some had thought that the pizzas would less caloric than they are. But, they were happy to just eat a little less and balance it out with a salad and/or soup.

These are not “diet foods.” They are foods for a healthy diet.