Happy New Year!

First new cheese of 2012 is conundrum from Jasper Hill.  A washed rind cheese very similar to Moses Sleeper. Very buttery on the palate with a little funk on he nose. A good whey to start the new year!  More on Jasper Hill to come.

*this post is brought to you by the letter "i".  I wrote this on my brand spanking new iphone and realized a little bit in that although I like the fact that I can blog from the phone, the virtual keyboard makes it impossible to type as fast as I think.*

I want goat cheese

As you know by now, I have an obsession with goat cheese.  Unfortunately for me-but good for the goats- many of my favorite cheesemakers let their goats take time off during the winter while they carry their kids.  I know that winter has hardly started yet, but I'm already missing one of my favorite cheeses.

Roasted garlic chevre from Rollingstone Chevre in Idaho. This cheese combines two of my favorite things: creamy, tangy, milky goat cheese and sweet roasted garlic.  Not only is there a garlic clove on top of the cheese, but it's also blended into the chevre giving it a mild-yet lasting- flavor.  the cheese is wrapped in a grape leaf and makes a delightful little cheese present.

This cheese is great to eat with a few crackers, when spread on a bagel or to cook with.  I love using it in macaroni and cheese, crumbling it on top of pizza or turning it into a garlicky, goaty sauce for pasta.  If you can get your hands on some, please do, it's divine!

Writing a Blog Gets Me In Trouble

*I first wrote this post almost two weeks ago.  At the time I was emotionally raw and angry.  Instead of posting it right away I sat on it.  I needed to be sure that I was ready to share and that I wasn't writing angry. Since writing this I have found a job, and have started working on a long-term goal of mine (to be shared at a later date).*

I started this blog almost three years ago as an outlet for my fast-growing love of cheese.  In that time I have been very careful to keep my blogging life, and my work life separate.  In the interest of full disclosure, I have let the two employers I've had since starting this venture know about my blog.  I have been very upfront about it, and have let them all know that I don't "name names".  I have not mentioned where I've worked, or any co-workers or bosses by name.  I even gave my brother a code name in a post I created in 2010.  I am not sponsored and I rarely accept promotional items from cheesemakers, or authors.  

By being a somewhat anonymous blogger I can be freer with my words.  I can write a post about a cheese that was so bad it hurt my soul and I don't have to worry about offending the advertisers, or getting my boss into trouble.  It's been a good run.  

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about being a goat. I was venting my sadness, how I miss the cheese, and my general ennui.   I thought long and hard about writing that post because it was so personal, perhaps something that would be better shared with a shrink.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the people I really wanted to share it with were the people who read my blog.  I wanted to let people know the reason for my infrequent posts.  If I am honest about cheese, I have to be honest about myself.  

So I posted it.

Shortly after the post went up I was called in for a talk with my boss and I was fired.  Although we had had pleasant email exchanges just two days prior, my boss let me know that one of the reasons I was being let go was because I was "writing nasty things about us".  

To say that I was stunned would be an understatement.  I've never been fired before.  I was angry, and if I'm going to be honest, confused.  For a brief moment I even thought about shutting the blog down.  

That's not going to happen.

So yeah, like millions of other Americans I’m unemployed.  Instead of looking at this as a negative, curling up in bed and watching endless episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while living off of diet coke and chocolate I'm going to turn this into a positive.  The post I wrote about being a goat was about me feeling out of my element, floundering and being lonely without my herd.   It's time for me to go back to that world.  

When life gives you lemons, use the citric acid as a coagulant and make a fresh cheese.

Culture Magazine Weekend!

Last week I was invited to join a group of cheese lovers for a brainstorming session for Culture Magazine.  It was a great mix of journalists, cheesemakers & retailers.  Oh, and I got to meet Paul Kindstedt who wrote American Farmstead Cheese -one of the most in depth books on cheese on my bookshelf.

I was decidedly nervous about going to this get-together.  Was I really going to share my ideas in front of Kate Arding (ridiculously knowledgeable cheese geek)?  Somehow I managed to put on my big girl pants, and speak up-a bit.  I tend to get nervous in those types of situations, and have a then I go all blushy on my ears.  I'm not going to recap the ideas, all I can say is that the magazine and website are going to be even better in the months to come.  All in all, it was a fun time, and it was great to get a behind the scenes look at how the magazine is put together.

If you have any suggestions, critiques or compliments I know they'd love to hear them.  Follow the link and let them know what's on your mind.