Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Cheddar is one of the most popular cheeses in the world and one of my favorites. It originally came from Somerset, in England but is now produced in many  parts of the English speaking world and beyond. But only 14 makers are licensed to use the EU Protected Designation of Origin “West Country Farmhouse Cheddar” which indicates it's still made in the traditional way.

The process for making cheddar is similar to other cow's milk cheeses, with the addition of a unique process that has taken on the name "cheddaring." Slabs of curd are stretched, then piled on top of each other to help drain the whey. This helps to harden the cheese and develop acidity and flavor. Farmhouse cheddars are traditionally wrapped in cloth and then aged. Good English cheddar should be buttery and nutty in flavor and should have a soft crumbly texture. Cheddar improves with age, developing those crunchy crystals of calcium lactate you find in other aged cheese, like Parmigiano Reggiano.

I recently got a chance to try some Westminster cheddar, and am happy to report that it is very widely available in supermarkets. Westminster aged cheddar cheese is made on England’s oldest cheddar making farm in North Somerset only 15 miles from the village of Cheddar. The Barber family has been making cheddar since 1833 and is reputedly to be the oldest cheddar making family in the world.

I am a popcorn monster. During the cold winter months in northern Minnesota when it gets dark early, there’s nothing like curling up in front of the fire with a bowl of popcorn. I don’t eat the popcorn from a bag that is prepared in the microwave — too much sodium. The kind I eat is prepared the old-fashioned way in a pot on the stove, then drizzled with just the right amount of melted butter and sprinkled with salt. Napkins are a must.

Years ago, I had a generous neighbor who would make batches of Honey Peanut Butter Popcorn, always sharing a big bowl of it with us. It would usually be during the summer time. We’d sit out on my front porch munching and visiting, and suddenly, the bowl would be empty. The snack that my neighbor had intended for my family was gone.

I hadn’t thought of that sweet, chewy treat in such a long time. But the other night, as I was sitting on the couch with my big bowl of buttered popcorn, watching The Biggest Loser, that popcorn treat popped right into my mind.

This is a funny little recipe.  It only has four ingredients and requires no baking. I used to make this cake when my boys were little and it always amazed me. I was looking through my recipes the other day for something and came upon this and had fond memories of it. I can't even remember where I got this recipe from anymore, but it's a winner.

How does a cake require no baking? It's made from chocolate graham crackers and after you've frosted the crackers and let the cake sit for several hours, they soften up and become cake-like. No kidding. It works very well. You make two frostings, one with peanut butter and one with chocolate. It's easy and a great make-ahead little cake with very little effort.

The frostings are definitely worth making from scratch. They are basically just flavored whipped cream frostings, one peanut butter and one chocolate, and they are light and fluffy and absolutely delicious.

Every Friday growing up I had a tuna sandwich in my lunch box.  The bread was usually soggy by the time lunch came around, caused by the use of too much mayonnaise and sweet pickle relish.  Friday was also the only day I was allowed to have a soda pop accompany my lunch.  It was usually RC Cola in the can, wrapped in tin foil to keep cold.  The RC Cola also kept my sandwich cool, a bonus as far as I was concerned.

While I still love tuna with mayo and pickle relish, I like the idea of capers, lemon and oregano taking the tuna to a different level.  Add the sliced tomato and provolone cheese blistered by the broiler....whoa, now that's a sandwich.

You must try this, it was quite a hit around here!