Snacking and Sharing

Before I start the "sharing" part of this blog post, I wanted to talk about snacking!  Since my office is my second home, I like to stock it with lots of snacks to help me get through the day.  For instance, I always have string cheese in the fridge whenever I'm feeling the urge for a healthy little pick-me-up.  My only issue with snacking on string cheese is that there is absolutely no variety whatsoever.  Sure you can choose between 1% or no fat but other than that....it is the same thing every day.  So when the folks at Cabot Creamery Cooperative asked me if I'd like to try samples of their new Serious Snacking cheddar, I was thrilled because I could finally add some variety to my work snack habits!

I received two different kinds of cheddar:

50% Reduced Fat Garlic & Herb Cheddar Cheese

75% Reduced Fat Habanero Cheddar Cheese

I broke into the Habanero cheddar, which is one of my favorite types of Cabot cheddar, on Friday and I loved it.  It had the same level of heat as the typical dairy bar and I didn't notice any difference in flavor with it being reduced fat.  To my understanding, these haven't yet been tried outside of the Cabot Team, so I'm looking forward to purchasing them when they are in grocery stores soon!

Okay...enough about snacking and onto the sharing....

This past week, Jennifurla of Indigo's Sugar Spectrum, tagged me in a blog post that asked me to share some information about myself.  I typically don't do a lot of questionnaire type blog posts but I thought the questions were fun and I thought I'd give it a try!

1.  If you could eat anything without any health repercussions or guilt, what would your meal be?
I'd have to say pasta! I absolutely love, love, love a warm bowl of Italian noodles.  I try not to eat too many carbs and have actually limited myself to just one pasta dish a week.

My most recent pasta dish - Linguine with Brie, Tomatoes & Basil

2.  If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be and why?
I'd definitely say my maternal grandmother.  She passed away before I was born and she has been such a huge influence on my mother's life.  My father tells me that every kind, considerate and loving trait that my mother has is a direct reflection of her mother.  It has always saddened me that I never got to meet this extraordinary woman.

3.  Why did you start blogging and what did you expect when you started?
I started writing a blog as a personal journal, which is probably why I chose a long title that is always a mouthful to repeat!  I didn't expect much of my blog except to find stress relief and explore my creative energy.  But as my blog turned into a lifestyle blog (with a strong emphasis on food), it really changed into something so much bigger than that!  I have met so many new people, tried lots of different foods, interacted with readers, and learned so much....I would never have thought my little personal blog could turn into something like this!

4.  What is the one book you could read over and over again?
"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen is my ultimate favorite novel.  There are so many elements of Elizabeth Bennett that I can relate to and I truly find it to be the ultimate "chick lit".  That being said, I also have two sets of the entire "Little House on the Prairie" series and have probably read them all at least thirty times.

5.  If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I would fly to South Korea in a heartbeat.  Although I grew up in the United States, being Korean is a huge part of my identity.  I've traveled to Korea before but I haven't returned in the past ten years.  I miss a lot of my family there and the wonderful Korean food and lifestyle.

6.  If you could have a TV show on the Food Network, what would it be?
I'd have to pass on the Food Network and head straight to the Travel Channel to be Anthony Bourdain's partner in crime on No Reservations.  I'm reading his most recent book, Medium Raw, and am absolutely loving it.

7.  What was the best meal you ever had?
As to date, the best meal I ever had was the tasting menu at Arrows in Ogunquit, Maine.  I went there just a few short months ago and I wish I could relive the experience.  Over three hours and ten courses, I experienced the most indulgent meal.  The ingredients were so fresh and most came straight from the restaurant's garden, which I had the opportunity to stroll through before and during the meal (seriously, we strolled after the seventh course).  Amazing, amazing, amazing...

Fourth Course - Duo of Lobster - Grilled Maine lobster tail and
lemongrass butter poached lobster claw and knuckles served with a Thai red curry sauce.

8.     Who has been the greatest influence on your love for food and learning to cook?
This is not the most inventive answer but the most sincere - my mother.

Mama & Baby Fun and Fearless 

My mother taught almost everything I know about food.  She taught me to rely on my senses (sight, taste, smell) to cook good food and not depend on specific measurements and recipes.  My mother taught me to respect my food and to utilize every ingredient to the fullest.  Her garden proved to be a labor of love and the place where I first learned about the importance of local food.  My mother's cooking of Korean, American and hybrid dishes taught me how food can help you connect and reconnect with your culture.  Most of all, my mother taught me that good food truly comes from your heart and soul...and it can bring people together in ways that you could never imagine.  She is truly my greatest influence and inspiration both inside and outside of the kitchen.

 I'm passing this blog post along and tagging a few bloggers that I'd love to know more about!

• Angie of Entertaining Life Daily - my sorority sister and favorite Midwestern gal;
• Melissa of Beantown Prepster: Part Deux - who finds a way to bring style everywhere, including the law library;
• Bianca of Confessions of a Chocoholic - who I still haven't had the opportunity to meet;
• Moogie of Moogie & Pap - who I've been happy to connect with via emails; and
• Kim of "Teta" Means "Booby" in Spanish - amazing Iron-woman, finance guru, social queen, fashionista, and of course, fabulous friend.

Happy Saturday! I hope its filled with lots of snacking and sharing!

Horseradish Cheddar Mashed Potatoes...and a Cabot Cheese Giveaway!

Did you know that June is National Dairy Month? As an enthusiastic cheese lover (preferably with a nice glass of wine), I thought it would be appropriate to write about Cabot Creamery Cooperative cheese in honor of National Dairy Month.

Last month, I met a lovely Cabot representative at a Boston wine blogger event. While I nibbled on the addictively delicious horseradish cheddar cheese, she spoke to me about Cabot's relationship with Stephanie Sokolove, owner and chef of Stephanie’s on Newbury and Stephi’s on Tremont. I learned that Cabot has teamed up with Stephanie Sokolove to introduce recipes and special events for New England’s consumers.
Since I have dined at both Stephanie's on Newbury and Stephi's on Tremont recently, I am familiar with Stephanie Sokolove's style of cooking. I headed over to her website to look at the recipes of some of her menu items that incorporates Cabot cheese products. I was immediately intrigued by the Cabot Horseradish Cheddar Mashed Potatoes and decided to give this recipe a try this past weekend.

Since I had purchased a large five-pound bag of Yukon potatoes, I decided to double the recipe to make good use of these potatoes. First, I washed eight medium-sized potatoes.

B and I made this a team effort as I peeled the potatoes while B cut the potatoes into manageable chunks. We placed the sliced potatoes in a large pot of cold water and brought the pot of water to a boil. When the water started to boil, I turned the heat down and let the potatoes continue cfooking for another ten minutes at medium-low heat.

While the potatoes were cooking, I grated half a block of horseradish cheddar cheese.

B melted the butter in a small skillet with a cup of light cream. If we had followed the recipe closely, we would have used four sticks of butter but we just couldn't put that much butter in good conscience. We used two sticks of butter with a cup of light cream and still found that we only used about half of that mixture.

When the potatoes were done cooking, we drained the potatoes from the water and then mashed it in the pot with the grated horseradish cheddar cheese, half the melted butter and light cream mixture, and eight ounces of sour cream, along with generous shakes of fresh cracked peppercorns and sea salt.

The horseradish mashed potatoes were absolutely amazing. They had the nice rich buttery mashed potato flavor but it was cut with the tangy horseradish flavor.

The mashed potatoes were a perfect side to our braised shortribs (more on that in a later post), which made a perfect Sunday evening dinner.

So, here's the exciting news. In honor of National Dairy Month and their collaboration with Stephanie Sokolove, the wonderful folks at Cabot Cheddar Cheese have offered a generous giveaway of a $25 gift box to one of my readers.  The gift box includes two 8 oz bars of each of the following: 50% Light, Sharp White, Extra Sharp White, and Seriously Sharp cheddar cheeses. 

You can enter to win this great giveaway prize by checking out Stephanie Sokolove's recipes using Cabot cheese here and by leaving me a comment (with your email address) telling me which recipe you'd like to try out. Comments can be entered until midnight (EST) on Sunday, June 20, 2010 and a winner will be announced the next day.


Chosen by Random.org, the winner of the Cabot Cheese giveaway is #24 - Julia Cantor, who can't wait to try the mahi mahi tacos! Thanks to all for entering and sharing which yummy Cabot cheese recipe you'd like to try!