Daisy Cheddar Blooms On The Palate

Vella Cheese's Daisy cheddar doesn't have nearly the fame of its acclaimed dry Jack, but the cheddar merits a fan club, too.

Sonoma cheesemaker Ig Vella is a living legend in the artisan cheese world and a mentor to many newcomers. But some of his own cheeses, like the Daisy cheddar, remain underappreciated in their own backyard.

"When the world was young and everybody made cheddar, a single daisy was 221/2 pounds," says Vella, when I asked him to explain the cheese's name. Cheddar makers could choose from about 40 different hoop sizes, the hoop being the round mold that holds and shapes the fresh curds while they drain. Each hoop size, like the daisy hoop, had a different name.

When Vella, who is approaching 80 years old, was starting out at Vella Cheese, a business his father started, San Francisco's mom-and-pop stores would place a twice-weekly order: typically, for a whole Teleme, a fresh Monterey Jack, a dry Monterey Jack and a quarter of a daisy. But the local public health officials didn't like the idea of the cheddar being cut and wrapped at the distributor's warehouse, so cheesemakers devised the "California daisy," which yields a 10-pound wheel.

Today, Vella makes the Daisy cheddar with raw cow's milk from a single Schellville dairy. He follows a traditional cheddar recipe, which involves cutting the curds small, gathering them into thick slabs while they are still in the vat, then stacking and turning the slabs in the vat repeatedly. It is backbreaking work, but the process helps control the elimination of the whey, a critical step in producing good cheddar.

Crunchy Cheddar Mix

Our Crunchy Cheddar Mix was designed to help those who are truly serious about effective weight loss management. This crunchy cheddar mix has a zesty flavor in a rice and corn square combo that really takes care of that salt-fix. These cheese curls are flavored with savory bacon flavored bits, are only 90 calories and have less than three grams of fat. This cheddar mix will spice up any meal plan and feels like a party in your mouth! They are delicious, quick and the perfect salty high-protein low-fat snack for people on the go.

• Excellent protein to fat ratio
• Convenient: just grab a bag and you're on your way
• Superb crunchy cheddar, bacon flavor flavor!
• One serving .84oz(24g) 1 bag
  

Ingredients: Soy flour, corn flour, soy protein concentrate, milled corn, rice, sunflower oil, soybean oil, salt, brown sugar, cheddar cheese (milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), whey, maltodextrin, buttermilk, natural and artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, caramel color, yellow #6, yellow #5, malt flavoring, baking soda, ascorbic acid, reduced iron, turmeric (for color), niacinamide, red #3, vitamin A palmitate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, zinc oxide, thiamin hydrochloride, folic acid, vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin D. Available carbohydrates per serving (1 packet) are equal to 9g.

Cheddar Bacon Penne

What could be better than the classic mac and cheese recipe? How about adding bacon! This might not be healthy, but it sure does taste good. Why feed your family the standard boxed macaroni and cheese when you can prepare this dish with ease in your very own home.

Cheddar cheese is one of the most popular types of cheese in the world. Cheddar cheese is a hard, pale yellow to orange, sharp-tasting cheese originally (and still) made in the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset.

The traditional Mac-N-Cheese dish is as classic as apple pie. Do you have any favorite twists on the classic recipe?

1 cup uncooked penne, or other pasta
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon butter
4 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cooked bacon strip, crumbled

Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain.
Meanwhile, in a small greased non-stick skillet, saute the onion and garlic until tender and set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk.
Bring to a boil; cooks and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
Stir in 1 cup of cheese until melted.
Add the pasta, bacon and onion mixture to the sauce; toss to coat.
Transfer to a 3-cup baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

2 Servings
Nutrition Facts: 528 calories, 29 g fat, 87 g cholesterol, 712 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 32 g protein.

Cheddar Has A Uniform Butter Color

Cheddar says he adds less than 1 percent salt, considerably less than most other producers, and that he gets faulted for it in competitions. Cheese needs salt to preserve it and to keep it from tasting bland, but the Daisy cheddar certainly doesn't taste bland to me. Cheddar puts the young wheels in Cryovac bags after just a few days of drying, so they do not develop a rind or any surface mold. Without exposure to air, the wheels age slowly and retain moisture. Cheddar keeps them for at least a year, and visitors to the Cheddar Cheese Co.'s shop in Sonoma may occasionally find older wheels.

Daisy cheddar has a uniform butter color, subdued aromas of cultured milk and what I would call a sweet dairy smell, for lack of a better descriptor. The cheese is moist yet firm, creamy and mellow on the tongue, with that familiar cheddar tang but no bite. It strikes me as mild enough for a child's snack, yet compelling enough to put on a pre-dinner cheese board with some green olives and salumi. Open a bottle of Sonoma County Zinfandel - I like the juicy 2004 Sausal Alexander Valley Zinfandel - to pair the cheese with a wine from its neighborhood.

Look for Daisy Cheddar at Cheddar Cheese in Sonoma and at some Whole Foods.

Tasty Diet and Nutrition

In 5 Element Diet & Nutrition there are five basic categories of taste: salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and spicy. What a particular food tastes like indicates which organ(s) are going to benefit from the nourishment being delivered. On the other hand, when you have a craving for a particular taste, that's an indication that the organ related to that taste is weak and needs to be balanced.

The Five Tastes A balanced diet includes food that combines the five tastes: Salty / Sour / Bitter / Sweet / Spicy

Understanding and Balancing Tastes

When your meals combine as many of the '5 tastes' as possible, you're well on your way toward cultivating good digestion, which is a hallmark of good health.
To make sure each meal you eat is "balanced," all five tastes need to be included. Be alert to your desire for sweet foods in the morning. "Sweet" is the taste associated with the digestive organs, and too much sweet food during breakfast can negatively affect your digestion.
Sweet craving is an indication that your digestive system needs help. Cravings for the other tastes indicate the need to rebalance and strengthen the organ systems related to those tastes.
Don't eat anything sweet on an empty stomach. This includes naturally "sweet" foods like bread and fruit; in addition to products high in refined sugar. When you do want to eat something sweet, make sure you eat a more complex food first.
If you have an ongoing craving for sweets, eat more protein. Complex foods help the pancreas back into balance, and ward off the sugar highs and lows that lead to hypoglycemia and eventually diabetes.
Acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese herbs, and healthy, balanced food choices can help you rebalance and strengthen your organs, and boost your overall experience of health.

Kitty Bradshaw is a licensed acupuncturist, with an advanced clinical degree in Oriental Medicine. Studying and working with Oriental Medicine since 1986, Kitty combines Traditional Oriental Medicine with Taoist healing methods to offer healing possibilities beyond the level of standard health care. Her deep understanding of Chinese medical herbs, combined with her intuitive abilities to diagnose and treat difficult problems, has helped many people regain and maintain their health.

When popping popcorn, the amount of moisture that is contained in the popping container can cause the popcorn to not be as crunchy. So, the container needs to allow moisture to escape so you end up with crunchy popcorn.

The type of oil used to pop your popcorn is also important. The oil can alter the taste and it can add to the calorie content of the popcorn, so choose carefully. Coconut oil is commonly used by professionals because it is said to give the best flavor, but it is high in fat. Canola oil is another lower fat choice that is commonly used.

Lastly, you want to consider what to put on them after it is made. There are numerous choices, from traditional butter to sweet caramel to spicy cayenne pepper. You can choose to add actual butter or just a butter flavoring. You can add powered seasonings or actual herbs and spices. It is all up to you to create the popcorn the way you like it.

Choosing your popcorn supplies is important to the final product. You have to make good decisions so you end up with the crunchy treat you so love to eat made to perfection.

Choosing The Perfect Popcorn Supplies

Popcorn supplies are an important part of getting to enjoy this favorite treat. Popcorn is one of the world's top snack foods. Movie theaters and sports arenas account for 30% sold and consumed. The other 70% is in home consumption. That means individuals are popping more popcorn in their home these days then ever before, so buying supplies is something you will likely do in the near future.

The right the supplies can make all the difference in the final product. Popcorn is very scientific by nature. In fact, popcorn is a scientific marvel. Popcorn is the creation of moisture within the kernel that expands when heated and causes it to burst open. This explosion is frozen when it meets the air, so technically is really a frozen explosion.

In order to get popcorn that is perfect there is a need for good popcorn supplies. It starts with the actual popcorn. Not all corn can be popped. Popcorn is a specific type of corn that has the necessary moisture content. Since moisture content is so important, the storage is important.

Popcorn should be stored in a sealed container. If it is exposed to air the moisture inside can evaporate and make them useless.

Do Cheesy Pick Up Lines Really Work?

Do Cheesy Pick Up Lines Really Work? The 411 You Need to Know Before Blowing Your Chances

So you are heading out for a night of fun and partying with your friends and pretty set on making a connection before the night is out. You watch a few of your friends hook up with old flames, co-workers, etc - and you are left in the corner just holding your bottle of beer. Not being one brimming with overconfidence when it comes to approaching women cold in a bar setting, you slowly start to mentally recite all of those old, ingrained cheesy pickup lines silently searching for the right one......

Sound familiar? Well - if it does, don't worry, you aren't alone! Most women have heard every bad, corny cheesy pickup line invented since the original caveman uttered - "come here often" to whoever it was that caveman hit on back in the good old days..:-) But are they used so much because they work, or not? The answer WILL NOT surprise you.

Cheesy pick up lines work. But only on cheesy women! How high your standards are is a better question! Look, if you approach a group of girls and throw out a few self depreciating lines straight out of a bad pick up movie, yes we are going to laugh WITH you, not at you. Everyone understands breaking the ice is not easy. But if you come sauntering over with that come hither stare, no matter how attractive you may be - if the first words out of your mouth are obnoxious and cliché, guess what? You aren't going to be making any major moves on me or my friends, I'll tell you that! Might that work on the girl hanging on the bar at 2 AM when they are mopping the floor? Probably. But while you rehearse the bad lines, guys without half of your attractiveness and ambition are getting much further using simple friendly charm and sincerity.

Protein On The Go!

As most of you will already know, a good source of protein is an extremely important part of every meal and snack you eat throughout the day. By making protein a higher part of each meal that you eat, you will remain satisfied for longer and eat less. So, eating more protein makes sense, but how are you supposed to do so when you're surrounded by carbohydrate snacks on the go that are high in sugar, white flour and low quality fats?

Simple. Try eating 'biltong' or 'beef jerky' - dried meat. As an occasional snack option this meaty snack is high in protein, and extremely low in both carbohydrate and fat. For every 100g of dried meat, you will ingest 25g of protein and a mere 2g of carbohydrate and fats respectively.

A 50g bag of this snack will give you roughly 140 calories, perfect for a quick snack that won't overload you with carbohydrates and hence help maintain your blood sugar at a manageable level. A higher protein snack will not leave you feeling 'moreish', but rather satisfied.

Believe me, this stuff tastes better than it sounds. You can buy it at most supermarkets and if in doubt, ask a member of staff. It comes in snack size bags for added convenience, so it makes the perfect snack on the run. For those of you that are vegetarian, a small handful of nuts will do just as good a job, but as I always say, eat any snack in moderation. Give yourself variety. Don't simply rely on one snack source throughout the day.

Give dried meat a try and see what you think!
Simon Dainton is a Certified Personal Trainer and founder of Fitstreet Personal Training in the UK. His Programs of Lifestyle change guarantee clients results, combining effective exercise, nutrition and lifestyle adjustments.

Say Cheese

Ever pondered over the fact that why only "cheese", why not some other edible item or anything else at all? It is in fact quite a question!! Over the years, we have grown up with pictures being clicked and we are asked only one thing always and that's 'say cheese'! The internet also tries to explore this mystifying reality, but alas, no one has actually found any answers yet. Though there have been quite impressive imaginary 'cheesy' stories and instances 'cooked'. It is speculated that we look as if smiling when we say 'cheese' so photographers often ask us to say cheese.

Also, 'cheesing' is an American slang for smiling. 'Cheesy' in British also means harmlessly naughty. Again, it is something that would bring a pleasant smile on everyone's face (only until you're not the victim). 'Chiz' in Persian means a thing. But these entire reasoning and explanatory facts do not solve the purpose. The ultimate fact remains why only cheese?

I believe, that coming through the centuries, man has always been a food lover, and cheese in any and many forms has been an amazing appetizer for him. So while taking pictures, the photographers like to exploit this in their favor. This helps them to get interesting expressions on people's faces while they are being clicked.

Like other phrases, this one never came of age. There were no alterations in it rather it gained more and more popularity. Surprisingly, all across the globe, every nation uses its own version of "say cheese" making this question even more mind boggling.

Cheese is also used in many other ways. A very common expression in the business world is "the big cheese", which means someone who is great and unique. Apart from all these positive meanings of cheese adjectives, cheese and cheesy, are also used for someone or something who is unethical, intolerable, uncontrollable, unpleasant etc.