Upon returning home last Friday, I was greeted by a surprise package on my doorstep. Little did I know that its contents would provide the key to some serious cheese-induced happiness.

In cooperation with the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, Sargento has offered featured publishers the opportunity to taste-test their cheeses in comparison to processed cheese. What you see below is a handy cheese-tasting tutorial, along with a $25 gift card to purchase the comparison cheeses and any necessary accompaniments (e.g., bread, crackers, fruit).

There happened to be a hot sale at the Teet for Sargento products this week, so Seth and I made the long trek across the street this afternoon to do some serious cheese foraging.

Here’s what I bought with my gift card:

Holy cheese! I guess I’ll be snacking on a lot of cheese and crackers this week

I have been quite pleased with the quality of Sargento products in the past, so I’m excited to sample them all over the upcoming week. Let the Sargento-Kraft face-off begin!

Are you a cheese-lover? What are you favorite kinds? Favorite recipes? I have lots of cheese to use, so I need as much inspiration as I can get!

Rewind to pre-cheese foraging.

After a lovely elliptical session and chest/triceps workout, I came home and made a big bowl of blueberry oats. Now that fall is almost here, I will miss fresh bloobs

The afternoon was occupied by a quick trip to the vet and homework. It was a rainy day here in Raleigh, so I was in the mood for soup…Ellie’s Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo, to be exact.

My tweaks:

-I used chickpeas instead of chicken.

-I substituted vegetable stock for chicken broth.

I threw this soup together in less than a half-hour,  yet it had “all-day” flavor. Perhaps it was the delicious Trader Joe’s stock I used, or maybe it was just a good recipe! Seth slurped a bit from my bowl and gave it his seal of approval. The only possible drawback is its use of whole wheat orzo—I had to visit three grocery stores before I could find it (at Kroger, FYI). Plus, it was $2.89 for that little package. I bet it would have been delicious with brown rice or couscous instead.

Once dinnertime rolled around, I was anxious to put some of that cheese to good use. Pita pizza, anyone?

Seth requested pineapple and lots of cheese; mine was decidedly more veggie-tastic.

So far, so good. The cheese made for some delicious pizzas, with just 4.5 grams of fat and 70 kcal per serving. I also liked the 200mg of calcium and 8 grams of protein.

Alright, I am off to prepare for the inevitable return to reality tomorrow. Why can’t every weekend be a holiday?

Good night!

Filed under: Meals