Grilled Cheese Goodness

If you're anything like us, just saying grilled cheese makes your mouth water. Buttery toasted bread and gooey cheesy goodness - what could be better? So check out our tips on the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, followed by some of our favorite grilled cheese recipes:

1. Use real butter. There are times to skimp on calories and times to splurge. You'll be glad you used real butter in this case!


2. Shredded cheese melts more quickly and evenly than sliced, so take the extra time to shred it first or just buy shredded cheese.


3. I always hear "experts" say to butter each side of the bread when grilling. To me this is just difficult (see #1 where I recommend using real butter, which is anything but easy to spread) so instead I melt butter in the pan and place the sandwich in there, and when it's time to flip, I lift up the sandwich and melt a little more butter, then flip back into the pan. Much easier and much more even coating.


4. Cook on medium heat and cover the pan. The medium heat ensures you get it toasted and covering it ensures the cheese is fully melted. Even if you're hungry and want it sooner, cooking on higher heat is just going to burn the bread without melting the cheese.


5. Serve right away for maximum gooey-ness (let's just pretend that's a word).

Drooling yet? Check out these easy grilled cheese recipes:

World's Best Grilled Cheese	Grown-Up Grilled Cheese
ABC Grilled Cheese Sandwich	'Sophisticated' Grilled Cheese
Turkey Pesto Grilled Cheese

Bonus: Remember having tomato soup and grilled cheese on a cold winter day? Jog those memories with these simple Kicked Up Tomato Soup!

Mac and Cheese Mania

Seems like Mac 'N Cheese is all the rage these days. Personally, I love a box of Kraft mac and cheese, prepared the exact same way my mom prepared it all those years ago. But I do enjoy sprucing up mac and cheese as well, so if you're interested in trying something a little different, check out these different versions of the classic:

1. Gourmet Mac and Cheese


2. Mom-Approved Mac and Cheese


3. Rustic Mac N Cheese


4. Quick Mac


5. Macocheese


So c'mon, get your cheese on! And if you try one of these recipes, be sure to let us know how it goes!

5 Days of Cheese: Goat Cheese

It's, sniff, the last day of our "5 Days of Cheese" series. You might be cheesed out already but we sure aren't! Check out our tips and recipes for today's featured cheese: Goat Cheese!

• Origins: Has been around for thousands of years, debatably one of the first dairy products.


• Aging: Brined for several months.


• Texture: Can be soft and spreadable with no rind, or firmer with a rind.


• Fun fact: Goat milk is more similar to human milk than cow milk, and is served to young children who have a limited tolerance to cow milk. It is lower in fat and higher in vitamin A and postassium. Goat cheese is common in the Middle East, Africa, and Mediterranean countries because goats can survive in harsher conditions whereas cows cannot.


• Wine Pairing: Goat cheese goes best with a dry white from the Loire River Valley, like a Sancerre or Vouvray, or Gewurztraminer. Also pair it with champagne.


• Serving: Goat cheese is delicious crumbled into salads, spread over tartines, or stuffed into omelets. It is fairly versatile and can even be used in pasta dishes to add tangy flavor.

Goat Cheese Quick Dip

Baby Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad

Goat Cheese Fettucine

Miss a post? Catch up for the week:
Monday: Cheddar
Tuesday: Parmesan
Wednesday: Brie
Thursday: Blue Cheese
Friday: Goat Cheese (above)

Like our 5 Days of Cheese series? Then check out our 5 Days of Fruit and 5 Days of Veggies series too!

We are happy to have Nola Solomon on board as an intern for FunnySpoon.com. As a French-American, she offers unique culinary insight on how to enjoy your food and efficiently plan for a hectic schedule. Give her recipes and tips a try!

5 Days of Cheese: Blue Cheese

It's Day 4 of "5 Days of Cheese" and we're not cheesed-out yet! Today we're featuring the family of Blue Cheese. Check out our tips and recipes below!

• Origins: Blue cheese is actually a general classification referring to any cheese that has had the Penicillium cultures added, resulting in blueish spots or veins throughout. It can be made from cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk and can originate from any country. Unsurprisingly, it is believed blue cheese was created by accident.


• Aging: 3-4 months


• Texture: Soft and crumbly (with Roquefort being slightly harder)


• Cheeses in the family: Roquefort (France), Stilton (England), Gorgonzola (Italy)


• Fun fact: Oregonzola is a modern cheese modeled after the famed Italian Gorgonzola but produced in the state of Oregon.


• Wine pairing: Any sweet white, a strong red, or port wine


• Serving: Blue cheese is great by itself (just serve with wine and bread), mixed into salad dressings or thrown on top of a salad, or melted in certain dishes.

Blue Cheese and Onion Dip

Chez Papa Salad

Sweet Potato Chips and Dip

Miss a post? Catch up for the week:
Monday: Cheddar
Tuesday: Parmesan
Wednesday: Brie
Thursday: Blue Cheese (above)
Friday: Goat Cheese

Like our 5 Days of Cheese series? Then check out our 5 Days of Fruit and 5 Days of Veggies series too!

5 Days of Cheese: Brie

It's Day 3 of "5 Days of Cheese" and we're in heaven. Hope you're enjoying this as much as we are! Today's featured cheese is Brie.

• Origins: The province of Brie in France (now roughly the area called Seine-et-Marne). It is made from cow's milk.


• Aging: 4-5 weeks. It is not pasteurized in most of Europe but is required to be pasteurized in the US and Australia.


• Texture: Soft ripened. The rind can be eaten and helps contribute to the flavor.


• Similar cheese: Camembert (from the Normandy region of France)


• Fun fact: Salvador Dali's famous painting, "The Persistence of Memory" (more commonly referred to as "Melting Clocks"), was inspired by melting Camembert on a hot summer's day.


• Wine pairing: Cabernet or Burgundy


• Serving: While Brie can be used in heated dishes, it is best enjoyed in its full glorious round. Check out the recipes below or simply set out a round with some crackers at your next party. To help your guests avoid a social faux pas, guide them by slicing the first slice - cut a triangle from the middle outward, which will encourage partakers to follow the trend and cut their own wedges. And remember - the longer it sits out the more it stinks but the better it tastes and the creamier it gets!

Fruit and Almond Topped Brie

Fruit and Cheese Bites

Melted Brie and Pesto Appetizer

Miss a post? Catch up for the week:
Monday: Cheddar
Tuesday: Parmesan
Wednesday: Brie (above)
Thursday: Blue Cheese
Friday: Goat Cheese

Like our 5 Days of Cheese series? Then check out our 5 Days of Fruit and 5 Days of Veggies series too!

5 Days of Cheese: Parmesan

It's Day 2 of our "5 Days of Cheese" series and today we're featuring Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Parmesan as we usually call it. Check out our tips and recipes below!

• Origins: Created in the Middle Ages, it is named after the producing areas in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia. Under Italian law only cheese produced in these two provinces can be labeled Parmigiano-Reggiano. Parmigiano is named after the Parma, and Reggiano comes from the Italian adjective for Reggio Emilia.


• Aging: Considered to be at its best between 24-30 months, but can be as young as 6 months and as old as 6 years.


• Texture: Hard granular cheese, cooked but not pressed. Made from raw cow's milk.


• Fun fact: Boccaccio praised parmesan in the Decameron where he refers to "a mountain, all of grated Parmesan cheese." Parmesan is made from the milk of cows that have only been fed grass and hay.


• Wine pairing: Parmesan goes well with mostly anything. Try pairing it with a fuller red like a Cabernet Sauvignon or dry white like a Chardonnay.


• Serving: Most commonly grated over pasta, soup, and risotto, or eaten in chunks paired with balsamic vinegar. It is a key ingredient in pesto. Parmesan crust can be added to soups for additional flavor or gnawed on until soft.

Parmesan Crips

Risotto Microwavo

Spicy Parmesan Chicken

Miss a post? Catch up for the week:
Monday: Cheddar
Tuesday: Parmesan (above)
Wednesday: Brie
Thursday: Blue Cheese
Friday: Goat Cheese

Like our 5 Days of Cheese series? Then check out our 5 Days of Fruit and 5 Days of Veggies series too!

We are happy to have Nola Solomon on board as an intern for FunnySpoon.com. As a French-American, she offers unique culinary insight on how to enjoy your food and efficiently plan for a hectic schedule. Give her recipes and tips a try!

5 Days of Cheese: Cheddar

If you're a fan of cheese, and if you've been following our "5 Days of ..." series, you're gonna love this week's theme: 5 Days of Cheese! It hardly seems fair to restrict such fabulousness to only five days, but we'll do the best we can to cover some tips, fun facts, and recipes throughout the week. Today we're kicking off the week with cheddar.

• Origins: The village of Cheddar in Somerset, England. It has been made since at least 1170. It possibly derived from Cantal cheese, from France, and you can detect similarities in the flavors even today. It is made from cow's milk.


• Aging: 3 months to 5 years, depending on the variety. In general, the longer cheddar ages, the sharper it tastes.


• Texture: Semi-hard to hard


• Similar cheeses: Cantal, Red Leicester, Colby


• Fun fact: Normally cheddar is white or pale yellow, but many cheesemakers color the cheese to the orange hue that is familiar to most cheddar-lovers. It is done now because that's what most people prefer, but the reason they started in the first place is unclear.


• Wine pairing: A strong red like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, or a white like Sauvignon Blanc.


• Serving: Cheddar melts easily and is great in Mexican food, soups, or any other dish that uses melted cheese. It's also great cold, such as on sandwiches or served with crackers and apples.

Striped Cheese Triangles

Cheesy Potato (& Beer!) Soup

Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas

Miss a post? Catch up for the week:
Monday: Cheddar (above)
Tuesday: Parmesan
Wednesday: Brie
Thursday: Blue Cheese
Friday: Goat Cheese

Like our 5 Days of Cheese series? Then check out our 5 Days of Fruit and 5 Days of Veggies series too!

8 Pairings for a Wine and Cheese Tasting

Wine and cheese tastings are a great way to sample new wines and cheeses, as well as have a party with minimal set-up and clean-up. The pairings below make for the perfect party - a variety of different tastes and textures, with each wine complementing the cheese.

Cheese: Brie
Wine: Cabernet, Beaujolais (except Beaujolais Nouveau), Champagne
Taste: Brie is a comparatively mild cheese and it plays nice with most wines.

Cheese: Bleu Cheese
Wine: Any sweet white, a strong red, or port wine
Taste: The strong flavor of blue cheese requires either a strong glass of red alongside it or a sweet wine to accent it. It also goes well with foie gras.

Cheese: Cheddar or Cantal
Wine: A strong red like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, or a white like Sauvignon Blanc.
Taste: Mature cheeses like the company of strong wines. Be bold!

Cheese: Camembert
Wine: A light red like a Merlot or Burgundy
Taste: Stonger than brie, softer than bleu, you'll want a wine somewhere in the middle for this cheese. Or for something different, try cider or stout beer.

Cheese: Chevre
Wine: A dry white from the Loire River Valley, like a Sancerre or Vouvray, or a Gewurztraminer
Taste: Chevre goes with the same wines you would choose for fish - nice, dry whites. You can also pair with champagne.

Cheese: Manchego or Comte
Wine: A light rosé
Taste: These hard, nutty cheeses like the fruitiness of a rosé, but don't go too sweet.

Cheese: Boursin or Alouette
Wine: Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer
Taste: Smooth, easy cheeses like the company of smooth, easy wine.

Cheese: Havarti
Wine: A red Bordeaux
Taste: Splurge on a red Bordeaux to go with your classy Havarti.

The above spread is ideal for 10-12 people; you can buy more or less depending on the size of your party. Be sure to buy several baguettes (slice them into 1/2-inch slices before the party) and various crackers for spreading. Bon appétit!

Whine and Cheese

I've been waiting all week for it to be Friday! I'm moving on Monday and so this weekend is going to be full of cleaning and packing and who knows what else.

So I figured I'd get a jump start on some of the cleaning by cleaning out my fridge and wine cabinet. Can't complain about that! I'm having a few of the girls over before heading out for the evening, so I'm thinking we can polish off a bottle or two of wine while devouring this Feta Cheese Spread. Bonus? I'll use up the feta and the rest of my olive oil - two things you don't want to waste but will likely make a mess if you pack them up to move.

Anytime I can convince myself that having wine and cheese is actually productive, I think it's a success! But even if you're not moving this weekend, there's not reason not to dive headfirst into this super easy goodness!



Happy Weekend!

Fon...Dude It's Still Cold Out!

Is it seriously still cold out? The only plus side I can see is that I have a great excuse to indulge in a little Beer Cheese Fondue tonight. I've been eating healthy all week (the resolution is working so far!) so I think I can have a tiny splurge. Bonus? The recipe only uses 1 bottle of beer, so I already have 5 (light!) beers right there waiting!

Bon appetit, and stay warm this weekend!

Fantastic Friday: Cheese Overload!

I was looking in my fridge this morning and realized I had 8 different kinds of cheese. I think that might be a bit insane. I thought about trying to combine them into a dip or somehow use them all up to clear out some space. But then I realized that if, say, I used up all my parmesan cheese I would just go out and buy more because that's something I like to keep on hand. Similarly, cheddar is a cheese I eat several times a week, so I would probably have a mild panic attack if I looked in my fridge and didn't see any. So rather than try to get rid of my cheese, I decided to celebrate it! So here's what I'm serving my guests tonight (feel free to copy for your own fab Friday night dinner!):

Starter: Crescent-Wrapped Brie
Main: Macaroni Grill Pasta
Salad: Dole Romaine bagged lettuce + Kraft blue cheese dressing + fresh blue cheese crumbles + croutons (maybe I'll add this as a recipe ...)
Dessert: Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes

I know we JUST posted about the Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes but a) they're awesome, b) it's National Cupcake Day and I can't let the holiday pass without celebrating, and c) I'm going to use Mint Chocolate Bailey's for a new twist.

Happy Friday!

Moldy Cheese Day!

As a cheese lover, I couldn't believe when I found out today was Moldy Cheese Day. So I created this blue cheese spread that totally has a bite - between the blue cheese and the sharp cheddar I don't know what I like best! Pair it with a nice Bordeaux and you've got a fab Friday happy hour.




Happy Friday!

Veggie Tuesday: National Vegetarian Month

It's National Vegetarian Month! We normally try to encourage one veggie meal per week to help the environment, but if you'd like to do more, check out our previous vegetarian suggestions or all our vegetarian recipes on the site.

For tonight, all you cheese lovers can dig in to Gourmet Mac & Cheese. The Barilla Plus pasta packs in extra protein and Omega-3's, plus all the cheese gives you protein and calcium. Bon appetit!

Birthday Parties Are Easy When FunnySpoon and Farm Rich Team Up!

Everyone loves a good birthday party! Food, drinks, cake, games ... what's not to love?

The work! That's what's not to love - especially for busy parents! So FunnySpoon teamed up with Farm Rich to offer simple birthday party solutions. We've got it all covered so you can relax and enjoy the birthday celebration (and we'll even help out with some coupons!).

Fun Food And Drinks!

Simplify the food process by serving dishes that kids will love and adults will thoroughly enjoy, too! Try these Cheese Sticks Three Ways - a little ooey gooey goodness for the kiddos and some sophisticated flavors (and veggies) for the grown-ups!

Naturally, you'll be serving birthday cake for dessert, but this Fruit Pizza is scrumptious and you can feel good about getting some healthy fruit in all those little tummies!

Top it off with a bowl of Party Punch. Add cake and ice cream and voila! An afternoon or evening party spread is complete.

Fabulous Party Favors and Activities
You want to entertain the kiddos and send them home with something fun. Why not do both at the same time with our picture frame decorating tip? Stop by your local dollar store and pick up some 4x6 frames - it doesn't matter what they look like since the kids will be decorating them. For the decorations you can get everything you need at your local discount store - paint, glitter, construction paper, glue, stickers, cotton balls - be as creative as you want! You can also save up bottle caps before the party or stop by a fabric store and score some fabric scraps. Then, after all the frames are done, take a picture of all the kids together and print out copies for everyone!

Get the Party Started!
Everyone loves music and secretly loves to dance. Make sure you have a good playlist so everyone can get into the groove - kids and adults are sure to join in on the fun once the hosts put on their dancing shoes. And ... you can't go wrong with bubbles! A few dollars on a bubble machine (available at your local discount store) can transform your backyard!

Don't forget to sign up for the Farm Rich Birthday Club for special promotions, ideas and coupons for your upcoming birthday celebrations!

Farm Rich is a brand we personally love and is also one of our sponsors. Thanks to brands like them, we can recommend tasty, high quality products while keeping the site alive. Want more info? Check out our advertisers page.

Weekend Roundup!

This perfect summer cocktail is courtesy of my dear friend, Scott Spencer. He shared it with me years ago and I find it quite perfect for a summery beach day, pool day, backyard barbecue, evening at home ... really just about any time!!

Enjoy your weekend with a pitcher of Babie Slippers and this Feta Dill Dip. Ahhh ... don't you just love summer?







Apologies for the tardiness of this post ... definitely should've been up here yesterday so you have more time to enjoy these delicious recipes. I was too busy enjoying the Barbie Slippers!

SSS #5: Fiber is your friend!

Newsflash: Most of us don't get enough fiber in our diet! We know it's essential to a healthy, well-balanced diet, but still can't manage to squeeze enough in on a daily basis. However, this may be some more inspriation for you: fiber can be your best friend when trying to shed a few extra pounds. Check out this clip from the Today Show from this morning to catch their tips on fiber (and a healthy diet in general).

The best time of day to eat fiber is at breakfast. Try this delicious breakfast burrito to kickstart your day. Low in calories, high in fiber and high in protein. It's the triple threat for swimsuit season!




How do you get fiber into your diet on a daily basis?

SSS #3: Kickstart Your Metabolism

We've learned that breakfast is the most important meal of the day since we were kids. In fact, I'm sure all of you mothers out there tell your kids the same thing. And you probably have a mini panic attack when you can't get them to eat breakfast before heading off to school. Yet you aren't practicing what you preach ... you have your morning coffee and off you go. I'm guilty of it too, on occassion, but I really make an effort to eat something. It's true that eating breakfast really does kickstart your metabolism. There's no reason to try to save calories by skipping breakfast ... you're only setting yourself up for your body to store everything 'in reserve' that you eat later in the day.

So, use our Super Summer Slimdown tip and kickstart your metabolism with a smart, high protein breakfast like eggwhites and toast. However, if you're on the go (like me) and the idea of actually preparing breakfast is daunting, then try this easy breakfast of cheese and crackers - it's high in protein, the right carb balance and, best of all, it's portable!! Grab 2 cheese sticks and 4 or 5 Melba Toast Rounds. Breakfast is served!

What are your tips for a quick breakfast (likely to be eaten in the car)?