Top Five Tuesday: cheese

Today's topic makes me smile.... CHEESE! My favorite place in KC to taste test and purchase delicious wedges of salty, creamy, nutty cheese is The Better Cheddar. It's a cheese palace, and even offers flavored soda in cute glass bottles - an unexpectedly delicious pairing with just about any cheese. But let's be real here, I don't get the same satisfaction out of those yummy bottles that I do from a good glass of Pinot Noir in my over-sized Riedel glassware. There's just something about wine and cheese...

Top 5 favorite cheeses. No crackers necessary.

1. Port Salut: Creamy and mild semi-soft cow's milk cheese. Simply divine. I'm going to have to make this quiche recipe stat.
2. Parrano: Lesser-known cousin of the popular Gouda, this cheese is harder and saltier and a major crowd-pleaser.
3. Gorgonzola Dolce: Blues aren't for everyone, but this cheese is milder and softer than a typical blue cheese. I love it spread over toasted French bread or in a cream sauce over gnocchi.
4. Gruyere: This one I came about late in the game; it is nutty, smooth and gone before I know it. My favorite is picking the melted gooey pieces off the side of my French Onion soup bowl.
5. Smoked Gouda: Smoky (obviously), semi-hard yellow cheese that most people are familiar with and enjoy.

Port Salut deliciousness