2Shopper

January 20th is National Cheese Lovers Day, the most glorious of made up food holidays. Cheese lovers must unite and honor our heroes, Gouda, Cheddar, Parmesan, Gruyere, Mozzarella, Swiss, American, Jack, and countless others for serving the nation with rich, creamy, crumbly, velvety, buttery, nutty, smoky delicious goodness, and providing us with calcium and protein.

Proudly exhibit your zeal with a Cheese Lover Tee Shirt from Zazzle.com…

or explore all the mouthwatering dishes you can whip up with The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook, by Paula Lambert.

If you prefer, invite fellow enthusiasts over for a wine and cheese tasting party. Follow a wine and cheese pairing guide so you can tutor your guests on how sauvignon blanc goes best with goat cheese and why cabernet sauvignon pairs so delectably with blue cheese. Label the cheeses so everyone will know which cheese they are savoring. Add some sides to compliment the different palates and you are ready to bring out the cheese connoisseur in all of your guests!

We recommend that you take advantage of promotions and online deals on gourmet cheeses during this time. DiBruno Bros. is offering 20% off on all meats and cheeses to commemorate the start of 2013. Also, check your local gourmet and world markets for different varieties from around the globe.

Current promotion: 20% off on your favorite cheeses!

You may put all your attention on acquiring your cheeses and wines, but don’t forget to have a good cheese cutter at hand too! True fromage aficionados will probably still eat blobs of poorly cut cheese, but they’ll definitely appreciate nicely cut morsels of your Manchego or Asiago.

FROMA Cheese Cutter: Sleek and modern, great for hard cheeses.

OH SNAP Mousetrap Cheese Slicer: A fun, lighthearted addition to your kitchen.

Cut the Cheese Knives Set

Another option to celebrate is by enjoying your favorite cheesy meals and treats. Indulge in nachos, quesadillas, fondue, lasagna, pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, and my personal go-to, creamy mac and cheese! Here’s a handy list of 30 Ultimate Cheesy Comfort Food Recipes, from examiner.com. Martha Stewart also has amazing recipes, including goat cheese appetizers and desserts like baked brie with pecans and  herbed cheese with pears, pine nuts, and honey. You can also try a four-cheese vanilla bean cheesecake recipe from Mississippi Kitchen made with fresh vanilla bean and four different gourmet cheeses. Yum!

Easy Goat Cheese Appetizer

Cheese Fondue

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Two-Cheese Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Potato Chips

Goat Cheese Pizza

Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese

Herbed Cheese with Pear and Pine Nuts

Four-Cheese Vanilla Bean Cheesecake made with Mascarpone, Goat, Ricotta and Cream cheese

For you vegans out there, fear not; you can join in on the fun with vegan cheese, made 100% dairy free. Cover your vegan pizzas and pastas with delicious cheese alternative and succumb to the ooey melty deliciousness with your cheese-loving brothers and sisters (shh…your secret’s safe with us!).

A true breakthrough in vegan cheeses, it’s close to the real stuff!

All this talk of food is making me hungry…I leave you now with the words of the biggest cheese lover I know of, Eunice from She’s the Man:

Enjoy! Happy National Cheese Lovers Day!