Baked Cheese with herbs

I call this post Baked Cheese. Actually it should be Baked Fontina, as that is what Ina Garten calls this recipe. The problem is I decided to make it at 2am, And had no Fontina. So I tried WSU Viking Cheese. So I followed Ina's recipe but used the Viking Cheese, which is a "Jack" type cheese. This is so good and so very easy. I like it better than fondue, and just great with a baguette.

Baked Cheese

Cube a pound and a half of semi soft cheese

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves (Even though the recipes calls for fresh thyme and rosemary, I used some dried leaves I put up last summer and it turned out great)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 French baguette

Preheat the broiler and position the oven rack 5 inches from the heat. Distribute the cubes of Cheese evenly in a 12-inch cast-iron pan or other oven safe pan. Drizzle on the olive oil. Combine the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sprinkle it over the cheese and olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and place the pan under the broiler for 6 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and starts to brown. Serve the baked Cheese family-style-right out of the oven in the cast-iron pan with crusty chunks of bread for everyone to dip.

Cheese in a Can!

Cheese in a can. No- I am not talking about spray cheese (one of my guilty pleasures). But I digress:
Beth, aka Fake Plastic Fish over at my Plastic Free Life, was blogging about plastic free cheese, or rather Cheese storage. I thought about Cougar Cheese. What is cougar cheese? It is cheese made at the Washington State University Creamery. WSU, being an "Agricultural College" in our state operates a creamery. And they sell the cheese. I cannot say the cougar gold or the cheddar are favorites of mine, but almost everyone I know raves about them. I am going to try the "Natural Viking", a jack type cheese. I just hope it doesn't hurt my U of W sensibilities. Big talk- considering I attended Highline Community College, or as we call it "Midway U".
one other cool thing- since it is canned, makes it a great choice for those pesky emergency food supply kits... doesn't need refrigeration to store for a period of time.
Anyway, yes I know that cans are lined with a thin film of plastic. But considering I will keep the can and turn it into a bank for more cheese, I am not worried. Just don't tell Beth!