I'd Like to Order Kung Pao Chicken Smothered with Melted Cheese! (Yuk!)

A few years back, I was having a spirited discussion with co-workers at one of my temp jobs and the discussion turned to food preferences. Mexican versus Chinese. 

I said: “I love Chinese food!”

My co-worker's response was:

“No way! Chinese food doesn't have near enough cheese for me!!”

I laughed and thought to myself: 'Yep! She's right about that!'

But why? ⍰
Why is there hardly any cheese in Chinese cuisine?

Did some research. Here is the quick answer, according to Corinne Trang, affectionately referred to by her many admirers as the “Asian Julia Child”. She says: “In Asian food culture, you have thousands, countless amounts of herbs and spices that we use at any given time. So few of these spices go well with cheese.” *

Nevertheless, there is a food trend going in the “fusion” direction and chefs are experimenting with incorporating cheese into Asian recipes.

I seriously doubt that you can order a plate of kung pao chicken smothered with melted cheese.  I didn't say the chefs had taken leave of their senses.  😋

But what do you think of this "adaptation"?

Do you like Chinese food with or without cheese?

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*Quote Source:

Kuo, Stephanie. "The Real Reason There's No Cheese In Asian Cuisine." CheeseRank : Your Go To Guide for All Things Cheese. N.p., 28 July 2014. Web. 15 June 2017. (NOTE: Links to an archived copy.)

It Turns Out, There is Such a Thing as Chinese Cheese

The Blog: Cookbook author and teacher Diana Kuan writes about traditional and modern takes on Asian home cooking on her blog, Appetite for China. She has also recently launched an online shop called Plate and Pencil, with cute gifts like a "Dumplings Around the World" tote bag.

Discovering Cheese in One of the Most Unsuspecting Places

It's nearly impossible for any Westerners to remember the first time they tried cheese. From pizza to pasta to hunks eaten on their own, cheese's ubiquity in our diets means that we've been enjoying it since before we could eat most other solid foods. For Liu Yang, a cheesemaker in Beijing, the ...

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Food and Drink : Are You a Cheese Lover?

Have always been told that cheese is healthy eating. Haven't you? Unless you're lactose intolerant and have a hard time digesting dairy products, that is. But I received an article via eMail that said cheese might not be healthy. The headline was a shocker!

Cheese lover that I am!! ❤  I respect the source, so I had to read further. Whew! I'm so relieved. They mentioned the “unhealthiest” cheeses to eat. Cheese singles, cheese spray and cheese dips. Had to laugh because I thought to myself: “Duh! Those products don't even count as cheese in my book!”  ☺

Nevertheless, the other information presented in the article about healthy cheeses and the diet tips made it a worthwhile read. This excerpt below quickly summarizes what the real aim of the article is.

“If you're a cheese lover, then there's good news for you. Not all cheese is bad for your diet. In fact, there are plenty of ways to include cheese in a weight loss or weight maintenance plan. You just need to be careful about what you buy and how much you eat.”

Here is a quick outline of the subtopics:

• Healthiest Cheese Options
• Unhealthiest Cheese Options
• Health Benefits and Drawbacks of Cheese
• Cheese and Weight Loss
• Cheese Recipes

Reference:
Frey, Malia. “The Smartest Ways to Include Cheese in Your Diet.” Verywell, 28 June 2017, https://www.verywell.com/cheese-nutrition-facts-calories-and-health-benefits-4117668. Cheese Nutrition Facts: Calories in Cheese and Health Benefits ~ Content reviewed by a board-certified physician.

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Additional Comments:

I'm not sure if there is any style or form of cheese that doesn't taste good to me. Have heard people say they don't like the taste of goat cheese. Maybe if they ate it in the form of a cheesecake they'd change their mind.

Definitely never ate a piece of cheesecake that I didn't like!

People may not need to be told about this food blog and website: “Williams-Sonoma Taste”. It seems to be very popular (meaning it has a pretty high Alexa ranking). But in case you never heard of it, sharing a link below. You can sign up to receive their recipes via e-Mail.

Fresh Goat Cheese and Lemon Curd Cheesecake

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This content first appeared at ForumCoin under the same title “Food and Drink : Are You a Cheese Lover?”

Foodie Friday : Improve Boxed Mac-n-Cheese. Is that possible?

Anybody who loves their macaroni and cheese would rather be thrown into a cage with starving lions than eat that boxed mac-n-cheese!! UUUGGG!!! YUK!!!

OK. Being tossed into a cage with starving lions is a bit of an exaggeration. But how many of you have ever had a choice between making your own macaroni and cheese or using the mac-n-cheese in a box and said: “Oh yes! Gimme that box stuff! I love it!”

Saw a headline (below) about “hacking your mac”.

• Hack your mac: 13 simple ways to make boxed mac and cheese even better

Well since it was in the food section, figured it wasn't about a Mac computer, so it had to be about macaroni!  13 ways to make boxed macaroni and cheese taste even better? Well!  Everybody has their own tastes, don't they?  In my humble opinion, speaking as a non-chef or non-official food person in any way, a newbie learning to cook might want to test these ways using the box.  If the end results pass muster, they can adapt some of these ideas and add a twist to a real tried and true homemade recipe.

My tried and true homemade recipe?

Prepare 1 lb of elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions

Pour drained macaroni into a casserole dish. While the pasta is still hot, mix in the following ingredients in this order.

• 1 lb of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can of evaporated milk

Once all ingredients are thoroughly combined, sprinkle more shredded cheddar cheese on top. (As much as you want.)

Bake in a preheated oven to 350 degrees F., for about 30 minutes.

This is how my late mother taught me and was really surprised when watching TV chef Paula Deen's cooking show one day and noticed that she prepared hers the same way. (I varied my mom's recipe a little by adding in chopped onions and bell peppers.)

Other Mac-n-Cheese Variations

Foodie Friday : Raw Milk Cheese (Americans are Missing Out!)

I don't have a recipe to share for Foodie Friday. Just a link to an interesting article about a food history topic that sheds light on the raw milk cheese that apparently Americans are apparently missing out on enjoying.

EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT CHEESE IS A LIE

Americans have never had access to the cheese they deserve.

Basically the article says that most Americans don't know what real cheese taste like because they've never had any. There is some truth to the article. That's IF you define cheese that is only made from pasteurized milk as “bogus cheese”. ☺

According to the article, “real cheese” or rather “really good tasting cheese” is made from unpasteurized milk and that Americans are regulating cheese imports based on a law enacted because a health scare 80 years ago.  You won't hear any Europeans complaining because "Hey!  More good cheese for them!"  I wonder, since the Chinese have started consuming more diary products, if they are also enjoying this good real cheese.


Per Mark Hay, the article writer:

“In 1944, the federal government, ... concerned by the number of outbreaks, recommended that all cheese be made from pasteurized milk or that raw milk cheeses be aged sufficiently to let nasty germs in it die off.”

“Regardless of the merits of the rule at the time, no one bothered to review it until the late 1980s.”

“Meanwhile, Europe has developed rules that accommodate all manner of raw milk cheese but still keep people relatively safe, broadly working with existing traditions to find steps at which hygiene can be monitored and ensured.”

“In 1985, America suffered one of its greatest modern foodborne illness outbreaks, which killed over two-dozen people, ten of them infants. It was traced to a cheese plant using raw milk. … But after the 1985 incident, calls emerged to ban all raw milk cheese.”

Other significant cheese incidents occurred after 1985. Check the article for additional details.

Pretty much the article concludes:

Americans! You don't know what you're missing!
YUM! YUM!

Using Mr. Hay's exact words:
“It’s just shocking to realize how much of America’s food ecosystem, and ultimately of our palates as Americans, were locked into place decades ago by chance forces and best-guess science. But that’s how one winds up in a nation where it is, and likely will for some time be, easier to get an assault rifle than a wheel of OG French Camembert.”

Ouch!  That part about the assault rifle really hurt.  I am heart broken. I always considered myself a cheese lover. Only to find out that all this time I haven't been eating real cheese.  😢😢


The article writer has convinced me that perhaps America does need to revisit and maybe revise the raw milk cheese importing regulations. After all, there are people in other countries around the world enjoying these cheeses made from unpasteurized milk and they aren't dropping like flies. 

I'm definitely curious now as to what I've been missing all my life. Are you?

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Food Gift Baskets Are Perfect for Holiday Gift-Giving

The holiday season is upon us and I for one am very content to share a few precious moments with family and friends. It is not necessary to give me a gift. However … if you want to make me happy for the holidays, you can give me a cheese gift basket. Several years ago my brother gave my husband and me a basket for Christmas and we thoroughly enjoyed all of the tasty cheeses. 

Image credit

You can buy gift baskets that are ready-made or make a basket yourself. If you want to make a gift basket and you are not sure which cheese to pick, you can follow the advice published by Serious Eats or Taste Atlas.

REFERENCES:

• Thorpe, Liz. “Cheese Expert's Picks: 10 Essential Cheeses to Know and Love.” Serious Eats, SERIOUS EATS INC., BY DOTDASH, 31 Oct. 2019.

• “100 Best Rated Cheeses in The World.” Taste Atlas, AtlasMedia Ltd. (EU), 5 Dec. 2020, www.tasteatlas.com/100-best-rated-cheeses-in-the-world.

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Me personally, I like gouda, gruyere, extra sharp cheddar, Greek feta, and Camembert. But I would be more than happy to try any of those other cheeses recommended on these lists.

Of course, I know a cheese gift basket is kind of expensive. But it's just a suggestion to get you thinking about all the various types of gift baskets you can put together and give to family and friends.

For example, do you have a friend who is a cocoa or coffee or tea lover? Or a friend who likes various sorts of jellies and jams? You can choose a theme like … chili fixings or ingredients for Italian or Mexican food. Making gift baskets is fun. They don't have to be edible gifts either. (I just like receiving gourmet food baskets!) The items don't even have to be in a straw basket. Gift baskets can be very personalized and unique. You can give one to an individual, a couple, or a family. And of course … they come from the heart.

How to Make Easy Fancy Gift Basket



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