Pass the Cheese, Please!

This year, Thanksgiving may look a bit different.  Whether you are celebrating solo or hosting an intimate dinner, we’ve got you covered.  The possibilities for incorporating cheeses into your Thanksgiving spread are endless, and we’ve highlighted some of our personal favs you’ll want to gobble up.

 

Break out the Board

Kick off the celebration by building a festive cheese and charcuterie board.  This tried-and-true appetizer is a lovely way to start your day.  You can nosh on it while your main dishes are in the oven.  Alternatively, if your ideal Thanksgiving includes eating all day, it’s the perfect afternoon snack.  For a smaller board, consider sticking to only a couple of your favorites.  For a show-stopping stunner, we suggest using our two natural rind cheeses, Jeffs’ Select and Felix.  These two will delight the palate and are friendly with many different accoutrements.  Grab some honey, hazelnuts and dried figs to add to the board.

 

Feast Your Eyes on This

For the main meal, we like to add cheese into as many classic side dishes as we can.  Want to spice up your green bean casserole?  Mix in a Swiss!  Our St. Helga’s Swiss-style cheese will add a bit of decadence to this dish.  Why not swap out the classic mashed potatoes for potatoes au gratin?  We like a combo of the St. Mary’s Grass-fed Gouda and Jeffs’ Select Gouda.  The creaminess in the St. Mary’s will create an incredibly melty dish and the addition of the Jeffs’ will add a bit of necessary sharpness.  Who says you can’t have greens on Thanksgiving?  Try a roasted butternut squash salad with maple vinaigrette and crumbled AmaGorg.  For an added crunch, mix in some roasted hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds and apple slices.  Lastly, no plate is complete without a generous helping of ooey gooey macaroni and cheese made with St. Mary’s or Jeffs’ Select.

 

When You’re Stuffed

Let’s not forget about the best part of making Thanksgiving dinner—the leftovers! First up, the ultimate Thanksgiving leftover sandwich.  This fan favorite is a combo of all the leftovers that you can fit between two slices of bread or multiple mini sandwiches using leftover parker rolls.  Before piling on the stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole (if you got it, use it!), try topping the turkey with some Fini Cheddar or Cherubic Gouda and popping it under the broiler before adding in the other ingredients.  Want to get really wild?  Skip the broiler, mix both cheeses together, and make the ultimate Thanksgiving leftover grilled cheese.  For a lighter fare, local cheesemonger Liz Nerud suggests a turkey Cobb salad topped with St. Pete’s Select!

 

A Note of Thanks

We love a good Thanksgiving meal, but what we love even more are the people around our table.  This holiday season, we’d like to say thank you—to our farmers, our amazing employees, our delivery drivers, our distributor partners, the shops small and large, all the mongers, the chefs and of course to all of our customers—thank you for all of your support.  We are truly grateful for all of you.