After thinking last week was the cheese box week (and being wrong) Bob and I had a nice mini cheese night last week with the Winnimere, the Midnight Moon and the Scharfe Maxx. This week we added the actual cheese box cheeses, had a few people over, and made a mini party out of it.

When I picked up the box on Friday, Louise did tell me we had a substitution since the regular box had a blue cheese in it. I’m not complaining in the least, but Bob would have liked a taste of the blue. I’m pretty certain the Bijou, a Vermont goat, was the substitution. I like this cheese. It is a classic, mild goat cheese. Soft and pairs well without being overpowered or overpowering.

In addition to the Bijou we had an a English Cheshire. It looks like cheddar, but is so mild in flavor with a crumbly texture and a pretty orange color, I can imagine cooking with this one more than eating it plain. I may need to make grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese tomorrow to use it up. It did go well with some fig preserve I picked up, but while good, it was not on my must have again list.

The clear favorite of the night, by everyone, was the Taleggio. Soft Italian cheese that was creamy, smooth and had a ton of subtile flavor. It is not a hit you in the face cheese, like the Winnimere, or a tangy cheese like the Midnight Moon, but it is something I’m going to look for again. It was so good, I had more of it for dinner tonight. Just cheese and crackers and I’m a happy little girl.

Since we were having company, I also made dessert. I found a recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that looked incredible. The original recipe calls for a chocolate meringue to top it, but I went with basic whipped cream. The cake was good, but not great. I forgot my major problem with flourless cakes – the texture. They tend to be crumbly and slightly dry and this one was no different. I ate my whole piece, and I think the cream was a good choice, but the Belgium brownie it was not.

I brought Tigger home Friday too. Poor baby did not like the car ride home from Mom’s and he cried and cried and tried to get out of the carrier for the whole trip home. Jessie was glad to have him back, and he has been nice to Gracie since returning, but he is a little disconcerted at the moment. He also looks a little beaten up as his nose is scraped from his attempts to unzip the carrier with it, and it is a little black and blue. I’ve been trying to baby him a little and I think he had forgiven me for putting him in the car, but we shall see how long the good behavior lasts. Hopefully a long time.