I AM SUCH A NINCOMPOOP ...

I just realized, too late, that I have uploaded my Chatter Box Cheese artisan cheese article to my Birch Bay Kay blog! YIKES!

Do you think I might be juggling too many chainsaws?

Could well be the case.

Hope you enjoyed reading something a little different than you normally read on this blog!

Off I go to put the right words on the right blog! LOL

Sheep versus Goat aged Gouda ...

I had attended a staff meeting in Bellingham and since I was in the general area anyway, I dropped into Quel Fromage in Fairhaven just to see what there was to see before I drove back to Birch Bay. Yeah right! Like I needed a reason to stop in!

Esme, one of the friendly, very cheese-saavy assistants, was still turning on the lights and getting the shop ready for business. However, she was quick to wait on me and provided ready answers to all my questions, and provided taste samples of whatever caught my eye.

One splendid benefit of buying from a cheese shop like Quel Fromage is that you can taste any of their cheeses, thus taking the guesswork out of how the cheese will taste and whether or not you’ll like it.

Another benefit is that Esme counsels you to let it age a little bit more for a fuller taste experience, or to eat it right away when it’s at its peak. You don’t find that knowledge and customer service interaction in a supermarket.

I wanted to compare a sheep’s milk gouda with a goat’s milk gouda.

I had read about Ewephoria, so knew that would be one of my choices and I had enjoyed other Cypress Grove cheeses, and so Esme recommended the Midnight Moon.

EWEPHORIA

Ewephoria is a relatively new gouda-style cheese from the Friesland region of Holland. Unlike standard cow’s milk gouda, Ewephoria is made from pasteurized sheep's milk—Ewephoria—clever play on the name, yes? It is, however, made using the same carefully-guarded starter cultures that give goudas their distinctive flavor.

Here in the United States we often think of European cheeses as established, traditional, having stood the test of time, but new ones continually find their way to the public attention.

Ewephoria was developed by Seattle-based Dutch cheese importer CheeseLand, Inc. specifically for American consumers who reputedly have a sweet tooth. Do we? The idea, so it seems, was that traditional aged gouda was too harsh for American tastes and a softer, sweeter aged gouda was sought.

Ewephoria is aged 10 months, has a butterscotch color and a rather sweet, nutty, buttery flavor.

Janet Fletcher writing for SFGate, August 3, 2006, claimed, "Ewephoria is possibly as close as cheese gets to candy. The texture is firm, becoming drier toward the rind, and the flavor intense and sweet, with enough acidity to keep the cheese from being cloying."

In my opinion that “candy” description goes too far. To my tastebuds Ewephoria is not as sweet as many other more traditional cheeses. In fact, even some goudas--e.g., Saenkanter--are considerably sweeter. Then there are flavored cheeses like Chocolate Fudge Cheese, which although technically cheese, is really could be considered candy or a dessert.

Regardless of the perceived degree of sweetness, I found it to be a very enjoyable eating cheese, especially when paired with a cabernet sauvignon. I’m not a red wine person, but both Ewephoria and Midnight Moon tasted worlds better with the wine, versus without.

However, another reviewer stated, "With its butterscotch-colored interior with pronounced butterscotch and whiskey aromas, this cheese belongs at the end of a meal with a glass of nutty amontillado or oloroso sherry. A beer drinker would find it compatible with brews that have rich, roasted, nutty and malty flavors, such as porter and stout."

CYPRESS GROVE MIDNIGHT MOON

This is another relatively new Dutch gouda recipe cheese created for Cypress Grove Chevre of Arcata, California. This one, however, is made with pasteurized goat’s milk.

It’s aged for at least twelve months, developing a semi-firm density with a butter flavor with distinct caramel undertone. The descriptions are so similar, but there is a definite taste difference. I thought the texture of the Ewephoria was a little firmer than the Midnight Moon. My preference is for the latter. I went absolutely bonkers over this cheese! You just have to try them for yourself.

It’s encased in black wax in 10-pound wheels. It makes a great presentation.

Cypress Grove Creamery cheesemaker Mary Keehn traveled to Europe to locate cheesemakers to make classic cheeses to her specifications, to augment their production. Another winner here! The description from their website claims: “Midnight Moon has a warm, nutty flavor with hints of caramel. This cheese won the NASFT award in 2002 for ‘Outstanding New Product.’”

Their recommended wine pairing was with Syrah or Zinfandel … but it tasted great with my Cabernet Sauvignon.

I sliced both cheeses on a plate of fresh grapes, kiwi, strawberries, cherries and mango and it was heavenly!

Lost and Found Open 24/7 ...

This afternoon I read Bonnie Hale’s blog. Bonnie, who I knew in Redlands, CA, and her husband now live in Grapevine, Texas and she offers a lost cat/dog finding service, with the help of Murphy, her sniffer dog par excellence. Her blog entry told the tale of Murphy’s recent success in finding Maggie, a lost Dalmation, to the jubilation of Maggie’s distraught owner.

A month or so ago, I lost a single sterling and brass earring I had made, in the parking lot or where I had parked along the beach, but I never found it. For me it wasn't a total loss because I always mix up what earrings I wear in the four different holes in my head, I mean, in my ears. Susan, too, lost a gold hoop earring and sent out e-mail to everyone in our office to be on the look out for it. She’s more conservative than am I, so the loss of her one earring keeps her from using the remaining one. Gerry, another one of the Realtors in our office, has metal detecting equipment and maybe he can find both earrings. If he does find them, he would also find he was Susan’s and my hero!

I lost about 10 pounds and was able to get back into a favorite pair of jeans, but this week I found the 10 pounds and can no longer fit into the jeans.

I thought I had lost a friend, but then found he wasn’t yet ready to be lost.

When I stop and really think about it, there are so many instances of lost-n-found in my life: opportunities lost and new ones found, material things I’ve lost or had to relinquish only to find that I was better off without them, trust that was lost but finding means by which to re-establish or re-build mutual trust and respect, losing a sale but finding myself better equipped to succeed the next time, love lost making way for new love to be found, losing a game of Scrabble but finding a heightened degree of enjoyment of the game, losing a bad habit and finding more time, losing myself in a project and finding it was not that special after all in life's grand scheme.

This coming week I hope you lose something, and then find something more valuable or something that makes you happier or better off or find something that makes you feel better about yourself!

To read more about Murphy and Bonnie Hale: www.bonniehale.blogspot.com or www.lostpetspecialist.com

Blaine Jazz Festival Jul 12-18, 2009

DON'T MISS THE NEXT SEVEN EXCITING DAYS!

We who live in this area are fortunate, indeed, to be able to enjoy--and support--an incredible jazz opportunity. Presented by Pacific Arts Association and the City of Blaine, and sponsored in part by The Northern Light and Smuggler's Inn, we have seven exciting days of rehearsals, combos, improv, composition, and other great classes for teens with an internationally recognized faculty culminating in a jazz concert featuring student big bands, combos and vocal groups PLUS multiple performances by visiting jazz artists.

Kicking it off TONIGHT is

MaD Fusion Does Gershwin Concert

July 11, 7:30 p.m. Blaine PAC.

Tickets are available online at http://www.pacificartsassoc.org/

or call Suzanne at 676-5740.

There still might be a few tickets that can be purchased at the door, but this is a very popular concert. It's guaranteed to get your toes tapping and your fingers snapping!

Please check out www.thenorthernlight.com/calendar for other fabulous concerts in conjunction with this jazz festival ... don't miss Greta Metassa performing at the Bellingham Ferry Terminal!

Each day of the Festival you can catch a free outdoor concert at around noon, performed by internationally known jazz performers who are also the festival faculty. Check out the Pacific Arts Association website for locations, although they're usually set up on Peace Portal and G in Blaine, WA.

Go to http://www.pacificartsassoc.org/ for details about who is doing what during this incredible jazz event. Perhaps you have a student who might benefit from such an opportunity, and you'll learn about scholarships and how to register for next year's festival. You'll also find ways you can help out or donate to keep this worthy educational opportunity going strong!

See you there!

Independence for you and me ...

On the ferry going over to Lummi Island to visit my friend Lorraine Dukes, I got this brilliant idea to take photographs of anything I saw that day having to do with patriotism, or a display of our colors, or the 4th of July. I thought it would be fun for this blog. Entertaining. Light. Ever so clever, so original, don’t you think?

So, here are a few … nothing clever, nothing original …

Then in keeping with the celebration, many friends sent patriotic photographs, cartoons and stories. One new friend, Clarke, even sent a video of the Cactus Cuties singing the national anthem at a football game in Houston … really cute. Watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el26vmB36VA&feature=related My eyes welled with tears; I’m such a soft touch!

I realized--again--how fortunate we all are here in the US of A!

I mean, we’re not in Iran where fanatic clerics have forbidden public protest over vote outcome or shut down YouTube transmissions and FB and other social networking sites online, so that the citizenry of that country can’t voice their opinions, or hear what’s going on. (Although we do have our own domestic and world news filtering to address and deal with here.)

The United States is still a place where if one is willing to work for it, one can achieve the American Dream. (Although there is so much red tape and rules and regulations and fees and taxation and paperwork to be observed and filled out and recorded, and hoops to jump through in order to grab the golden ring and big box stores and mega corporations and agricultural conglomerates are pushing out the mom-n-pop enterprises.)

We applaud and support our brave men and women who serve in the Armed Forces to protect our way of life and our rights. (Although the question of support might be posed regarding the treatment, or lack thereof, for some of those brave ones who came back suffering from post traumatic shock and told there is nothing that can be done for them because there’s nothing physically wrong with them; or those who came back after Vietnam and were spit on and reviled because it was an unpopular war, even though they were over there risking death for their country.)

Hmmm. Maybe I should stop.

Maybe we all should stop taking our freedoms for granted. Maybe we should realize how fortunate we are to have and enjoy what we have and strive to make it better. WORK to preserve our freedom and freedom of choice and freedom of speech and embrace the responsibility to perpetuate our freedoms and not let them slip away or be taken away.

I have children and grandchildren. So do you! What will be left of the American Dream for them?

Get out there and vote! Speak up when you feel something is wrong! Make a difference! Freedom and Independence don’t just happen and keep on keepin’ on! It has to be protected and nurtured!

Again, not a clever idea, not an original concept ... Celebrate and enjoy the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air. Giving proof through the night...

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!