{Giveaway!} Who Wants Queso?! A Cheesy Sargento Happy Pack...

Sargento Cheese Slate

Because we all know cheese makes us very happy. It really does. It takes us from sad to glad, frustrated to relaxed, and hungry to well-satisfied. I went through a phase when eating cheese had the complete reverse effect, and in retrospect, I was no good. I was miserable and ended up gorging on all the wrong foods. Life is better now. So much better. I eat cheese at my heart’s pleasure and have decided there’s simply no reason for me not to enjoy it. I seriously could go on a truffle cheese diet. If only I could ignore the urges to have the crappy jarred stuff I crave at midnight. Working on that…

This recipe development gig with Sargento has been such a delight. Between learning about the thousands of potatoes Peru boasts, to modifying my palate to tolerate more heat, I’ve come to embrace adding cheese to my food whenever there’s a window. And I think you should, too!

Back in February, I visited their headquarters in wintry Wisconsin. I touched a bit on that visit here. But, one of the best parts of the trip was coming back home to a colossal box full of just about every variety of quesos you could think of.

Since then, I’ve incorporated most of their shreds, 4 state cheddar being my favorite; slices, with chipotle cheddar being everything I could ask for in a smoked cheese; and blocks, with their 4-year aged Wisconsin cheddar being good enough to forgo dessert. Actually the black wax cased one is, but it’s super hard to come by. It requires special order. My oh my, it’s sexy!

So, if you follow my blog, then you know I’ve been trekking the food scene in that Peruvian culinary realm trying to learn all about their special food. I’ve learned a lot but feel there’s so much to peel back.

For now, I’m giving the Latin food exploration for Sargento a quick furlough, and look at more typical American dishes that fall into the other trends Rick Bayless identified. I’m specifically thinking about meats and braising. After all, I am a true Cuban and very much so a carnivore.

That said, I’d love for you to join me in creating some over-the-top plates that reflect the highest quality of cooking meat, mostly through braising, but that incorporate cheese! Is there something that you’ve been dying to make? Something you saw on Pinterest or another blog and want to recreate with your spin? All but the cheeseburger (unless of course it has truffles, pickled onions, avocado or some Sarabeth‘s preserve (the best jiggly stuff ever to be created).

Yes, that’s acceptable.

So let’s play! My friends at Sargento and I would love to treat to you some goodies, similar to what I’ve been relishing in this year… and let’s see what you come up with!

From mi casa to yours, one reader will get the following:

$50 worth of Sargento cheese products via coupons you can use at your local grocer (that’s like 12 packs of cheese!)

Rock cheese slate/board; and

A really pretty designer apron (fellas, a great gift for that special chica)

These goodies will be yours if you play along and enter. All you have to do is the following! 🙂

Sargento Giveaway Image

Giveaway runs through Oct. 31st. I’ll choose a winner using Random.org on Nov. 1st and announce via Twitter on Nov. 3rd. Good luck and good eating. With cheese. Lots of it!

(for those who have asked, a clarification. One comment will suffice, though all 5 asks are required to enter. By all means come back and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done them all, but you don’t have to! ¡Suerte!

*this post is part of my yearly work as a recipe developer and Tastemaker for Sargento Cheese. All opinions are my own.