Hawes Wensleydale

Every now and then I like to try a new cheese, and this week I saw an appetizing description of a British cheese, "pleasantly nutty," perhaps "tart." Seduced by these phrases, I bought a wedge. I always think I'm going to like "nutty" cheeses, and yet they nearly always taste like vomit. I adore cheeses, but in my opinion all of them have an undertone of vomit taste, and in some it is less subtle than in others. The flavor of the Hawes Wensleydale cheese suggested that it should not be eaten alone, but paired with something smoky and strong such as mushrooms.

Hawes Wensleydale frittata with portabello mushrooms

Saute in a high-sided skillet with a little oil until it begins to turn translucent:
one onion, chopped

Add:
several Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
four lightly pre-steamed small Yukon Gold or red potatoes, sliced
Saute until the mushrooms soften.

Whisk together:
6 eggs
1/3 c. grated Hawes Wensleydale cheese
1/4 c. milk
1-2 t. tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

Lower the heat on the burner, pour the liquid into the skillet, cover the skillet, and cook until the frittata is set but not overcooked, about 20 minutes.

This frittata was very tasty, and the cheese blended in well with the other flavors.

Iowa Caucus

I went to my local caucus tonight. It was fun! It went on too long, because there were five times the normal number of caucus goers, but it was a great experience. We had 555 people show up. I sat with the Biden group, which only had 9 supporters, and we were all a bunch of Independents who register Democrat. I'm definitely going to support the marginal candidates first every time I go to caucuses. You get to meet your little group and hear what everybody has to say, and representatives come from every other candidate to try to get your support in the second round, after your candidate proves not to be viable. The Clinton group brought us cookies, although they were not actual Clinton Cookies.

Candidates had to have 15% of the votes in order to be viable, and all the marginal candidates added together only had about 10% of the votes, so in the second round we had to choose Obama, Clinton, or Edwards. Obama had twice as many supporters as anybody else did. I left a little early, so I didn't find out whether Edwards or Clinton came in second. There was such a large crowd that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get out of the parking lot if I didn't leave early. Next time I'll throw on a ski mask and brave the cold to walk to the caucus.