Once again, I’m in charge of bringing the scalloped potatoes to our family Holiday meal, and once again, my husband and I both went shopping for the ingredients.  OOPS!  We have on our hands a pile of shredded cheese in all different styles and flavors.  My husband was none too particular when he chose his cheese variety, so we have quite an assortment with which to experiment. 

I would like to use up the cheese in a dish to bring to our Holiday meal so we can share it and make it disappear quickly, without there being yet another vegetable dish on the table.  I have this really incredible Cheese and Wine Spread which I’ll make.  It looks pretty and tastes wonderful.  I like it because it’s not another Cheese Ball covered in nuts.  You may want to give this a try even if you don’t have a pile of cheese to get rid of. 

Here’s how I make my Cheese ‘n Wine Spread: 

In a glass bowl, blend together with a fork 1/2 cup softened (NOT melted) butter, 3 cups of assorted shredded cheese (cut it up if it’s too coarse), 3 tablespoons of a heavy bodied wine, and a dash of cayenne pepper.  Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly, sort of mashing it until it looks spreadable and all the colors are mixed.  Spoon into a pretty glass serving bowl or container, cover the container tightly and store in refrigerator until time to serve.  Put out on table with small cheese knife or spreader along with some crackers or small bread pieces.  A pretty little piece of parsley is nice as a garnish when served.

I like those nice, new shredded cheese blends you can find now.  And now that we’ve got a mountain of them, I would like to do something creative with these delicious cheeses. 

If you have any tried-and-true uses for LOTS of cheese, I’d love to hear them! 

Provolone cheese has a distinctively smoky aroma and flavor.  I like it on any sandwich where I use rye bread and ham.  It’s one cheese that can stand up against other strong flavors.  Even if you add a thin slice of onion to your sandwich, you’ll still taste the Provolone!

What I’m wondering about is if Provolone cheese is a cheese that you’d want to use in casseroles.  I use a lot of Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Parmesan cheese, but haven’t tried Provolone cheese in my casseroles as yet.  One recipe my daughter made quite a bit when she lived in Oregon, was Grilled Portebello Mushroom Burgers, served on a nice bun like a burger with all the trimmings.  Her cheese of choice was Provolone because of the smoky aroma, which mimics the smell of a burger on the grill.  Clever!  I’ve also talked to some friends who prefer Provolone over Swiss cheese on Reuben Sandwiches, because of the smoky flavor and how it stands up to the corned beef and sauerkraut in the Reuben. 

What do you think?  Is there a whole new world of Provolone cheese to explore?  What am I missing?