Today is National Wine and Cheese Day! Who doesn’t like a great glass of wine and some fabulous cheese?  In addition, it’s Monday and NOBODY wants to cook on a Monday.

Do yourself a favor and make your very own charcuterie board! Head over to the local grocery store! Grab a few small blocks of some cheeses you have never tried before, and a glass of wine. In the same vein,  sparkling grape juice if you are not a drinker, or you have kids and you want them to enjoy this awesome treat with you! Add some grapes, almonds and or pistachios, honey, jams and jellies, pastrami, salami, or ham and some crackers, too.

Last fall, when Alex and I were in Ames, Nebraska for her carcass ultrasound training. I stopped at the Hy-Vee grocery store and was absolutely ASTOUNDED at the variety of cheeses available at this grocery store in a college town in middle America.

I decided to ask the cheesemonger for some suggestions.  He asked me what I liked, my reply was EVERYTHING! Knowing that Alex is NOT a fan of anything in the blue family, I asked him to stay away from those.

He suggested several varieties from a little creamery in California by the name of Cypress Grove. We tried the Purple Haze, which combines fresh goat milk with lavender and fennel pollen and it was delicious.  Likewise, we grabbed a wheel of PsycheDillic, which also uses fresh goat milk that is infused with dill weed pollen. We have since tried several more varieties and ALL are delicious!

Go check out your local grocery store and see if they carry any of their varieties.  If you cannot find it locally, you can order any of the Cypress Grove cheeses from www.goldbelly.com  and have them shipped directly to your front door.