I've been hearing the same question for years: "What's the best way to learn about cheese?" The answer will make your taste buds happy.

Q: I bought a rather expensive hunk of cotija cheese for our Cinco de Mayo tacos. What else can I do with it besides add to salads?

Sent by Diane

Pairing peanut brittle with cheese seems obvious with a bit of analyzation. It's sweet, nutty, salty, caramelized, and addictive: all adjectives used so frequently for cheese. If you're into switching up the things you eat alongside your cheese wedges, consider some chards of peanut brittle. But which cheeses match it best? 

I made a spontaneous purchase during an IKEA trip last week. The place kind of has that effect on people.

Sadly, though, I was struck with a bit of regret when I got it home.

If you have yet to experience the pleasure of cheese and beer together, or if you're a strict believer in pairing cheese with wine and wine alone, here's a book to open, widen, and/or convert your mindset. 

And if you're already on the beer and cheese bandwagon, there's no question that this is a book for you. 

Usually half-used containers of anything make me want to pull my hair out as I scramble for ways to use them up before the contents go bad. Not so with ricotta! In fact, I find myself looking forward to having a few spoonfuls leftover from a recipe just so I can use them however I want. My favorite nefarious uses for leftover ricotta? Here are five to try.

I made one of my favorite springtime cheese dishes on Sunday evening: cheese soufflé-stuffed artichokes. And in the process, I found my new favorite cheese. If you like Gruyere or Comte or Appenzeller or Emmenthaler, you'll love Scharfe Maxx. It's a mountain cheese, to the maxx.

When planning a cocktail party, I always make sure to have one "straight-from-freezer-to-oven" recipe, and I make extra. You can keep refilling the tray as long as you need to, and any leftovers stay in the freezer for the next party. There's only one problem. With these cheddar olives, my favorite straight-from-freezer-to-oven recipe, there are never any leftovers. Ever. No matter how many I make. People just can't get enough of the warm, cheddary, slightly crumbly pastry enclosing a juicy olive. More

Last weekend, I made a purchase that I'm pretty sure will change the way I serve cheese forever.