Valentine's Day usually arrives with all the violence of a sugar bomb, leaving spatters of frosting and smears of chocolate in its wake, so I'm always attracted to gentler, more savory ways to mark the holiday. So these goat cheese hearts from Joy the Baker are a total delight! Want to see how she makes them? More

Roast a block of feta and the first time you taste it, you'll wonder, Why did I waste so much of my life eating baked brie? Spreadably soft, with a tangy, salty, rich flavor, baked feta is easy to make and almost impossible to resist. Adding a sweet compote of dried figs simmered with honey and fresh thyme rounds out the flavors and turns a humble starter into a knock-out appetizer that is pretty enough for any party.

Warm, gooey goat cheese is not an overrated snack, and in fact, makes eating a salad seem so much more appealing. (Well, to me at least.) And when you pair the crunchy, melty nuggets with buttery pecans and bright greens, tossed in a thick walnut vinaigrette...then salad nirvana awaits.

More

I feel like I've seen and tasted my share of tasty things that fall under the this-can-go-on-your-cheese-plate umbrella. But it's been awhile since a honey, mostarda, jam, nut, or dried fruit has sincerely bowled me over.

And then I came upon this seemingly unassuming but stupefyingly delicious fig ball. More

I had a few realizations over the holidays this year with family. There were the usual suspects, of course: travel mayhem, gifting stress, and family drama. But this year there was a new player on the block: bad casseroles. I'm not sure if it was just chance or if my mom and sisters were digging through old late 1980's cookbooks, but we had some very heavy, flavorless casseroles during the Christmas holiday. One such recipe was that infamous Tuna Noodle Casserole made with canned soup. I hadn't had it in years, and the whole time I was eating it, I couldn't help but think: there's got to be a better way! More

I'm hesitant to admit this, but during my first year of college, I survived almost solely on ham and cheddar hot pockets, with the occasional pepperoni pizza thrown in for good measure. There was a vending machine in my dorm lobby, hot pockets being only one of its many choice selections. (If my parents only really knew where my "meal plan" money was going!) I still love a good ham and cheddar combination, only now I can enjoy it in a much more delicious way.

More

You don't think much about it, probably because you just accept it as a fact: Some cheeses have holes. But why? Cue cheese science. More

This time of year can be a tricky one for inspired breakfasts. Oatmeal is my go-to on weekdays, and on the weekends we often flail for something a bit more interesting but no more complex. With this morning tart, flail no more!
More

There's a bit of an uproar going on in the Chelsea, New York, cheese community. (Quite the niche market, I realize.) At a well-loved neighborhood store, a cheesemonger's tongue-in-cheek labels on cheese — referencing song lyrics, relevant quotes, and the like — were recently banned by the establishment's higher-ups after a customer complained. It got me thinking about what's most vital to actually have on a cheese label, and what's just an added, if unnecessary, bonus. More