More Cheese, Please

When I am faced with a week of bad weather, late nights at the office and--worst of all--a bad hair day, there are only a handful of things that make those five evil weekdays tolerable. Normally, finding something great to watch on TV is half the battle, but since pretty much everything is still in reruns, I usually drown my sorrows in food and something Tivoed. There's usually one week out of the month where cooking is nearly impossible because I get home so late, so over the years I've discovered a few key ingredients that I can buy on Monday to last me through the entire week.

The first key ingredient to a quick, late dinner is a big, crusty loaf of bread. A great loaf of bread is good for more than just an amazing sandwich. You can use it as the base for any spread that's easily whipped up in the food processor or heated on the stove. In my experience it may even be done before the bread pops out of the toaster. For easily spreadable ideas see the recipes for my tapenade, artichoke spread and white bean tostada.

The second ingredient that I depend on is cheese. You can do everything from create a quick pizza or flatbread, mix it into pasta, or do what I love to do, spread it on your trusty loaf of bread. This week, as work got super busy and eating slipped through the cracks of my busy day, I made it a point to make one quick pit-stop on my walk home. The wine and cheese shop on my corner has an excellent selection of cheese from around the world, including a delicious cow's milk/goat's milk blend that I grabbed on my way home. It was soft and gooey even straight out of the fridge, with the sweetness of a brie, but with a hint of the tartness one gets from goat cheese. Once I got home all I had to do was spread it on toast (which helped it get even gooier) and then top it with some slivered olives and pine nuts to accent those nutty brie-like flavors. It was a super easy and satisfying meal, not to mention I wasn't totally full from eating dinner super late. No recipe today, just a few helpful hints :)

-Laura