I Am the Cheese

I'm not a big dairy fan. I used milk on my cereal when I was a kid, but just enough to douse the crunchy. I drank the remaining liquid only if it was flavored with Count Chocula or Apple Jacks. Other than that I threw it out. Having the attention of a gnat I didn't have the time to mix chocolate in it and my mom refused to buy us the all reverent, all mystical, chocolate milk. But cheese. Well, to me, it's the best use of milk since I no longer eat cereal.

So far, I've never met a cheese I didn't love. I really like to snack on slices. But I will eat my cheese anyway I can get it.

On Friday we had a baby shower  at work for a really great girl who is having a little boy. I wanted to make something fun, and hopefully different, and still remain in the confines of her vegetarian diet. So I did what most confident, creative cooks do, I googled baby shower foods! I found these adorable Babybel cheese umbrellas on a site called Cute Foods for Kids.

I started to put them on a white platter, like the posted picture showed, but then I thought if I lined a platter with blue wrapping tissue it would be more personalized for the baby boy theme.

It was super easy to do and it was a success.

Buy a few bags of different Babybel cheeses at the store. I bought yellow and white cheddar and mozzarella.

Cut the rounds in half and peel off the plastic that surrounds the red wax.

Next get enough straws in the equal amount of round halves. I used the blue stripe since she is having a boy.

Cut each straw about 1/2" from where the bend is. I started out cutting each one individually, and then got the bright idea of grabbing a handful and cutting them all use scissors. It worked well and was much faster.

Take each piece of straw and extend the bendable part and then bend it in the shape of a J.

Take the long portion and shove it in the middle of the cheese half, leaving the elbow bent at the bottom of the handle, and you have now made a miniature cheese umbrella.

I took the platter, blue tissue paper, and the cheese with the straws in it in a plastic bag to work. I put the bag of strawed cheese in the fridge until it was time for the shower. It took less than five minutes to line the platter with the tissue paper and put the umbrellas on the paper. I left the remainder of cheese halves in the bag behind the platter, so more umbrellas could easily be replenished on the tray.

I was glad she liked the cute treats and I was able to stay within her dietary needs.

Try this for the next shower you go to and let me know how it went.

Happy Cooking!