Three Cheers for the Red, White and Cheese

It's Summer! It's a 3-day weekend! The forecast is nothing but blue skies and 80 degree temps through Sunday! Oh--and I also made a Retro WW recipe that was actually delicious.

I tell ya folks, I couldn't be happier.

This is a very special recipe. Why? Because it can only be made once a year, it is specifically designed and named for the holiday-at-hand, and it would just seem silly to serve it any other time.

The Fourth of July Cheese Salad

Combine the following in a blender and process until smooth:

• 2 2/3 cups cottage cheese (I used fat-free)
• 8 oz bleu cheese (I used low-fat)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (I used skim)
• 2 tbsp chives (I used parsley)
• 2 tsp grated lemon rind (skipped it)
• 1 tsp Worcetershire sauce (this I actually had)
• 1 tsp barbecue spice (I used cumin)

Place in freezer in a non-stick tray for at least 3 hours. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving; unmold onto serving platter. Garnish with pimiento strips cut in the shape of firecracker.

OK--first let me tell you that this mixture almost didn't make it into the freezer. The velvety smooth cheesy substance was so good, I started eating it with a spoon right out of the blender. I began to imagine various ways to use it in my everyday life: as a crudite dip, a sandwich spread, a baked potato topping, a salad dressing, a cocktail mixer, a body lotion, etc.

Have I mentioned I love cheese?

Honestly, it was one of the tastiest flippin' things I have ever encountered. I wondered, "How could THIS be a diet food"? It's way too delicious!

Then I froze it.

After the excitement of the unmolding (Yes, I get a strange, unexplainable rush from unmolding. No, I am NOT a freak--try it, and you'll see what I mean), I placed the frozen cheese "salad" on a festive platter and topped it with the obligatory firecracker pimiento garnish. I then cut myself a slice.

Hmmm. Somehow, it just wasn't the same. Less tasty, less zesty, less creamy and fabulous. Just a boring block of frozen cheese.

Well--I figure if I let it sit out on the kitchen counter for a few hours, it will go back to its original consistency. Then I can whip out a wooden spoon and go to town. Sometimes you just have to declare your independence from the mold. Know what I mean?

Happy 4th everyone!