"Show of hands, who doesn't like a mozzarella caprese salad? Especially when its made with 100% buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and heirloom tomatoes!"

"Goat cheese from Sardinia and goats' milk cheese crusted with grape leaf ash are the two topics of the night. Pairings are cherry preserves, dill pickles, Dijon mustard, capers, and rosemary-garlic blend spread. Bread of choice is a potato rosemary loaf. We have two wines; a 2011 Malbec from Argentina and a 95-point winning table wine. Tasting notes: on top of the bread, the garlic spread and sardinia cheese are a perfect match as they are both strong and profound flavors that rather than clash, actually balance each other out. The great thing about this cheese from Sardinia is that it even stands up to the strong notes in the Dijon mustard! Great together. Capers... maybe not the best addition to this platter, at least for me. The salty flavors of the Sardinian cheese also make a great pairing with the pickles, leading me to believe that this cheese would be perfect in thick slices on a sandwich. Another surprise match is the Malbec and cherry preserves. The preserves are very sweet but can be toned down by the Malbec to a very smooth, natural cherry taste. "

"Usually a picture never gives any credit to the dish. This is one of those dishes. Rigatoni pasta with chicken, tomato and three different cheeses. The chicken was seasoned with oregano, basil and salt & pepper and marinated with an Italian balsamic vinaigrette. The cheese was simply whatever happened to be in the fridge. In this case, I used pepper jack cheese, asiago cheese and pecorino cheese. The great thing about creamy cheese sauces is that the taste depends solely on the amount of each cheese and what cheeses are used. For a garnish, I used parsley and once again, it brought the whole meal together. Another great thing about food is how easily one simple ingredient can complete a dish. "