When we go back to Iowa we always stock up on those great cheese curds, esp. the fried ones! They are made fresh weekly in those little towns along the Miss. River in NE Iowa & NW Wisconsin but we place an order just before coming home & I have frozen a lot of them & they thaw fine & same texture .... chewy! I see cheese curds labelled x Wisc. down here in NM but they must be pasteurized or something as they don't have an expiration date & taste 'somewhat' like the fresh cheese curds. Annie: I guess I really hadn't looked for those cereal boxes since our son grew up but -like the crackerjacks- a fond childhood memory still! Glad both are still around for another generation! Those crackerbox 'precious' toys we searched in every box sure have gotten 'cheap' ... or maybe that is just viewing from an adult's viewpoint now!!! ha

I did a couple of cans of that for Ashley's graduation open house, she and her friends just love the stuff. Anyway, two cans heated through in about 2 hours on high. It might have been hot in less time, but that's when I thought to check it, LOL. Annie

The two things so grand fresh are mozzarella and warm bread. Both freeze ok for cooking and toasting when thawed. Fetta has good shelf life in herbs and olive oil and very pretty. I made flatbread crackers a few years ago for gifting. A few varieties using herbs, cheeses, pink sea salts. Different seeds, chia etc. Very festive looking. I stumbled upon a cheese forum a while back looking at fetta recipes and molding. (can't find the link) but they would know with a google search. A spreadable cheese like a goat/chevre will freeze ok. Not for gifts but to take to parties i lined a martini glass with saran, then some olive oil, then a paper thin slice of provalone. The olive oil makes it almost transparent. Any sprigs of herb, leaves, thin slices of olives, black sesame seeds will show through giving hint to the flavors inside...then pack the glass or cute shaped teacup with soft cheese mixture. Pesto, nuts, etc. Very cute little cone shapes. Might freeze just fine but i would test it first. I think of homemade food gifts not needing to be large. Just pretty and thoughtful. Thinking of trying fetta myself since it needs some weeks to set i could make it around thanksgiving for the christmas gifting. Here is a link that might be useful: freezing chevre

Well, I don't know about the white dipping cheese, but here are a couple of recipes to get you started - both enjoyed by my family. For a simple nacho cheese sauce, mix 1 pound of cubed Velveeta with a can of diced Rotel tomatoes. Microwave until the cheese is melted, stirring every minute or so. * Exported from MasterCook * Chicken Taco Filling Recipe By : Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 package taco seasoning mix (4 Tablespoons) 1 cup chicken broth 1 pound boned and skinned chicken breast halves Dissolve taco seasoning into chicken broth. Place chicken breasts in crockpot and pour chicken broth over. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. With two forks, shred the chicken meat into bite-sized pieces. Use in soft tacos, hard tacos, burritos, nachos, etc. To Freeze, place shredded meat into freezer bags with the juices. Press out all the air and seal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -