YUM! What a deal you got! I love smoked fresh mozzarella, and actually it will keep (if well wrapped) for substantially longer than fresh, as the smoking takes some of the moisture out if it, making a slightly denser cheese. My favorite way to use it is on sandwiches or cut up in diced salads. Or frankly, just sliced from the ball and put directly into my mouth!

My only concern about the mac and cheese is that I have tried using it on top of pizza and found that it didn't really get all that melty -- it held its shape kind of firmly, and when pulled formed fairly rubbery strings.

Ug--mac with rubbery strings doesn't sound quite as good as Smokey Mac and Cheese. Thanks for the tip :P

I have some crackers and plan to try the cheese on them for breakfast. I'm too tired to find a knife tonight.

Slice it an make stuffed lamb burgers. I got that from Mark Bittman's cookbook and it's good.

For next time, I once made a smoked gouda and mushroom lasagna. Loved it, and luckily its a popular enough recipe that it can be found easily via google. I don't make it much anymore since regular smoked gouda usually has animal rennet (a no-no for my kosher and vegetarian friends).

Smoked Mushroom Medley Lasagna

Ingredients

Â3 layers lasagna noodles (about 3 noodles per layer)
Â1 lb. mixed variety mushrooms
Â1 large stalk celery, chopped
Â4 green onions, chopped (including at least 2 inches of the greens)
Â2 Tbs. butter
Â1 Tbs. dried parsley (or 1/4 C. fresh chopped)
Â1 tsp. herbes de Provence (or Italian seasoning)
Â2 Tbs. white wine vinegar (or rice vinegar)
Â1/3 C. vegetable stock
Â1 C. half-and-half
ÂSalt
Â8 oz. smoked Gouda, grated
Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook lasagna noodles until tender. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

Sauté vegetables in butter and a little water until tender. Add herbs and continue to cook for another minute or so. Add vinegar and vegetable stock and cook for 1 minute. Add half-and-half and continue to cook until sauce begins to thicken. Do not overcook as moisture is needed for the lasagna. Season with salt to taste.

On the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish, layer 1/3 of the noodles. Spoon 1/3 of the mushroom mixture on top of noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded Gouda and repeat process starting with the lasagna noodles until all ingredients are used up. Bake for 25 minutes until heated through. Serve hot.

Sounds good, too. Burgers were already on the menu this week, so I'll just adjust the plan slightly and try those. Thanks, Foodonastump.