First of all, if you wrap it really well...in saran and in foil you can freeze it...I would freeze it in about 4 oz pieces... What kind of blue cheese did you buy? And here ya go with the recipes! This is good with cocktails, or accompanying a salad. Savory Blue Cheese Tart 1 10 inch unbaked pie shell ½ cup chopped pecans 6 Oz. cream cheese 2 eggs 4 Oz. Maytag Blue Cheese ½ cup milk 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp corn starch Ripe olives and chives to garnish Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle nuts in the bottom of pie shell. Mix the next 6 ingredients in a blender or food processor and pour slowly into the crust. Garnish with sliced ripe olives and chopped chives. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until set. Cool and refrigerate 2 hours, cut into 12 wedges and arrange on a platter reputation. Warm Blue Cheese, Bacon and Garlic Dip from Stop and Smell the Rosemary... Recipes and Traditions to Remember ___________________________________ INGREDIENTS: 7 slices bacon, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup half and half 4 ounces Maytag Blue Cheese, crumbled (1 cup) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 3 tablespoons chopped smoked almonds (1 ounce) TO PREPARE: Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost crisp, about 7 minutes. Drain excess fat from skillet. Add garlic and cook until bacon is crisp, about 3 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add half and half and mix until combined. Stir in bacon mixture, blue cheese, and chives. Transfer to a 2-cup ovenproof serving dish and cover with foil. Bake until thoroughly heated, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped almonds. Serve with sliced apples, toasted pita crisps or French bread. NOTE: May be prepared 1 day in advance. Refrigerate or freeze. Bring to room temperature before baking. YIELDS 2 CUPS ___________________________________ Copyright 1996 The Junior League of Houston, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit The Junior League of Houston web site For a special party, make them in 1 inch rolls. Labor intensive, but your guests will rave. Blue Cheese Cocktail Wafers 2 ¼ cups flour ½ cup sifted confectioners sugar ½ tsp salt ½ tsp ground white pepper ½ pound butter ( 2 sticks) 1 cup crumbled Maytag Blue ( about 6 Ounces) ¼ cup milk 1 ¼ finely chopped pecans or walnuts, divided Sift the dry ingredients Cut in the butter and cheese Sprinkle with the milk Sprinkle with the milk Mix to create stiff dough Mix in ¾ cups of the nuts Shape dough into two rolls 2 inches by 10 inches Coat the rolls with the rest of the chopped nuts Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours Pre heat oven to 400 degrees With a sharp knife, slice into ¼ inch slices and place on ungreased cookie sheet Bake about 8 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks Makes about 100 Blue Cheese Popovers Yields 12 popovers Vegetable oil, shortening, or lard for the pans 1-1/2 cups whole milk 6 oz. Maytag Blue Cheese , crumbled 1 tsp. salt Freshly ground black pepper 9 oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour 6 large eggs Set the oven rack to its lowest position . Heat the oven to 400°F. Generously grease 12 popover tins (preferably nonstick) with oil, shortening, or lard (butter won't work). In a small saucepan, warm the milk and cheese over medium-low heat until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt and pepper. (You can also melt the cheese in the milk in a glass measuring cup in the microwave on low power for 1 min.) Put the flour in a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk mixture until just combined; it's fine if the batter is a bit lumpy. Add the eggs one at a time to the batter, whisking well after each addition. Pour the batter into the prepared tins and bake on the lowest shelf for 20 min. at 400°F. Don't open the oven, but reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake another 15 min. until the popovers are browned and fully puffed. Remove the popovers from the oven and immediately take them out of the tin to keep them from getting soggy. Poke each popover with a knife to release steam. Serve immediately or reheat just before serving. Blue Satin Soup 4 T. butter 1/4 c. each very finely minced celery, green onion, and green pepper 14 oz. can chicken broth 1 cup milk 4 oz Maytag Blue Cheese I cup light cream 1/2 c. flour 2 oz dry sherry Fresh ground pepper, to taste Melt butter in heavy sauce pan, add vegetables and sauté very slowly until soft and translucent, but not brown. Add flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour is cooked but not brown, add the warmed chicken broth whisking all the while to prevent lumps. Simmer 2 minutes. Add the crumbled blue cheese and stir until smooth. Add milk and cream and heat to serving temp, but do not boil ( it will curdle) add sherry and pepper. Garnish with chopped chives and sour cream if desired. Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops 6 pork chops, 1 ½ inches thick with pocket cut 3 T butter 1 T fine minced onion ½ c crumbled Maytag blue cheese ¼ c. finely sliced mushrooms ¾ c. fine, dry bread crumbs (not moist, fresh bread) Melt butter in fry pan, add onion and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in blue cheese, bread crumbs and salt. Stuff chops and secure pockets with a toothpick. Bake on a baking sheet at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. Spinach Noodle Casserole 8 oz package of spinach noodles 2 packages frozen chopped spinach 11 oz can of cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup milk to thin the soup 4 oz can of sliced mushrooms drained 4 oz crumbled Maytag Blue Cheese Thaw the spinach, drain well and cut through several times with a chefs knife. Cook noodles according to package directions, and drain. Mix milk with the soup, add to noodles along with mushrooms and cheese.toss to mix and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly, about 25 to 35 minutes. Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish. Toms Shrimp Fettuccini, serves 4 4 oz Maytag Blue Cheese 8 oz cream cheese ( no one said this was low fat!!) 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1/3 cup dry white wine tablespoons light cream I clove of garlic, minced 4 scallions chopped (tops too) 1 pound cooked, shelled and deveined shrimp Fresh ground pepper.lots is good. I pound fettuccini cooked Mix cheeses, wine and cream at room temperature in a 2 quart casserole. Add seasonings and shrimp and bake at 375 degrees until heated through (about 25 minutes) serve over cooked pasta. There are more plus many different recipes for different salad dressings, including a rosy boue cheese dressing one based on Lillet another that I call Zesty blue cheese dressing, made with lots of lemo0n, and my old favorite....the none better creamy blue cheese dressing. This ought to use up that wheel you have. Linda c Linda C

Okay, 2 questions. What are "serranos" and what are "shmatas"? I thought "shmatas" were rags. Thanks, Jillis!

They are gorgeous but creepy looking. : ) I'm seeing them in markets now. Along with so many others. I've not bought them but a friend did a tasting of different varieties. He kept the varieties separate in bowls, tossed in a small amount of evoo and hint of minced garlic. Then roasted them in the oven on the same sheet pan in separate piles. Not trayed and roasted until we got a chance to study all the bounty and the colors. The stems are good on those and can be shredded by hand a bit. I actually prefer just butter, sautéed. Roasting i'd not thought of. Really good on toasted baguette slices. (maybe if they were buttered). : )

I asked my mother-in-law for her mushroom soup recipe that she makes for Christmas. It is delicious. However, it uses a variety of wild mushrooms and makes a lot. I wonder if I could make with my cremimis. I will cut it in half. Taste would be different. But how bad could it be? Even though it's summer, I still like soup.8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature2 cups sliced celery1 cup sliced shallots1 chopped leek or small onion3 garlic cloves, minced3 cups sliced stemmed fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 6 ounces) 3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (about 6 ounces) 3 cups sliced oyster mushrooms (about 4½ ounces) 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in 2 cup boiling water½ cup dry white wine1 cup dry Sherry ½ cup all purpose flour8 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth½ cup whipping cream Melt 6 tablespoons butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery, shallots, onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the porcini mushroom using a fine sieve. Reserve the liquid. Chop porcini mushroom and add all mushrooms and sauté until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add white wine and Sherry. Boil until liquid is reduced to glaze, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle mushrooms with 1/4 cup flour stir until mixture coats vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook out the flour taste. Gradually mix in stock and porcini liquid. Bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mushrooms are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender or processor until smooth. Return soup to pot (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before serving.) add cream and simmer. DO NOT BOIL. Adjusting seasoning and ladle soup into bowls and serve