A month or so ago, I decided I needed to eat more cheese. Specifically, try more cheeses. Here in Switzerland they make over 300 different kinds of cheeses, and we always eat the same 3 or 4 over and over again. What a waste. So now, every other time I go to Migros to pick up milk, bread and fruit, I also wander over to the cheese aisle and pick out one of whatever is on sale that week. So far, they have all been okay, but nothing spectacular. I may have to branch out from the sale aisle, but hey it's a start! Today, however, I hit the jackpot. My all time favorite cheese in the whole world was in the sale box, Tete de Moine. (don't ask me how to pronounce it, I just know how to eat it)
I first tasted this cheese after we had been in Switzerland for about a month. The Relief Society was having a Christmas dinner, just for the ladies, and this cheese was part of the buffet. I had no idea what it was, but I am usually pretty adventurous when it comes to food so I tossed a few on my plate and sat back down. The lady sitting across from me then told me all about how the monks used to make it exclusively in this little town somewhere in French speaking Switzerland. And the name has to do with how it looks when you cut it. You stick this little metal rod in the middle of the round block of cheese, and then a small blade is attached to the rod. The blade is then swirled around the top of the cheese in clockwise fashion, and when you are done, you have this little rose-shaped cheese piece. Kind of hard to explain, but basically, the cheese curls up over itself while you are cutting it, and that is how the rose is formed.
It is seriously good stuff, but also rather pricey, so I have only eaten it at parties where it was graciously served by the hostess or at a church buffet. I was really excited to see such a small round block, that was really rather affordable (for Switzerland) and couldn't wait for it to be dinner time so I could have some. I don't have the fancy cutter/shaver/rose-maker thing, but I do have a cheese slider, and was able to get some rather thin slices, that we then folded by hand into the rose shape. I got all three older kids to try it.
First, I told them it was monk cheese. "Monkey cheese?" asks Sarah.
"No, monk cheese, see the picture on the label? It used to be made by monks."
"Oh. What are monks?"
"Men who live and work in a church and never get married."
"Oh, like Aunt Celina."
A second of silence followed by bursts of laughter. Apparently, the combined facts of Aunt Celina not being married and her once having lived in a convent so as to study Latin at the Vatican, got all muddled up in Sarah's head, turning poor unsuspecting Aunt Celina into a monk! Never fear, I cleared up the confusion, I think. But it did make for an entertaining dinner conversation.
And the voting on the cheese went like this. Nicholas, thought it smelled gross, but tasted really, really good. He had several pieces, and is rather skilled at slicing off the thin pieces himself. Sophie was put off by the stinky feet smell at first, but managed to eat a small piece. She liked it and had a couple more, but it is rather strong tasting stuff, so she was fine with just a couple of pieces. Sarah couldn't get past the smell to even get it in her mouth. Sophie and Nick were both encouraging her that it really was worth it, but she didn't believe them. No worries, more for us!
At the end of dinner, Alexandra woke up from her nap. I may be jinxing myself but this is the second day in a row where I have laid her down in her bed both in the morning and in the afternoon, wide awake, and she has fallen asleep without too much fuss. And then she stayed asleep for at least two hours, sometimes longer. I hope this is a new trend. Anyway, the girls excitedly ran in to get her out of the crib when they heard her crying. It is a two man effort, that would make Chris cringe if he ever saw it, but they are rather careful. Sarah climbs in the crib and lifts Alexandra up. Sophie is standing on the ground next to the crib, and takes her from Sarah. Then Sarah climbs back out of the crib and they both cuddle her. It's pretty sweet, actually, how much they love their little sister.
Tonight, they both let out a big "Eww!" when they went in to get her. She had done her business while she was sleeping, and since she is now eating a lot of solid food, you can definitely tell. They dubbed her the stinky goat! There is a book we like to check out of the library all about Balthazar, a goat who smells so bad no one wants to be around him. He wanders away so as not to offend anyone, when he meets a group of girl goats who think he smells fantastic! Alexandra is our new Balthazar. But we all love to smell her after her bath. Mhhhhmmm!