Basket Cheese

I was standing at Labriola’s Italian Grocery deli counter and it’s the first time I saw Basket Cheese. I asked about it. It’s only sold at Easter time. It can be used to make Easter pies or you eat a slice with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey. A firm ricotta like cheese. There are recipes. Recipes to make basket cheese at home and recipes to use the store-bought version to bake savory pies for Easter. There are sweet recipes too. Here’s a recipe for savory Italian Easter Pie

It’s called “basket cheese” because it’s formed in a basket and you can see the imprint of the weaving on the side of the cheese.

“Basket cheese is mild in flavor, so it forms a great combination with bread. It is eaten along with jam or honey and thus forms a great breakfast. Many people enjoy basket cheese as an afternoon snack. Relish its taste with olive oil, pepper and salt its yummy.”

The Vernal Equinox at 5:24 PM EDT

And it’s chilly like a winter’s day…..20s today but tomorrow the high will be 50! my Minnesota friends are still in total winter.

In 2023, the March equinox happens on March 20, at 5:24 P.M. EDT. This falls on a Monday and is the astronomical beginning of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumn season in the Southern Hemisphere

The ice looks like a tree to me
Tiny Daffodils in a neighbor’s yard

Guest Blog Inspired by Hotdish

dc, the Florida guy, is a blog follower and frequent commenter. His words make me laugh out loud! He’s the one who doesn’t care for mushrooms. 😉

dc was inspired by the Minnesota Hotdish blog post (thank you Audrey!)

Here’s what happened after he read the collaborative post I did with the help of Audrey H of Minnesota Prairie Roots blog.

dc wrote

What is the difference between hotdish and casserole?

Definition: Casserole is the name of the dish used to cook with, whereas hot dish is the meal itself. Ingredients: Casseroles can contain any ingredients under the sun practically, where hot dishes have set ingredients they have to have.

Today’s post was an inspiration. Photos to follow.”

Here are the photos dc sent me throughout the day

I asked if he’d put on a flannel shirt. He said he’d dress for dinner

Thanks dc. That was fun. I know it tasted good.