The Tale of Whole Paycheck and the Stinky Cheese

I was tired (ok, lazy) tonight and had grand ideas all day long of dining alfresco with my hubby, sipping wine and enjoying the unseasonably cool summer evening. So we headed to Whole Paycheck for some tasty treats. Fresh peaches on sale! I'll take them! Look at those succulent cherries! Sign me up! Green Olive Tapenade? Why not! Chilled Mango Coconut Soup? Sure thing! Throw a baguette in the cart? Of course!

Finally, we found ourselves at the cheese case, pouring over the possibilities. We settle on two selections--a St. Andre' Triple Cream and a Le Petit Brie. With $8 of cheese in hand we headed for check out.

At home, we prepped the tray--cherries, sliced baguette, olive spread, cheese, sliced apple, etc. And then I unwrapped the cheeses...

I've had alot of experience with stinky cheese thanks to my cheese loving parents and a trip to France when I was 14. I've met lots of brie in my day too. Never, ever have I smelled cheese less appetizing. The week old scallops that I finally discovered in the fridge and left in the garbage over night last week didn't even smell that bad. Moral of the story? Forget about the Le Petit Brie and just buy a bigger hunk of the St. Andre. You won't be sad, promise.

As for the rest of the meal, the olive tapenade was good but while I love olives, I'm not fully convinced I'm an olive tapenade fan. Not by itself anyhow. Maybe I'll shmear some on the other half of the baguette with some provolone, salami, capicola, etc. Think Muffaletta, people!

That's what I love about food. If you buy an ingredient that you aren't totally jazzed about, or you have lots of crazy left overs, there's usually a way to repurpose, reconfigure, and rework the parts until it is something that satiates. I think that life is that way too but we are often to frustrated and too distracted to see the possibilites.

So what's on your menu?