Holiday Gift Guide for Foodies: Savory Presents from Zingerman's

Cheeses of the World delivered to YOUR doorstep from Zingerman's

If you have someone on your Christmas list who just LOVES getting foodie gifts in the mail, Zingerman's has the just the program for you! The happy recipient, (it could also be you), can receive a monthly shipment of savory cheeses and smokey bacon. Becoming a Bacon or Cheese Club Member is easy with Zingerman's.  Starting with the Cheeses of the World:

Cheeses of the World 

The envy of cheese lovers everywhere. Beginner & experienced collections.

There aren’t many cheesemongers in America who put together a cheese selection like this. Few take the time to discover, select, age, care for and cut each cheese to order like we do. All the little steps add up—you really can taste the difference. 
Five cheeses weigh in at about two and a half pounds, serving 18-20. Packed in a wooden gift box with sourdough bread. Instructions for serving and care are included.

The beginner assortment focuses on five great, well-aged versions of familiar cheeses like Farmhouse Gouda and Antique Gruyère.
The experienced assortment gathers more rare and adventurous cheese finds like Comté from Fort St. Antoine and Raw Milk Stichelton.

The olive wood serving board is highly recommended: a beautiful, rustic, paddle-shaped Italian board. Hand made in the province of Liguria, cut across the tree on the bias, rough bark-edged, cured with olive oil. Each is unique.

My favorite cheese? It's a toss up between the NY Cabot Cheddar and the Antique Gruyere which tastes faintly like Swiss but without the holes. These are artisan cheeses often made from the milk of a single farm's herd. Learn how to put together a Cheese Plate Here.

Nothing smells or tastes better than Zingerman's Sour Dough Bread with their tasty cheeses.

Zingerman's Bacon Club
Who doesn't like bacon? Well even if you are your giftee is even mildly infatuated with the stuff, watch it turn into a full blown love affair with Zingerman's Bacon Club! You'll get a college education on the differences between dry and wet cured artisan bacon from small family farms. Comes with a little booklet "A Pocket Book of Bacon" and a large folder describing its history and uses. I used to visit my father's family farm in VA during the summer and they killed their own hogs for ham and bacon. The Wisconsin Applewood Smoked Bacon came the closest but actually even surpassed the down on the farm fare, (sorry cousin May Belle)! I think I'll get this for my friend David Venable over at QVC.

Zingerman's Bacon Club offered The the best bacon I've ever eaten.

Bacon Club
Featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the TV Food Network!
It's better with bacon.
Michael Symon, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay. They've all lauded our bacon club. Even vegetarians have joined in: six to date. That's how many I know personally who've fallen off the bandwagon thanks to the bacons from this club. I'm not using that as a proposal for torturing anyone. I'm just saying any food that's so good it can break a strong will has to be worth trying.

We'll ship to the lucky recipient each month, just in time for weekend frying.
New! Each shipment contains 12 to 16 ounces of artisan bacon, bacon stories, histories and recipes. Bonus! Free Bacon Booklet keepsake primer and awesome Pig Magnet with first club shipment.

QVC's Resident Foodie & Bacon Aficionado, David Venable & me!

Food Gifts Are Special
So this year, think outside of the box. Do they really need another sweater or bottle of perfume. Depending on the subscription, the happy recipient can look forward to 3 to 6 months of cheesy-bacony goodness for the year. The booklets and folder of information tells you how to store and care for these specialty food gifts with recipes and serving ideas. Each Christmas I bake and ship loaves of bread, pies and other goodies to my brother in Texas. I know he'll also appreciate specialty foodie gifts like these. Visit Zingerman's Online to see their full line of food gifts of every type.

Cheese and Bacon Gifts c/o Zingerman's, Ann Arbor Michigan

Deliciously Easy Crock Pot Meatballs and Cheese

Delicious Meatballs with Parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over Angel Hair Pasta, a fall favorite. Cookware: Temp-Tations Old World Complete Oven to Table Set

I think nearly everyone has a Crock Pot by now. The problem is, we often don't take advantage of this amazing kitchen time saver! I keep mine on top of the counter and while not everything comes out great in a Crock Pot, some things definitely DO! My Aunt Laura used to set up her slow cooker and let it simmer her sauces all day. Her house always smelled incredible but she wasn't constantly in the kitchen. She had time to entertain us! That's how to do it. If you have to leave the house, the newer slow cookers have timers that will start and stop your meal automatically.  Arrive to the delicious smell of a home cooked meal! Pour some wine, boil some pasta and you're set.

Crock Pot Meatballs and Cheese over Italian made Angel Hair Pasta by DeCecco

So here's one recipe from my Aunt Laura that especially excels in a slow cooker. I've modified it with the addition of ground turkey but even with less fat, it has SO much flavor.

Deliciously Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 large sweet Italian sausage link with casing removed
1 strip of smoked bacon, minced
1 egg
1/4 cup shredded Zingerman's Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika
1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning or an Oregano blend
2 slices of toasted bread ground into bread crumbs
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 Quarts of homemade or jar pasta sauce
1/4 cup red wine

Use Italian cheeses to add flavor and richness to otherwise low fat fare.

Using a stand mixer, combine all of the ingredients completely, (about 2 minutes on medium). Using an ice cream scoop, begin to form tight, small meatballs. Heat your non-stick skillet with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil and begin browning the meatballs until golden on all sides. When you are finishing the last batch, deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of red wine. Add your 2 quarts of sauce and meatballs from the pan to your slow cooker. 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low will give about the same results. Serve hot over pasta with extra cheeses on the side. 
Bonus tip: Store or even freeze the leftovers in the Temp-Tations Cookware which comes with plastic lids for each piece!

Rich Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese from Zingerman's

 
Give the Gift of Cheese! 
The Parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses play a major role in this recipe, adding a LOT of flavor but not a lot of calories. The Zingerman's Parmigiano Reggiano used in my recipe is included in their Cheeses of the World Gift Set, (Beginner Edition) 

This Cheeses of the World Gift Set includes five cheeses weighing in at about two and a half pounds, serving 18-20. Packed in a wooden gift box with large loaf of sourdough bread. Instructions for serving and care are included. This is the ultimate hostess gift. Who knows? They may be so impressed that they invite you back to dinner for sampling!
The beginner assortment is like getting a crash course on fromage and focuses on five great, well-aged versions of familiar cheeses like NY Cabot Cheddar, Farmhouse Gouda and Antique Gruyère.
Nothing crazy, the Beginner Assortment gives you a lovely range of worldly cheeses for cooking, snacking and entertaining.

Zingerman's Cheeses of the World makes a great Holiday Gift and is included in my Lucky Gift Guide this year. Click here to see the other goodies I've chosen!

 
Temp-Tations Old World Cookware Set c/o QVC
Cheeses of the World c/o Zingerman's