I LOOOOOVE cheese!!! I could live on the french diet of bread, cheese and wine.

Many people serve cheese and crackers as an appetizer. This is nice but it tends to get people so full, they have no appetite for dinner. I used to date a french chef who would go CRAZY about this. He would say in his thick french accent “You Ameeericahhns wit youuur beeg hunks of chiz. Eeet is craaazy.”

Eventhough he is a bit over-the-top, I tend to agree with him and try to stay away from serving big hunks of cheese and crackers. It makes people feel full and lethargic and you want them to be hungry for your gourmet meal you will be  serving them. Plus, a big hunk of cheese is just plain boring.

HOWEVER, I still celebrate cheese and I think that a little cheese goes a long way, and a dip can be easy and people tend to like it. And unless they are a neanderthal, they will usually just have a little and then move on and not sit there shoveling it into their mouths. Plus, it is fancier than the cheese wheel. So here it is….

THE BEST DAMN CHEESE DIP EVER!

Once upon a time, I had some cheese. So I introduced it to some other cheese and various ingredients and SHAZAAAM was this good! I mean, back of the head eye rolling good! Stomp your feet and jump for joy good!

This recipe sounds so simple but trust me, people will be eating it like Kirstie Alley after a “Dancing with the Stars” performance!

You will need:

One small log of goat cheese (not exotic people. You can find it at any supermarket).

½ cup Shredded Asiago cheese – I get mine at Whole Foods – la di da

One generous squeeze of Garlic Paste – I find mine in tube-form in the produce section of the supermarket near the herbs and such. Brand is called Gourmet Garden.

½ cup mayonnaise – I use the olive oil blend kind.

Ground pepper – about 1 tsp.

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

Puree all of the above in the food processor. Put in either small loaf pan or small ceramic baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Bake for less time if you don’t want it so soft.

Serve in bowl with crackers on side. Dip away!

I love this dip because you can add more or less of whatever you like until it tastes good to you. I personally add more garlic than is socially acceptable to my dishes.

If you want it spicy, add some crushed red pepper flakes.

If you want to add some freshness, add some finely chopped chives or basil.

If you want it to be sassy, have Perez Hilton stick his finger in it.

BON APPETIT!!

It’s ‘good” if you are celebrating Easter, and it’s “good” if you are just celebrating the fact that it is Friday!

The other day, my friend and I were having a conversation about health. Since he was recently diagnosed with cancer, he has been immersing himself in a complete education on all things medical, experimental, alternative and anything else under the sun that could help him.

While he is on a very strong new drug that seems to be working, he wants to do as much as he can to keep healthy. A recent John Hopkins article on cancer said that milk is bad, as it creates mucous and cancer loves mucous. It also said that oxygen is super (we kinda new that) so the more you can oxygenate your blood with exercise, the better. It also said that red meat was bad. Boo.

This is when the subject of Bee Pollen came up. We were talking about supplements and I told him that I had recently read a lot about BEE POLLEN. He then told me that he has been taking it for the past 25 years!!!! What? “Why didn’t you tell me about bee pollen?” I sulked. “It’s not something that comes up in regular conversation,” he said. “And I have been taking it so long, I don’t even think about it.”

Here’s what they say about Bee Pollen:

Hippocrates (460 – 377 B.C.), the first physician to concentrate on preventing disease as well as treating it, wrote of the benefits of bee pollen. Western trained doctors in Europe have, over the last century, prescribed bee pollen to treat bacterial and viral infections, along with colds and flues (due to its antibiotic properties).

The various therapeutic health benefits of bee pollen are believed to largely stem from the antioxidant and disease preventing/curing properties of bioflavonoids and carotenoids. For years, herbalists have touted bee pollen as an exceptionally nutritious food. They’ve even claimed it is a cure for certain health problems. Bee pollen is also recommended by some herbalists to enhance athletic performance, reduce side effects of chemotherapy, and improve allergies and asthma.

Yet after years of research, scientists still cannot confirm that bee pollen has any health benefits.

Bee pollen contains vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, lipids, and protein. It comes from the pollen that collects on the bodies of bees. Bee pollen may also include bee saliva. It’s important to avoid confusing bee pollen with natural honey, honeycomb, bee venom, or royal jelly. These products do not contain bee pollen.

Bee pollen is denser in protein than any source from animals. This can provide a much safer source of protein without the worry of high intakes of saturated fats (not to mention the numerous established links between animal proteins and cancer). Bee pollen is a concentrated source of the B vitamin complex – this provides energy. This is why bee pollen products are usually marketed as energy supplements or ‘energizers’. The vitamin B complex, along with vitamins A, C, D, E, selenium, lecithin and powerful phytochemicals (carotenoids and bioflavonoids) make bee pollen a potent source of antioxidants.

You may also hear recommendations for using bee pollen for alcoholism, asthma, allergies, health maintenance, or stomach problems. But before you take any natural product for a health condition, check with your doctor.

My friend told me how he discovered it – a relative in Arizona used to type papers for college kids for extra money. One medical student had done a study on lab rats and bee pollen. Apparently, the lab rats who were given bee pollen lived TWICE as long and were TWICE as healthy as those who didn’t. Interesting. This made my friend look into bee pollen and found a lot of commentary that it had great benefits. So he started taking it. This friend has also been HIV positive for a long time and when he recently went into the doctor to discuss his cancer treatment, they were astounded that he has had ZERO signs or symptoms from the HIV for so many years. He attributes this to supplements, including bee pollen. They too, were big proponents of Bee Pollen.

So I said “Okay, I’ll buy the Brooklyn Bridge. Sign me up.” I went online and ordered the purest form I could find from Super Supplements

http://www.Supersup.com

It was cheaper than I thought it would be. Called by some alternative medical experts as “The Food of the Gods,” I expected it to be a small fortune.

It arrived today. I popped a couple granules in my mouth – they ask you to test the first day to make sure you are not allergic. If you are allergic to pollen, stay far away from this! It tasted okay. Not good but not particularly bad either. We shall see. It has now been 4 hours and I am still alive. I don’t feel any different but that’s just my A-type personality wanting instantaneous results, like being able to lift a boulder now or feel like a million bucks.

I shall keep you posted on this home lab experiment. There shall be more. I am either getting kooky in my old age by trying this weird stuff, or I am broadening my horizons and trying new things that could have great benefits to my health. I believe it is a bit of both.

Ladies – supplements are important and we all should be taking them. Do your research! Talk to your doctor!