Cheddar

The increasing sophistication of American palates might partly explain the emergence of boxed mixes of white cheddar and macaroni. Or maybe it's that grown-ups reared on the orange stuff are upgrading. We found seven mixes in supermarkets; most were organic. Our six tasters sought authentic cheese flavor, with enough cheese to coat the pasta. We used whole milk to make each mix, and followed the box's directions for each sauce. However, we cooked all the pastas to an al dente texture. Our favorite was Safeway's O Organics.

The bracket-style stuffed burger competition at the Greene Turtle is climaxing. The restaurant introduced the four stuffed burgers on Jan. 2 but the bracket competition is just under way. It all ends on March 26. The winning burger will be added to the permanent Greene Turtle menu. You can vote here . The competing burgers are: The Spicy Jack - stuffed with jalapenos, pepper-jack & cheddar cheeses.  Topped with fresh sliced avocado, corn salsa, and a cilantro ranch dressing.

Flo D'Annibale of Morrisville, Pa., saw a recipe for an apple pizza in her local paper that she wanted to try. Unfortunately, she misplaced the recipe and would like to find something similar. Jessica Brown from Salem, Ore., sent a recipe she uses for apple pizza. She says the dish is one of the best she has ever tasted and always wins raves from everyone in her family. "The apples with the cheddar cheese is just delicious!" she says. This dessert pizza is prepared much like a classic French apple tart, but it is the addition of the cheddar cheese to the crust that sets it apart.

The roast in the R.B.'s Beef & Cheddar ($7) is stacked so high that, with the curved roll, the sandwich is nearly round — and not much smaller than a softball. Maybe the best way to tackle this sandwich at Banksy's in the Lake Falls Village shopping center is to open it up and fork out some of the beef. Not only does this make it easier to eat, but you enjoy the treat of an exceptional roast. It needs no other adornment. Sliced thin and layered fold after fold, the Beef & Cheddar's meat combines quality and quantity.

Bertha Whitmire of Kelso, Wash., requested a recipe for Cheddar Cheese Bread. She wrote that she had tasted a slice of the bread at a senior potluck dinner in Longview, Wash. "I tried to find out who made it," she said, "but to no avail."Pam Simon of Laurel came to the rescue with a recipe from Bernard Clayton's "New Complete Book of Breads." "I make it frequently for gift giving, and it always gets rave reviews," she said.Cheddar Cheese BreadMakes 2 medium loaves2 cups water1/4 cup sugar2 teaspoonssalt2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature1/2 cup nonfat dry milk12 ounces (3 cups)

According to the calendar, summer doesn't officially begin until around June 21, but I, like others, consider Memorial Day weekend the launching pad for this warm weather season. By the end of May the temperature is finally warm in New England where I live, so we celebrate this American holiday with an annual ritual of pulling out the grill and moving our cooking outdoors. For this year's festivities, I am planning to grill hamburgers and top them with white Cheddar cheese and some chunky guacamole salsa.

The guys in my house are rolling their eyes. My roots are showing again. My Southern roots, that is. This time of year, when Vidalia onions are plentiful and cheap, and real, ripe, red tomatoes are no longer a distant dream, it's time to get out the grater, shred some Cheddar, throw in chopped pimentos, soften the mixture with mayonnaise and enjoy some pimento cheese. Pimento cheese, "p.c." in some quarters, is a staple in many Southern kitchens, not just a seasonal treat. But I've come to associate it with Vidalias and tomatoes, probably because in the kitchen I grew up in, the main course for summertime suppers was often a choice of sandwiches - pimento cheese or tomato or both, with plenty of Vidalias to spice up either one. There was no need for a bigger meal after a noontime dinner featuring a table groaning with that day's freshest peas, corn, okra, butter beans and other glories from an extended-family garden large enough to feed a couple dozen relatives.

The dish: turkey and cheddar wrap The popular Charles Street mainstay, David and Dad's, has opened a cafe inside the Enoch Pratt Free Library 's Southeast Anchor branch in Highlandtown. The Highlandtown location has nothing like the full menu at the restaurant's 334 N. Charles St. digs or the Express shop at 1 N. Charles St. The library location is stocked with meals prepared at the parent shop and really feels more like what it's meant to be: a quick-stop coffee shop.

* Item: Minute Rice White Cheddar and Herb* What you get: 4 servings* Cost: About $2.50* Preparation time: 5 to 7 minutes microwave, 5 to 10 minutes stove top* Review: Minute Rice -- that dependable kitchen timesaver -- has come out with three new flavors: Four Cheese, Mild Mexican-Style Cheddar and White Cheddar and Herb. I tried the White Cheddar and Herb and found it a delight to make and serve. The sauce is mild, yet flavorful, so the rice pairs well with almost any entree. Some packages even include an updated recipe for the same-old chicken and rice.

* Item: Birds Eye vegetables with sauce * What you get: 2 (1-cup) servings * Cost: About $1.35 * Preparation time: 4 to 5 minutes in microwave, 6 to 7 minutes boiled in water on stove top * Review: Birds Eye is billing the latest in its frozen vegetable line as versatile and convenient. Advertising urges consumers to try these four frozen side dishes as a quick meal for one or as an easy and flavorful accompaniment at the family dinner table. The Roletti Pasta and Vegetables includes broccoli, carrots and corn in a very mild garlic and herb sauce.

Who knew that Goose Feathers could slide like silk going down the throat? Or that Cow's Feet really hit the sweet spot on the tastebuds? Apparently David and Kelly Keyes of Keyes Creamery at Mt. Felix Farm found these secret ingredients and ice cream lovers in Harford County can be glad they did. Ice cream never tasted so fresh as it does scooped into a bowl or in one of their famous ice cream pies. That's because the frozen treat is made from milk harvested only during the grazing season, which makes all the difference in taste, whether it's black raspberry or cappuccino crunch.

I do my best web surfing during lunch, and as I chowed down on a tasty turkey, cheddar and avocado sandwich, I stumbled across a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live where Mike Tyson analyzed the tattoos of NBA players Kobe Bryant, Kenyon Martin and DeShawn Stevenson. He also danced. Enjoy the video while I finish my lunch.

A grilled cheese sandwich is not exactly high cuisine, but it can be satisfying. The crew at Grilled Cheese & Co. in Catonsville makes several versions of the sandwich, most on toasted ciabatta bread and made in a panini press. It is Mom food, if Mom had a panini press. The interiors of these crusty sandwiches contain — what else? — cheese. But in many varieties, and with any number of accompaniments: cheddar with the bacon, cheese and tomato; pepper jack on the grilled chicken; mozzarella in the pepper and pesto sandwich and also in the Italian sausage and pepper sandwich.

The soup options at Panera Bread can be tricky - some are low in fat but can pack more than half a day's worth of sodium or more in the 12-ounce size. The best choice overall the day we visited seemed to be the creamy tomato (if we left off the included croutons). Compared with the broccoli cheddar, the tomato version saved us 80 calories, 3 grams saturated fat and 100 milligrams sodium. Nutritional data from panerabread.com Kate Shatzkin Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup Per serving (12 ounces)

If the recent closing of Pisces in the Hyatt Regency signaled the end of one kind of expensive hotel dining in Baltimore, then the opening of the Diamond Tavern in the new Hilton Baltimore illustrates the 21st-century model. In spite of its name, and in spite of its location across from Camden Yards, the Diamond Tavern resembles a sports bar about as much as Twilight resembles the original Dracula. True, there are - oh, I don't know - 20 or 30 flatscreen TVs in all sizes, including tiny ones, both grouped together and scattered around the multi-level dining room.

The club sandwich is a staple of lunch. Made correctly, with three slices of toasted bread, real bird (chicken or turkey), crisp bacon and fresh lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, it can be the high point of any day. Just how the sandwich got its name is murky. Some stories link it to the sandwiches served on double-decker railroad club cars that once rolled across the country. Others say it sprang from country-club kitchens. Still others contend the sandwich got its start at a gambling establishment, the Saratoga Club House in New York state.

I do my best web surfing during lunch, and as I chowed down on a tasty turkey, cheddar and avocado sandwich, I stumbled across a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live where Mike Tyson analyzed the tattoos of NBA players Kobe Bryant, Kenyon Martin and DeShawn Stevenson. He also danced. Enjoy the video while I finish my lunch.

The bracket-style stuffed burger competition at the Greene Turtle is climaxing. The restaurant introduced the four stuffed burgers on Jan. 2 but the bracket competition is just under way. It all ends on March 26. The winning burger will be added to the permanent Greene Turtle menu. You can vote here . The competing burgers are: The Spicy Jack - stuffed with jalapenos, pepper-jack & cheddar cheeses.  Topped with fresh sliced avocado, corn salsa, and a cilantro ranch dressing.

Alonso's Ryleigh's Oyster 36 E. Cross St., Baltimore -- 410-539-2093 Hours --11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily Restaurant's estimate --10 minutes Ready in --19 minutes Here, a half-pound burger costs $9.45 and comes topped with melted aged cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. The order took a while, but the side of house-made garlic-and-rosemary potato chips started to dissolve as soon as they hit the tongue. Know of a good carryout place? Let us hear about it. Write to sam.sessa@baltsun.com.