Geeez! (Or Should I Say Cheese?)

Okay, I'll admit it. There are some things that I won't compromise on in the area of food. You will never find margarine in my house, only real butter. The same goes with cream... non-dairy just doesn't fly with me. It's always been real half-and-half.

My preferences are not limited to just the dairy aisle either. When I started baking, I quickly realized the superiority of the flavor of real vanilla extract compared to imitation. Then, about ten years ago (more than likely after watching a cooking show) I stopped buying powdered parmesan in the can and opted for a small chunk of parmesan to be able to grate fresh cheese on my pasta.

Well, it turns out that Isabel just LOVES this parmesan cheese. Once she tastes it, she wants nothing else. In fact, she would be quite happy to just sit and eat a bowl of grated parmesan. As her cheese intake increased, we started to go through a chunk of it a week. So... I decided to spend the money and get a nice BIG wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano that would last us quite a while.

The wedge came out for tonight's supper. Freshly grated cheese on some steamed broccoli... yummy! After dinner, I got side-tracked. I was busy doing something when... I noticed... IT! You know..IT, don't you? IT is the sudden silence that fills your house and you just KNOW it is because someone is up to no good. I called out to Isabel. She came right in to the living room.

All seemed fine. Maybe I was too quick to be suspicious.

Maybe not!

A little while later, I walked into the kitchen and noticed Isabel's little step stool positioned directly in front of the stove (upon which was placed the aforementioned cheese. I didn't think anything of it until I got closer and noticed teeth marks all over it.

Just GRATE!!!

(For some entertainment, click on the picture and enlarge it to see close ups of the teeth tracks.)