As Seen In WI.com

When planning your next party, potluck or fancy soiree, Wisconsin Cheese makes a great party food. Flavorful and versatile, it can be used as a snack, an ingredient in your favorite recipe or paired with the perfect accompaniments, the main course.

Serving

Here are some tips to make serving cheese even easier!

• Cheese tastes best at room temperature because its flavor is at its peak. Take the cheese out of the refrigerator and let sit, covered, 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
• Before serving, make sure to trim off any dry edges or surface mold.
• With more than 600 varieties, types and styles of Wisconsin Cheese, don't be afraid to mix and match cheeses, play around with contrasting flavors and, of course, be sure your guests know exactly which Wisconsin Cheese they're enjoying. If appropriate, use a creative name card or sign to identify the cheeses.
• Cutting cheese into manageable bites – cubes, sticks and squares – makes serving a breeze. Allowing family and friends to cut directly from the cheese wedge or chunk is another idea to engage your guests at the party.

The Cheese Course

For more intimate gatherings, a cheese course is excellent way to please both your guests' taste buds and their eyes. Creating a beautiful spread of cheeses and accompaniments has a place before, during and at the end of a great meal.

• Served as an appetizer or first course, a cheese course featuring a variety of flavors and textures offers guests a glimpse into the delicious meal ahead. Add a glass of wine, and you have the ingredients for a great night ahead.
• A cheese course as a transition mid-meal helps guest slow down and savor the dining experience. Make sure to use small plates so guests don't fill up too much before dessert!
• Believe it or not, cheese for dessert is one of the best ways to end a meal. Paired with fresh fruit and a classic dessert wine, cheese is a perfect finish for an outstanding meal.

The Cheese Buffet

When hosting a big bash, a cheese buffet is the perfect people-pleasing option that allows guests to experiment and get creative with their own cheese pairings.

• When selecting cheeses for your buffet, vary the colors, textures and tastes. Not only will you satisfy a wide range of guests, but the range makes for a beautiful spread.
• Choose three to five varieties of Wisconsin Cheese to feature, depending on the size of your get-together. Average about six to eight ounces of cheese per person used as a main course or about four ounces for a dessert tray.
• Once you've decided on the cheeses you want to feature, accompany them in your spread with fruits, vegetables, nuts, olives, crackers and breads. For more information on pairing suggestions, check out our Wisconsin Cheese Pairing Tool.

CHRIS RICKERT

If you're writing out a check this week for the first installment of your local property taxes, due Sunday, beware that you might be paying more than you owe.>

Based on a review of Dane County property records, treasurer David Worzala in November said there were about 14,000 homeowners who were likely eligible for the state's lottery tax credit, but not getting it because they never applied.

State officials do not track a similar, statewide number, according to fiscal analyst Al Runde, who administers the credit for the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. But if the trend in Dane County holds true in Wisconsin's 71 other counties, tens of thousands of homeowners could be forgoing millions in property tax relief.

The credit returns a portion of lottery revenues to homeowners. The only requirement for getting it is that your home be your "primary residence" on Jan. 1 of the tax year.

It's not a lot of money, and the amount changes from year to year based on lottery revenues and what school district you live in. But recently it's been about $75 to $100 per property owner, enough for a dinner at a swank restaurant. For 2008 taxes, the state set aside $117.8 million for the credit, Runde said, out of gross lottery revenues of about $474 million.

By Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board

Welcome! January 20 is National Cheese Lover’s Day and to celebrate we are launching a brand new blog, 30 Days, 30 Ways with Macaroni & Cheese! We’ll kick-off the effort with one of our favorite cheesy recipes, but in the days that follow, we’ll turn the blog over to 30 top food bloggers from across the U.S. and Canada.

Each day, a different blogger will share her spin on macaroni & cheese with a blog entry, recipe and photos. Each recipe is made with Wisconsin Cheese - more than 25 cheeses will be featured throughout the month!

From simple to sophisticated, the recipes we feature will appeal to every cook, be it with kid-friendly recipes, gluten-free options and even a look at the sweeter side of macaroni and cheese. We’re counting on you to check back often to catch up on the featured bloggers and recipes!

Chris Rickert

Born to immigrant parents and raised on a produce farm, Sam Jacobsen went on to found one of the most successful convenience store chains in the Midwest and develop a multimillion-dollar golf course and residential community known for its stunning views and exclusivity.

For Jacobsen, who died of heart failure Monday at 84, it was all a "labor of love," his widow Nancy said Wednesday.

"He was a self-made man," she said. "With work in general, he said he never knew whether he was working or playing."

Jacobsen's start in the retail food business began in 1949 with a store on University Avenue and eventually grew to more than 200 PDQ convenience stores in six states. Jacobsen sold the business to his sons in 1991, and last year it was sold to its employees under an employee stock ownership plan. The chain now has 46 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and California, according to its Web site.