There’s a whole world beyond that processed cheese ball.

As a kid, Magnolia Quickmelt cheese was THE BOMB. A cheese that was salty and melted into marvelous messes on homemade pizza breads and elbow macaroni – god! I couldn’t ask for more. As an adult however, Quick-Melt and its processed cheese food ilk are unacceptable. Akin to eating rubber, which is never a pleasant proposition, I’ve “upgraded,” so to speak, to better cheese.

In my refrigerator, there’s a selection of soft and hard cheeses. Blocks of Parmesan and Cheddar are standbys, and I also love blue cheese (the stinkier the better), quesong puti still warm from its banana leaf-wrap, and occasionally, a tub of ricotta or mascarpone for my more indulgent moments. Ironically, bars of Magnolia Quickmelt still take residence in my ref. Just as I’ll have none of those processed cheese food atrocities, so will Boo not have anything to do with my cheese. “Your cheese stinks, Mom,” she tells me succinctly. “And it tastes weird, too.” Enough said.

I love cheese for its versatility and ability to incorporate itself in both savory and sweet dishes. It’s even great just slapped between two slices of bread. Or wedges of a sharp cheddar paired with slices of apple slathered with peanut butter makes a nutritious snack. Sound icky? Try it!

Of course, self-indulgence is what I live for, and cheesecake is the most indulgent food I can think of that’s made with cheese. Maybe it’s also got something to do with the fact that when I had my cheesecake business in the early 2000s, I felt like I had bars of cream cheese coming out of my ears. Ah, but I digress. Pictured above is what I call a cheesecake times two: a queso de bola cheesecake. Made well, it’s an edible symbol to me far removed from the cheese paradigms of my childhood.

So this week, share with me a photo of A Cheese Dish That You Love — anything that’s got loads of cheese on/in it: macaroni and cheese, a cheesy-beyond-belief grilled cheese sandwich, cheese overload pizza from one of those pizza delivery places, etc.  It can be homemade or from a restaurant, whatever. Photos can be taken with any digital camera or camera phone. What matters is that you open an OVI account. If you’ve already got one, then this should be easy for you.

Contest Mechanics:
1. This week’s contest is open from Oct. 26-Nov 1, 2009.
2. Get your photo(s) in for this week’s theme by Sunday, Nov 1, at 11:59 PM.
3. The prize for this week is P2,000.00 worth of Ayala Electronic Gift Check (as good as cash!)
4. You need to be a resident of the Philippines.

Announcement of the winner of DiscOVIries by Nokia Week 4: What’s Your Favorite Cookie? will be tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 27. Winner nabs a P2,000 Ayala EGC, which is just as good as cash!

There’s a grand prize to be given at the end of the 8 weeks: a brand new Nokia phone (model to be announced later).
Kudos to OVI by Nokia for making this contest possible.