If Joe Bonwich’s story about cooking with cheese left you hungry for more, here’s a little something extra. These recipes are from Annette Gooch of Tribune Media Services.

To vary the Port and Cheddar recipe, she suggests shaping the cheese mixture into a ball or a log and serving it with crisp slices of apple or pear, mushroom caps, celery sticks, cucumber rounds or other raw vegetables.

The Cheddar-cream cheese mixture can be served in a crock or shaped into a round or log and presented on a platter.

PARTY PORT AND CHEDDAR
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
1 pound aged Cheddar cheese, grated
2/3 cup port wine
1 round loaf of crusty bread, unsliced
Combine cheese and port in a food processor and process until smooth. (Or place in a bowl and stir with a large wooden spoon until cheese and port are well-integrated.)
Slice off the top third of the round of bread. Using a sharp knife or metal spoon and your fingers, remove chunks of the bread from the interior of the loaf, leaving a “shell” about 3/4-inch thick on the bottom and sides. Use a sharp knife to trim the chunks of bread into fairly uniform pieces; place in an airtight container and reserve until needed.
Pack cheese mixture into hollowed-out loaf, reserving any extra cheese mixture in a lidded container.
Cover loaf with plastic film; refrigerate for 1 hour to firm. Serve with French bread chunks, using any reserved cheese mixture to replenish the loaf.

CHEDDAR-CREAM CHEESE CROCK
Yield: 2 1/2 to 3 cups; 12 to 14 servings
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (10-ounce) package sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (10-ounce) package mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons grated onion
Parsley sprigs, for garnish
Crackers, for accompaniment
In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave cream cheese on medium (50 percent) power 2 to 3 minutes. Stir until soft.
Add sharp and mild Cheddars to softened cream cheese. Microwave on medium power 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then stir until cheese is soft.
Add salt, Worcestershire sauce and onion, stirring to blend thoroughly.
Cover bowl with plastic film and a lid; refrigerate until firm. Allow to warm slightly before garnishing with parsley and serving with crackers.