This post is sponsored by ALDI.

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I am so excited to announce that I’m headed to BlogHer Food. The huge blogging conference all about FOOD, DELICIOUS FOOD kicks off this weekend in Miami, Florida. Are you going to be there? If so, I’d love to meet up!

 

I’m doubly excited because I’m helping host ALDI’s special event, which is an in-depth look at how food flavors complement each other. The Sensory Tasting event is about how certain attributes and flavor profiles of foods play off and balance each other.

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The presentation is hosted by a Sensory Expert (cool job, right?!) and addresses both the practical and scientific aspects of combining food flavors. I saw a sneak peek of the presentation and love the balance of information with real world advice. This special event is PERFECT for people who like to create their own recipes, as we’ll be learning a lot about what types of ingredients work well together. You could even expand that knowledge to apply to an entire menu for a big dinner party.

 

So… in the name of “research,” I stocked up on some ALDI cheese and chocolate. I served this combo a few times over the weekend – we had a ton of guests and friends visiting, and it was a perfect little munching plate.

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It was really fun to talk to each other about how the cheeses and chocolates played off one another. The platter included ALDI milk chocolate, dark chocolate, sharp cheddar cheese, and Havarti cheese. We added in some chips, red wine, and white wine, too!

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Oh – and by the way – all of these items only cost $24 at ALDI. That’s it! If I wasn’t so familiar with ALDI’s excellent pricing (you can see samples of my grocery bill here and here), I would’ve been shocked.

 

The Havarti cheese is actually the same cheese that I taste-tested against the national brand while on the ALDI Test Kitchen tour – remember how all the bloggers picked the (very inexpensive) ALDI brand as being WAY yummier in the blind taste test? It really is so good.

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Here are some things that my friends and I (and Henry) determined when tasting the cheese and chocolate together:

 

Chocolate is pretty flavorful, so it’s best to take little bites of the chocolate and bigger bites of the cheese.

The cheddar tastes much better with the milk chocolate – the flavors seemed to complement each other. When eaten with the dark chocolate, the cheddar and the chocolate really competed for attention in your mouth.

The Havarti was so intensely delicious with the dark chocolate. Havarti is a lot smoother and creamier than cheddar, so it balanced nicely with the strong chocolate.

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The ALDI Sensory Tasting event is going to include combos like nuts + cheese, nuts + chocolate, wine + cheese, and wine + chocolate. I anticipate my mouth will be extremely happy! And don’t worry – I’m going to take detailed notes about the pairings and include the Sensory Expert’s advice on how you can take this information and apply it to your own recipes and meals.

 

So excited to be going to BlogHer Food – I can’t wait to take you guys along with me!

 

This post is sponsored by ALDI. As always, all opinions are my own.

{ 14 comments }

 

  • Sara @ Theworkingathlete May 14, 2014, 2:47 pm

    That event looks like so much fun! I’ll have to look into it for next year!

  • Sara @ LovingOnTheRun May 14, 2014, 3:29 pm

    Sounds like a pretty awesome opportunity!

  • Marie May 14, 2014, 3:56 pm

    I have to say, you are the queen of sponsored posts. Sometimes, sponsored posts feel like product placements (and I’m fine with it because I’m happy for the bloggers I read for free!), but you have a different take and always manage to give out some real interesting info.

    • Caitlin May 14, 2014, 3:58 pm

      Thanks, Marie. I do try to make them interesting and fun, so I appreciate that a lot. Sorry to post two in back to back days, though. My calendar got all messy 🙂

  • Elizabeth {Positively Healthy} May 14, 2014, 4:12 pm

    I love Aldi’s cheeses and chocolate! Have a great time on your trip!

  • Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs May 14, 2014, 4:19 pm

    Sound like it’s going to be a great event!

    Havarti & Sharp Cheddar are so good, although I’ve never paired them with chocolate before — I may have to give it a try!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat May 14, 2014, 6:15 pm

    I’m so excited to follow along on your Blog Her Food trip! If there was one blog conference I could attend, that would be it. It’s been on my list since I started blogging 4 years ago, but I just need to save up the funds and plan for it – hopefully next year! Other things always seem to pop up that are more urgent, but I’ve heard amazing things about this conference in particular. In the meantime, I will live vicariously through you. Have a great trip!

  • Linz @ Itz Linz May 14, 2014, 8:06 pm

    Ok I need to plan my next aldi trip! I’m very impressed with the price of all that!

  • Traci May 14, 2014, 8:32 pm

    Hmmmm–I’m a chocolate lover, and a cheese lover, but I’m not sure that I’d want to pair them together for a tasting! The other paired combinations sound more pleasing to my palette. Have fun at the convention!

  • Emily at Transitional Objects May 14, 2014, 11:24 pm

    Okay, you’ve got me. I’m a sucker for cheese and chocolate, so I’ll swing by Aldi to facilitate my own taste test. And I agree with Marie–even your sponsored posts read as if they’re written in your usual blogging voice.

    Also. Can we talk about how seriously Henry takes his job as official taste tester? Totally adorable, that one.

  • Amanda May 15, 2014, 10:50 am

    I have a friend that loves Aldi and keeps urging me to check it out. I really do need to! Especially knowing they have a great Havarti. It’s one of my favorite cheeses.

    Have a great trip. Wishing you safe travels!

  • Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork May 15, 2014, 1:46 pm

    Can’t wait to hear more about the conference while you’re there. Oh, I wish we could buy wine in grocery stores. But Massachusetts retains its Puritan ways over 300 years later and we can only buy it at liquor stores (AKA “packies”).

    • Lindsey May 19, 2014, 1:30 am

      you can buy it at a bunch of grocery stores in MA! even at walmart 🙂

  • Alex @ Kenzie Life May 15, 2014, 3:50 pm

    I’m craving cheese and chocolate right now! I think that would be a really fun way to start a party–with cheese and chocolate tastings. And Cards Against Humanity 🙂 Have a great time at BlogHer Food!

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