Cheesy desserts: Leaving the ice cream in the freezer

We tend to associate cheese with more savory dishes such as pizza and nachos, but there are some desserts that call for cheese, such as cheesecake and tiramisu. And then there are the concoctions that make us scratch our heads and think, How on earth can that be good? But if there's anything I like more than blogging about cheese, it's cheese dishes that make us think outside of the box.

Fudge is tasty, but will adding Velveeta cheese make it even better? Paula Deen seems to think so (which I must say I find completely unsurprising), and she's not the only one given the number of different online stores I found that sell the, um, delicacy.

NOTCOT.com recently had a feature on apple pie with cheese à la mode, which you can order at Mel's Drive-In. As you can see from the photo, it looks like a regular slive of apple pie but with what looks to be melted Cheddar on top. According to the adventurous diner (the writer, not Mel's), the cheese flavor is not as overwhelming as one would think. I might just have to try this the next time I come across Mel's in San Francisco.

Finally, the last cheesy dessert for today is Apple-Gruyère pie. The concept is pretty similar to the other pie, but this is really just an excuse to post a picture of Chuck from the whimsical show Pushing Daisies. Chuck is a cheese enthusiast who bakes these special pies for her shut-in aunts, but what they don't know is that she also laces them with anti-depressants in the hopes that they'll find the desire to leave their house once in a while. That, and the fact that she came back to life after having drowned while on a cruise ship, all thanks to her childhood friend who has the ability to resurrect the dead. Yeah, it's complicated.

The fine art of cheese

Question: Which of the following does not belong?
A) Clay
B) Crayon
C) Paint
D) Cheese

The answer is D) Cheese because it is not an commonly used art medium. But try telling that to the following artists who have managed to defy convention and integrated cheese into their work.

Sandy Skoglund is known for her installations, which are oftentimes surreal and vibrant in color. It doesn't get any more surreal than a room, not to mention the people in it, covered entirely in cheese puffs (the supermarket kind, not the pastries) in a piece entitled "The Cocktail Party," as shown to the left.

Sarah Kaufmann is the self-described "Cheese Lady," and for good reason. She has carved all sorts of things about of blocks of cheese, ranging from famous faces to animals, inanimate objects to college mascots. She is a Wisconsin native and had worked for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board before embarking on her career as a cheese sculptor, so it's safe to say that cheese and dairy are practically in her blood.

Champion cheese carver (who knew that there was such a title?) Troy Landwehr turned a 1,200 pound block of Cheddar cheese into an ersatz Statue of Liberty. That is patriotism at its best.