Who's afraid of making risotto? Not you! This creamy recipe ups the savory ante with homemade stock, chicken, and crisp, spring veggies. If you've got 45 minutes, you've got one luxurious (and cheesy!) dinner.

A good risotto is not something to be rushed, as far as I know, as the careful and continuous stirring and adding of liquid in stages gently releases the starches from the rice as it cooks. I got myself a beer and turned on NPR.

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Photo by Yvonne Ruperti

When a cheese marches to the tune of its own drummer, sometimes it can be hard to find the perfect mate. Luckily, It's Not You, It's Brie author Kirsten Jackson held a matchmaking class for this sole purpose. Need a wine pairing for a cheddar/blue hybrid, or our fiesty spring centerfold? Just check the list below.

We didn’t limit it. And we didn’t judge. If a cheese was delicious after being patted down with flavors as oddly harmonious as espresso grounds and lavender, we weren’t going to raise an eyebrow. If a cheese couldn’t decide between being a cheddar or a blue, we were’t going to try to make them. Hell, if a cheese wanted to wear that swan dress that Bjork did to the Oscars one year, or even decide they wanted to be in an open relationship, we wouldn’t judge either. Just as long as they showed up to class tasty and ready to charm.

The Wisconsin Artisan Cheesemaker Guild is a new organization related to Wisconsin Cheese Originals. Like Wisconsin Cheese Originals, the Guild is the brainchild of Wisconsin cheese whiz Jeanne Carpenter, and aims to offer networking and educational opportunities for beginning and current artisan and farmstead cheesemakers.

Here's how it works: currently, the guild is open only to beginning or current artisan or farmstead cheesemakers (future associate memberships for retailers may be added - stay tuned). Guild members pay an annual fee of $150 per company. All employees of member companies are invited to attend or participate in all activities. Some activities, such as specific educational workshops or tours, have additional fees to help cover expenses.

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Classic combinations like tomato, basil, and mozzarella can't go wrong, but stuff them in a grilled cheese sandwich, and suddenly they've become extra right.

You know what else makes a heck of a good grilled cheese? Mozzarella, tomato, basil, and some good olive oil. That's what.

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Photo by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Beer is a complicated, diverse thing -- take it from someone who knows his suds. Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at renowned Brooklyn Brewery, lays it down for us.

There are beer experts, and then there’s Garrett Oliver. A professional brewer since 1989 and brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery since 1994, he literally wrote the book on beer—two of them. In both The Brewmaster’s Table and The Oxford Companion to Beer, of which he was editor in chief, Oliver conveys an astonishing quantity of beer arcana and remains at the forefront of American craft brewing. Here, Oliver shares how he got started, how beer is made, how to pair beer with spicy foods, and why it’s a crime more culinary schools don’t include beer in the curriculum.

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Photo by Brett Casper

Since it's a fresh cheese, ricotta doesn't last nearly as long as other curds. This means finding uses for it faster, and while you can snack on spoonfuls of the stuff, it's so much more fun to cook with it! Need ideas stat? The Kitchn's got ya covered.

Usually half-used containers of anything make me want to pull my hair out as I scramble for ways to use them up before the contents go bad. Not so with ricotta! In fact, I find myself looking forward to having a few spoonfuls leftover from a recipe just so I can use them however I want. My favorite nefarious uses for leftover ricotta? Here are five to try.

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Photo by Emma Christensen

Cheese in the pasta and cheese in the broth? Yes, please. This recipe just screams to be made in large batches, and can be prepped far ahead of time, so it's perfect for a dinner party.

This is actually a surprisingly un-fussy dish to make for a dinner party. The tortellini can be made several days (or even up to three months) ahead and frozen. The broth just needs to simmer for about a half an hour and then you cook the tortellini right in the infused broth.

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Photo by Emma Christensen

Northern California boasts some of the best cheese in the country. Fancy a tour? Hit one, some, or all of these farm and dairy tours in the Bay Area.

Obsessed with creamy Mt. Tam? Besotted with Barinaga Baserri? Or simply smitten by the spectacle of baby goats and lambs? When spring rolls around, some of Northern California's top dairy farmers and cheesemakers throw open their doors to families and small groups eager to learn more about the art of cheesemaking.

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Photo by Cowgirl Creamery via Facebook

Storing cheese is a delicate business, and if you want to get the most out of your cheese, it's best to follow protocol. A cheesemonger and expert breaks it down, via Serious Eats.

And, because someone always asks: Please, for the love of god, don't freeze your cheese, ok?

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Photo by Stephanie Stiavetti

Yes, ramps are available in only part of the USA. Apologies to our Southern US fans. And to our Northerners...if you haven't put ramps on pizza yet, do it now. You're welcome.

At the top of this list are ramps, also known as wild leeks. They’re grown mostly in the East Coast cooler climates, and are only available for a few weeks each spring. People get a little gaga over them — they have a reputation for being overhyped, which is a funny thing, don’t you think, that we live in a world where a leafy green onion can be given too much of a rock star status? — because they’re one of the first things to emerge from the soil after nearly a half-year freeze.

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Photo by Smitten Kitchen