A big box of cheese and goodies is one of the best gifts you can send to people in your life. But Face Rock cheese boxes aren’t just for gifting, treat yourself too!

We curate our gift boxes with one end result in mind. Easy and delicious cheese enjoyment opportunities! Our three newest boxes feature our limited edition Black Butte Porter Cheddar, made in collaboration with Deschutes Brewery (Learn all about this bold beauty here).

We thought we'd use these new boxes to share some ideas on how you can use a gift box as a shortcut for when you're hosting, or when you just need to reduce the amount of thinking you have to do in your day (this year, I've learned to appreciate days where less planning around food is required!). 

First up is the Black Butte Beauty Gift Box, a perfect way to sample our special Black Butte Porter Cheddar on a quick tasting plate. First create cheese bites from the blocks of Black Butte Porter Cheddar and Extra Aged Cheddar. I like to slice the cheese in quarter-inch pieces and then break them apart into large crumbles. Cheese gets more crystalized as it ages, so this is a great way to present an older cheese that naturally wants to come apart a bit. Place each cheese on either side of a medium size plate, and then add a river of slices from the flavorful Taylor's Sausage (also made in Oregon!) in the middle. Add a handful of your favorite pretzel sticks or warm up some soft pretzels to pair with the tasty dusseldorf-style mustard (which you get to serve in its own cool little beer stein!).

Want to take your treats to the grill? Check out the Brew & BBQ Gift Box. This one brings you a block of our Black Butte Porter Cheddar plus two of our favorites (Peppercorn Harvest and Extra Aged), a bottle of Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter, a bottle of Big Daddy Mac's Everything Sauce, Taylor’s Sausage, a dusseldorf-style mustard and a tasty Bandon-made stout & pretzel caramel corn. To get ready for a feast, stuff your burger patties with Black Butte Porter Cheddar (see our how to here!) or mix shreds of the cheese into your meat. This cheese isn’t going to melt out the way a younger cheese will, so it’s a good one for mixing in flavor. When you’re ready to go, pop the patties onto the grill along with brats, chicken breasts or ribs and baste up the whole spread with the full-flavored BBQ sauce included in your kit. Munch on some sausage and Extra Aged Cheddar stackers while you wait for your grilled goodies. Top your burger with Peppercorn Harvest and our bold mustard for another big hit of flavor! Post dinner, enjoy that delicious caramel corn and pretzel combo! 

Now, where are the microbrew fans at? This one is tailor made for the beer lover! Two bottles of Deschutes Brewery classic 12oz beers (Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale) join a tub of classic white cheddar curds AND four of our favorite cheeses, including the Black Butte Porter Cheddar. A fantastic selection of goodies that perfectly pair with these cheeses rounds out this “Ultimate Microbrew” box. These include three types of gourmet jerky, a beef stick, stout & pretzel caramel corn, 34 Degree Crisps and a dusseldorf-style mustard that comes in a cool little beer stein. Check out the delicious spread we made with this box! We added some chicken strips and more pretzels for dipping into mustard to round out a perfectly satisfying snack-meal.

Have you treated yourself to a Face Rock gift box? Tag us on social with #facerockcheesebox and let us see how you use gift boxes at home!