Dried Figs with Parrano

Forever on the search for fun, healthy, and portable snacks, Baby Flava and I have come across a new favorite; dried figs with Parrano cheese. There are actually endless variations of this simple snack including using different kinds of cheeses and substituting fresh figs for the dried figs. However, this original version is our favorite to date. I am saying "our" because I enjoy this treat just as much as she does! Now that I am a stay-at-home mom, I realized that I needed to pack some food for myself too when I take BF on an outing. After chasing a one-year-old around for a few hours a woman needs a snack!

For BF I trim the hard ends off the figs and slice them in to bite size pieces. If I am home I will place a piece of Parrano (a great sharp and salty cheese, which is as creamy as a gouda) on top of the fig slice and put the little treats out for her to pick up. However, if we are going to be out about sometimes I will let her take bites out of a while fig and a larger slice of cheese. The combination of salty/savory and sweet cannot be beat!

In the summer time when the figs are fresh, I may slice them in quarters, place the cheese on top and stick them under a broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese and slightly roast the fruit. Yum!