Welcome to the first edition of our e-newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox from your favorite cheese's homeland. Thank you for joining our online community. If you haven't already done so, please invite your friends to join at www.thelaughingcow.com for recipes, cheese chat, videos and other delicious topics! You can also find us on Twitter @TheLaughingCow and Facebook.

Our mission is to help transform your snacking experience. We want to make “eating right” easier, more enjoyable and great tasting. We'll also keep you up-to-date on all our latest giveaways, sweepstakes, events and more. Keep reading for some sizzling summer tips and extra-special announcements!

June was a HUGE month for us because we welcomed three NEW flavors to our family of delicious cheese wedges. Just in time for BBQ season, each flavor brings a unique personality to the picnic table. We are thrilled to announce our all-new, never-before-seen, 35-calorie, amazingly fantastic light wedge flavors! Drum roll please...

• Made with authentic Queso Fresco and Chipotle peppers, this new flavor brings a little kick to the snack scene. She's naughty...she's nice...and she's coming to a town near you! Please welcome the NEW! Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle!
• Our next flavor is the new blue in town...she's creamier, smoother and lighter than your old blue cheese. She's so sassy and bold, all the other blues just crumble under the pressure. Please join us in welcoming the NEW! Light Blue Cheese!
• Our next French beauty likes to bask in the sun and has a thing for Italians...ooh, la la! Don't let her wholesome basil and hint of sundried tomato flavors fool you because she's zesty and destined to be a star! Introducing the NEW! Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil!

Not to be outdone, Mini Babybel® also has great news to share. Mini Babybel is now available in convenient 10-count nets, allowing you to get more “bel” for your buck!

We believe there are a few key essentials that should be at every BBQ this summer: burgers oozing with luscious cheese, platters of cheese, cheesy side dishes and cool thirst-quenchers (we have yet to figure out the cheese cocktail)! We asked Lisa Lillien, aka Hungry Girl, author of Hungry Girl 1-2-3: The Easiest, Most Delicious, Guilt-Free Recipes on the Planet, to share her “TOP ATE” BBQ tips and tricks, so you can have your BBQ and eat it too!

1. Create a cheese platter that rocks. Instead of hacking away at a giant chunk of full-fat cheese, offer your backyard buddies something more civilized — like the individually wrapped, portion-controlled Light wedges and Mini Babybel Light cheese rounds. They won't dry out, and every piece is a special treat you can unwrap and enjoy!
2. Create tongue-tickling grilled sensations. Hollow out your favorite veggies — like large grape tomatoes, zucchini, or fresh jalapenos cut lengthwise — and fill them with your favorite flavor of The Laughing Cow Light wedges or some Mini Babybel Light. Toss them on the grill until the cheese melts, and you've transformed ordinary veggies into grilled sensations.
3. Wrap your food in lettuce buns. Hot dogs, grilled chicken, burgers, grilled veggies... ALL good loaded up with condiments and light cheese and stuffed between giant leaves of lettuce.
4. Get your foil on. Toss veggies (try bell peppers, onion, zucchini and broccoli) with salt and pepper, and wrap 'em in foil sprayed with nonstick spray to create an airtight packet. Place it in the oven or on the grill until the veggies are tender-crisp. Unwrap the veggies, and top with a few wedges of The Laughing Cow Light (unwrapped from their foil, of course!). Heat it just until the cheese has melted for a super easy and cheesy side dish.
5. Make guilt-free cocktails (or “mocktails”)! With Hungry Girl Happy Hour: 75 Recipes for Guilt-Free Cocktails & Party Foods, you can whip up easy and delicious drinks and dishes in a flash. Don't miss the Devilish Eggs recipe, featuring The Laughing Cow Light cheese wedges!
6. Swap the cream cheese for a creamier cheese. Anytime a dip calls for cream cheese, just swap each tablespoon with a wedge of The Laughing Cow Light! Not only will you save calories, you'll gain creamy deliciousness and amazing flavor.
7. Swap out the square cheese. Instead of a burger topped with greasy cheese that sticks to the grill (and your hips!), try Hungry Girl's “Outside-In Cheeseburger Patty.” Just stuff lean burger meat with a round of Mini Babybel Light or a wedge of The Laughing Cow Light. It's so gooey and cheesy that we call it The Laughing Cow Lava Burger! Check out her official recipe below.
8. Stay cool with frozen sweets. Stock your fridge with frozen fruit (like grapes and berries), light ice cream, and fruit pops. Mmmmmm!

We Love Hungry Girl
We are HUGE FANS of Hungry Girl and we think the feeling is mutual. She has even gone on the record to say, “The Laughing Cow Light may well be the best cheese on the planet. Really. Great on sandwiches, melted into sauces, or even as a cream cheese swap, these spreadable wedges ROCK OUR FACES OFF.” We think that's a pretty great review! Here's one of her famous recipes using our wedges. Thanks Hungry Girl! We love you back!

Is it offensive that we stuffed something labeled “Laughing Cow” inside a ball of beef? Perhaps... but it's DELICIOUS!

Ingredients (makes one serving):
4 oz. raw extra-lean ground beef
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, or a round of Mini Babybel Light, room temperature
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
dash salt, or more to taste
dash black pepper, or more to taste

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the cheese. Add as much salt and pepper as you like. Knead mixture by hand until integrated. Form into a ball and, using your thumb, make a large, hollow indentation in the ball (past the center but not all the way through). Fill the hole with cheese and squeeze the meat to seal, making sure no cheese is exposed. Flatten slightly into a thick patty.

Bring a pan misted with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. (Use a grill pan if you've got one.) Place patty in the pan, cover, and cook for 4 - 7 minutes per side, depending on how well done you like your burger. Heads Up: Don't press on the patty with your spatula (your burger might ooze cheese!).

Serve however you like your burger... Hungry Girl likes hers with ketchup and pickles between giant leaves of lettuce!

PER SERVING (approximately 1 patty): 179 calories, 6.5g fat, 502mg sodium, 1.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 1g sugars, 26.5g protein

Visit Hungry Girl's official Web site for more amazing recipes and find other yummy ways to use Mini Babybel cheese and The Laughing Cow wedges at thelaughingcow.com/recipes.

We are talking about happy living, nutrition, smart snacking and — of course — CHEESE all month long on our shiny new Web site www.thelaughingcow.com.