Are you doing as many virtual Happy Hours as I am? I’m enjoying how easy it is to “meet” friends for a drink, but the bar menu is pitiful. My husband and I hoarded pistachios when this madness began, but I’m getting a little bored with them. Knowing how desperate our cheesemakers are to sell their fresh cheeses, I decided to challenge myself to make some bar bites with ingredients on hand. I did have to purchase the cheese, but all the toppings were foraged from the fridge, garden and pantry. You can do this.

I used Nicasio Valley Foggy Morning for my toasts because it’s made near me and my local cheese shop had it. Look for a moist, spreadable cheese that doesn’t have a rind. If it’s made locally, so much the better because it will likely be fresher and fluffier. Ricotta is a great option, as is a fresh, lemony chèvre. I’ve offered some suggestions below but, really, use what you can find. During these times, it feels right to improvise and make do.

My toppings:

• Fava beans with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and coarse sea salt

• Grated carrots dressed with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt; topped with K. L. Keller Dukkah

• Roasted golden beets, extra virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt and Aleppo pepper

• Foggy Morning blended with minced chives, mint, tarragon, and grated garlic

• Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend

What will your home foraging yield? Tapenade, chutney, leftover roast vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, smoked fish? Repurpose them as toppings and let the happy hour begin.

As for cheese options, consider these:

Bellwether Farms Fromage Blanc: Made from Jersey cow’s milk, this fresh cheese won its category last year at the American Cheese Society competition.
Vermont Creamery Fromage Blanc: a fat-free version from cow’s milk
Calabro Hand-Dipped Ricotta: When it’s fresh, it’s my favorite readily available ricotta—milky, delicate and sweet.
Cowgirl Creamery Cottage Cheese: tender curds in a creamy, tangy dressing
Green Dirt Farms Fresh Sheep Cheese: a lactic, light-on-the-tongue sheep’s milk version of fresh chèvre
Karoun Dairies Labne: smooth and tangy yogurt cheese. You can make it yourself by draining Greek yogurt in cheesecloth and seasoning with salt.
Laura Chenel Fresh Goat Cheese Original: The California goat cheese that launched a movement is a clean-tasting and likeable as ever.
Pennyroyal Farms Laychee: At this time of year, this tub-packed fresh cheese is typically about 85% goat’s milk and 15% sheep’s milk. When fresh, it’s fluffy and lemony.