Getting Cheesy on National Macaroni Day

By Sarah Correll

           

June 7 was National Macaroni Day, and the ladies of Real Farmwives of America and Friends sure know how to make some great mac and cheese! Check out their twists on the classic American dish.

A flexible favorite, Jent says her mac and cheese is amazing no matter what kind of cheeses you add!

Looking for a dish with some meat? Try Cris’ Ham and Cheese Skillet! Bonus: only one cooking dish to wash!

Mix it in the crockpot and walk away. This 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese from Jane only requires stirring two or three times while it cooks!

Use your leftover BBQ with Leah’s BBQ Chicken Cheesy Mac!

Dairy farmer Amy has tried a lot of mac and cheese recipes. She shares her favorite here! 

No matter how you make it, macaroni and cheese will always be a go-to comfort food!

Tomorrow is National Cheeseball Day!

By Diane Ruyack of Winners Drink Milk

What are round, fun and tasty?  Cheese balls! They were born to party! They’re also one of the easiest cold appetizers to prepare.  

April 17^th is National Cheeseball Day. Cheeseballs make a great presentation for any party, and they aren’t just delicious for the winter holiday season.

With Easter just 3 days after National Cheeseball Day this year, why not include a cheeseball as part of your Easter festivities.  Let the children help build a bunny, baby chicks or a plate of miniature cheese balls decorated like Easter eggs.

There are savory or sweet cheeseballs   Savory cheese balls are usually made by blending cream cheese with your favorite shredded hard cheese, spices, chopped onions and garlic. Sweeter options are made with cream cheese with fruit and/or candy additions.  Then, the ingredients are rolled into a ball and rolled in a crunchy topping such as chopped pecans, almonds, bacon bits, etc. You can really add just about anything, and then serve with crackers, veggies or fruit or cookies fanned out around the cheese ball.

Cheeseball Recipe

8-16 ounces of cream cheese, regular, low fat, Neufchatel

Add any of the following ingredients that blend together taste-wise:

For Savory:

1 Cup or more of other cheeses: Cheddar, bleu, Colby, Swiss

½ cup green or black chopped olives

½ cup of ham, pepperoni, dried beef or bacon

½ package of onion or vegetable soup or ranch dressing mix

½ cup chutney

Spices such as garlic and/or onion powder, parsley, Worcestershire sauce

For Sweet:

8 ounces crushed pineapple

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries, chopped apricots

¼ cup maraschino cherries, chopped

½ cup chocolate chips, toffee bits, peanut butter chips

Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice

½ cup coconut

Directions:

To Make your own cheeseball, mix cream cheese with other ingredients that go together, form into a ball and roll in chopped pecans, walnuts or if you are making a sweet cheeseball, toasted coconut or miniature chocolate chips. 

For Easter, decorate a bunny-shaped cheese ball with bunny ears made from romaine lettuce leaves, lengthwise carrot or cucumber slices or pear or apple slices.  Black olives or gum drops would make eyes and nose. Use alfalfa sprouts or green coconut as grass.  Rolling smaller cheese balls in a variety of toppings such as parsley, nuts, chopped carrots and different colored peppers, crushed cookies etc. would give the appearance of Easter eggs or in yellow coconut to make baby chicks.  Whether you're planning a large dinner party or just looking for a fun snack, cheeseballs are simple and delicious.

Serve with savory crackers or vanilla wafers for either an appetizer cheeseball or as a sweet snack cheeseball.

A Cheesy Champ: Grilled Cheese Month

By Sarah Correll 

It can be simple or quite complicated.  It has been served with tomato soup and with ketchup (or maybe that’s just me), with one slice and with 17.  It goes by at least two different names and is one of the most popular foods at the Indiana State Fair (only 121 more days!) every year.  What is it?  The grilled cheese.

  From the Grilled Cheese Academy’s creative takes 

To the classic school lunch favorite

To Indianapolis’s own Scratch TruckGrilled Cheese (complete with two kinds of cheese and red wine braised short rib), it’s no secret that the sandwich is popular.

  

But did you know that a classic grilled cheese (two slices of bread with one slice of cheddar cheese) has less than 300 calories and is a great source of protein?  If any sandwich deserves a full month of celebration, it’s definitely the grilled cheese.  Try something new or celebrate with a classic, and be sure to let us know which grilled cheese is the best!

Back to the at least two names thing…  I’m curious, has anyone who isn’t from Allen or Adams Counties in Indiana heard of a grilled cheese being called a cheese toasty before?

Dairy Bar, Cattle Barn and Cheeselady- Oh My!

By Michelle Plummer of Winners Drink Milk

Can you believe the State Fair is only four weeks away!  I am so excited to tell you what the American Dairy Association is doing to begin the celebration!  To start the Dairy Bar wants to give away 10  pairs of tickets to the Dairy Bar.  Each pair of tickets would be a coupon for a ‘Fuel Up to Play 60 Kids Meal and a Shake and Sandwich coupon.  Learn how to enter later in the post.

Visit the fair during the 13-17^th and see the real dairy farmers and cows.  See how the animals are cared for and actually pet a calf and receive a coupon for a glass of milk in the Cattle Barn.  Walk along and visit the exhibits in Our Land Pavilion and have an opportunity to step back in time to see how milk was delivered in the early ‘30’s, see the old timey posters of milk promotions and follow the carbon foot print of dairy farming since the late ‘30’s. Visit Sarah Kaufmann, aka the Cheeselady, and see what she is carving this year to help celebrate the 80 years of Dairy & Nutrition Council delivering the facts and fun of the dairy industry in Indiana.  

Mark your calendar for August 10, when we unveil the sculpture for the fair goers to see.  There will be cooking demos using assorted dairy products and featuring Ivy Tech student who actually developed lactose free recipes for consumers who have difficult time drinking milk.  For the kids on the 7th and 14th we will host the Shake it Up with Dairy demo giving kids the opportunity to drink a new dairy product and meet Buttercup in person

Are you ready for a snack? Stop by the Dairy Bar and enjoy a gooey and creamy grilled cheese, a delicious shake or a dish of hand scooped ice cream!  To enter to win the coupons tell us just one of the five cheeses used at the dairy bar. Winners will be chosen randomly and announced on Friday! Have a great day at the fair, we sure are!