The Huffington Post has graced us today with a slideshow serenade to macaroni and cheese. I counted four hunger gasps as I scrolled through the mouth-watering pictures.

It's easy to love macaroni and cheese. There's something about every recipe for it -- whether decadent, healthy or somewhere in between -- that makes us want to drop everything we're doing and whip up a batch. Mac and cheese is the kind of food that inspires poems. Or, at the very least, snarky essays.

There are few things that make us happier than movie stars chowing down on cheese, especially when they are thin, beautiful, glamorous ladies. The New York Times has brought us this great slideshow of celebs who love food and what they have to say about it. You'll see that cheese is pervasive theme:

"Blanchett announces that she’s famished and orders salmon and spinach, adding at the last second a side of Parmesan fried courgettes to start. A suggestion that we split the courgettes is met with uncertainty. 'I think we’d each better get our own,' she says, 'or things could get ugly.'"— from a profile of Cate Blanchett in Vogue

Read more at the New York Times

The Greek economy has been turbulent, but American consumers have become increasingly ravenous for the country's yogurts and cheeses. According to this article from Greek news outlet Kathimerini, Greek feta cheese exports to the US increased 87.1 percent in the first half of 2012 versus the same time period of 2011. Still, American companies like Athenos dominate the feta cheese market in the US.

The [Greek] Consulate’s report also makes special reference to the prospects for increasing the Greek market share in the US, which can be achieved through a comprehensive strategy to promote Greek feta in the US with the participation of all competent entities aimed at informing the average American consumer about the significant quality differences between the authentic product and the imitations that can be found in the market.

For this New Zealand company, home cheesemaking turned out to be jackpot country. The New Zealand Herald has the story on Saskia Thornton, who was given then task of creating cheeesemaking kits for Mad Millie. After a long road of cheesemaking education, she turned what she'd learned into a booming business:

"Because I had no idea about cheese-making when I was developing all the kits I came from quite a good standpoint because I was doing as most people would be doing it who used the kits as a beginner."

The initial launch of 200 kits sold out so fast that imake was left scrambling to reorder the components.

The kits are assembled in New Zealand with the various items coming from around the world: plasticware and thermometers from China, moulds from Italy, cultures from Europe and rennet from New Zealand.

Irish farmstead cheesemaking is the story of a great comeback, one told in Culture's autumn issue by writer Maggie Armstrong. Here's a glimpse at Irish cheesemaker Veronica Steele's early days of production, before Milleens became the lauded name it is today:

Tuesday, 6th June
“2 cheeses – one bummer, one good but grated.”

Monday, 12th June
“cheddar, larded and waxed, fell and wax broke!”

Sunday, 25th June
“cheddar, hand-pulled, stolen by dog!”

Friday 30th June
“remember to take out gorgonzola. Made 2 small emmenthal. Wow.”

As summer turns into autumn, it's important to eat as much ice cream as possible. This is a rule of life. Luckily, Käserei Champignon has shared this recipe for Cambozola ice cream and cherries, that might just be the perfect addition to summer's ice cream finale:

Homemade ice cream usually gets the oohs, mmms, and eager spoons, but this one may get some raised eyebrows, too. But don’t let any doubt deter you. Cambozola Ice Cream is rich, extra creamy, and with just the right tang of blue. Drizzle it with honey, dot it with summer berries, or dip into it on its own with a pairing of sherry. This ice cream is well worth taking a culinary leap of faith.

Get the recipe here

Complete with narration and some great footage, this 1954 Frith Films informational video on dairy goats is a real treat to watch. Check it out:
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Two years later, the individuals arrested as a result of the raid on Rawesome Foods in California are receiving their sentences for selling raw milk that didn't meet FDA regulation standards. On Friday we heard the latest from Mercury News:

Sharon Ann Palmer, 52, and her business, Healthy Family Farms of Santa Paula, pleaded guilty to one count of selling her goat milk stored in unsanitary conditions to Rawesome market, said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Superior Court Judge David Horowitz ordered Palmer to serve three years' probation, complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $1,300 fine. Eight other counts against Palmer and the business were dismissed.

If you've already seen or tasted Sartori's new Peppermint BellaVitano cheese, chances are you won't be forgetting it quickly, and now the cheese belongs to a larger cause than just feeding cheese lovers. Sartori has announced that The National Breast Cancer Foundation will benefit from every sale of this bright cheese:

A true Sartori original, this unique artisan cheese is crafted by hand rubbing aged BellaVitano Gold with crushed peppermint candy. The peppermint gives the cheese a light kiss of sweetness and a bright pink hue that is sure to catch the eye, creating a unique cheese with a creamy, crumbly texture that starts with a subtle fruity note and ends with a tangy bite.

Sartori is honored to announce that a portion of all the proceeds of this exciting pink cheese will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® in support of breast cancer awareness.

If this photo doesn't do it for you, than I don't know what will! Luxe Epicure was kind enough to share this recipe with the world this morning, and we're psyched about it. What do you think?

This warm recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes with Goat Cheese and Red Pepper Coulis comes to us from South City Kitchen in Atlanta. From the melted goat cheese to the zesty tomato sauce, this dish is sure to satisfy your dinner cravings.

Get the recipe here