Over at Gilt Taste, Whitney Chen has been busy cooking, and she's shared the results with the world. Lucky for us, she's been baking cheese crackers and cookies. Have a look at these three great recipes she developed:

pride myself on being able to turn leftovers into something shiny, new and delicious. But I struggled forever to come up with an elegant and exciting way to use up the sad, lonely butts of cheese left on a cheese platter at the end of a party. Enter my friend Marybeth Albright, writer, cook and hostess extraordinaire, who blew my mind with her clever, simple technique for savory cheese cookies. They’re so good, in fact, that after seeing them save your leftover cheese board once, you’ll be buying fresh cheese just to bake them into these light, tender, totally addictive snacks.

Legendary libertarian Ron Paul has once again lent his voice to the Raw Milk controversy. The Texas Congressman and Republican Presidential candidate has introduced an amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill to legalize interstate sale of raw milk and raw milk products, prompting backlash from The National Milk Producers Federation and The International Dairy Foods Association.

In his remarks to Texas Republicans, Rep. Paul combined New York City's proposed ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces and raw milk, saying: "In a free society, you will always be able to buy a big drink with a lot of sugar in it. You might even be able to drink raw milk."

Zotter Chocolate has taken ingredients typically reserved for topping a salad - grapes, walnuts, and cheese - and stuffed them inside a bar of dark chocolate. How did this unique treat taste? An adventurous taster finds out:

Some might think that having ingredients that are so different that shouldn’t work well together. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The aroma is sweet and with a hint of the booze contained within but it was mostly of freshly baked malt loaf. If this doesn’t pique your interest, I don’t know what will.

read more

Photo by Ambernectar13

Today, some chic pizzerias favor light toppings, like arugula and figs. Leave it to Chicago to turn pizza back into belt-busting comfort food. That's right, chili cheese dog pizza now exists:

But Chicago is known more for its broad shoulders — and even bigger bellies — so it should come as no surprise that somebody would come up with a pizza that would put the culinary universe — if not cholesterol levels — in balance.

read more

Photo by Navin75

Craving some cheese with that morning coffee? Here is a recipe for crafting a hearty, gluten-free buckwheat bread to accompany any cheese in the AM.

Now, I wouldn’t say no to a beautiful pecorino or bandage-wrapped cheddar in the morning, but I generally crave milder cheeses while I’m waiting for the caffeine to kick in. My intention with this recipe was also to make something that would fuel me for the rest of the day. So my two goals- create something that tasted good with a light morning cheese- chevre, fromage blanc, ricottas, lightly aged cheeses – and to have something with a little bit of power that would tide me over until second breakfast.

read more

Photo by storebukkerbruse

Ricotta is a jack-of-all trades in the cheese world. It can be found filling a sweet cannoli or atop a hearty lasagna. Ricotta's range of compatibility makes it a must have ingredient for the gastronomically adventurous.

Ricotta is also a great 'carrier' of flavours – spinach, parmesan, herbs, nutmeg – which is why it's so often used as a filling for pasta (and as a stuffing to push under the skin of a chicken). In fact, mixed with whipped cream or mascarpone, ricotta makes an excellent light but creamy filling for cake (try mixing it with lemon zest and juice, or with grated chocolate, orange zest and marsala-soaked raisins).

read more

Photo by yashima

In Wisconsin, the focus has switched from politics back to the Badger State's other past time - making cheese. Check out this artisanal summer trinity to get your taste buds going.

Hand-crafted by Cheesemaker Chris Roelli at Roelli Cheese Haus in Shullsburg, Red Rock is the must-have cheese of 2012. Made with a double-dose of annatto giving it that deep red color, Red Rock is a creamy Cheddar with blue veins. Dubbed the little brother of Chris' other signature cheese, Dunbarton Blue, Red Rock is perfect on a sandwich or as the stand-alone star on a cheese plate.

read more

Photo by cwbuecheler

This poor little guy is having a rough day at the office. Why's it so dark in here?!

Watch the video on YouTube

Beth Greenfield of the New York Times has the story on animal sanctuaries with bed & breakfasts on the side. Guests can stay in historic comfort, while being steps away from the farm, where anyone can be a volunteer. Starting at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, Greenfield gives us a peek at this growing pocket of hospitality and animal care:

Woodstock Sanctuary (actually in Willow, N.Y.) is not the only haven for rescued animals that gives a chance to visit, volunteer and stay overnight. While a handful of such accommodations are scattered throughout the country, upstate New York is home to a concentration of them: in addition to Woodstock, the nearby Catskill Animal Sanctuary has opened a B&B as well and, in Watkins Glen, Farm Sanctuary has operated one for years.

These cheese and olive penguins are almost too adorable for words. We know they're more in tune with the holiday season, but why wait?

Doesn't fun food make holidays and parties feel more celebratory? I think so too. Auntie Miranda made these for a family party and the little guys were the hit of the evening. They're almost too cute to eat. Almost. Delicious!

Read the recipe

Photo by A Fridge Full of Food