This intrepid goat kid has had enough of the standard homemade fare, and branches out to a new cuisine - buffalo milk!

Here's a great article from Adam Davidson at the New York Times Magazine, on the difficulties the modern dairy farmer faces. It's become a more challenging game as the years progress, which is evident at Fulper Farms in New Jersey, where three generations of farmers need to find new ways to keep the farm in the black:

The Fulpers, like most people, are too busy with their day jobs to truly monitor the markets. But dairy farming has its own 1 percent: that tiny sliver of massive farms, with thousands of cows, that make the biggest profits and are better equipped to pay agriculture-futures experts to help them manage risk. They continue to invest and grow. Unable to keep up with the changes, many smaller farms have gone out of business in the past decade.

For anyone who hasn't seen them, today is the last day that these sheep sculptures will be on display in Times Square, so go say hello:

Counting Sheep will be on display in Times Square from March 1 – 7, 2011 on the northern end of Broadway Plaza between 45th and 46th Streets. Spanning 36 feet long and 12 feet wide, the installation is comprised of 24 uniquely made paper sheep sculptures on 6” to 16” high platforms. All of the sheep are hand-made by the artist himself in a labor-intensive process involving natural and traditional materials. “I like to think that both paper and wood, though processed to be used as structural materials, are in fact very much alive as part of nature,” the artist explains.

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Here's an update on the excitement surround tonight's evening tasting at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, WI. This year looks like it will draw the biggest crowd yet, and cheese fans are getting geared up to try hundreds of cheeses in one fell swoop:

Watching 40 judges in white lab coats nibble on cheese and then spit the samples into garbage cans might not sound like an elegant evening to most people, but hundreds of cheese lovers have paid $25 each for a close-up view of Wednesday's World Championship Cheese Contest finals.

This is the first year the international contest has charged admission to its finals, which historically have been low-key affairs attended by just a handful of spectators and reporters.

As professional recipe developers in the process of writing a cookbook, we’ve learned that a recipe that works out perfectly the first time is as rare as finding a baby unicorn that coughs up winning lotto numbers. Even if you know what you’re doing, the recipe usually comes out fine, at best. Even if it turns out great, there’s still the need to test variations; tweak the spices, bake instead of broil, use half a cup less flour.

The High

A toasted orzo pudding I worked on is perfect now. Now. The first time I tested the recipe the pudding was so thick you could turn the bowl upside down and it wouldn’t budge. The next time around it tasted like curdled milk and foul eggs…I’m not sure what happened there. It took trial and error to get the damned thing right.

Perfect the first time? Rare indeed.

But not impossible.

Irresistibly sweet and salty, these tender scones are perfect for a special breakfast or brunch, or as a snack with afternoon tea. Sweet currants and nutty, aromatic Comté are an unexpected combination, producing scones that are addictively delicious!

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet and a plate with parchment paper.

Using the large holes on a cheese grater, grate the butter onto the parchment-lined plate. Put it in the refrigerator while assembling the dry ingredients.

Vote for your favorite Cheez-It flavor this election year, and win a lifetime supply of Cheez-Its, as well as your likeness on the packaging!

Cheez-It® crackers is asking Americans to throw their support behind the candidate they find appealing, agreeable and most importantly, delicious, by casting their vote for the Top Cheese. Eight flavors of Cheez-It crackers will campaign for the right to be named America's "Top Cheese."

Voting is underway at the Cheez-It cracker Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/cheezit. Additionally, supporters are able to track voting and learn more about the candidates, including their positions on important issues such as the proper amount of flavor – strong or mild.

Consumers not only can vote and campaign for their favorite flavor, but will also have the opportunity to forever be part of Cheez-It cracker history by having their likeness featured on select packaging.

New study shows that dairy products are good for your brain. We suspected it all along.

The study, involving US and Australian researchers, was based on 1,000 adults. It found those who regularly have dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt score better in tests of mental ability than people who never, or rarely, consume dairy products.

It follows another US study, involving 104 pensioners, where scientists found that older people with higher levels of beneficial fats in their blood had less brain shrinkage typical of the Alzheimer's disease, the International Dairy Journal reports.

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Photo by IsaavMao

This irresistible recipe brings a fresh new approach to a traditional green bean casserole. It’s sure to become a new family favorite.

Line a large plate with paper towels. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer and lightly smoke. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until light golden brown, about 7-9 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to the paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

This is almost as good as the famous panda sneezing video - substitute a big ol' pig, and add some baby goats. Voila!