macaroni and cheese balls / stremicks heritage organic milk giveaway

Last week I made S.’s most requested item when he comes over to stay with Jake and I: macaroni and cheese.

I’m always altering that recipe I used for crispy creamy 5 cheese mac n cheese and Jake still, to this day, thinks that 5 cheese one is sheer perfection. But me? I’m always looking to improve it, change it, and make it better.

I happened to have a bunch of cheeses on hand to make this and this batch consisted of leftover cheese from Heather’s birthday dinner last week plus a mild cheddar and some brie triangles I had almost forgotten about. I used a combination of flour, bacon fat and butter along with Stremicks Heritage Organic Milk for the base.

If I’m buying milk, I’m always buying organic milk. I particularly find that the reduced fat organic milk tastes so much better than it’s counterparts which in comparison taste watered down to me. The organic stuff still tastes like actual milk, even if it’s reduced fat.

Of course, I don’t think the reduced fat organic milk will help you much here with full fat cheeses, but who’s counting? The creamy richness of the cheese sauce definitely shines through – the only way to make it better really would be to use heavy cream… and well, that’s like a super indulgence if you ask me. Plus, this way a little bit cheaper!

The next night I decided to make macaroni and cheese balls with the leftovers. My one mistake here was being impatient and not freezing the balls first. I highly urge you to not be like me and take this extra step so that the balls hold together better and you don’t start freaking out about how they’re falling apart right when you’re about to stick them into a hot fryer…

They were rolled in milk, a beaten egg and freshly toasted bread crumbs before being fried for a few minutes.

They were still good… but one of my mac and cheese balls was dry (the one that started falling apart) and the other was deliciously creamy (it held together).

Lesson learned.

If you want to try Stremicks Heritage Organic Milk for yourself (for this recipe, your morning cereal, or whatever else your little heart desires to do with organic milk), then I’ve got a great offer for you! Stremicks Heritage is giving 5 of my readers the chance to get some organic milk for themselves with 2 free coupons.

To enter, answer this question below in the comments: what’s your favorite dairy related recipe (grilled cheese? macaroni and cheese? yogurt parfaits? straight up milk & cookies?)

+1 entry by liking This Tasty Life on Facebook (please leave a separate comment for this)

+1 entry by liking Stremicks Heritage Organic Milk on Facebook (separate comment)

Rules and such: Open only to California residents. 5 winners will be picked via random.org and will receive 2 coupons to purchase Stermicks Heritage Organic Milk at a local market. This contest is sponsored by Stremicks Heritage Foods. Contest is open until May 29th, 2013 at midnight, PST.