casserole

This post is sponsored by Florida Dairy Farmers in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Langostino are the perfect compliment to this mac and cheese dish.  The saltiness of the bacon and creaminess of the pasta plays perfectly against the buttery seafood.

This week, I am partnering with Florida Milk to talk a bit about what they do as a part of my post.  I happen to be a fan of farmers.  I grew up surrounded by family farms, so I have an appreciation for them.  I am also acutely aware that without them, food would be scarce to say the least. 

When I moved to Florida a few years ago, I, like most people, really only thought of beaches or theme parks and not much else. But, did you know there are more than 130 dairy farms here and most of those farms are primarily owned and operated by second and third-generation farming families.  They are hardworking men and women who care for their cows and the land, and they are leaders in their communities. Meet some of Florida’s Dairy Farmers here!

A few fun facts about Florida Cows

The majority of the dairy cows living in Florida are Holsteins (the black & white cows) and most dairy herds range in size from 150 to 5,000 cows.  That’s about 123,000 dairy cows in Florida (with Lafayette and Okeechobee being the leading dairy counties) that collectively produce about 2.34 BILLION pounds of milk a year.  That equates to 277 million gallons of Florida-produced milk at the grocery store.

I’m celebrating “Dairy Month” with one of my all-time favorite foods: Macaroni and Cheese.  It has long been one of my comfort foods.  Mac & cheese has been around for hundreds of years, so I’m sure it has been a comfort food for many.  When I was a teenager, it was my favorite after school snack.  You know the one –  the box with the shockingly orange powdered cheese.  I hadn’t yet learned how to make mac & cheese from scratch, so to my untrained palate it was gastronomic bliss!  I have since learned the delights of real macaroni and cheese.  Thankyouverymuch. 

While I still enjoy plain macaroni and cheese (probably more than I should), I wanted to “fancy it up” a bit and add in sweet langostinos with a handful of crispy bacon.  (Langostinos look like tiny lobsters, but are actually more closely related to certain species of crab.)  Normally, I use extra-sharp cheddar in my mac & cheese because I like the pronounced cheesiness.  However, when paired with the delicate flavor of langostinos, the cheese should complement and not overpower them so I went with a mellow cheddar.   Feel free to add in other cheeses.  Play around with the recipe, swap out one for another, try different combinations… just make sure you keep the same quantity.  Cooking should be fun and creative, recipes like this are a perfect place to start experimenting.

Mac & Cheese is perfection.  Pasta mixed with a creamy cheese sauce, topped with a layer of (even more) cheese & breadcrumbs and baked.  It’s so simple and satisfying.  
Enough talk, let’s get cooking…

Pin it to your Pasta board!

Want to meet the cows, get recipes from the Florida Milk Kitchen (including a lavender milk bath!) and see what’s new on the farms?  Check out Florida Dairy Farmers and keep up with Florida milk in the news and in the schools.

You can also keep up with Florida Dairy Farmers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.

Here are more recipes from the folks at Sunday Supper featuring Florida milk:

Milk in the Morning:

• Blueberry Coconut Muffins by Take a Bite Out of Boca
• Lighter Breakfast Quiche by The Healthy Fit Foodie
• Spinach Artichoke Strata by Helpful Homemade
• Strawberry and Cream Breakfast Smoothie Bowls by Family Foodie
• Strawberry Orange Banana Sunrise Crepes by The Gold Lining Girl

Milk during the Day:

• Fettuccine Alfredo by Recipes Food and Cooking
• Hamburger Gravy by My World Simplified
• Homemade Mozzarella by An Appealing Plan
• Langostino Mac and Cheese with Crispy Bacon and Chives by Pook’s Pantry
• Margherita Penne Pasta by Life Tastes Good
• Simple Polenta Recipe by Healing Tomato
• Summer Corn Soup by Casa de Crews
• Sweet Onion Tart by Flour On My Face

Milk in Desserts:

• Boozy Hazelnut Frozen Hot Chocolate by GO Epicurista
• Cannoli Cupcakes with Chocolate Pistachio Crunch by The Crumby Cupcake
• Chocolate Eclairs by Love and Confections
• Hot Milk Sponge Cake with Blueberries by The Hungry Goddess
• Mini Bread Puddings with Whiskey Caramel Sauce by Dessert Geek
• Nutty Cookies & Cream Ice Cream by Family Around The Table
• Strawberry Milkshake by Desserts Required
• Southern Buttermilk Pie by Sunday Supper Movement

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

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