White Truffle Mac & Cheese

Ingredients
3/4 pound elbow macaroni pasta
4 tbsp unsalted better
4 tbsp all purpose flour
3 c whole HOT milk
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. grated fontina cheese
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 T white truffle oil & 1 T for drizzling
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Topping
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 T unsalted butter, melted

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2.  While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter, over medium heat in a saucepan until it begins to bubble but not letting it brown.
3.  Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.  Drain, put back into pot and set aside.
4.  As soon as the butter is bubbling, whisk in the flour to create a roux for the white-sauce base. Cook the flour and butter, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, then add the hot milk in a steady stream while stirring constantly.
5.  Cook the white sauce for 7 - 10 minutes, or until thickened. Add the salt, white pepper, garlic, 1 tbsp of the white truffle oil and nutmeg.
6.  Mix in the Parmesan, cheddar and Fontina cheeses. Cook for five more minutes while mixing it all together until smooth over very low heat.
7.  Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and mix.  (Note:  You don't have to use all the pasta.  You want to make sure it there's enough cheese to pasta ratio.  If you have too much pasta, your mac and cheese will be dry after you bake it.) Pour into prepared baking dish.
8.  Mix together the melted butter, bread crumbs, parsley, and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top of the pasta.
9.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown and bubbly.
10.  Let it stand for about 5 minutes and drizzle an additional 1 T of white truffle oil over the top. (optional)

Spam Musubi

Ingredients

1 can Spam

2 cups uncooked white rice (I use Jasmine)

3 T rice wine vinegar

Sushi wrapping paper (sushi nori)

Teriyaki sauce

Directions

1.  Cook rice, use a little more water than normal so rice is extra sticky.  This step is a little tricky.  All rice is not cooked the same amount of water.  It depends on what kind you have.  

2.  Slice spam into 1/4 inch pieces and fry until brown.

3.  Mix cooked rice and vinegar.

4.  Assemble masubi.  Wet hands to keep rice from sticking to your hands or use rice presss.  Add a little teriyaki sauce to each masubi.  Seal edges with a little water.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup buttermilk (approx)

Directions
1.  Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2.  Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
3.  Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.  If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.
4.  Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined. If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet.
5.  Turn the dough out onto a floured board.  Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick.  Use a round cutter to cut into rounds. You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.
6.  Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.  If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
7.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom. Do not overbake.

Notes/Tips:
1.  The key to real biscuits is not in the ingredients, but in the handling of the dough. The dough must be handled as little as possible or you will have tough biscuits. Using a food processor produces superior biscuits, because the ingredients stay colder and there's less chance of overmixing.  You also must pat the dough out with your hands, lightly. Rolling with a rolling pin is a guaranteed way to overstimulate the gluten, resulting in a tougher biscuit.
2.  You can make these biscuits, cut them, put them on cookie sheets and freeze them for up to a month.
3.  When you want fresh biscuits, place them frozen on the cookie sheet and bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes.

Credit:  food.com

Rosemary Roasted Cashews

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds cashew nuts
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon melted butter

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2.  Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are warmed through. 

3.  Meanwhile, combine the rosemary, pepper, sugar, salt in a large bowl.

4.  Toss nuts with butter.

5.  Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated. Serve warm.

Credit: Ina Garten from the Food Network

Mashed Potatoes

Don't be afraid of the butter or heavy cream for this recipe.  That's what makes it taste so good!

Ingredients
3 medium to large Idaho potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
4 tbls butter
1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes.  Test doneness with a fork.  The fork should easily slide through.
2. Drain potatoes.
3. In a big bowl add potatoes, butter, and heavy cream.  Beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy.  Because all potatoes are not of equal size you may need to add more butter or heavy cream/milk.
4. Add salt to taste.

Spinach Quiche

Ingredients

4 T. butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 bag or bundle spinach, chopped

1/2 pkg. mushrooms, sliced

1 (6 oz.)  package herb and garlic feta, crumbled

1 (8 oz.) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 (9") unbaked deep dish pie crust

4 eggs, beaten

3/4 C. heavy cream

 

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.  In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute mushrooms, garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Add feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust.
3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.
4.  Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center.
5.  Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Credit:  All Recipes.

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients
4 T. butter
2 C.  shiitake or button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into half inch to inch pieces
2/3 C. cognac, vermouth, or dry white wine
3/4 C. heavy cream
7 cups chicken stock
1 T. olive oil
1/3 C. of peeled and minced shallots (OR 1/3 cup of yellow or white onion, finely chopped)
1 3/4 C. arborio rice
1/3 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1.  Melt 2 T. butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté about 5 minutes (if using chanterelles, dry sauté first for a minute or two and let the mushrooms cook in their own juices before adding the butter). Add cognac, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add cream, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
2.  Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
3.  In a deep, heavy, medium sized saucepan, heat oil and remaining butter on medium low. Add shallots or onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with butter and oil. 4.  Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring enough to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 20 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy.
5.  Stir in the mushroom mixture and the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with parsley.

Credit:  Simply Recipes

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 11 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1 tsp. fresh jalpeno pepper, minced

1 avacado, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro (or subst. 1 t dried cilantro)

1/4 C. red onion, diced

1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2 limes, squeezed)

1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except avacado. Cover and chill for at least two hours. Add avacado just before serving.
2. Serve with chips or with your favorite Mexican dish.

Credit:  Adapted from a recipe from Cooks.com.

Rosemary Potatoes

We love potatoes for breakfast on the weekends.  I also love rosemary and the smell it gives off.  We have a bush growing out front, can't beat fresh rosemary.  Sorry there are no measurement, this depends on how much you want to make.  For a serving of 4, I'd use 6 medium sized red potatoes.

Ingredients
Red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh rosemary
Garlic, minced

Directions

1. Cut up potatoes into bite-size pieces. Put into a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat all pieces. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Snip off as much rosemary as you like onto potatoes. Sprinkle some garlic and mix potatoes up really well in bowl.
2. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes..

Rice Pilaf

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups chicken broth

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a lidded skillet over medium-low heat. Cook and stir orzo pasta until golden brown.
2. Stir in onion and cook until onion becomes translucent, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the rice and chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a
fork.               
Credit:  All Recipes

Asian Coleslaw

Save some time and buy the cabbage mix that's already shredded.

Ingredients

Peanut sauce:

6 T. rice wine vinegar

6 T. vegetable oil

5 T. creamy peanut butter

3 T. soy sauce

3 T. brown sugar

2 T. minced fresh ginger root

1 1/2 T. minced garlic

5 C. thinly sliced green cabbage

2 C. thinly sliced red cabbage

2 C. shredded napa cabbage

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

2 carrots, julienned

6 green onions, chopped

1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic.
2.  In a large bowl, mix the green cabbage, red cabbage, napa cabbage, red bell peppers, carrots, green onions, and cilantro. Toss with the peanut butter mixture just before serving.

Wild Rice and Chestnut Dressing

You can get the chestnuts at their store or Cost Plus.  The adults in my family ask me to make this dish every Thanksgiving.  If you love chestnuts, like I do, you'll love this stuffing.

Ingredients
3 C. water
3/4 C. jumbo-grade wild rice, rinsed
3 tsp. salt
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 C. finely chopped yellow onion
2 C. finely chopped fennel bulb
1 T. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 lb. sliced whole wheat bread, 2 to 3 days old,
toasted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 jar (15 oz.) steamed chestnuts
3 eggs
2 1/2 C. turkey stock
1/4 C. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In a heavy pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the wild rice and 1 tsp. of the salt. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the rice and let cool.
2. Preheat an oven to 325°F. Generously butter a large, shallow baking dish.
3. In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, chopped fennel, poultry seasoning, thyme and fennel seeds. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
4. In a large bowl, combine the bread, chestnuts, the onion mixture and the wild rice. In another bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Whisk the stock into the eggs, then stir the egg mixture into the bowl with the bread mixture. Stir in the parsley, the remaining 2 tsp. salt and the pepper.
5. Spoon the dressing into the prepared baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake until the dressing is lightly browned on top, 20 to 30 minutes more. Serves 10.
6. Note: This dressing can also be packed loosely in the body and neck cavities of the turkey and served as a stuffing. Secure the neck flap with kitchen string or pin it to the back with toothpicks or trussing pins. Tying the legs together will help hold the stuffing in the body cavity. For turkeys weighing 16 lb. or less, add 30 minutes to the total roasting time. For turkeys weighing more than 16 lb., add 1 hour to the total roasting time.

Credit:  Williams-Sonoma

Spanish Rice

I make this everytime I make tacos, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas (you get the point).  I could just eat the rice.

Ingredients

2 T. oil

2 T. chopped onion

1 1/2 C. uncooked white rice

2 C. chicken broth

1 C. chunky salsa

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice begins to brown, stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed.

Credit:  All Recipes