The all-consuming visual crack-like addiction known as Pinterest has claimed me.  I can’t get enough of the visual, written, and creative inspiration that is out there.  I usually hit up the Food and Drink pages first…and then I slowly make my way through fashion, travel, and home decor.  But the Food and Drink pages are what get me.  Do I have a slight problem?  Yes.  In the Twelve Steps of total Pinterest addiction, I am admitting that I have a problem.  It’s my first step.

I saw this dip on Pinterest the other day through the Wisconsin Cheese Talk website (the original post from the Parsley Thief can be found here).  Since I was out the door to the market anyways, I figured I would pick up a 40-ounce bottle of Guinness while I was at it.  At eight in the morning.  Awkward, much?

This is one of the easiest dips I have ever made.  And probably one of the tastiest.  I pretty much ate half of it while taking the pictures…it was so good…and perfect for any beer/cheese/Super Bowl fans out there.  It’s not healthy.  It’s indulgent.  It’s creamy and the taste of Guinness is right there.  It actually reminds me of a beer-cheese fondue that I make quite often.  But this is definitely a go-to if you want something simple, something easily made in advance, or something that will be a major crowd pleaser.

Guinness and Cheddar Dip

Servings: about 4 cups

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 and 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons half-and-half

1/4 cup Guinness

2 or 3 scallions, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In the bowl of your blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, mustard, and half-and-half.  Pulse until smooth.

2. With the food processor running, slowly pour the Guinness down the feeder and blend until combined.

3. Add the scallions, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper (to taste).  Blend until thoroughly mixed.

4. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill at least for one hour prior to serving.

Source:  Barely adapted from The Parsley Thief, as seen on Wisconsin Cheese Talk.

I’ve been waiting to post this one for a while now.  I didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag yet.

I don’t share all that much about my personal life on this blog.  It’s about the food for me.  But, I feel strongly about this one, so I figured I would share it with all of you, my friends through the internet.

Some of you may know that I had been traveling cross country the past few months, interviewing at several different places for my final, real, grown-up job.  Hectic?  Just a smidge.  After going through all this training (ahem, student loans galore….), I wanted to make the right decision when it came to finally settling down somewhere for a while.  Get my roots, you know?  And after some pretty extensive turmoil over the past four years or so of my life, I was ready to finally go ahead and get my big girl pants on….find a job…negotiate a contract…uproot myself (again) on my own (with a package deal of one fat orange cat, one petite and prissy black cat, and one lovable, sweet sweet boxer..) and start the next phase of my life.

And, so I did.  I’m moving to Milwaukee, friends!  So, starting in July, expect a lot more recipes that call for beer and/or cheese.  I’m going to a great practice with great people, and I will get to do my dream job…everyday.  It’s rare that opportunities like this come up for people in my field, so I am running with one.

To celebrate, I wanted to share a recipe with cheese.  Lots of it.  Something comforting.  Something rewarding.  I indulged at the market with the truffle oil.  I had passed by the white truffle oils several times, giving them a sideways glance and wondering what all the fuss was about.  And, as in fuss, I mean a small bottle costing nearly $20.  My grocery bills are exorbitant enough for one person (I mean, sometimes it’s seriously embarrassing with the amount of food I bring home..for one person.) so I never went for it.  But, with the contract officially signed and sent off now, I figured I should celebrate.  So I bought the big bottle.  Big girl (fancy) pants, right?

A few things about this recipe: I think I may have used a little too much truffle oil, so I am tweaking the recipe here for you.  The flavor is great..it’s a little hard to describe: earthy, savory, a little salty…but definitely fancy.  I also used Dijon mustard in the original recipe, but I would also omit this as well the next time I make this (so I omitted it for you here). The cheese combination melted beautifully.  I used the panko because I prefer that over bread crumbs any day, but feel free to use whatever topping you like.  I decided to broil the mac and cheese instead of baking it because I prefer the texture of a creamy stove-top-like one over a baked version.

And so what did I do?  I poured myself a nice glass of wine, made a side salad, ate something totally unhealthy for dessert, and enjoyed this fancy-pants mac and cheese to celebrate my new transition into being a grown-up.

White Truffle Macaroni and Cheese

Servings: approximately 8

Ingredients

1 cup panko

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1-2 tablespoons white truffle oil (to taste)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups half and half

8 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated

8 ounces Fontina cheese, grated

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 ounces elbow macaroni (or your personal favorite type of pasta)

Green onions, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (this is considered broiling).  Generously spray a 2.5-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon white truffle oil (if using less white truffle oil overall, use about 1/2 tablespoon here), mixing until combined.

3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. (If you are short on time, it might be helpful at this point to get your water boiling for the macaroni.)

4. Add the flour and whisk continuously until the mixture forms a thick paste, about a minute or so.

5. Slowly whisk in the half and half until smooth (some lumps may remain-that’s ok).

6. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.

7. Using a wooden spoon, slowly add the cheeses and stir until completely melted.

8. Add the remaining truffle oil and salt and pepper, to taste.

9. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni as directed on the package.  Once cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce.

10.  Evenly distribute the macaroni into the prepared casserole dish and top with the panko mixture.

11.  Broil until the panko topping is lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes.  (Watch it carefully so that it doesn’t burn!)  Top with green onions (if using) and serve immediately.

Source:  Adapted from Leites Culinaria.

I have become a huge fan of Pinterest lately.  I used to spend a lot of time on various food photography websites for recipe inspiration, but Pinterest has sort of stolen my heart a bit as of late.  If you haven’t tried it, you should give it a little look-tons of inspiration and talent out there in this great big world (not just limited to food pictures, but just about everything under the sun).  I came across the original recipe for these little appetizers through Pinterest, and I was determined to make these for several reasons.

I love Brie.  Brie anything.  Especially Brie around the holidays.   But when I saw these festive little sugared cranberries, I was intrigued.  I had overbought some cranberries around Thanksgiving, so this was a great way to use up the leftovers in my fridge.  The best part?  I had a lot of extra sugared cranberries after making these, so when I headed over to a friend’s house the other night with a few other little appetizers, I brought the sugared cranberries along with me.  They were great alongside some (ginormous) grapes and various cheeses. (And, they looked really festive on my serving plate).

I decided to use up some raspberry jam I had in my fridge as a little garnish to these appetizers.  I thought the raspberry added a little extra hit of sweetness to the cranberries (even though they were rolled in sugar, they still had a little bit of that tartness).

Ah, cheese.  Cheese and fruit.  On crackers.  A fabulous little holiday appetizer, in my opinion.

Cran-Raspberry Brie Bites

Servings: approximately 20 appetizers (you will have leftover cranberries, so feel free to make more or less depending on your needs)

Ingredients

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup sugar

8 ounces Brie cheese

Crackers (whatever kind you want)

Raspberry jam (however much you want)

Mint, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup gently over medium heat until warm.

2. Pour the warm maple syrup over the cranberries until completely covered.  Refrigerate the cranberries until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

3. Once chilled, drain the cranberries in a colander.

4. Place the sugar in a medium bowl.

5. Using a fork, gently roll the cranberries in the sugar until completely coated.

6. Place the cranberries on a flat surface (I used a baking sheet) and let dry, at least 1 hour.  Store in the fridge until ready to use.

7. Assemble each Brie bite by placing a slice of the cheese onto each cracker, spread some raspberry jam on top and garnish with sugared cranberries and mint.

Source:  Adapted from Yummy Mummy Kitchen.  Have you seen this website yet?  It’s fantastic!