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 didn’t really know what to call this one.  This was one of those recipes that I saw on Pinterest, got super inspired (and hungry), and went immediately to the fridge to see what I could throw together.  Luckily, I had créme frâiche still on hand (which I never ever do-I haven’t tried this, but Greek yogurt or sour cream are usually used for its substitutes….), some fresh spinach, lemons, and capers.  It sort of reminded me of this dish I used to get back in college at a restaurant there…which I still reluctantly crave sometimes because it is also associated with some bad memories of this guy I used to know.  But I digress.

I quickly threw this together for an early weekend dinner one night.  And, you know what?  I was pleasantly surprised.  I am beginning to believe that you can’t go wrong with pasta.  Pretty much anything goes well with it.  And, it was a good way for me to use up that ginormous container of fresh spinach that I had bought in one of my more health-conscious trips to the market.  I added in the capers for a little extra bit of saltiness, and the garlic…well, because, it’s garlic.  This would also be good with some other light veggies thrown in…artichoke or asparagus would also be really good (I’m making a note for spring.)

Lemon Cream Pasta

Servings: 2 large servings or 4 small sides (feel free to double what I have here)

Ingredients

8 ounces fettucine or linguini pasta

2 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced  (you will add zest and juice to taste)

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons capers

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup créme frâiche

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saucepot, cook the pasta as directed and drain.  While you are preparing the pasta, get the other ingredients ready.

2. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering.

3.  Add the spinach, garlic, and capers, tossing frequently, and cook until the spinach is bright green and wilted, about 3-4 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

4. Add the grated Parmesan cheese to the spinach and mix to combine.

5. Once the pasta is drained, add it to the spinach mixture, tossing to thoroughly incorporate.

6. Add the lemon juice, to taste.

6. Add the créme frâiche to the pasta mixture, and stir to coat the pasta evenly.

7. Sprinkle (to taste) with the lemon zest, additional Parmesan (if desired) and salt and pepper.

Source:  Adapted from Supper in Stereo.

I have a funny story for you.  A kitchen failure which, ironically, turned into a kitchen victory.  Love it when that happens.  My kitchen fails have been coming in droves, it seems, so this when this happened, I was shouting expletives so loud that I’m pretty sure my neighbors were concerned for a few minutes there.

I had seen both Josie and Annie post these burritos on their blogs, and I had been dying to try them.  Something to make on a weekend (or, actually, these are so quick they are great for weeknights, too) that I could have extra leftovers to reheat in the evenings.  I stocked up on my ingredients at the grocery store (actually, in all honesty, quite proud of my efficiency in the store..I have since learned my lesson…) and headed home for a date with my kitchen.  I may or may not still have been in my pajamas (that’s the benefit of living in a place where a full-length down parka is the norm-it can hide my pj’s..)  After some major apartment cleaning (and the impromptu and smart(?) idea to rearrange all the furniture in my living room), I took a break to make these burritos.  So, there I was, in my pj’s in my half-rearranged apartment, starting to sauté some shallot on my stove, when I went to open the can of black beans….

….and they were kidney beans.  I must have grabbed the wrong can in my so-thought efficiency at the store.  And there wasn’t a spare in my pantry.

I couldn’t leave in the middle of already cooking the onions and spices (and not that I wanted to anyways), so, after the expletives, I decided to forge ahead and just make the burritos with kidney beans.  I mean, they are beans.  Can they make that much of a difference anyways?  I started to divert my thoughts to trying to convert the recipe over to some Cincinnati chili burrito recipe (still thinking about that one, by the way), but then got too intimidated on the fly and followed through with the original.

Victory!  These were some a-may-zing burritos.  Seriously.  It worked.  I will make them again.  The kidney beans added a bit of earthy flavor, but I honestly didn’t think there was a huge difference from the black beans.  So, feel free to add the black beans in, but if you’re feeling slightly scatterbrained or have them on hand, I would recommend experimenting with the kidney beans.

Bean Burritos

Servings:  4 burritos

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium shallot (or small onion) chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

Sea salt, to taste

1/3 cup water

One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or black beans….)

One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Four 8-inch flour tortillas

Toppings:  Shredded cheese, lettuce (I used spinach-it worked), onions, tomatoes, etc.

Instructions

1.  In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering.

2. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and cook for about 1 more minute.

4.  Add the water and the beans to the mixture, and bring to a boil.

5. Once boiling, decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.

6. To assemble the burritos: spread a few tablespoons of the hot bean mixture in the center of the tortilla and top with additional garnishes as desired.  Roll the burrito, and serve immediately.

Sources:  Adapted from Annie’s Eats,  seen on Pink Parsley Catering, originally from Cooking Light.