Truffle Mac and Cheese

Here is an easy pasta dish that surely is everyone's favorite.  I think now that the cool nights have returned, I'd be making this again.  We're Oregonians so we love the Tillamook product brands, in fact this recipe was found at their website by my son.  So naturally he asked me to make this for supper.  Super easy, super creamy, and earthy from the truffle.  I only have truffle butter, not the oil, and I think it can be substituted easily.  Use sharp and medium Cheedar to get a good balance of mild and tangy flavors, but Tillamook also sells triple cheddar combo cheese that's pre-shredded, which is also good and convenient.

Truffle Mac and Cheese

Yields 4 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sharp Cheddar
1 cup medium Cheddar
2 tablespoons truffle butter (or more if you really like truffle)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups dry elbow or any small shape pasta


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  In a medium pot, melt the butter.  Add flour and stir continuously over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Gradually whisk in milk and cream until incorporated.  Stirring often, bring to simmer.  Mixture should thicken as it heats.  Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, continuing to stir often.

A little at a time, stir in grated cheese, until completely melted.  Take off heat.  Stir in truffle butter and season with salt and pepper.

While sauce is being made, cook pasta until al dente.  Add drained, hot pasta directly to sauce.  Stir and check seasoning.  Serve immediately.


Source:  adapted heavily from Tillamook's website

Fettuccine with Sausage and Mushrooms

This was a dish that passed my family's taste test.  It was an easy enough and delicious dish, perfect for weeknight's dinner.

Fettuccine with Sausage and Mushrooms

Serves 4



Kosher salt

12 ounces fettuccine

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

1/2 pound sliced mixed mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

2/3 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper



Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook as the label directs.  Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook, stirring, until browned, 3 minutes.  Increase the heat to high; add the onion, celery, and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender, 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.

Reduce the heat to medium high; add the tomatoes and wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Add the cream and cook until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the parsley and reduce the heat to low.

Add the pasta to the skillet and cook, tossing, until it absorbs more of the sauce, 2 to 3 minutes.  (Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen, if needed.)  Season with salt and pepper.



Source:  Food Network Magazine, December 2012.

Crispy Asparagus Balls with Pasta in Marinara Sauce

Boy, these past few weeks were thrown at me at full force.  Between two rounds of antibiotics--though not consecutively--to combat awful bacterial infection, I was invited to a friend's graduation picnic and I had to show up for orientation & training for a new job.  The graduation picnic left me momentously happy since it marked the day my friend finally finished her nursing school; for the past four years I have to coordinate my carpool schedule with her school schedule.  The orientation and training left me exhausted.  I wish they would combine all the training into one day.  But, nonetheless, I could start my job next week.  With the weather's hopefully turning bright and warm, I also think that my disposition would turn more cheerful.

Local asparagus started to show up in the markets and I found a recipe called crispy asparagus balls.  When I was thinking about making these, I was thinking that the balls could be a great replacement of meatballs in a pasta with marinara sauce dish.  And it was a great idea to sneak in asparagus in my son's diet.  I'm not the kind of person who usually sneak in vegetables in disguise, but my son isn't the greatest fan of asparagus.  Whereas I love it!  So, the asparagus balls weren't so bad at all; they definitely are best when they just come out of the oven, crispy and goey inside.

And what's best was that I got local, organic eggs from my husband's friend at that time.  I just love the color of the eggs and the freshness of the eggs, they were such beauties that I had to take pictures of them.

Crispy Asparagus Balls with Pasta in Marinara Sauce

Serves 4-6

1 lbs asparagus, trimmed and chopped

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

3 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Any size of pasta, cook according to the package's direction

Marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.  In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add onion and garlic;  sauté for 4 minutes.   Add asparagus, salt and pepper.  Continue to cook until asparagus is tender and still bright green, about 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool, about 10 minutes.

Using a food processor, pulse asparagus mixture 6 to 8 pulses.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and asparagus mixture.  Stir in bread crumbs and cheese; combine thoroughly.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mixture, and place on a baking sheet that has been oiled with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  Flip and bake another 5 to 7 minutes, or until crispy.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

To serve with pasta and marinara sauce, cook pasta according to the package's direction.  Use homemade or store-bought marinara sauce to accompany the dish.

Source:  adapted from Market of Choice recipe.