White Truffle Mac and Cheese

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2012/01/26/white-truffle-macaroni-and-cheese/

Ingredients:

1 cup panko
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons white truffle oil (or to taste)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups half and half
12 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded*
10 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded*
Salt and pepper, to taste
16 ounces cavatappi (or your personal favorite type of pasta)

*This is what I used, but use up to 16 oz of each cheese.



1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Generously spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon white truffle oil, 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 pasta).

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 2 Tbsp 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. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Uncover, and broil on low until bread crumbs are toasted to your liking. Watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn.

Slow Cooker Red Curry Lentils

Recipe from:

http://pinchofyum.com/crockpot-red-lentil-curry

Ingredients:

4 cups regular brown lentils
2 red onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced/crushed ginger
4 tablespoons butter (optional)
1 can Maesri red curry paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicier)
1 can tomato puree (29 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 cup coconut milk
cilantro for garnishing (optional)
rice for serving


Rinse the lentils and place them in a large crockpot. Add the diced onions, garlic, ginger, butter, curry paste, garam masala, turmeric, sugar, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

Pour just 1 can of tomato puree over the lentils. Re-fill the can with water twice and add to the crockpot. Stir to make sure that the lentils are covered with liquid. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Check once or twice during cooking to add more water or tomato puree if the lentils are soaking up all the liquid. The amount of water or tomato puree you add depends on how soupy your want your lentils to be.
Taste and season with salt. Lentils will be soft when they are done cooking.

Stir in the coconut milk and sprinkle with cilantro just before serving. Serve over rice or naan bread.

Potato Salad

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/potato-salad-recipe1.html

Ingredients:

4 pounds red potatoes
4 jumbo eggs (or 5 large eggs), hard boiled
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise (I use Wegman's brand)
4 green onions, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon yellow or dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (or black pepper)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Add red potatoes to a large stock pot. Cover potatoes with 1.5 inches of water. Generously salt the water.
Bring to a boil. Simmer the potatoes (whole) until they can be pierced through easily with a knife - about 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

While potatoes are boiling, make the hard boiled eggs. Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with 1.5 inches of water. Bring to a boil - as soon as the water comes to a boil, take the pan off the heat and cover it. Let cook for 12 minutes (14 if using jumbo eggs) and then drain and place the eggs in an ice bath.

Chop the potatoes into chunks (you can optionally peel them first). Peel the eggs and chop them.

Add the potatoes, eggs, mayo, green onion, celery, mustard, pepper and salt to a large bowl (I used my 4 quart large pyrex bowl and even there it was difficult to stir). Stir until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.