love in a box translated to the plate

Care packages: Ah, the joy of distant family.

my sister sent me an awesome one 2 days ago. it was filled with stuff i'd bought and either had sent to her house (like the spices or the unpictured hosiery and dresses) or forgotten the last time i'd been home (like the couscous) PLUS a few gems she got me herself. one of them was truffle oil.


aw yeah. so what's a girl who has no experience in this magical stuff do? she calls her sister who says, "use it as a finishing oil. add some at the end of pastas and risottos and stuff." pasta, you say? why not mac and cheese? why not bacon mac and cheese? i had some thick cut bacon left over and i went out and got some white cheddar. here is a basic recipe that has the same concept but i think uses way too much of everything. i cut out all of the cream, just used white cheddar, only used 2 Tbsp of butter, used the bacon fat to crisp up the panko, and drizzled a bit of the truffle oil on top after it came out of the oven to retain it's flavor and aroma. the result? pretty fucking good, if i do say so myself:


also made a corned beef with cabbage, taters, and carrots. got it shipped from the meatguy but it was waaaaay too salty, even with the washing of the beef and the change of water after boiling. but now that i have my own pinking salt and juniper berries, i think i might try to make my own if i can find a decent cut of brisket . . . .


the other yummy dish from this week was dinner 3 nights ago. it's steak with parmesean butter on a bed of spinach drizzled with some reduced balsamic vinegar. it's basically this recipe from epicurious with minor tweaks. YUM. i like my steak bloody (well done is overdone in my book) and i didn't add the extra shot of sugar in the balsamic sauce that the recipe calls for. it's a great mix of flavors. on the side: garlic and enoki fried rice and yes, that IS a jar of cheapy red australian wine on the side:


and the final glorious thing in the care box? this book:


i'm gonna be making stuff from this book all the time. between the recipes in this book and the truffle oil madness i have just been afflicted with, i'm going to be a thousand pounds again before the year is out.