Thanksiving Macaroni and Cheese

if you follow me on facebook (and let's be serious, you should) you know i did not end up making a traditional thanksgiving dinner. *gasp*

sure, i have done the traditional spread before but i have a confession, i don't love turkey. mashed potatoes aren't even my favorite way to eat a potato (i'll take them fried please, with truffle salt and garlic:). now i know that traditional thanksgiving meal is near a dear to many people and i certainly don't want to offend anyone. hey, i'm from maryland, i love sauerkraut with my turkey as much as the next baltimorian, hun. but this year, i wanted to do something different.

thankfully, E's family was on board and thus a comfort food feast was born. i basically tried to find out everyone's favorite comfort food and incorporate it into our meal. it turned out to be a bit of a mismatch of items and shockingly enough no one requested vegetables so i had to sneak one in there. each dish turned out really well and i will surely post each one within the next week or so but i had to start with my personal favorite - dun da da daaah . . . truffle macaroni and cheese.

of course we couldn't leave out macaroni and cheese if we were having a comfort food meal - it would be un-american! i adapted this recipe from martha stewart and it turned out amazingly well. of course, i made way too much which means we'll have to suffer through the leftovers. come on over, we have plenty!

note: i found truffle butter at wegmans and truffle salt at williams-sonoma (the salt is a bit pricey but a little goes a long way and it's great on fries, roasted potatoes - even eggs!)

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Truffle Macaroni and Cheese
serves 8

1 - 13.5 oz box pasta (i used barilla plus rotini)
3 tbs unsalted butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tbs truffle butter
3 cups whole milk
2 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp truffle salt
1/4 tsp chipolte chile powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup additional shredded sharp cheddar (for topping)

cook pasta 2 minutes shorted than package directions making sure it is slightly undercooked.

meanwhile, melt butters in large saucepan over medium high heat. add flour. cook and whisk for 2 minutes. slowly add milk, while whisking. cook, stirring frequently, until white sauce has thickened - roughly 10-12 minutes. stir in cream cheese. remove from heat and stir in jack, parmesan, and cheddar until smooth. add cooked pasta and stir well to combine.

pour into greased baking dish and top with 1 cup remaining sharp cheddar cheese. bake for 20 minutes until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly.