photo taken June 13, 2007 • title thanks to John

Comments on this photo were oh-so-“S’NIFFTY” (love it karen!), I was laughing out loud and in total awe of your collective cleverness all day long – thank you so much for sharing it with me.

John, I chose yours.  It’s flippin’ brilliant and, dare I say, EXTREMELY cute at the same time.  Honorable mention goes to Ashley for “Oh hello there Kate Moss.” That killed me.  Thanks to all!

• • • I love starting the week out this way – what a lovely habit it’s become!  So glad you all are loving it too.  Leave your caption, photo title, or “Charlie conversation” in the comment section and tomorrow (Tuesday) I will post the Permanent Title for this image.  This week’s booty: a signed 12 x 12 print of Eye Spy (click HERE to see the shot) ~ the perfect prelim to the season of sunshine.

I have to share what I made for the Gathering In The Honor Of Light, aka Christmas (Christ = light, mass = a gathering) ~ it was simply too delicious, decadent, and simple (so simple!) to keep to myself. I’m actually eating a second batch of it right now as I type.

It’s essentially macaroni and cheese (yes, mac & cheese for Xmas dinner, but keep reading, trust). I’m not including any measurements, because I rarely cook that way.

Bring water in a pot to boiling, add a daub of butter, and pour in little pasta elbows. For gluten-free, I recommend Tinkiyada elbows. Also toss in some dried porcino mushrooms. Boil until the pasta is al dente.

Drain pasta and mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms if they’re in big pieces and keep it all in the strainer for the time being. In the now-empty pot, melt a bit of butter, then toss in grated, sliced, or hacked-up bits of parmesan (REAL parmesan, NOT out of a can), then dump the noodles and mushrooms on top. Return to med/low heat and stir until the cheese is completely melted.

And now the pièce de résistance. Drizzle a few tiny drops (as in JUST A FEW TINY DROPS) of black truffle oil over the mixture. And a dash of sea salt. Stir once more, then taste. Then collapse on the floor in ecstasy.

Truffle oil is insanely expensive and only a minuscule amount is required. I got an 8 oz bottle as a gift that will last me a very long time. I would suggest going in on a bottle with a few friends and splitting the cost, then dividing the oil up in pint jars or something. Store this oil in a very cool place.

And for those who need a bit of guidance re/the recipe measurements, I’d say it’s 1 part pasta, 1/6 part dried mushrooms, and 1/4 part parmesan. And two teeny tiny droplets of truffle oil per serving. So Good!