Quac ‘N Cheese with Tillamook Maker’s Reserve Aged White Cheddar

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Move over mac and cheese; make way for "Quac 'N Cheese.''
Move over mac and cheese; make way for “Quac ‘N Cheese.”

Picture a tantalizingly golden crusted, ooey-gooey mac and cheese.

Now, swap out that elbow pasta for rainbow quinoa instead.

Stay with me, stay with me.

Right about now, you’re thinking what an awful idea that is. Why in the world would you switch the classic tried-and-true pasta for something so healthful, and which frankly, always looks to me like a wool sweater that’s been put through a meat grinder?

Because my friends, it’s actually really, really good. And with the amount of cheese that goes into this dish, believe you me, it’s as far from health food as it gets. So there.

Tillamook's just-released Maker's Reserve Sharp Cheddar in 2015, 2016, and 2017 vintages.
Tillamook’s just-released Maker’s Reserve Sharp Cheddar in 2015, 2016, and 2017 vintages.

“Quac ‘N Cheese” is worth your while. If made with Tillamook Maker’s Reserve White Cheddar, it’s guaranteed to boast an impeccable cheesiness, too. I had a chance to try samples of the reserve cheeses, which are now available in stores, and are worth seeking out.

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Seemore Sausages Boast A Little Something Something Extra

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Seemore's La Dolce Beet-A and Broccoli Melt sausages.
Seemore’s La Dolce Beet-A and Broccoli Melt sausages.

Cara Nicoletti of Massachusetts is a fourth-generation butcher — who wants people to eat less meat.

Yes, you read that right.

For healthful and sustainability reasons, she hit on the idea to make sausages from certified humanely raised chicken and pork, that slyly and effectively includes vegetables.

In short, vegetable-forward yet meat-based Seemore sausages.

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Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Capers Over Linguine

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You won't believe how many capers are in this dish. But it works beautifully.
You won’t believe how many capers are in this dish. But it works beautifully.

Even if your Thanksgiving gathering was smaller than usual, you’re no doubt still recovering from all those days of heavy-lifting prepping and cooking.

You deserve a break — with a recipe that puts dinner on the table quickly and effortlessly now, plus has the decided advantage of providing way more bang for the buck than it ought.

“Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Capers” is such a dish.

It’s from the new cookbook, “I Cook in Color: Bright Flavors from My Kitchen and Around the World” (Running Press), of which I received a review copy. It was written by Asha Gomez, who runs the Atlanta culinary studio, The Third Space; and Martha Hall Foose, an award-winning cookbook author from Mississippi.

The book is a collection of recipes informed by Gomez’s dual Southern upbringing — born in Southern India and now living in the American South.

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Roasted Pecan Blondies

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Toasted pecans plus roasted pecan oil make these blondies extra delicious.
Toasted pecans plus roasted pecan oil make these blondies extra delicious.

Let the holiday cookie baking begin.

On the nuttiest note, of course.

Because these “Roasted Pecan Blondies” not only sport a heap of toasted pecans, but roasted pecan oil, as well.

The result is a golden blondie with that coveted papery top of a brownie, a wonderful chewy texture, plenty of dark chocolate, and a robust rich nuttiness.

This recipe was created by San Francisco’s The Bojon Gourmet. It was originally made with hazelnuts and roasted hazelnut oil for the artisan oil company, La Tourangelle, a family-tun company that started in France but now also has offices and a production facility in Northern California.

La Tourangelle Roasted Pecan Oil, made from pecans roasted in cast-iron kettles before being pressed and lightly filtered.
La Tourangelle Roasted Pecan Oil, made from pecans roasted in cast-iron kettles before being pressed and lightly filtered.

Best yet, the blondies can be made gluten-free, if you’re so inclined. I took the option for using all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour instead. I also added a few more pecans because I love nuts in bar cookies, so the more, the merrier.

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Holiday Tea Time

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Adagio's "12 Days of Christmas'' tea set.
Adagio’s “12 Days of Christmas” tea set.

Because we’re all cooped up this winter — even more than usual (yes, thank you, pandemic) — something wonderfully warming and soothing really hits the spot right about now.

Adagio Teas, a family-owned company with facilities in California, New Jersey, and the United Kingdom, has created two holiday samplers that fit the bill in a most fun, festive way. I had a chance to try samples of the new offerings.

The “12 Days of Christmas” set features 12 reusable tins, each decorated with a different holiday motif and holding a different single serving of loose tea.

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