Breakfast

I struggle with breakfast. I want to start the day off on the right note but I am either too busy fixing the kids's breakfasts, drinks, school lunches, and other demands or I am not hungry enough. If I don't eat, I am ravenous and cranky by 10:30, so it is in everyone's best interest if I have breakfast. 

Teresa mentioned bagel thins and spray butter is her new breakfast of choice, so I gave them a try. They are delicious (she likes the cinnamon raisin but I prefer the everything flavor...I don't even like to be in the same room with raisins) and the switch from my usual fat-free coffee creamer to the sugar free variety was not even noticeable. It's nice to hear about new products and even nicer to love them when you buy them. The spray butter is a soy product and isn't as chemically laden as I expected it to be. It tastes great and it certainly better for me than the real butter I normally pile on (in the interest of my high cholesterol, this is most definitely a plus!). If you have any breakfast ideas, I'd love for you to share them with me (I don't like eggs all that much and am not really a fan of french toast...see why I was so excited about this?).

Oh My! Scalloped Potatoes

Potatoes are my favorite food. They always have been and probably always will be. In any way you can make them, I love them. I don't make them very often because Matthew doesn't share my passion for them. The kids can take or leave them (to the point that I question their maternity) but every now and then, I sneak a potato dish onto the menu and cross my fingers. Last night I made homemade scalloped potatoes and everyone loved them! They were easy and made enough for us to eat two nights in a row (based on the spoonful of leftover cold potatoes I just sampled from the fridge, I think they are going to be just as good the second go 'round). Here is how you make them:

 slice 2 very large potatoes (or 4 regular sized ones) very thinkly and layer in a 13x9 inch dish that you have lightly greased

 salt and pepper them

 make a basic cheese sauce

(melt 2 tbsp butter and whisk in 2 tbsp flour. cook 2 minutes. add 2 cups of milk. whisk and cook until thickened. add two cups cheddar cheese and stir until melted. you can add a pinch of nutmeg and a squirt of dijon if the spirit moves you).

pour a laddle full of the cheese sauce over your first layer of potatoes.

 add another layer of potatoes and salt and pepper them too

 finish with another laddle or two of the cheese sauce and pop into a 350 degree oven. After about 45 minutes, cover with foil if they are brown. Total cook time will be about an hour and a half or until your potatoes are tender. 

they will be cheesy and brown and bubbly

whoa!

Bean Dip

My mother in law doesn't love to cook, but she is known for a few great recipes that everyone loves and expects from her whenever we get together. One of these most requested dishes is her bean dip. We all love it, even the kids. It is very easy to make and is an attractive, colorful dish. When Matthew asked me to make one for him to take to a guys Super Bowl party, I knew I might as well make one for the kids (okay, the kids and me too). 

Here is what you need:

13x9 dish or two smaller dishes (clear ones are nice so that you can see the layers)

2 cans of bean dip (sold on the chip isle)

1 16 oz container of sour cream (I use lite and never notice a difference)

1 pkt taco seasoning 

2 cups (or 1 bag) shredded cheddar cheese 

1 small can sliced black olives

1/4 cup diced green onions (optional)

1 cup diced tomatoes

frito scoops 

1. spread bean dip in bottom of dish

2. mix sour cream and taco seasoning. spread on top of bean dip.

3. sprinkle cheese onto sour cream mixture

4. add tomatoes, olives, and the dreaded green onions

5. serve with frito scoops

*you can also add salsa, guacamole, jalepenos, chili peppers or anything else that you like, but we prefer it when prepared like above

Croque Monsieur: Barefoot Contessa version

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheesesauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

SO GOOD...totally worth the work, but I left the crusts on. Very rich, a salad is all this needs to be a complete and very filling meal.