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.

Balsamic Almond Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 egg
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 heaping teaspoons brown sugar

Directions

• In a shallow bowl, combine almonds and flour. In another shallow bowl, whisk egg. Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Dip chicken in egg; then coat with almond mixture. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, broth, vinegar and brown sugar until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve with chicken. Yield: 4 servings.

*this was very good. very, very good...BUT I didn't have cornstarch on hand and flour doesn't work as well as sauces made with cornstarch. The cornstarch, at least when I've used it in gravies and stir frys, makes sauces thinner and glossier. Flour has to really cook awhile to get rid of the "raw" taste and by that point has been reached, the sauce is often to thick and the flavor of the sauce has been changed. 

Get you some

Please make these. I must admit, they are probably not considered a "health food". These are probably not the sort of foods one with high cholesterol should be eating (not that I know of anyone that has high cholesterol. nope. huh uh. not this girl.) Let me tell you how to make these:

Fried Ravioli

ingredients:

1 pkg fresh cheese ravioli (at Walmart when the craving strikes? it's in the front of the store. go figure)

1/2 box panko bread crumbs (just trust me on this. they are better than regular)

2 eggs

1 tbsp italian seasonings (from a mix or from your creation of multible spice jars in your pantry...it matters not)

1/2 c canola oil or olice oil (after all, they are heart-healthy)

jarred marinara sauce (I like the refrigerated kind best and I whirl it with the hand blender to make smooth)

1. beat eggs and add seasonings to panko mixture

2. get pan hot then add oil (yes, this matters)

3. coat ravioli in egg mixture

4. cover in panko crumbs

5. fry until golden brown and then turn. pull out when done (maybe 3 mintues total)

6. lay out on paper towels until you can't stand it anymore and then eat.

7. serve with warm marinara for dunking

p.s. as you are coating your ravioli, you may not think the mixture sticks well to the pasta. don't worry. just you wait, it will be perfect!

Shepard's Pie

We had this tonight. Needs some tweaking...not as good as other versions I've had and certainly nothing as good as I had in England and Scotland! 

I made my own mashed potatoes (with lite sour cream and a spalsh of milk, no butter or cheese like listed below)

(picture from the Food Network)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 pounds lean ground beef or lamb (beef for our pie)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 1/2 cups garden peas
• Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.

Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic until tender for about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have softened and start to brown a little add the tomato paste and mix evenly. Add the ground beef and cook until beef is no longer pink about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix in peas. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potato on top of ground beef mixture and spread out evenly, once the top surface has been covered, rake through with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. Place the dish into the preheated oven and cook until browned about 20 minutes. Spoon out the shepherd's pie and serve.

• Mashed Potatoes
• 4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, quartered
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated mature white Cheddar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large saucepan with cold water and a tablespoon of salt. Add potatoes to the water and bring to a boil. Let potatoes cook until soft about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are at a desired density,drain the potatoes and place them back into the saucepan for mashing. Add butter and cream and begin to mash potatoes into a semi smooth consistency. Once at desired texture add cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.