Potatoes Dauphinoise

ingredients:

2 extra large russet potatoes

1 pint half and half

salt

white pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese, about 5 ounces

1 clove garlic, minced

nutmeg

italian seasoned bread crumbs

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

peel potatoes, then slice very thin with a sharp knife (i used my mandolin).  put them in a medium pot with half-and-half, 2 tsp. salt, and freshly ground white pepper.  stir well and simmer the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until they are just beginning to soften.

rub bottom of medium casserole dish with garlic, then transfer one layer of potatoes to the dish.  sprinkle with half of grated cheese and nutmeg, then transfer remaining potatoes to dish, along with the half and half  mixture.  the liquid should come just to the tops of the potatoes.  top with remaining cheese, another sprinkle of nutmeg, and a thin layer of bread crumbs.  bake for 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown.

Deviled Eggs

12 eggs, hard boiled, shelled and cut in half long
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper
garlic salt--dash
squirt of lemon juice
1 heaping T. mustard
yolks of eggs

Beat well. Squeeze filling into egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley sprig. Sometimes I use a tube (you could just use a plastic bag and cut off corner) with a fancy tip to make them look fancier. Usually I just spoon the filling in though.

Tip: Older eggs are easier to peel than fresher ones.

Hope you all had a GREAT THANKSGIVING!

Easy Holiday Green Beans

Toss fresh green beans with olive oil and minced garlic and fresh ginger.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Candied Yams

Boil with skins on for 1/2 hour-45 minutes.  Remove peels and slice.  (This is great to do the day before.)  The day of: Pour brown sugar, karo syrup, and sliced butter.  Bake for another 30 minutes.  Top with mini marshmallows and put back in oven while watching carefully.  Remove when browned (these burn easily so watch closely).

Sweet Potato Fries (or are they????)

Have you ever wondered what the difference was between sweet potatoes and yams?  Probably not--you are probably all much smarter than me.  But I can tell you I've wondered for a long time.  Well, actually I believed for a really long time that they were the same thing.  Then I heard that they weren't even biologically related plants.

So when I looked it up I found that the main distinguishing factor is that a sweet potato tends to have pointed ends, and yams tend to have rough scaly skin.

I wanted more of answer than that, so I decided to buy them both and check it out for myself.

The other thing that fueled this experiment is a new local restaurant called The Blue Lemon.  I am addicted to their "Sweet Potato Fries."  They are delicious and I order them every time I eat there.  I wanted to try to replicate them, since I like deconstructing my favorite dishes at home.

The first thing I did was peel both vegetables, and what did I discover?  They aren't even the same color!  Um, okay that's the first obvious difference between the two.  (Although I did read that yams vary in color from white to ivory to yellow to purple).

The other thing I discovered during this experiment is that those Sweet Potato Fries that I've been orderin' and lovin' are not made out of sweet potatoes!  They are yams.

I actually liked both the yam fries and the sweet potato fries.  I think I lean in favor of the yam fries (but I think I'll keep calling them sweet potato fries too.  Old habits die hard.)

Directions:

Peel and cut into fry fry sized slices.  Drizzle with olive oil or vegetable oil, then sprinkle with cumin, coriander, and salt.  When I made these I just did one of each kind of potato.  It was a late night snack for just Brian and I.  If making for a family I would probably cook 3-4 of them.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until soft, and they start to brown.  Just watch them, but it took mine about 30 minutes, and they came out perfect!

Dipping sauce:

3 T. bbq sauce
3 T. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice

Yummy!

Crunchy Corn Medley

I LOVE this dish. It tastes really fresh and healthy, and it's not too much work to make. Plus it keeps well in the fridge and you can eat it all week. It's got a tangy flavor because of the vinaigrette dressing.

2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can white or shoe peg corn, drained
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 jar diced pimientos, drained (I usually leave these out)
8 green onions, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl combine the first eight ingredients. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, oil, salt and pepper; whisk until sugar is dissolved. Pour over corn mixture; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Stir just before serving; serve with a slotted spoon.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2 cans black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can shoepeg or white corn, drained

diced jalapenos

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/4 c. diced red onion

1 bunch cilantro, diced

3 Tbs. redwine vinegar

1 cup salsa

salt and pepper

Drain beans, corn, and tomatoes. Mix together. Add cilantro 1-2 hours before serving. Keep chilled.

I don't think you can go wrong with this one. It's a pleaser.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

My cute little 9 year old daughter made this one entirely by herself.  She's learning to follow directions, and did pretty good, except this sure tasted salty.  I'm not sure what she did.

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels (or half pretzels half graham crackers--which is what we prefer)

1 c. sugar, divided

1 cube margarine, melted

1 8 oz. cube cream cheese (softened)

1 8 oz. tub cool whip

1 large 6 oz. box raspberry jello

2 c. boiling water

1 bag frozen raspberries

Crust:

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels (like I mentioned, I like to do half graham crackers here)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c (1 cube) margarine, melted

Combine above ingredients and press into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake 350 for 8 minutes, then allow to cool.

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

8 oz. cool whip

Blend together, spread on crust, and refrigerate.

Raspberry Topping:

6 oz. raspberry jello

2 cups boiling water

1 bag unsweetened raspberries

Combine jello and water until dissolved, add raspberries and stir. Pour over cream filling and refrigerate.

Smothered Home Fries with Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 c sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 Tbs. poppy seeds

Cook in 365 degree oven 11 minutes for mini muffins, 14 minutes for regular muffins. The pans need to be heavily greased.

Smothered Home Fries

*Peel potatoes and cut into about 3/4 inch dice
*Put in a sauce pan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil.
*Simmer potatoes for about ten minutes or until slightly soft.
*Drain potatoes and toss in a skillet with 1 Tbs. vegetable oil on medium high heat. Add a generous amount of barbecue seasoning, chicken seasoning, or any spice mix you like.
*Fry and toss potatoes in the skillet for 5 to 7 minutes until all sides are somewhat crisp and starting to turn golden.
*Drain on a paper towel if you need to then put in a large dish or plate.
*Top potatoes with cheese, scrambled eggs, sour cream, green onions, and bacon.

Serve with fresh fruit and Almond Poppy Seed Muffins. No one will leave the table hungry.

Recipes from Mindy Lines

Poppyseed Coleslaw

1 bag coleslaw mix
3-5 green onions, diced
1 green apple, unpeeled and chopped
1 can rice noodles (they are by the chow mein noodles at the grocery)
1/2 cup (about) chopped cashews
1 bottle (or less) Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing (it really has to be this one)

Mix all of the above right before serving and enjoy!

From Marcie's Recipe Book

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

1 can of black beans drained
16 oz. of corn (canned, frozen, even fresh)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled & chopped

fresh cilantro (as much as you want), chopped
1 small bottle of kraft zesty! italian dressing

*

Mix it all together, cover & let it chill in the fridge for about a 1/2 hour or so.

*
Serve with chips or all by itself! (Recipe from Kelly)

Pommes Dauphinois (Potato gratin with garlic and cheese)

Ingredients:

150 ml milk

100 ml heavy whipping cream

Some butter (about 2 T.)

2 garlic cloves, crushed (mix with salt to make a paste)

salt, ground white pepper and nutmeg to taste (couple of dashes)

1 lb. potatoes (2-3 sliced thinly for an 8 x 8 pan)

1.5 oz. gruyere cheese (or shredded mozzarella with parmesan)

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter in a hot pan and add the garlic. Pour the milk and the heavy cream. Season them with salt and nutmeg. Cook it gently.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices.
3. Place some of the potatoes in a layer in a buttered baking pan. Season with salt and ground with pepper. Sprinkle with a little of the cheese. Repeat until all the potatoes and about 3/4 of the cheese are used up.
4. Pour the milk mixture over the potatoes until it nearly reaches the top (you don't use it all). Top with remaining cheese.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 until done, about 35-45 minutes. Check at 30 minutes, and see if knife slides through cleanly.
6. To plate, use a round cookie cutter and serve it with steak.

Company Rice

Saute 1/2 chopped onion in 1/4 c. butter until translucent. Add 1 c. rice and stir until well coated, pour into rice cooker. Cover with 2 c. chicken broth.

Fresh Steamed Broccoli with sauce

1-2 lb. broccoli, cut in bite size pieces
4-6 T. butter, melted and browned
balsamic vinegar, about 1 T.
salt and pepper to taste

Steam broccoli. Brown butter and stir in vinegar. Drizzle over broccoli and season with salt and pepper.

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice

1 C rice
1 medium onion diced
Taco, enchilada, or fajita seasoning mix (about 1-2 Tbsp)
2 small cans tomato sauce
2 cups water

Cover the bottom of a medium size skillet with oil. Bring to medium high heat. Add rice and coat with oil, stirring occasionally until rice is a little whiter (about 5 minutes). Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and mix together then add mixture to rice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Sweet and White Potato Spears

1-1/2 lb. sweet potatoes (about 3), cut into spears
1-1/2 lb. russet potatoes (about 3), cut into spears
1/2 cup KRAFT Italian Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Toss potatoes with dressing.
PLACE on lightly greased baking sheet or 15x10x1-inch baking pan.
COOK 30 min. Turn potatoes. Cook an additional 30 min., sprinkling with cheese during the last 5 min. Sprinkle with parsley.

Cheesy Rice and Corn Casserole

1/2 cup PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups cooked instant white rice
1 can (15-1/4 oz.) corn with red and green bell peppers, drained
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix cream cheese spread and egg in large bowl until well blended. Stir in rice, corn, 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese and cilantro.

POUR mixture into greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until cheese on top is melted and lightly brown.

Honey glazed carrots

3 lbs. baby carrots
3 Tbs. butter
5 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. fresh grated ginger

In a large pot bring water to a boil. Add carrots to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the carrots cooking time may vary. While carrots are cooking, fill a large bowl with cold water and plenty of ice. As soon as carrots are al dente, remove from the boiling water and immediately put them in the ice water. This process is called blanching and will assure bright colored carrots. in a large skillet combine the butter, honey, and ginger and melt together. Add the carrots to the mixture and toss lightly with salt. Toss the carrots over med. high heat until completely covered and the honey mixture begins to bubble. Serve immediately.

Green Beans with pomegranate and walnuts

1 lb. beans (wax, green)
1 Tbs. garlic finely chopped
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 T. butter
1 pomegranate
walnuts
salt
pepper

In a saucepan bring enough water to boil that will cover beans. Have ice water prepared in a large bowl off to the side. Add the beans to the boiling water and cook until tender--about 4 minutes. Immediately place beans in the ice bath. in the same pan bring the butter, garlic, and dijon to a bubble and toss in the beans. Stir fry the beans for just a few minutes until coated. Toss in the walnuts and the pomegranate seeds. Make sure to add salt and pepper to taste.

Apple scalloped potatoes with gouda

2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
2 large granny apples, thinly sliced
1 c. gouda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pepper
salt
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. apple cider
1 c. half and half
2 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs. butter

In a heavy skillet melt butter and add flour to it. When mixture bubbles add the half and half and stir until smooth. Whisk in broth, cider, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a bubble over high heat stirring constantly. Mix together apples and potatoes and arrange half in a butter baking dish Sprinkle half of the grated cheese over them and arrange the rest of the apples and potatoes over the cheese. Pour the cider mixture over the apples and potatoes. Bake for 30 min. then remove from oven and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake for an additional 20 min. Let stand for at least 15-20 min. until the cream sets.