Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

I made this last week, it was the first time I made it from scratch, and I was surprised at how easy it was. Besides cutting up the potatoes, it was very basic and fast. I used a mandolin to cut the potatoes. I think you could do it by hand, but this way is so much faster and easier. We had it with grilled pork chops, but really the possible combinations are endless.

Here's the recipe:
2 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c milk
2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 c dry bread crumbs

--Melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter about 2 minutes. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly, remove from heat.
--Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese until melted.
--Spread potatoes in casserole. Pour cheese sauce over potatoes. Bake uncovered 1 hour.
--In small bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup cheese and break crumbs; sprinkle over potatoes. Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes or until top is brown and bubbly and potatoes are tender. (This was not quite long enough to get the potatoes soft enough. Cover with foil and cook another 10 minutes).

Ina's Mustard Roasted Fish

Made this tonight for dinner and I'm really happy to have another way to prepare fish! Ina's recipe called for red snapper, however, I used tilapia. I also served it on top of rice with a baked potato and salad.
In a small bowl mix together: 8oz creme fraiche (or sour cream, not low fat), 3 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp whole grain mustard, 2 tbsp minced shallots, 1 tsp drained capers. Salt and pepper both sides of the fish fillets. Put in baking dish and cover each fillet with mustard mixture. Bake 13 minutes at 425 degrees. Enjoy!

Farfalle At It's Best

This pasta recipe is a common dinner around here and the best part is it can be changed slightly each time it is made, by swapping out ingredients. The recipe started from my Mom and I love the way she makes it, but I've since made a few changes. She cuts her chicken up before it is cooked and marinates it in Italian dressing. I prefer to leave them whole and grill them on my grill pan, which gives it a nice crunchy crust. She also adds a can of diced tomatoes. I have switched that out for sun dried tomatoes, which I can't get enough of. This is a basic easy "recipe", and since the alfredo is from a jar, I don't really even know if I can call it a recipe. It's just a great combination of ingrediants and flavors, and it's the perfect meal for a low key night.

What you will need:

1 box of short pasta (I use farfalle, my mom uses pene)
1 jar alfredo sauce
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup frozen broccoli and cauliflower
1 cup fresh mushrooms
1/2 sliced onion
2-3 tbsp. chopped sun dried tomatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes



Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile, cook chicken breasts on grill top. Drain the pasta and pour in other ingrediants in same pot. Cook the veggies until tender. season with salt and pepper, add red peper flakes. Serve pasta into individual bowls, pouring sauce and veggie mixture over top, as well as sliced chicken.

Note: Once all is cooked, I keep the pasta and sauce mixture separate so that the pasta does not soak up the sauce too much.

Gettin Back Into the Game

It's been way too long for an update. I'm hoping to make up for it with this delicious combination of brownies and mini Reese's peanut butter cups. If your looking to make a simple dessert or snack without a whole lot of extra work, this is definitely the recipe. I found this recipe one night looking at food blogs. The other site used homemade brownies, but I used the boxed brownies instead.


Simply whip up the brownies according to the box directions, spray the tin with non stick spray. fill each mini muffin tin no more than 3/4 the way full, then unwrap the mini Reese's peanut butter cups and press in. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Let cool a bit so that they are easier to take out. You may even want to use paper baking liners since they were a little time consuming to take out. P.S.- They're especially delicious when warm and gooey!! Enjoy!

I also never shared some of my very favorite Christmas gifts for the kitchen! The bowls pictured in my previous post and the cute egg crate pictured above from Anthropologie were definitely my favorites! But here's a look at some of the other fun things that now have a spot in my kitchen...

Martha Stuart Citrus Press from Macy's
and
Martha Stuart Double Burner from Macy's



Last but not least, my new obsession, aprons from Anthropologie...