Sinful Scalloped Potatoes

Andrew woke up sick this morning and it was raining outside so I didn't feel like going to the store and dragging him out into the elements.  I haven't been to the store in a few days and so dinner options were limited.  Potatoes check, cheese check, milk check, cream check, everything I need to create delicious scalloped potatoes.  This dish is perfect for warming and filling you up on a cold rainy day.  The potatoes ended up being so rich that I ate a small portion as my entree along with a salad and I am  stuffed.  I will be re-creating this dish soon.

You can use any type of cheese you like for this dish.  I used what I had in my fridge.  You can add extras like bacon (which you would pre-cook and crumble into the layers), you can add a thinly sliced onion, or maybe some shallots if you prefer something a little more mild.  You can play with the flavors and ingredients on this one as long as you keep the basic ingredients the same.  I thought about just using milk instead of the half and half but I think the dish needs the cream to act as a thickening agent.


Scalloped Potatoes


Ingredients
3 tbsp butter
4 or 5 med sized russet potatoes  (thinly sliced, I used a mandolin b/c it's easier but you can hand slice approx 1/8 in thick)
2 1/2 to 3 cups grated cheese (I split mine into 2 pie pans, one was  w/ Gruyere and sharp cheddar, the other was with goat cheese and sharp cheddar) you can use any cheese that you like and that melts well.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 1/2 cups to 3 cups half and half
Salt and pepper

Directions


pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter your casserole dish.  The recipe called for a 9x13 in dish but I used two regular sized pie pans.  The larger the dish the less cooking time will be required since there will be more surface area.
Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with approx. 1/3 of the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add 1/3 of the cheese. Add another layer of potatoes and add another 1/3 of the cheese. top with the remaining potatoes.
Pour the half and half over the top and cut 1 tbsp of butter into chunks an place on top of potatoes.
Cover with aluminum, or if you are fancy and have a lid to your casserole dish use that and bake in the oven for 55 min.
Remove from the oven and uncover. Add the remaining cheese on top and place back into the oven for 34 minutes.
When done the potatoes should be tender but not mushy and most of the liquid should be absorbed.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and  enjoy!

Whole organic roasted chicken with lemon, garlic and rosemary

Here is an easy, tasty and healthy recipe that anyone can make and everyone will enjoy.  I decided to cook healthy meals for the rest of the week since I've been on a bit of a tangent with the comfort food lately.  I like this recipe because the prep time is minimal and I always feel better about using organic poultry and produce.  This recipe is from the Emeril Lagasse off of Food Network website.

I don't have a roasting pan or even a rack, so I used a casserole dish and rested the chicken on top of the carrots and celery so it wasn't sitting on the bottom of the casserole dish.  Although the bottom of the poultry will not be as crispy as I like it, it won't be sitting in it's own juices getting soggy either.

I am serving this with an organic green salad for myself and I made Aaron some sun-dried tomato and goat cheese profiteroles for his carbohydrate.  He complains if I there is only a meat and veggie option with no potatoes, rice or bread.
By the way, when you are cooking this, make sure you are not an idiot like me and place the breast side of the chicken up.

Roasted organic chicken with lemon, garlic and rosemary

Ingredients

• 3 carrots peeled and cut into thirds
• 3 ribs celery, peeled and cut into thirds
• 3 onions, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) whole organic chicken, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons cracked pepper
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped, plus 1 tablespoon for gravy
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
• 1 cup dry white wine

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. In a 9 by 13-inch roasting pan, add the carrots, celery and onions. Season the chicken both inside and out with the kosher salt and white pepper. Squeeze the lemon halves over the chicken and place the rinds inside the cavity. Place the bay leaves inside the cavity. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, rosemary, olive oil and butter. Rub the chicken both inside and out with the garlic rosemary blend and place in the roasting pan.
Place the pan in the oven and roast the chicken for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the juices run clear. To test this, insert a thermometer in the thickest part of a leg. It should register at 160 degrees internal temperature. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
Pour off excess fat from pan and return to heat. Whisk in chicken stock, roasted garlic, white wine and chopped rosemary, scraping up the bits on the bottom of pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Reduce gravy by half, until thickened.
Serve chicken with gravy on the side.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

I made these tonight and they were delicious.  I got the recipe from Bon Appetit. I made some changes, the original recipe called for bone in ribs and I used boneless.  The recipe also called for all fresh herbs, I only had fresh rosemary and fresh thyme so I used the dry version of the remainder of the herbs. I forgot to buy celery so my mirepoix was incomplete. The recipe says to serve these with mashed potatoes, but by the time I was finished with the short ribs I didn't feel like mashing potatoes so I served my short ribs with egg noodles.  

 

Aaron cooked up some sauteed brussel sprouts that I liked but he said and I quote "these are disgusting and sick." Neither of us had eaten brussel sprouts since childhood and we both remembered hating them. Apparently Aaron still hates them.  I thought they were tasty.

 

This recipe is pretty much foolproof but it takes a long time so you will need to have at least a 3 hour window to cook these up. Enjoy!

RED WINE BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef short ribs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
• 1 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 750-ml bottle dry red wine (recipe called for Cabernet Sauvignon I used Pinot Noir)
• parsley
• thyme
• oregano
• rosemary
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 3 heads of  sliced garlic,
• 4 cups low-salt beef stock (I used chicken) 

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. 

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or large pan over medium-high heat. Working in  batches, brown short ribs on all sides,. Transfer short ribs to a plate.

Pour off all but 3 Tbsp. drippings from pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot/pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine, then add short ribs with any accumulated juices. 

Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, approx 25 minutes. Add all herbs and garlic to pot along with garlic. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. (if in pan move to baking dish)

Cook until short ribs are tender, 2–2 1/2 hours. Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls over mashed potatoes or egg noddles with sauce spooned over.

 

 

Banana cupcakes with peanut butter, nutella and cream cheese frosting

I had a bunch of bananas siting around that were turning brown.  I hadn't made banana bread in a really long time so initially that was my plan.  I couldn't find a proper pan so I decided to try cupcakes instead.  I am proud of the finished product, although they were kind of heavy, more of a banana bread consistency than a light fluffy cupcake.  I am sure that you can achieve a light fluffy banana cupcake if you don't use real bananas but rather use banana flavoring.  I actually like the way mine turned out because the cake itself was not too sweet and had a great natural banana taste, not to mention super delish and super easy.  The frosting I came up with by myself.  I found a recipe for peanut butter frosting and modified it so i could add in some nutella, since I LOVE nutella. Whoever came up with the idea of nutella should be given some type of award for creating deliciousness in a jar.
I ate one of those babies and sent the rest in to work with Aaron.  I  spent the weekend wishing I had saved a few for the house.  Oh well, maybe next time.

Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

 

Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.

 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting Ingredients

 

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup nutella

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsps vanilla

splash of milk

 

Directions

mix all of the frosting ingredients together with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy   Youc an add more or less sugar to taste.

Once cupcakes are cool, frost tops with frosting.