Delmonico Potatoes

I have yet to make these, but my mom has made them a few times for me and thought I'd share. They are the best cheesy potatoes I have ever had!! I am making them tomorrow so feel free to ask questions later on this week. It is from Cook's Country Magazine. Enjoy!

We prefer the buttery flavor of Yukon Gold potatoes here, but all-purpose and red potatoes also work; do not use russets—their high starch content will make the casserole gluey. We had good results with Ore-Ida Country Style shredded hash brown potatoes, available in the freezer section of most supermarkets.

Serves 8 to 10.

INGREDIENTS

3	tablespoons unsalted butter
1	onion , chopped fine
2	garlic cloves , minced
2 1/2	cups heavy cream
1 1/2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2	pounds Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see note)
1/8	teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
	Salt and pepper
1	teaspoon grated zest and 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
5	cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes , thawed and patted dry with paper towels (see note)
3/4	cup Parmesan cheese , grated
1/4	cup finely chopped fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onion until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 2 cups cream, 1 cup broth, Yukon Golds, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are translucent at edges and mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon zest and juice.

2. 2. Transfer potato mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking dish and bake until bubbling around edges and surface is just golden, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt remaining butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shredded potatoes until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add remaining cream, remaining broth, and ½ teaspoon pepper to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in ½ cup cheese and 2 tablespoons chives.

3. 3. Remove baking dish from oven and top with shredded potato mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and continue to bake until top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining chives. Serve.

4. Make Ahead: The recipe can be made through step 1. cooled completely, transferred to the baking dish, and refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, for 1 day. To serve, proceed as directed in step 2, increasing baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.

Family Fresh Green Bean Casserole

I saw Claire Robinson make this on Dear Food Network. Not only did it look delicious, but it did not call for the usual cream of mushroom soup or onion straws so it was easy to make gluten-free!

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh French green beans, ends trimmed
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped Vidalia onion
• 
  
• 4 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 
  
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups corn cereal (recommended: Corn Flakes)
• 1/2 pound grated mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the beans and cook for until just tender but still firm, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the beans from the water to a large bowl of ice water to preserve color and stop the cooking. Drain the beans and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Stir in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and saute about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir for another minute, to cook out the raw flour taste, and then whisk in the sour cream. Simmer for just a couple of minutes to bring the flavors together and taste for seasoning.

Cut the green beans into 2-inch pieces. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Crush the cereal flakes in a resealable plastic bag and add them to the pan with the butter. Toss to coat. Spread the green beans over the bottom of a 9-inch casserole dish. Pour all of the mushroom sauce mixture over the beans and top with the grated cheese. Sprinkle with the buttered cereal flakes and bake in the preheated 400 degree F oven, until light golden brown and bubbly, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Risotto Cake with Roasted Vegetables

I know I am posting too many to keep up with, but we had this last night and I had to share. I WISH I had taken a picture, but I thought, I don't know if it will be any good. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I had to cook the risotto a lot longer than it said. I kept testing it and it wasn't soft yet. Then when I tried to make the cakes, they wouldn't really stay together, they just kind of fell apart. So I did my best and then I actually put them all together like a pie on a baking pan. Then I layered all the vegetables on top. Then topped with cheese so it looked like a pizza. And, in fact, that is exactly what I told my son it was. The marinara recipe I used was really good and because all the veggies were so sweet, the honey in it really complimented the dish. However, I'm sure it would be just as good with any sauce you choose. Enjoy! Oh, and I got it from the Canyon Ranch cookbook Nourish. All their recipes are found online here.

Ingredients
Risotto Cake:
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup diced yellow onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic cloves
2/3 cup Arborio rice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

Roasted Vegetables:
1 medium fresh zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 large Portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 cup peeled and sliced eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1 red bell pepper, cut in half

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Risotto Cake Seasoning Mix:
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup Marinara Sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions

1. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add rice to the pan and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add salt, and begin adding vegetable stock to pan 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is creamy. Allow rice to cool for 15-20 minutes.
2. Preheat griddle or electric skillet to 350°. For each cake, use 1/3 cup of risotto mix, form into a ball, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness. Spray griddle with canola oil spray, and place risotto cakes on griddle until crisp on each side. Place each cake on a baking sheet after grilling.
3. Combine all ingredients for Risotto Cake Seasoning Mix together.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread vegetables out on a separate baking sheet. Lightly spray with canola oil spray and dust the vegetables evenly with 1 teaspoon Risotto Cake Seasoning Mix. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly browned. Peel skin off red pepper and slice into strips.
5. Evenly divide roasted vegetable mix over each of the 4 risotto cakes. Top each cake with 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese. Dust each cake with a pinch of remaining Risotto Cake Seasoning Mix and bake at 350° for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
6. Ladle 1/4 cup of Marinara Sauce on a plate and top with one Risotto Cake with Roasted Vegetables.

Serving Information
Makes 4 servings, each containing approximately:
295 calories
47 gm. carbohydrate
7 gm. fat
18 mg. cholesterol
13 gm. protein
705 mg. sodium
6 gm. fiber

Fresh Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 T EVOO
• 2 cups diced onions
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1 1/2 t dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 5 lbs tomatoes, chopped (I just used canned whole peeled tomatoes and chopped them myself)
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbs minced fresh basil
• 1 Tbs. minced fresh oregano

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and brown slightly. Add the dried basil, dried oregano, thyme, and pepper and saute briefly.

Add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, or until thickened.

Stir in the honey and salt. (If you want a smooth sauce, puree with an immersion blender and strain the mixture through a large-mesh sieve. I just left it chunky.) Add the fresh basil and fresh oregano and simmer for 5 minutes.

Tabbouleh with Chickpeas & Artichokes

I made this salad instead of the cucumber salad with Hoisin Chicken. It is really good the longer you let it sit. However, next time I will definitely half the recipe. It is still sitting in a big stew pot because I had nothing else big enough to mix it in. I'm happy to eat it for lunch & dinner the rest of the week and just switch out my main dishes.

Tabbouleh with Chickpeas and Artichokes

• 2 cups bulgur wheat
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 pound dried chickpeas, cooked according to package directions
  (or about 3 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed)
• 2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Handful of basil leaves, chopped
• Handful of fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
• Handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the bulgur wheat and the water in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the mixture to a simmer. Cook the bulgur for approximately 15 minutes until all of the water has been absorbed. Set aside to cool. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Rinse the chickpeas and transfer them to the mixing bowl with the cooled bulgur. Add the cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the juice from the 2 lemons and the olive oil. Add the dressing to the bulgur and vegetable mixture. Add in the chopped herbs and toss all of the ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving.

Shredded Salad with Chicken & Peanut Sauce over Rice Noodles

I check the foodbuzz recipes every so often when I haven't found anything new to try and had been wanting to try this recipe. This took a long time to make just with the chopping, etc. My advice is to do whatever you can throughout the day or ahead of time. But it was sooooo good, I cannot even tell you. I used whole wheat spaghetti noodles and only 2 of the peppers. It was still spicy, but not too spicy for me. I picked out the peppers after tossing it all together so someone wouldn't get one accidentally and heat rash their mouth. I also didn't add mint just because I didn't want to buy it and only use it for this recipe. I added quite a bit more water and did not even use close to all the peanut sauce.

To poach the chicken:
1 three-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and cut in half
10 cilantro stems
2 T toasted sesame oil
1/2 t salt
2 large, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

-in a large saute pan, add ginger, garlic, cilantro, sesame oil, and salt and enough water to reach halfway up the side of the pan; bring to a boil over high heat; add the chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cover; simmer until chicken is cooked through; remove from heat and let stand until cool enough to handle
-transfer chicken to a cutting board; remove skin and cut meat from bone, cut meat into small strips or shred with your fingers

Prep vegetables and herbs:
1/2 head green cabbage (or savoy or napa), cored and thinly sliced
6 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced or julienned on slicer
3 serrano chiles, seeded and thinly sliced into long strips
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced white and green parts
1/2 c fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

-place all sliced and chopped vegetables and herbs in a large mixing bowl

Peanut Sauce:
1 five-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 shallots, peeled and minced
1/4 c fish sauce
1/2 c soy sauce
3/4 c freshly squeezed lime juice
1 c smooth, natural peanut butter
1/4 c toasted sesame oil
2 T water if needed

-in a large measuring pitcher, combine ginger, shallots, fish sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice; whisk in peanut butter; whisk in sesame oil; if sauce is too thick, whisk in water starting with one tablespoon and adding more as needed

To finish salad:
1 pound rice vermicelli noodles
1/2 c roasted, unsalted peanuts for serving

-bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook noodles according to package instructions or until al dente; transfer to a colander to drain; rinse under cold water, drain, and place on a serving platter
-add prepared chicken to bowl of vegetables and herbs and toss to combine; pour half of the peanut sauce over this mixture and toss to coat; taste and add more peanut sauce as desired
-to serve, top noodles with chicken salad mixture, drizzle with some remaining peanut sauce, sprinkle with peanuts, and garnish with any extra herbs or green onions

Lemon Basil Shrimp and Pasta

We made this last night and for some reason it just completely hit the spot. I served it with the Coconut Green Beans. The spinach tasted so good to me...so I will be remaking this tons as a way to get me to eat more spinach! I actually checked the Cooking Light Cookbook out from the library and this was in it. They mention, in the book, that you can also substitute chicken for the shrimp to be more cost effective.

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

A zesty one-pot pasta dish is complete after tossing with capers, basil, olive oil, and lemon juice. Serve with focaccia or crusty baguette.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 quarts water
• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons drained capers
• 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups baby spinach

Preparation

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes. Add shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done and pasta is al dente. Drain. Place pasta mixture in a large bowl. Stir in basil and next 4 ingredients (through salt). Place 1/2 cup spinach on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 397 (22% from fat)

Fat: 9.6g (sat 1.5g,mono 5.3g,poly 1.8g)

Protein: 31g

Carbohydrate: 44.9g

Fiber: 2.4g

Cholesterol: 172mg

Iron: 5.4mg

Sodium: 666mg

Calcium: 88mg

Broccoli and Gruyere Au Gratin~Lisa Esplin fr. 'Real Simple'

Serves 8
Hands-On Time: 15m
Total Time: 1hr 00m
Ingredients
2 large bunches broccoli, roughly chopped (about 12 cups)
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups grated Gruyere (8 ounces)
kosher salt and black pepper
Directions
Heat oven to 375° F. Fill a large saucepan with 1 inch of water and fit with a steamer basket (or fill a large pot with ½ inch of water). Bring to a simmer. Place the broccoli in the steamer basket, cover, and steam until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a large bowl.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes (do not let it darken). Whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Toss with the broccoli.
Transfer the broccoli mixture to a shallow 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake until bubbling and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
By Kate Merker, November 2009

Glamour

I found both of these recipes in a Glamour magazine that someone so kindly left behind for me on the airplane coming home from Cali for Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law made a fantastic green bean and cashew recipe last year for Thanksgiving and I saw both these recipes and have a huge bag of potatoes for $1.99. So I cooked both last night and was supremely impressed that they were delicious and healthy! I paired them with the premarinated salmon from Sam's Club (love it).

Coconut Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. Canola oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 2 Tbsp. cashew pieces
• 4 whole dried red chilies (I only put three in and it wasn't in the least bit spicey, so next time I will try 4).
• 1 1/2 lbs. green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• Salt, to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add mustard seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add cashews and chilies. Once the cashews are toasted, add green beans and stir. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add coconut and salt. Cook another 8 to 10 minutes while stirring. When green beans are cooked through but still crisp, remove from heat. Serves 4 to 6.

Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. small new potatoes (I used regular Idaho and it was still yummy.)
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (I used 2/3 Tbsp. dried, still yummy.)
• 1/8 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt, ground (I used regular salt.)

In a deep sacepan, cover the potatoes with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the potatoes and, as soon as you can handle them, cut them into quarters. Lay the potatoes in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. (I cut them before I cooked them so they would cook faster.)Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together oil, rosemary, balsamic and cayenne. Toss potatoes in dressing, gently so you don't break the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

Baked Sesame Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I'm so excited to be a part of this blog!  I thought I would do my first post as my all time favorite recipe.  

My mom found this recipe years ago in a newspaper, so the source is vague.  When I was in high school I received a $2500.00 scholarship from Tyson Chicken in a contest (recipe didn't have to be original).  This is also the dish my mom would bribe my brother with if he brought a girl home. :0) This is great for entertaining but not great for the waistline. 

 I have included two great sides for this dish.  The chicken itself is super easy and takes awhile to cook so the other sides can be prepared while it is in the oven. 

-12 large halves of chicken breasts boned and skinned (I usually just prepare 6, but don't half anything except the chicken and butter.  I've found the batter sauce isn't deep enough if you do.)

-2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 T. water

2 T. soy sauce

***2 tsp salt

***1/4 tsp pepper

***1/2 c. flour

3/4 c. sesame seeds

3/4 c. butter 

***I like to use Dixie Fry instead of the flour, salt, and pepper.  However, it is hard to find in some places.  The original recipe calls for flour but the Dixie Fry gives it extra flavor.  

Heat oven to 400.  Divide butter between two 9x13 baking dishes and melt in oven. (Only need 1 pan if halving). Blend eggs, water, soy sauce, salt, and pepper.  Dip Chicken into egg mixture then into flour (or Dixie Fry).  Sprinkle both sides with sesame seeds.  Arrange the chicken breasts in the baking dishes, turning to coat with butter.  Bake for 40-50 minutes.  Serve with Creamy Mushroom Sauce.  

CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE (I don't halve this)

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. plus 2 T. flour

2 (10 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. salt

white pepper

1/4 c. FRESH parsley, chopped

1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms but I HIGHLY recommend fresh chopped mushrooms.

Melt butter in medium saucepan.  Stir in flour.  Remove from heat; add chicken broth and stir until smooth.  Return to heat; cook and stir until thick.  Add cream, salt, and a pinch of white pepper, parsley, and mushrooms.  Serve hot over chicken breasts.  I also use it as a gravy over the potatoes.

RECOMMENDED SIDES

Mashed potatoes (boil with a couple cloves of garlic) Add sour cream when mashing.  Sauce goes great on these.

BACON CARROTS (Sounds weird, but I'm telling you these are the best carrots in the world.  I have SO many people compliment me on these).

-3 lbs. fresh carrots (I actually just buy the frozen ribbon carrots and you can't tell a difference).

-5 slices of bacon

-3/4 tsp. salt

-dash of pepper

1/4 c. snipped FRESH parsley

1.  Peel and slice carrots in med. saucepan.  Combine w/ 1/4 c. water and salt.  Cover and simmer five minutes.  Remove from heat and drain.  (OR USE FROZEN AND COOK IN MICROWAVE!)

2. Meanwhile, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon and drain.  SAVE DRIPPINGS.  Crumble bacon.  

3.  Pour 3 T. bacon grease (I know...horrible for you but SO good) over carrots.  Serve carrots with crumbled bacon and parsley.

Okay, I hope this all makes sense.  Let me know if you have questions.  :0)

Asian Style Succotash

from Rachel Ray and it is so easy and delicious. It is even good cold for lunch the next day!

1 red bell pepper, chopped and seeded
2 generous handfuls of snow pea pods, coarsely chopped
2 cups frozen corn
4 scallions, chopped
3 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. hot sauce

Heat 2 Tbs. of oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper. Cook for two minutes, then add pea pods, corn, and scallions and cook for three minutes. Toss with lime juice and hot sauce.

I've tried everything except the banana muffins and Leigh's soup is my highest recommendation! I can't tell where the flavor comes from because there aren't a lot of spices to add, but it was so great!