FFWD: Pommes Dauphinois

I made this delicious dish on time.

I even took pictures.

But I forgot to post it. Oops!

This Potato Gratin or Pommes Dauphinois if you prefer, was selected  for French Fridays with Dorie during the month of November. Imagine a savory mix of tender potatoes and luscious cream topped with brown and bubbling cheese. And in this case, a delicious layer of baby spinach sauteed with garlic. Even the picky girls cleaned their plates and asked for seconds. This amazing recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table.


French Fridays with Dorie is a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan's new book Around My French Table. After reading Julie and Julia I became intrigued with French cooking. But despite my earnest attempts, I'm just not a Julia fan. Dorie's book provided the perfect alternative. The book is beautiful. The recipes intriguing as well as accessible. As a mom with four kids, my time is at a premium. I have no interest in long, complicated and involved recipes or those that require a shopping safari to find rare and exotic ingredients. Around My French Table definitely fits the bill perfectly. Every recipe has been so delicious that even my decidedly non-Francophile husband is coming around!

Quick Macaroni and Cheese

Here's a great Quick Macaroni and Cheese recipe for those times when you are in a hurry, yet not desperate enough to go for the blue box. Elise over at Simply Recipes never seems to disappoint and even though my husband was a little concerned about adding lemon juice to the dish, in the end he thought it was delicious.

Quick Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe courtesy of Simply Recipes

2 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 lb cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups, packed)
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup ham, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
Freshly grated black pepper

In a medium sized bowl, mix corn starch into the grated cheese, so that the cheese is coated, set aside. This will help the cheese from getting too stringy.

Bring 2 quarts of water with the teaspoon of salt to a boil in thick-bottomed saucepan. Add the elbow macaroni and follow the cooking time instructions on the package, minus about 2 minutes. (If your macaroni doesn't come with instructions, start checking at 7 minutes). Cook until al dente - cooked through, but still slightly firm. Drain the water from the cooking pan (if you use a colander, return the macaroni to the pan). Lower the heat to low/warm.

Add the butter. Stir in to coat the macaroni. When the butter is about half melted, you can stir in the cheese. Add the milk. Add lemon juice. Stir in until all the butter and cheese is just melted and blended well with the milk. Do not over-stir. Add the chopped ham and a few twists of freshly grated black pepper.

Serve immediately. Serves 3-4 adults or 4-6 kids.

Ten in 2010: Week Three

What to say about week three? Hmmm.... The scale is not so much going down anymore. But that's ok. Losing weight is not my main goal. Getting fit is what I'm shooting for and hubby and I ran five (yes, 5!) times last week. Huge improvement, obviously. As long as I take my inhaler along, we'll be fine. I forgot it today and hubby had to sprint home to get the car and come back for me. He did get a good workout that way but I'd rather not do that again. ;-)

I did well on the blogging front. I posted 6 times last week. I'm shooting for 5 times a week so I'm happy with that. I made four out of the six items I had on my menu plan. I had an ear infection that included a bout with vertigo for a couple of days so hubby took care of dinner for me. The things I did make were fairly healthy choices (and we liked most of them) so that's one for the win column too.

Adding more veggies to our diet was also one of my goals. I can't recall ever eating a Brussels Sprout. My mom doesn't care for them so we never ate them while I was growing up. Hubby has a strong dislike for them so they were just never something I bought. After reading so many of my favorite bloggers rave about Brussels sprouts I decided to give them a try. I'm glad I did. These were delish! I ate half of them myself before they even made it to the table!

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Recipe courtesy of 101 Cookbooks

24 small Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Wash the Brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don't overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the Brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the Brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they're tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Serves 4.

Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes

It's hard to beat a good batch of mashed potatoes. My mother-in-law makes the best ever. (Might be that pound of butter she uses ...) Hubby tends to get cranky when someone messes around with his spuds but this is one night I didn't hear a single complaint. Even the picky girls ate more than one helping! Creamy mashed potatoes, gooey cheese, crispy bacon. What's not to love? These Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes from Life's Ambrosia were a hit around here.


Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes
Recipe from Life's Ambrosia

7 slices bacon, diced into 1 inch pieces
6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
3/4 cup shredded Havarti cheese, divided
3 green onions, diced
fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Set aside.
In a large pan, fry bacon over medium heat until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, add enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil potatoes until a fork can be inserted and removed easily. Strain.
Return the potatoes to the pan or a mixing bowl. Add 3 tablespoons butter and heavy cream. Whip with a hand held mixer until smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in bacon, 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup gruyere, 1/2 cup havarti and green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon potato mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned and edges are bubbly. Allow to cool for several minutes. Serve.

Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese

How can you improve on good, old Mac 'n' Cheese? Throw in some zesty Cajun seasonings for a can't-miss side dish you will be making again and again. When I saw the recipe for Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese over at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice I knew it would be a family favorite and I was right.


Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese
Recipe from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 and ½ teaspoon onion powder
1 and ½ teaspoon cayenne or 1 teaspoon peperoncino
1 and ½ teaspoon oregano
1 and ½ teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoon flour
2 cups half 'n' half or whole milk
8 ounces shredded or diced Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces shredded or diced Colby Jack cheese
Italian Bread Crumbs for topping
1 tablespoon Butter for topping


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni to al dente.

Into a small bowl measure out the seasonings and combine. Set aside.

While the macaroni is cooking in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan melt the butter on
low-medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes continuously whisking. Add the spice mixture and whisk into the flour mixture. Slowly add half 'n' half, continuously whisking. Bring to a slow simmer and continue to whisk for another 2-3 minutes, the milk should begin to thicken up. At this point add in the cheeses and whisk until melted. Remove from heat.

Spray a 2 quart casserole with baking spray; add macaroni. Pour béchamel over the macaroni.

Top with bread crumbs and dot with butter.

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes until bubbly and top is golden.

Yukon Gold Potato Gratin

There may not have been much blogging going on lately but I have been doing some cooking. Here's a delicious side dish that is different than the average gratin. I found the recipe for Potato-Poblano Gratin over at FOODIE! Roasted poblano peppers give the dish a special twist and it was a perfect side with steak but it would also be wonderful with chicken or pork.

Bobby's Yukon Gold Potato Gratin
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves plus extra for garnish
1 cup chicken stock (if canned, low sodium)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup queso anejo cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch square pan and sprinkle garlic over bottom of pan.

Arrange 1/4 of the potatoes in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then 1/3 of chiles and 1/3 of cilantro. Repeat layer of potatoes, chiles and cilantro 2 more times, seasoning potatoes with salt and pepper. Top with potatoes. Pour broth over, then cream. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover pan with foil. Bake until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle cheeses over potatoes. Bake until liquid thickens, about 15 minutes. Cool. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Mashed Sweet Potato

I love Sweet Potato Oven Fries. Actually, I even dream about the Sweet Potato Oven Fries. I always thought I hated sweet potatoes. The only way I ever saw them was out of a can and topped with gooey marshmallows on Thanksgiving. Yuck! Finding that I loved them with a more savory flavor was quite a revelation. After the recent successwith butternut squash, I decided to try mashed sweet potatoes and add a few savory seasonings. I found a recipe off of the internet and tried it with dinner the other night. Suffice it to say. Not. A. Success. Blech. Too much smoky cumin flavor. Not enough liquid to give it a pleasant texture. Even dh wouldn't eat it. It was so bad, I'm not going to even link to it. I still think there's a good savory mashed sweet potato recipe out there somewhere. If you want a recipe, google for it and be sure and let me know how it comes out. I need a good recipe!

Mashed Butternut Squash

Given my new-found love of butternut squash, I've been looking for different ways to prepare it. As I was fixing the chicken the other night, I thought that butternut squash that had been roasted first and then mashed would be the perfect side. It was. And after the initial skepticism, even picky dd agreed. We all agreed that it does need lots of pepper, or it's a little too bland.

Mashed Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash
olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
butter, as needed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel squash. Remove seeds. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss with olive oil until covered. Spread on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place in oven for 30 minutes or until cubes are soft. Using a mixer, whip squash cubes and butter until somewhat smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. (The more pepper the better!)

Thai Grilled Chicken, Fried Rice and Zucchini medallions

Some days it all works out.

Since I am still in denial about the end of summer, I'm having trouble getting back into the hectic swing of things that is our life during the school year. The past few nights that ds has had tennis matches, dinner has been sad. Very, *very* sad. In fact earlier this week I even stooped to frozen pizzas. Now, granted, I was sick and dragged myself out to watch him play ... but *still*. Sad. So sad. So since I knew we'd all be at his match last night, I decided I needed to get prepared. I grabbed the recipe for Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken that I'd bookmarked over at Artsy-Foodie, mixed up the marinade and tossed in a couple of chicken breasts and had it grill-ready in the fridge before we left.

After some celebratory high fives (ds won his games), dh started the grill as soon as we came home. Within minutes, I'd started the rice and sliced up the zucchini for Kate's Zucchini Rounds, topped them and had them all set to go under the broiler. When the grill was ready, I'd already sliced, diced and gathered all the ingredients necessary to throw the fried rice together. Dinner was delicious and ready at a reasonable time.

The chicken was tasty and moist. Flavored simply with cilantro, garlic, Asian Fish Sauce and Toasted Sesame Oil it was a breeze to make. If you need more detailed directions, check out Alexa's beautiful blog: Artsy-Foodie. He pictures will make you drool and before you know it, you'll be bookmarking page after page of recipes that you want to try.

The fired rice is always a hit with picky dd. And I love, love, *love* Kate's Zucchini Rounds. They are a quick side, prefect for any meal. And, hey ... it's topped with fresh Parmesan and gets all brown and yummy under the broiler. Of course it's good.

Kate's Zucchini Rounds
Recipe was posted once upon a time at homemadesimple.com or you can look here where I've blogged about it before.

Zucchini
Melted butter or margarine or butter-flavored cooking spray
Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder

Slice zucchini (as much as you want to make) and arrange on a no-stick cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted butter or margarine, or spray with butter-flavor cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Broil until cheese bubbles and browns.

Sweet potato fries and Tamales (otherwise known as: Another Duh! Moment)

I guess I must be in denial that summer is really over. Labor Day is past. The kids have been back to school for weeks. But for some reason I can't seem to let summer go this year. I'm also still pretending that it's still August. It was a shock to me to look at the calender and see that it really is September. (Give me a break! It was 95 degrees here yesterday. Hotter than it was for most of the summer around here.)

In my denial, I let a couple of important blogging events get away from me. On the last day of August, I was supposed to post my version of Baked Sweet Potatoes for the Food Bloggers Throwdown over at The Great Cooks Community. Now, at least here in Indiana, Baked Sweet Potatoes are synonymous with Thanksgiving. And always covered in gooey, sticky, melted marshmallows. Apparently I was physically unable to wrap my mind around Baked Sweet Potatoes when the heat index is in the triple digits because I totally forgot all about it! Sorry guys! To try to make it up I'm gonna give you my favorite sweet potato recipe: Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Avocado Dip. This is my all time favorite sweet potato recipe, year 'round. I like my sweet potatoes savory, not sweet. I love the kick that the chili powder and coriander give the fries. I also love that they are baked, not fried so they are actually good for you! Woohoo! (Shhh! Don't tell the kids!)

There are benefits to living in small town middle America. Always running into a friendly face at the gas station. Lots of fairs and festivals. Farmer's vegetable stands on every corner. Kids playing in backyards. Lots of diversity at the grocery store? Uh, not so much. In August, Recipes to Rival whipped up Tamales. I was excited because I'd never tried tamales. Excitement soon turned to frustration as finding corn husks turned into a quite a quest. By the time I was able to get them, the month was over. I do plan to make them later this week. You should check out some of these great looking tamales while you're waiting on me:

Here is CanaryGirl's take on Tamales.

Temperance of High on the Hog and co-founder founder of R2R, made her tamales with black bean chipotle filling.

R2R's other co-founder, Lori of Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness talks about her tamale-making experience here.

Check out A Good Appetite's amazing tamale pictures!

Here are Debyi from The Healthy Vegan Kitchen's tamales.

Be sure to check out everyone else's tamales here.

And don't forget my Sweet Potato Fries recipe:

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Avocado Dip

Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffman, 2007

Sweet Potato Fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 4-inch long and 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick fries
2 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed
1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Coarse ground rock salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Avocado Dip, recipe follows

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil until the sweet potatoes are coated. Add the paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper; toss to distribute evenly.
Arrange the coated fries in a single layer on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack until the sweet potatoes soften. Transfer the pan to the upper rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes longer, until fries are crispy. Serve with Avocado Dip.

Avocado Dip

1 avocado, see Cook's Note*

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve as a dip for the Sweet Potato Oven Fries.

* Cook's Note: We find that Hass avocados make the smoothest and best tasting Avocado dip.

McCallister Potatoes

If you're looking for something a little more involved than the potatoes I made last week, these McAllister Potatoes may be just the thing. This dish takes The Pioneer Woman Cooks' Crash Hot Potatoes to a whole new level. You boil and flatten the potatoes as you did before, but then you take it one step further and top them with bacon, sour cream, onions and peppadew peppers and top them with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

McAllister Potatoes
Recipe Courtesy of Guy Fieri

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup peppadew peppers, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
3 pounds baby Yukon potatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
3/4 pound bacon, diced
2 yellow onions, diced
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Parmesan

In small mixing bowl combine sour cream, peppadew peppers, and white wine. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In large stock pot add potatoes, cover with water and add salt. Set heat on high and boil until fork tender.

In a large saute pan over medium heat cook bacon and saute onions until caramelized. Remove bacon and onions from pan on to a paper towel to absorb grease, keep warm on platter, and leave remaining fat in pan.

When potatoes are fork tender, drain, and with a clean kitchen towel, palm smash the hot potatoes to approximately 1/3-inch thick.

Reheat fat in saute pan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat to oil medium heat and place potatoes in oil. Season with salt and pepper and brown on both sides, then transfer to onion and bacon platter. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked crispy.

Top potatoes with Parmesan and then with sour cream mixture.

Crash Hot Potatoes

It's easy to forget that simple is usually the best but this recipe will remind you. Crash Hot Potatoes, from The Pioneer Woman Cooks, is simplicity at it's finest. Find some potatoes. Boil them. Flatten them. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper and any herbs you'd like and bake. 450 degrees. Twenty minutes. Seriously, that's all there is to it. They are deliciously creamy on the inside and crusty-crunchy on the outside. Delicious.

If you need more direction or want step by step photos and instruction, check out the original recipe over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks, check out her recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies. Delicious!

Since I had this recipe bookmarked all summer before I got around to trying it, I'm submitting it to ththis week's Bookmarked Recipes event over at Ruth's Kitchen Experiments.

Fish Tacos with Quick Slaw, Avocado Sauce and Green Rice

I caught the recipe for Fish Tacos with Quick Slaw, Avocado Sauce and Green Rice on The Rachael Ray Show as I was headed to the grocery the other day. I had planned something else for dinner but fish tacos sounded good so I picked up the ingredients I needed and made them for dinner. We'd had fish tacos before and even dh, the fish-phobic, enjoyed them.

The finished fish looked great. Nicely colored and perfectly flaky. The slaw provided some texture and contrast. The color of the avocado sauce blended perfectly with the side of green rice.

To sum up the meal in one word ... Blech!

The rice was easy to make but totally lacking in flavor. Despite adding 1/2 cup of cilantro I couldn't really taste it. The spinach added plenty of color but little in the way of flavor. I used two jalapenos and even that didn't add much zing.

The tacos were also pretty flavorless and we didn't care for the slaw at all. For all the chopping, slicing and dicing, this one is one we definitely felt wasn't worth the effort. I took two bites of the rice and couldn't stomach any more. Dh took one. Dh did finish one taco but after two bites, I was done.

If you want to try the recipe, you can find it here. But if you are in the mood for seafood with southwestern flair, these crab quesadillas from Kevin at Closet Cooking are much tastier (and a lot less complicated to prepare.) If you prefer shrimp, Kevin also has a great recipe for Shrimp Quesadillas.

Salsa Rice with Black Beans

This tasty side dish was a great accompaniment to the Grilled Chicken with Jalapeno Caramelized Onions we had for dinner last night. I have to admit that now I've made more Robin Miller recipes that we liked than those we haven't. I guess I didn't choose well at first. Lately they've all been winners! This one is quick and easy to make from pantry staples. It's a flavorful dish but not too spicy, depending on what type of salsa you use. Even dd liked it (after getting past the idea of actually eating a bean!)

Salsa Rice with Black Beans and Corn
Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller

1 cup rice, regular or instant
1/2 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium sauce pot, cook rice according to package instructions. When the rice is half way cooked, add black beans, salsa, and cook about 10 minutes for regular rice and 3 minutes for instant rice .Continue cooking rice. Remove the pot, using a spoon, stir in chopped cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Shells and Cheese

The kids have started their Lace It Up running program sponsored by our local running club. The kids get together and run twice a week as a group, as well as running on their own at home. They have a lot of fun and play lots of running games. I wish they'd have had something like that when I was a kid!

Sometimes simple is good. Here's a quick and easy Mac and Cheese that I whipped up using the leftover Cheddar Cheese Sauce from the Broccoli and Cheddar Sauce that I blogged about here. I warmed up the sauce, poured it over already cooked shell pasta and bked in the oven at 375 degrees until warmed through. Delicious!


Cheddar Sauce
Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, May 2008

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme


Place flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and thickened, stirring constantly. Cook 1 additional minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, mustard, salt, pepper, and thyme, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Keep warm.

Robin Miller's Cheese Fries

Here's a recipe from Quick Fix Meals from Robin Miller that we actually enjoyed. I've already blogged about the Pulled Cuban Chicken Wraps before over here. While we did like the Pulled Cuban Chicken Wraps a lot, I did find it odd to pair it with Cheese Fries. But hey, why shouldn't cheese fries go with everything? The fries were good. (Of course they are. Why wouldn't they be? Cheese, bacon. Isn't that the definition of "good"?) But I had problems with getting the cheese to stay on the wedge-shaped fries. Maybe I made my wedges too big? Dunno. But they were delish!



Pulled Cuban Chicken Wraps And Cheese Fries With Turkey Bacon
Recipe Courtesy of Robin Miller

4 slices turkey bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled (4 to 6)
Reserved roasted potato wedges
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced red onions
4 reserved roasted chicken breast halves
1 cup prepared salsa
1/3 cup prepared ranch dip
4 spinach tortillas, (8-inch)

Arrange potatoes on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Top with cheese and bacon pieces. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until cheese melts. Using two forks, pull chicken apart into shreds. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute 3 minutes, until soft. Add chicken and salsa and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in ranch dip.

Arrange tortillas on a flat surface. Top with chicken mixture and roll up. Serve with cheese fries on the side.

Kate's Zuchinini Rounds

Day number one of the Get in Shape Challenge in our household. Dh and I both weighed-in (Scary!) and measured and started tracking everything we eat and all exercise we do. It's amazing how quickly all those healthy habits have evaporated. This is like starting right back at square one. Got a lot of motivation though. My class reunion is in July. The last one was right after I'd given birth so right there is plenty of motivation to be slim and trim in time for this one! ;-)

To kick off this Challenge, I'm trying to come up with new ways to fix vegetables that we'll actually eat. We are really bad about that and don't get nearly enough. Now that Farm Stand season is almost upon us, I'm hoping to take advantage of the fresh, local produce and find ways to make it so yummy that we'll want to eat it! Tonight's recipe was a great start. (Especially since I'm going to be growing zucchini in my garden this summer! Yum!) Simple and quick but still tasty. Just the way I like it! This is a great side dish for anything grilled and I expect it will show up on our table on a regular basis. I love how beautiful it looks, with the bright green and yellow and the cheese toasted on top. Mmmm! This is a recipe that I've had in my files for quite awhile but never got around to trying. I have it marked as coming from Home Made Simple but apparently it isn't there anymore.

I'm going to need some help convincing my family that veggies are a good thing. Send me your healthy yet yummy vegetable recipes. I'll gather them all up and post them all Monday during the next Get in Shape Challenge check in. My family will vote on the ones they want to try and I'll make the most popular choices and blog about the results. Email your recipes to ImRunningToEat at gmail dot com.


Kate's Zucchini Rounds
Recipe from homemadesimple.com

Zucchini
Melted butter or margarine or butter-flavored cooking spray
Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder

Slice zucchini (as much as you want to make) and arrange on a no-stick cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted butter or margarine, or spray with butter-flavor cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Broil until cheese bubbles and browns.

Sweet Potato Fries

We're still on vacation so no new recipes this week but I'll be sharing some of our family favorites that I haven't blogged about. Be back soon. Hopefully refreshed and recharged and ready to try some new recipes!

One of my new favorite Food Network shows has given me one of my absolute favorite new recipes: Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Avocado Dip from Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffman. It's quick and easy with lots of flavor. ( And pretty much the only way I like to eat sweet potatoes!) The dipping sauce is to die for. Whip up a batch tonight and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Avocado Dip
Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffman, 2007

Sweet Potato Fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 4-inch long and 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick fries
2 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed 1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Coarse ground rock salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Avocado Dip, recipe follows

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil until the sweet potatoes are coated. Add the paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper; toss to distribute evenly.
Arrange the coated fries in a single layer on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack until the sweet potatoes soften. Transfer the pan to the upper rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes longer, until fries are crispy. Serve with Avocado Dip.

Avocado Dip

1 avocado, see Cook's Note*

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve as a dip for the Sweet Potato Oven Fries.

* Cook's Note: We find that Hass avocados make the smoothest and best tasting Avocado dip.

Lovin' those Portobello Mushroom Fries!

To go with our BBQ Pizzas, we made the Neely's Portobello Mushroom Fries. At first the thought of deep fried portobellos grossed me out. Brought to mind the festival favorite around here: deep-fried Twinkies. ::shiver:: I'd planned to make my favorite sweet potato fries instead but then I figured if picky dd was game to try it, I out to go along.

Best. Thing. Ever. I love portobellos. Pretty much any way. I'm not big on fried stuff. I even prefer regular French fries baked rather than deep fried and normally I detest breading of any kind. Portobello Mushroom Fries? Best. Thing. Ever. The mushrooms are sliced into strips then dredged in flour, egg and then a mixture of red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs. The mushrooms are then deep fried until they are crispy and dipped in a heavenly, homemade BBQ Ranch sauce. Addictive. And so good that I used the leftover portobellos to make it again the next night!


Portobello Mushroom Fries
Recipe Courtesy of The Neely's

Peanut oil, for frying
5 large portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten


Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Remove the gills and stems from the underside of the mushrooms and trim the edges off. Slice into 1/4-inch strips.

Measure flour into a pie plate. In another pie plate or bowl, combine panko, Parmigiano, parsley, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper.

Dredge the mushrooms in flour, followed by the egg wash and finally in the panko.

Working in batches, place the breaded mushroom slices in the hot oil and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined sheet tray.

BBQ Ranch Dipping Sauce:
Recipe Courtesy of The Neely's

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoons Neelys BBQ seasoning
2 tablespoons Neelys BBQ sauce
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1 tablespoon sliced fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix in all the ingredients until smooth. Cover and chill for one hour to meld the flavors.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Creamy, Cheesy Goodness!

My first "back to the kitchen and see how it goes" meal. I picked up a few strip steaks that had just been marked down while I was staggering through the store (modified to add that I was staggering through the store while I was still sick.) I'd heard the temperature was supposed to make it into the 60's yesterday and figured dh could throw the steaks on the grill and give me one less thing to have to do. Of course, I missed the part about it being 60 degrees and pouring rain. (About 4 inches so far!) Oh well, I used my new grill pan and it turned out fine.

Creamy, cheesy, potato-y comfort food was what I was craving so Potatoes Au Gratin fit the bill. Easy to throw together then leave in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. Perfect! I added some green beans as a side, some crusty Italian bread and a bagged salad and we were finally able to sit down as a family and eat a meal And best of all ... lots of cheesy, comforting leftovers!


Potatoes Au Gratin

2 pounds hash browns, frozen, partially thawed
1 can cream of celery soup
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (1/2 cup reserved)
1 stick butter, melted
1 medium onion, diced
1 pint sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and put in a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated cheese the last 15 minutes of baking. Bake at 350 for 1 1/4 hours.