Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts

Creamy Scallopped Potatoes with Bacon and Carmelized Onions

By Marcy@JustCrumbs... , In , , , , 3:10 PM


It is that time of year when we are planning our Thanksgiving meal options. I have been planning for a few weeks and still can't make up my mind on my theme or what I want to serve. For some reason brussels sprouts are calling my name. I like them, but not many do. I am trying to steer clear of this vegetable, but it keeps popping into my thoughts. There are so many possiblilities on what to serve from the side dishes to the dessert. I have been testing, but still not sure of my master plan. Potatoes are a must, but what kind of potatoes?


There are so many ways to prepare a potato. Mashed, smashed, riced, candied, whipped, baked, etc... Then there are so many varieties of potatoes. Do I choose russets, fingerlings, yams, sweet potatoes, marble potatoes, red potatoes, gold potatoes, etc... The list is never ending. Stress that is what it is. So many options, so little time. What better way to determine what to make, is to make it, try it and circle it to keep it on the list or the big X to discard it. That has been my method of madness lately.


On the list scallopped potatoes. If not for the fact that they will be delicious on my dinner menu, but they are amazing left overs for breakfast. I mean absolutely amazing. I stack them on top of toasted piece of bread and then cover with an over easy egg, now that is bliss. Soft creamy potatoes with liquid gold oozing down the sides, with the crisp tender bread soaking up all this yumminess. Yep, this girl is drooling. 


These scalloped potatoes take a little more effort. Not that it is difficult or anything, but the effort will add another layer of flavor. And this is an amazing thing. The only extra steps are to 1. heat your milk mixture and 2. slice and carmelize onions. See not a big deal. And the kicker is to use the same pot. Carmelize your onions first and then while your layering your potatoes and onions, heat the milk mixture. It doesn't have to be boiling, just warm. See it is not that bad. If you do not have a mandolin or a slicer I would suggest getting one. It is not necessary, but a HUGE time saver. I unfortunatly cut all my potatoes and onions by hand (because I am dedicated, no because when I moved I gave away my mandolin and have not yet replaced it). It is a great investment and you will use it more than you think. You can slice apples, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc... you get the idea. And you will want to make this recipe over and over again, not just for holidays.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

1 tsp unsalted butter, plus 3 Tbsp more for dotting 
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 oz bacon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
2-3 pounds all purpose potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 1/2 c. grated Gruyere, Cheddar, Parmesan, or Blue Cheese (I used a mix of all)
2 c. milk (I used 2%, but feel free to use whole, heavy cream or half and half)
1 c. chicken stock
Salt


Black Pepper
Cayanne Pepper 
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Thyme

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 3 1/2-quart baking dish and set aside.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions begin to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic and cook 1 minute.
Once the onions are carmelized remove from pot and transfer to a dish. Add the milk and chicken stock to the pot and heat until hot.
In the mean time, spread a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the prepared dish, slightly overlapping the slices. Sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika, thyme, cayanne pepper, salt, and black pepper, and top with a layer of the onions. Followed by more potatoes, onions, and seasoning. Repeat. Pour the milk and stock mixture over the potatoes, dot with butter, and cover with foil.
Roast until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the foil and top with cheese, continue baking until golden brown and bubbly, an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
***Liquid may boil over, take preventitive measures***

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Meatball Madness and a little guidance

By Marcy@JustCrumbs... , In , , , , , , 7:52 PM

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Cheese Please

By Marcy@JustCrumbs... , In , 5:22 PM



Very simple cheese tray thrown together in a matter of minutes
  I love cheese! I don't want to marry it or anything, but I really like it. It is so versatile. You can add it to anything or just eat it on its own. I really like to entertain with it. It is so easy and fun. Thus enters the Cheese plate.
  A cheese plate is a great way to share a snack with your guests. You may have it as an appetizer or as a course by itself (usually after dinner before dessert or in place of dessert). This is always my go-to pre-dinner choice.
   You go to the market or your cheese monger, taste a few samples (this is a must), make a few selections (usually 3 to 5 ((normally an odd number)), add some fruit, nuts, meats, olives, crackers/bread...etc (options are endless), and you are good to go. 
 Here lately I have been adding jams to my cheese plates, they are great with Parmesan or other hard cheeses. Blue or goat cheese drizzled with honey is always good too. Eat what you like but definitely next time you have guests over, make a cheese plate, you won't regret it!

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Fondue

By Marcy@JustCrumbs... , In , , , , , , , , 10:28 AM



     The last post of 2010. Everyone is getting ready to ring out the old and bring in the new. It is a time for togetherness and celebration. With all the celebration there must be food. Food is part of the fun. Do you ever go to parties or functions and dread the drab selection of food? I will admit it, I do. Well this recipe will be a hit of the party. It is fun, easy, and colorful. Not to mention the variety or theme that can be brought together with this dish. Sweet, savory, crunchy, soft, etc... Adults and kids love fondue, it is different and unique.  I made a classic swiss fondue with an arrangement of fruits, vegetables and different kinds of breads all in perfect dipping sizes.
     
     
I started by blanching the carrots and broccoli, just to take some of the raw taste out of them. I dunked them in a big pot of salted boiling water for a minute or two, pulled them out, drained them, and then left them to cool. I had some fresh mushrooms sitting in the refrigerator begging to be used so I sauted them in a little olive oil for a few minutes on a high heat to give them a little color. I went to the grocery and purchased a loaf of  regular french bread and a loaf of multi-grain bread (sorry no homemade this time), cubed it and set on the serving platter. I cut up a granny smith apple and a red pear for color and sweetness and spritzed with lemon juice, to keep their flesh white and prevent them from turning brown. I added items that we like and what was readily available. Feel free to arrange your platter any way you wish. Add some protein of meat, fish, or seafood. Add potatoes. Or cauliflower. The options are endless.    



    The star of the show is the fondue. What wouldn't want to bath in a bubbly pot of cheese? Who wouldn't want to consume something that was bathed in a bubbly pot of cheese? Mmmm, Cheese! I love cheese. Ok, enough with the drooling. I used two different cheeses in this fondue an imported Swiss and a Gruyere, but feel free to use what you like. Normally fondue calls for Kirsch, which is a cherry flavored brandy. I could not find this anywhere, so I substituted apricot brandy. Hey I had it on hand, and it worked. That is what matters.


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Fall Strata

By Marcy@JustCrumbs... , In , , , , , , , , 7:00 AM



Fall is in full swing. That means the flavors of fall are here too. Pumpkin, Apple, Pear, Squash, etc... are amongst us. Sunday I wanted something different for breakfast that did not involve omelets or oatmeal. Don't get me wrong they are both good, but can get tiresome (I wanted waffles, but was out-voted, as usual). Plus we have  been on a health kick lately at the Crumbs... household (again), so I wanted to continue with this theme.



I started rummaging through cupboards, the refrigerator, the freezer, the pantry, looking for items. I didn't know what I was looking for; I was just looking. I pulled out a butternut squash, that sounded good. I was just at a class where they made a squash bread pudding, it was mighty tasty. I built on that idea, but instead of sweet, I was going to make it a savory, eggy, bread dish.
I continued my hunt for ingredients. I came across some mushrooms, left over chicken breast breasts, asiago cheese from the previous nights dinner party. I cut up an onion, threw in some fresh thyme from my garden, I was pretty much set.


I diced up my pretty little butternut squash, lightly toasted some 35 calorie bread, separated my eggs (remember this is healthy so I just used the egg whites), chopped my onions, chicken, and mushrooms, and thawed some chicken stock (no need to use homemade, if you have it great, if not use broth or even bouillon). This kind of reminds me of an eggy stuffing or dressing. Leave some of the eggs out, add some celery and garlic, saute in butter with some onion, and that is pretty much what you got.
This recipe weighs in at 180 calories. The following is the break down (thanks to the calorie calculator at sparkrecipes.com.)

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Serving Size: 1 serving

Calories 179.7
Total Fat 5.1 g
Saturated Fat 2.6 g
Cholesterol 33.2 mg
Sodium 493.3 mg
Potassium 413.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 16.3 g
Dietary Fiber 4.8 g
Sugars 0.8 g
Protein 23.0 g



FALL STRATA


2 c. Chicken Stock, Base, or Bouillon, heated
10 Egg whites, well beaten
8 oz. Fresh Mushrooms, quartered
1 1/2 c. Butternut Squash, cubed
1 1/2 Chicken Breasts, cooked
1 Onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, minced
8 slices 35 calorie bread, slightly toasted. I used Aunt Millie's Light Potato Bread
3 oz Asiago Cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together all ingredients, EXCEPT egg whites, in a large casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Then pour the well beaten, foamy egg whites over the top, do not mix the eggs will seep down into the crevices. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 30 minuted until set and golden brown.

Serves: 8




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Chicken Breast Roll-ups

By Marcy@JustCrumbs... , In , , , , , , 10:39 AM


I am home from vacation and ready to get back into my kitchen. How I have missed it. I am tired of processed junk food. I am ready for a home cooked meal. I think that Mr. Crumbs is ready too. He purchased a Cooking Light magazine for me at the airport. He stated that there are a lot of recipes in here that look really good. I think that he is tired of eating out EVERY DAY as well. This week we are dedicating our menu to Cooking Light.  Our dinners each night this week are recipes or variations of a recipe from Cooking Light September 2010. Sunday we both sat down at the table, looked through the magazine, together (believe it or not Mr. Crumbs helps out quite a bit in the decision and prepartion of our meals), and decided that the Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts on page 96 was the meal we were going to start out our week with.

The recipe looked easy and stated that it would be ready in 40 minutes. That is not too bad. Well the night we were going to prepare this meal turned out too hectic and our schedules did not allow it. Since the chicken was thawed I figured why not go ahead and stuff them and prepare it for the following night. The filling was easy enough, even though I was out of Feta (oh the drama, no feta in the house). I found a bar of high quality (kidding) store brand Monterey Jack cheese and shredded to substitute for the Feta. The recipe also recommends to cut a slit in the chicken breasts to form a pouch and insert the stuffing. I had a little extra time on my hands.  I decided to butterfly the chicken, pound it out, add the stuffing, and roll them up securing with kitchen string. It worked well. I then set them on a plate and refrigerated until the next evening. The recipe does not call for this, but it added another layer of flavor to the dish.


Mr. Crumbs says that this dish is a keeper. The chicken was moist, juicy, and tender. The side of couscous was flavorful as well, the dried cranberries and raisins I added were a nice touch. The mushrooms were an added extra that the recipe did not call for, but I had a plethora in the fridge and decided to throw them in to the final baking step.  Omit or add whatever flavor combinations that will suite your tastes. And as always, make this recipe yours.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS (adapted from Cooking Light)

8 oz. chopped spinach
1/2 c. feta cheese (or whatever cheese may tickle your fancy at the moment)
2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a large nonstick oven proof skillet over a med-high heat. Add spinich until it starts to wilt. Remove and squeeze out excess moisture. Wipe pan clean. Combine spinach, cheese, nuts, thyme, lemon, and garlic.  Cut a horizontal slipt through the thickest portion of the each breast to form a pocket. (This is the part I butterflied and rolled up). Stuff with 3Tbs of filling into each pocket. Secure with picks (as in toothpicks) or kitchen string. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper (at this point I covered and refrigerated my rollups until the following day).  
Heat oil in pan over med-high heat. Add chicken, cook for 3 mins on each side, until brown. Add broth and mushrooms cover pan, and place in oven. Bake for 15 minutes until done.

Cranberry and Raisin Couscous

1c. couscous
2 tsp. olive oil
1c. water
1/4c. dried cranberries and raisins (mixed)
1/4c. fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Heat oil over a med-high heat in a saucepan, add the couscous and toast for 2 minutes. Add water and fruit, cover, and reduce heat to med-low. Cook 5 minutes until water is absorbed and grains are heated through. Add the parsley, salt and pepper, and fluff with a fork. Serve.

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