German Potato Salad

I stayed at Karen and Jon's this weekend and we decided to cook dinner instead of going out somewhere on Saturday night. Karen had boneless spareribs that she threw in the crockpot (so easy, love it!) and we decided to do pulled pork. I said I would make a side and thought I would do mac and cheese but then I remembered this great warm potato salad that my mom had made for dinner one night. I DO NOT like regular potato salad...something about cold potatoes just makes my stomach turn. But this is delicious and nothing like the old picnic staple you're probably used to eating.

German Potato Salad



2 pounds petite red potatoes
6 slices bacon
1/2 onion, diced
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper

Wash the potatoes and put them whole into a pot of water. Boil until tender and cooked through. Drain and cool slightly, then quarter.

Cook bacon until crispy and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in pan. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add flour and stir; cooking one minute. Add sugar, vinegar, water and salt. Cook until mixture is thick and bubbly. Toss with potatoes. Crumble bacon and mix in to potato salad. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyere

Chad's grandmother puts out a great spread for Thanksgiving, but I always like to contribute a side dish of my own. I usually make my Granny's broccoli cauliflower casserole, but decided to do something different this year. This an awesome Cooking Light recipe that I made last year for my family at Christmas. With all the food we ate on Thanksgiving it was nice to have something healthy and light (but still delicious!).

Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyere
From Cooking Light



1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets (I used 2 heads)
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons butter
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Place cauliflower in a 2-quart broiler-safe baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; coat cauliflower with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until almost tender. Cool 5 minutes. Preheat broiler. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in panko. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese and chives. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 cup cheese, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, parsley, and pepper. Pour milk mixture over cauliflower mixture; toss. Top evenly with cheese mixture. Broil 3 minutes or until golden brown and thoroughly heated.

Apple Bread Pudding

My friend Kelly and I went to one of my favorite restaurants a few weeks ago. There has been a Brio in Orlando for a while, but we just got one in Tampa a few months ago. Our meal was great, and we decided to split one of their mini desserts. It was a tough choice, but we agreed on the apple bread pudding. I had never had bread pudding before, and this was absolutely delicious. Once I tried it, I knew I wanted to make it for Thanksgiving dessert. I searched around for a recipe and decided you can't go wrong with Emeril and I was right. This was sooooooo good. I didn't do the hard cider sauce with the recipe. Instead I opted for warm caramel sauce and ice cream. The perfect ending for a great meal!

Apple Bread Pudding
From Emeril Lagasse



2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large eggs
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup apple cider
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups cubed stale raisin-cinnamon bread
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cubed (about 1 cup)
1 cup dried apples
caramel sauce
vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10 by 14-inch baking dish with the butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the cream, cider, sugar, melted butter, salt, and cinnamon, and whisk to combine. Add the bread, fresh and dried apples, and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the bread is well saturated, up to 1 hour.) Bake until the top is golden brown and the center is firm, about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and let sit on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Cut into pieces and top with ice cream and warm caramel sauce. Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

It seems like the simplest meals turn out to be some of the best meals. I threw this together in the crockpot, went to work and came home to a delicious dinner. So easy and tasted like I slaved the stove!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast



3 lb. pot roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 tsp worsteshire sauce
1 1/2 lbs red potato, quartered
5 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 sweet onions, cut into large chunks

Put vegetables on the bottom of the crockpot. Put meat on top. Mix soup, water, onion soup mix and worsteshire. Pour in crockpot. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.

To make gravy:
1 cup of juice from crockpot
1 tbsp cornstarch

In a saucepan, mix 1/4 cup of the juice with the cornstarch. Add remaining juice and cook over medium heat until thickened.

Chicken, Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I love anything pasta, especially when it's baked and cheesy. I thought this was a good variation of traditional stuffed shells.

Chicken, Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells



1 box jumbo shells, cooked and cooled
2 jars of tomato sauce, or make your own omitting the ground beef
1 lb. ground chicken, cooked and crumbled
12 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups 2% milk shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ground chicken, ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan and dried basil in a bowl. Cover bottom of 9x13 baking dish with sauce. Stuff shells and place in a single layer in baking dish. Cover with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Stuffed Steak

This is an old recipe that my mom used to make when we were growing up. This is so good and just tastes like good home cookin'.

Stuffed Steak



Thin sliced sandwich steak (I had six pieces)
1 package baby bella mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 envelope onion soup mix, divided in half
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Cook onions and mushrooms until soft, add garlic and cook one minute more. Add butter and melt. Add mushroom mixture to breadcrumbs, half of onion soup mix and parmesan cheese to make a stuffing. Lay one piece of steak on a cutting board and put 2 heaping spoons of stuffing on one end. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Continue with all pieces of steak. If you have extra stuffing you can put it in the baking dish around the steak. Mix remaining onion soup mix with water and pour over steak. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Tomatoes

I don't have a picture of this recipe, so you'll have to trust that it tasted as good as it sounds! We had a BBQ at a coworkers house before our football game last week, and I volunteered for mac and cheese. I've made a bunch of varieties (a few are here on my blog) and this one was a mixture of the best and also NOT one of my low-fat versions!

Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Tomatoes

1 box of elbow noodles, cooked and drained
5 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled with 1 tablespoon of grease reserved
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
8 oz. muenster, shredded
8 oz. montery jack, shredded
salt and fresh ground pepper
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup panko
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat milk and cream together in microwave until hot. Put reserved bacon grease in large pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 5 minutes or until soft. Add flour, cook 1 minute. Whisk in hot milk mixture and cook until reduced by a third. Add shredded cheeses and stir until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in with noodles.

In a seperate bowl, mix panko, parsley and parmesan with melted butter. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and add noodles and cheese mixture. Layer sliced tomatoes on top, and cover with panko mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Birthday Cake with Vanilla Custard, Raspberry Puree and Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting

Now that is a looooong name for a cake! One of my coworkers had a birthday on Friday, and since I have become the cake lady for the office, he special requested his cake weeks in advance. He wanted custard and he wanted raspberry, so here is what I whipped up. This was absolutely delicious...it was light and not too sweet. Probably one of the best cakes I've made, if I say so myself. (I did cheat and use a box cake mix...it was a school night and I needed to cut a corner somewhere! I used a french vanilla mix.)

Birthday Cake with Vanilla Custard, Raspberry Puree and Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting
Custard adapted from Recipezaar
Raspberry Puree from Vegalicious
Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting from All Recipes



French vanilla cake, cooked in 9x13 pan, cooled and cut in two layers

As the cake cooks, prepare the custard and puree.

For the custard:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk, scalding hot
2 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the sugar, flour and salt together in a small saucepan and add the hot milk gradually, stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture thickens. Pour a small amount over the eggs and mix thoroughly; add back into the first mixture and cook for two more minutes. Remove from heat and cool; add vanilla. Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap so the wrap sits on the surface of the custard and creates a seal, refrigerate until completely cool.

For the puree:
2 cups frozen raspberries
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Put the raspberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook on medium until raspberries break down. Mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water to form a paste and add to berries. Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap so the wrap sits on the surface of the puree and creates a seal, refrigerate until completely cool.

For the frosting:
1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.

To put cake together:
Put bottom layer of cake on platter. Spread custard on top of cake. Place second layer on top of custard. Using a wooden spoon, poke holes in the top of cake. Ladle raspberry puree over top of cake and spread to edges, letting the puree sink into the holes. Cover puree and sides of cake with frosting. Keep refrigerated.

Old Fashioned Chicken Potpie

This recipe comes from one of my favorite sources, Cooking Light. I don't know what made me decide to want to cook a chicken potpie, but I'm glad I did! This was a bit labor-intensive, but it was really good. Don't be intimidated by making your own crust, it was super easy!

Old Fashioned Chicken Potpie
From Cooking Light



Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
3 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Filling:
3 cups Chicken Stock, divided
2 1/3 cups cubed red potato (about 1 pound)
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) sliced carrot
2 teaspoons butter or stick margarine
1/2 cup chopped shallots or onions
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup frozen petite green peas
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Dash of black pepper
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons 1% low-fat milk

To prepare crust, lightly spoon 1 cup flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup flour, ice water, and vinegar in a small bowl. Combine 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add vinegar mixture; stir just until moist. Press mixture gently into a 5-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Chill for 15 minutes. Roll dough, still covered, into a 13 x 10-inch oval. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare filling, bring 2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add potato and carrot; cook 2 minutes. Drain mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving cooking liquid.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 3 minutes. Lightly spoon 1/2 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup Chicken Stock; stir with a whisk. Add to skillet. Stir in potato mixture, reserved cooking liquid, chicken, peas, 3/4 teaspoon salt, thyme, and pepper. Cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Spoon chicken mixture into a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap from dough. Place dough on top of chicken mixture, pressing to edge of dish. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Cut 5 slits in top of crust to allow steam to escape. Gently brush crust with milk. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes.

Mustard-Glazed Turkey Tenderloin

While I was at the gym I was looking at a Parents magazine, and found this recipe for turkey tenderloin in an article about good nutrition. I've never made turkey tenderloins before and these were super easy and very tasty. Chad loved the mustard glaze...he was slurping it with a spoon once the turkey was gone! I made the green beans from a recipe from the magazine as well, but we didn't think it was that great of a green bean recipe.

Mustard-Glazed Turkey Tenderloin
From Parents Magazine



2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 tsp black pepper, divided
3 tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard, divided
1 lb. turkey tenderloin
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt

Combine garlic, 1/2 cup broth, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 tbsp mustard to ziplock bag, add turkey. Seal and marinate in the fridge for 4 to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet on medium-high. Cook turkey until browned on all sides; sprinkle with salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add 1/2 cup broth and bake for 25 minutes. Remove turkey and set on plate, cover with foil to keep warm.

Make glaze: Combine 1/2 cup broth, 2 tbsp water and 2 tbsp mustard; pour into pan. Whisk or use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits and heat the glaze through. Cut turkey on a diagonal and pour on glaze.