.herbed gratin potatoes.

Potatoes are such a comfort to me that I am going to have a very difficult time easing up on them this year. It's part of my New Year's resolution.. the whole weight loss thing. I have mentally chosen (CHOSEN!) to reduce portions if I make something that might not be healthy for me, chosen to work out EVERY DAY (minus weekends), and chosen to eat healthier. My family will revolt if I change everything at once so I am taking baby steps.



I am not a fan of diet programs. I have more success when I do it my way.



So anyway.. throwing all of that out the window, I made herbed gratin potatoes to go with roast chicken. I love these so much. Traditionally gratin potatoes are made with gruyere and a nice browned crust on top. I mix it up by adding tarragon, thyme, and some parmesan cheese.





Start by peeling and thinly slicing 5 white or yukon gold potatoes.










Put the potatoes in a skillet and put on medium/medium high heat.














Pour some milk into the pan, halfway up the potatoes. Then take some cream and pour enough in to reach the top of the potatoes.














Season well with salt, pepper, tarragon, and thyme.















Bring the cream to almost a boil and then turn to low heat. Stir the potatoes around to ensure they are all cooked at the same time. Let sit on low heat for about 10 minutes.













While the potatoes are on the stove, grate your parmesan cheese a nd gruyere. I use about 1 cup of each.














Butter your baking dish well and then rub a crushed garlic clove all around the edges and bottom. I left the garlic in the bottom of the baker but you can remove it if you want.














Remove the potatoes from the stove. Using a spoon, place some in the bottom of the baker and then spoon on a little of the cream.





Add a layer of parmesan/gruyere cheese. Repeat the process over and over spooning cream whenever you put in some potatoes.















Make sure when you reach the top that you have saved enough cheese to sprinkle on the surface. Put in a 350* oven for 45 minutes.









When it's done, the top will be beautifully golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving or run the risk of burning your tongue with these nuclear hot potatoes. lol



Bon Appetit!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_126dm2m8sfw

.chicken cordon bleu pockets.

I love Chicken Cordon Blue. Traditionally it's a pounded out chicken breast a layer of ham and a slice of swiss cheese all rolled up. Then breaded and baked. I was in the mood to try something a little different and take these three ingredients but wrap them in bread dough.

Recently, another company contacted me asking if I would try their product too. This company is J.B. Dough. They're located in Benton Harbor, Michigan and I have to say, their bread mixes are pretty tasty. You can make them by hand, or using a bread machine, but with this recipe, I used my Kitchen Aid.


Open the package and put the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Dissolve the yeast packet in warm water. Follow the directions on the package.


Knead out on a floured counter and cover to let rise until almost double. Punch dough down and knead again.


Chop up some slices of ham.


Cut up some swiss cheese.


And then chop up some chicken breasts. You want to cut them into chunks to ensure they're baked thoroughly. If you used whole chicken breast, you run the risk of the bread pocket overbaking and having raw chicken in the middle. Ick.


Divide the dough into 4-6 pieces. You can make some larger and some smaller for kids if you want.

Take each piece and roll out into a circle.


Put some chicken, ham, and swiss cheese in the center. Season well with salt and pepper.


Pull all the edges up into a little pouch and pinch closed.


Turn the pouch upside down so the seam is on the bottom. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Repeat until all the dough and filling ingredients are used up.


In a bowl, put one egg and one Tablespoon water. Mix up.


Brush the eggwash on top of each of the bread pouches. Make sure you get as much of the surface as you can. Place the sheet in a 350* oven for about 40-45 minutes. If the tops start browning too much, put a sheet of foil on top.


The tops will be beautifully golden. Pull from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.


See how yummy that looks. The chicken was so tender and moist. The swiss cheese coated the chicken and ham and the fresh baked bread surrounding it soaked in all of the flavors. A perfect twist on a traditional meal.

Something that would be really awesome? Make these mini sized for parties! I think you'll have people inviting themselves to your get togethers if you start serving these. Enjoy!