Shallots and Cream Lead to a Deeply Satisfying Night

White Outs, Church Night, and Another Use for Taters

Does anyone else think that snow means ham and cheese?

This morning I trudged through a Montana white out (please Lord let this not be a field and still the road style) to bring my 7 year old to a birthday party. After white knuckling through the white out home, I couldn't stop thinking about melted cheese. Oh, and ham, sweet, sweet ham. 

Tonight was one of the those evenings where I found myself proclaiming very loudly to my very comfortable husband that we would be going to church. After a few weeks off due to 1000 different reasons, we were overdue. At 4:00 I realized I needed to get dinner planned out or when we burst into the house at 6:00 after services, our crazy bunch would be in tears and their mother in shambles trying to feed them quickly. I had time, but not much of it.

I bought a smoked ham (small, about 2 pounds) the day before and quickly glazed it in a mixture of equal parts Dijon mustard, maple syrup,and brown sugar with a dash of pepper thrown in for good measure. I put it in a container, threw a lid on it, and set it aside. 

Then, it was tater time. My parents sent us home with three sacks of potatoes last visit and we've made it through a 2 already. We've french fried, baked, and mashed plenty, but tonight I was feeling brave, so attempted, and succeeded in scalloped potatoes. I did not have to make the elaborate cheese sauce, I sliced, diced and threw together something quaint and delicious.

I had to gamble on the same baking time and temperature my ham needed as they would be in the oven while we were away at mass, and somehow the fates smiled upon us. Here is how I made them, and baked them at the same time as the ham and everything was done when we walked in the door.

SIMPLE SCALLOPED SPUDS WITH SHALLOTS AND CREAM

Ingredients:

1 tbl butter

5 yukon gold potatoes

3 tbl diced shallots

3/4 pint of cream

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice your potatoes into thin slices, about 1 cm each. Mince your shallots and set aside. 

In an 8X8 baking dish melt 1 tablespoon of butter and swirl it around until the bottom is coated. Place a layer of potatoes, trying only to overlap when necessary. Sprinkle the potatoes in the dish with 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper, 1 tbl of shallots and about 3 tablespoons of cream. Evenly sprinkle about 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. 

This is your first layer. Simple, but awesome. Now layer more potatoes on top of the newly sprinkled cheddar cheese. Lay on your next 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, 1 tbl shallots and 3-4 tbl cream, and  finish with 1/2 cheddar. Finish out the rest of your ingredients. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

 

 

On a Snowy Night, there is Mediterranean Turkey Meatloaf

There is life after Thanksgiving...

The meal was sweet, savory and delicious, but after Thanksgiving, is there still room for turkey in your life?

Many moons ago (well, maybe 6 1/2 years to be fair) I adopted Weight Watchers as a way to manage my food intake. After the post college and early marriage years of eating to excess, and whatever and whenever I wanted, I needed a reality check as to what was an appropriate food choice and portion size.

I used to be able to consume-in one sitting-an ENTIRE Papa Murphy's take and bake cheese bread (with extra cheese.) That's 1749 calories, 54 grams of fat. Nutritional Info

Thank you Weight Watchers for reminding me I really should only eat two slices, and if I drink some water and have a conversation, I would then be full. With weight watchers, I began to learn the limits of my nutrition, and looked into new foods. Its then that I fell in love with ground turkey, the holy grail of Weight Watchers protein. (Besides fish, that is.) 

Ground turkey helps keep post meal insulin low and is lower fat than red meat (although I have nothing against red meat in any way.)

I have a ton of ground turkey recipes, and tonight I employed a favorite to share with my family, as the promise of snow in Montana tonight created in me another turkey craving.

Mediterranean Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

1 1/2 cups stuffing, wetted with 1/3 cup water

2 eggs

1/2 cup feta cheese 

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 for sprinkling on top

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup snipped sun dried tomatoes

A NOTE on sun dried tomatoes. I don't dry mine in the sun. I do, however, take my ripe Romas in the summer and run them through the dehydrator, then store them in a freezer bag in the freezer. They are sweeter and have a lovely concentrated flavor.

Set you over to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, put your stuffing in and wet it with about 1/3 cup of water. Use your hand to mix it about until the water is absorbed. 

In a large bowl, put in your ground turkey, now wet stuffing, and all other ingredients. Make sure your Parmesan is not green container in the fridge fake Parmesan. Spring for some real stuff.

Be a He-Woman and use your hands to mix and mash it all about until evenly distributed. Get out a loaf pan, make your mix into a loaf shape, and plop it in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese on top and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes before you use a meat thermometer to check the temp. It'll be ready to come out at 165 degrees.

How many food rules does it take to make a crazy lady?

Knock Knock

Who's there?

5 pounds.

5 pounds who? Wait.....what? Go away!

I don't own one, but I know where they live, and they always find me!

I USED TO BE 100 POUNDS heavier than I am right now. A size 20. After my oldest was born around 7 years ago I was 100 pounds heavier, and losing the weight was a long journey and an even longer education in what I am capable of. 

I have a couple, well, maybe more than a couple, food and activity and lifestyles rules I try to follow, although as of late, I have failed (hence the 5 pounds coming knocking.)

Some of these are based off of Michael Pollan's Food Rules, some of them are from other places, but in the interest of disclosure, here they are:

1) Always eat breakfast. If not it'll ruin my metabolism.

2) Always pack my own lunch to work, that way I know what's in it, don't spend money on an unhealthy one, and always eat.

3) Enjoy a family dinner. Sitting at a table is better for so many reasons.

4) When I'm hungry in between meals, I drink water or tea first, then decide if I am really hungry. First impulse to eat usually means I'm dehydrated.

5) We rarely eat out, maybe 2 times a month. Meals are made and eaten at home.

6) No fast food, that means drive throughs-ie McDonalds-We haven't eaten fast food french fries or sandwiches in three years.

7) I don't eat after 6:00 in the evening-my metabolism slows down then and going to bed while still digesting creates for me indigestion.

8) Soda is rare. Almost a never. Water is so much better.

9) We eat alot of probiotics, yogurt, kefir, etc-this helps aid good digestion.

10) I try to be active after dinner, cleaning, climbing stairs, spending time playing with kids, and when its light out walking the dog. 

11) Hot yoga! I do barkan yoga at HOT YOGA HELENA and adore it. This I have slacked on lately as the class I typically go to is at 6 AM and I have needed my sleep lately! 

Well, since I haven't posted in awhile, these are some of my bizarre food thoughts....enjoy ;)