Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

This recipe is the side kick to the Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf we had. I wanted to have something to go along with the meatloaf, but I wasn't sure what to make. I had tossed around the idea of just having a veggie, but then second guessed myself and decided I wanted something better. So I got to thinking, what if I used some of the flavors from the meatloaf to make a side dish. Then I realized I had some leftover red skin potatoes at home and thought I could turn those into blue cheese mashed potatoes!! I was nervous about trying them out, but they turned out wonderful and were so creamy. They really complimented the Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf! I do have to say, I just sorta "made it all up" so my measurements may not be exact, but the good thing about mashed potatoes is that you can give them a taste and then add more to them if it needs it :o)

Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

(recipe by Liesl)

6 - 10 small red skin potatoes washed and cut into quarters

1/2 skim milk (maybe more, maybe less)

sea salt

fresh cracked pepper

fresh parsley (just a handful of rough chopped parsley)

reduced fat blue cheese crumbles (I used about 3 tablespoons...just add to taste)

Put potatoes in a pan filled with water over medium high heat. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until fork tender. Remove from heat and strain.

Put cooked potatoes in a deep bowl. Add milk, parsley, salt and pepper. Using a hand mixer blend together until somewhat smooth, but still has a few chunks to it. (Or you can make them completely smooth, I just wanted to have mine somewhat chunky.) Add blue cheese and stir with a spoon to incorporate into potatoes. Serve warm.

Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder

You all really need to try this soup!

It is so delicious, and really isn't bad for ya!

My wonderful mother-in-law sends my husband and I occasional goodie boxes! Most of the time, she is sending us weeks worth of coupons, but she never just sends the coupons. There is always some little "goodie" in the package! The last one she loaded down with tons of magazines for my reading pleasure. One of them was the September issue of Cooking Light. I was so excited to look through it, and sure enough I was dog-earing about every other recipe! I came across this recipe for Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder, and I knew I had to make it right away. With the seasons starting to change and the chill of fall starting to make its presence in the air, I knew this soup would be perfect!

I think my favorite thing about this soup was the fact that you take a portion of the corn and process it in a food processor. It acts as the thickening for the soup and also makes the soup "creamy". This way you don't have to use all that heavy cream that normally goes into a soup like this. The original recipe actually does call for a 1/2 cup of half and half, but I just used more skim milk instead.

I do hope you will give it a try, it was so delicious! I actually made a double batch so I could stick some of it in my deep freezer for another rainy cold fall day down the road! God bless my deep freezer!! :o)

Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder

(adapted only slightly from Cooking Light)

1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon salt, divided
3 tablespoons softened butter, divided
4 ears shucked corn
Cooking spray
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 1/2 cups skim milk
2 thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

dash of garlic salt

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Place a grill basket on grill.

Place potatoes and 2 teaspoons salt in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let potatoes stand in hot water 5 minutes. Drain; cut into 1/4-inch cubes.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter; brush evenly over corn. Place corn on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Place potatoes in grill basket coated with cooking spray. Grill corn and potatoes 15 minutes or until slightly charred, turning occasionally. Cool corn slightly; cut kernels from cobs. Place 1 cup corn kernels in a food processor; process until smooth.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and red pepper; cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Stir in potatoes, remaining corn kernels, pureed corn, milk, half-and-half, and thyme sprigs; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard thyme sprigs. Stir in chives and remaining ingredients.

Here is the nutritional information from the magazine, although I am guessing the fat was lower (maybe even the calories) from not using any half and half.

Calories: 268
Fat: 12.3g (sat 6.6g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.4g)
Protein: 9.9g
Carbohydrate: 33.8g
Fiber: 3.1g
Cholesterol: 32mg
Iron: 1mg
Sodium: 599mg
Calcium:214mg

Potato-Bacon Torte ... A Parisian Dinner

I can't believe this is my 100th post! I am so excited to bring you these next few posts (I have some GREAT stuff coming)! As a tribute to my 100th post, I am going to share with you a delicious Parisian themed dinner!

I got the idea from watching The Next Food Network Star. The winner, Melissa d'Arabian, had her premiere show last weekend where she featured a "budget-friendly" Parisian-style dinner. Her show is called $10 Dollar Dinners, so it was her take on Parisian flavors, without all the cost...my kinda meal!!! I was drooling while I sat and watched the entire show...I knew I had to make this meal soon!

I have always enjoyed preparing meals for friends and family, and I figured this would be a great meal to entertain with. (I also have a close friend who is pregnant and having a hard time. I thought this would be a good dish to take her to help her feel better! But I will have to make another :o) I had to do a trial run to make sure it tasted good!) It passed with flying colors!

This torte was by far one of the best I have ever tasted! It was so creamy, and every bite packed a great amount of flavor. I didn't taste the thyme as much as I would have liked, so next time (that's cute get it thyme, time hehe) I think I will add even more sprigs to the cream. I may also sprinkle some inside the torte. I loved the bacon in it too. It added a great crunch and a nice saltiness. I used thick-cut bacon, which I think was a much better choice. Peppered bacon might also be good.

I must also mention that I didn't make the homemade crust...sadly I didn't have enough time, since I was preparing so many other things. So I took the short cut and bought the Pillsbury pre-made pie crust. The hubs looked at me in the store and said, "WHAT?!? You aren't really going to buy that are you? That stuff is gross!" I swear he said he wasn't going to eat it if I didn't make the crust from scratch, but he says otherwise! In the cart it went, and I promised him he wouldn't be disappointed! And...at the dinner table all he kept talking about was how good it was, and how flaky and tasty the crust was! Go figure! :o)


I love this next photo!

Potato-Bacon Torte

(adapted from Melissa d'Arabian)

6 strips of thick cut bacon
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Pie Crusts, recipe follows (I actually bought the Pillsbury pre-made/ready to go pie crust)
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper (I used my garlic pepper and garlic salt grinders)
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese (Gruyere was a little too expensive for me so I substituted with a nice baby swiss ... it has a similar flavor and was just as tasty!)
1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.

Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. Top with an even layer of the cheese and gently pour cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. (You may not use all the cream, but I did!)

Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Pie Crust:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients.
(Yields 2 (9-inch) pie crusts)

I hope you will give this a try, it was so easy and sooo yummy. I can't wait to share the rest of my Parisian meal with you!

Stay tuned for part two of my Parisian Dinner :o)

Thanks to Kristen Wiltse Photography for making my next several dishes look mind blowingly delicious! Check out her blog here.

I say "Potato"!

I love Potato Soup!! Back when I lived in Ohio there was a restaurant (Bennigan's) that had the BEST Potato Soup ever!!! They actually went out of business, but I always had searched for a recipe to make that beloved Potato Soup they served. My friend had sent me a recipe awhile ago for a knock-off version of the soup, and I did some research on Food Blog Search. I found a recipe on Baking Delights Blog and decided to combine it with some of my Potato Soup recipes I had tried in the past...this is what I came up with!! It was so delicious!!

Not Quite Bennigan's Potato Soup...

8 Large Potatoes Peeled and cut into bite size pieces

6 Tablespoons of Smart Balance 50/50 Butter

1 Onion Finely Chopped

3 Ribs of Celery finely chopped

4 Cloves of Garlic Minced

3 Tablespoons of Flour

2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

2 Cups of Half and Half

1 Cup Skim Milk

2 Tablespoons Garlic Salt

Freshly Cracked Pepper

1 Cup Shredded Velveeta

Boil potatoes until soft. Drain and set aside. In a deep soup pan, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery, cook until soft (not browned). Add the minced garlic, garlic salt and fresh cracked pepper. Stir to coat the celery and onion. Add the flour to create a Roux (it helps thicken the soup). Let the flour absorb all the melted butter until it gets thick. Once it thickens add the Chicken Stock, Half and Half and Skim milk. (I waited to add the milk just to see how thick it was, and added milk for the consistency I wanted) Once combined turn heat to low and let simmer. Take about 1 cup of potatoes and mash them. Add the mashed and bite size pieces of potatoes to the soup. Stir. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Top with cracked pepper, shredded Velveeta and garlic salt if desired.

Parmesan Heaven!

Parmesan cheese is one of my absolute favorite things in the world! So when my husband and I got the invite to our friends house I decided to try out a new idea that has been boiling in my head...Potato Chip Parmesan Crusted Chicken!

I paired it with a recipe that has been in the family for years (and a favorite of my husband's)...Parmesan Potato Bake! This is definitely NOT the healthiest meal, but when going for some comfort food with lots of flavor, this meal hits the spot!

Potato Chip Parmesan Crusted Chicken

1 package of chicken tenders

1 egg

2 Tablespoons Milk

2 cups (may need more depending on number of tenders in package) of crushed up potato chips (I used Wavy Lays because those are my husband's favorite)

1/4 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese (the kind in the plastic container)

2 Tablespoons Garlic Salt

2 Tablespoons of fresh cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 350. You will need a large cookie sheet lined with aluminium foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. You will also need 2 bowls/containers: one to put the egg wash in and the other for your potato chip mixture. Crack egg into one bowl/container and add the milk. Mix together well. In the other bowl/container add the crushed potato chips, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic Salt and Pepper. Then taking one tender at a time dip in the egg wash and then the Potato Chip mixture. Make sure the tenders get covered in all the yummy potato chips! Then place the covered tender on your greased cookie sheet. Repeat under you have used up all your tenders. Place tenders in the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes or under chicken is cooked and the outside is crispy. I flip mine half-way through, so the other side gets nice and crispy!

Parmesan Potato Bake

1 stick margarine

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup Kraft grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

3 - 4 large potatoes

Preheat oven to 350. Place the stick of butter in a 9in square pan and place in oven to melt the butter. Wash and peel your potatoes. Carefully slice the potatoes into thin slices. Using a gallon size zip lock baggie, combine your flour, Parmesan cheese and salt. Seal bag and shake to combine ingredients. Pull 9in pan out of oven, the butter should now be melted. Be careful the dish will be hot! Place potatoes into the zip lock baggie and shake to coat the sliced potatoes. Once they are all coated, open bag and place them in a single layer in the pan with the melted butter. (sometimes I sprinkle a little more Parmesan cheese on top!!) Back for 1 hour. Turn at the half-hour mark. (I also sprinkle more Parmesan cheese when I turn them!) ENJOY!!!

**So I told my friends to give me some feed back on the Chicken recipe and this is what we all pretty much decided...we really loved them! The chicken was so moist and the Potato Chips had just the right amount of crunch to them! My friend decided that we should have tried to make a Garlic Pesto Mayo to dip them in! I think I may try that next time!!! ALSO, I got to thinking about the whole Chip Crusted Chicken idea and I thought you probably could do this with your favorite chip....like BBQ flavored!!! That would be delicious!! Maybe even Ranch Doritos!! The possibilities are endless!!! Have fun, and feel free to ask questions!!***