Ranch Scalloped Potatoes

Continuing with my trend of quick, easy foods, last night I needed a side dish to go along with the Cook Yourself Thin Oven-baked Crispy Chicken Tenders that I made earlier in the week. The chicken tenders from this recipe were really quite good and one package of tenders made enough for leftovers for another night. 


In addition, because the sauce that accompanies the chicken tender's recipe didn't appeal to me (I'm a tarter sauce on my fish only kinda' girl), I opted instead to whip up a package of ranch dip with a little buttermilk and some yogurt (to replace the mayo in the recipe from the package). 


So, here I am a couple of days later with a tub full of ranch dip and no way to use it up. Until now! Because I had plenty of potatoes on hand, I decided to combine them with the leftover ranch dip for a new twist on the basic potato side dish. 


The final menu consisted of the chicken tenders (warmed gently in the oven so as not to make the crust soggy or over bake the chicken), fresh corn on the cob and, of course, the potatoes.


The Results
The results of my experiment were tasty. The potatoes were nicely flavored, while the Corn Flake crust was light and crispy. Cheese would be a nice addition to this if you want to try it. I would recommend Monteray Jack or even Swiss, but would stay away from stronger flavored cheeses, such as sharp cheddar.


The Yukon Gold potatoes took much longer to cook than I expected. Next time I will add one cup of liquid to the original recipe in an effort to improve the cooking time. This can take the form of veggie or chicken broth, white wine, milk or even, in a pinch, water. You can choose which type of liquid you want to use based on taste preferences or what you have available. 


The type of potatoes may also effect cooking time. Therefore, if you choose to use a different type of potato, e.g., Russets, you will want to check the potatoes in your casserole between 30 and 45 minutes into the baking. Finally, you could also likely use this as a way to dress up leftover baked potatoes. The cooking time will obviously be cut dramatically in this approach.




Recipe:  Ranch Scalloped Potatoes


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust rack to be lower 1/3 of oven.


In a small bowl combine the following:

• 1 - 1 oz packet of Ranch Dip / Dressing (I use Concord Farms Classic Ranch Dip as it has no MSG and very few ingredients)
• 1 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup low fat organic yogurt
• 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice

Mix ingredients until the dip / dressing comes together. Use up to 1/4 for some other use or save it for a salad the next day. Use the remaining quantity (appx 3 cups) in the following manner.

For the scalloped potatoes you will need:

• 3 large Yukon Gold Potatoes - washed / scrubbed and cut into 1/3" thick slices (I used my trusty mandolin)
• ~2 cups ranch flavored dip / dressing
• 1.5 cups Corn Flakes
• 1.5 tbsp Butter, unsalted, room temp, organic

Spray a small, but deep, casserole dish with cooking spray. Arrange potato slices around the circumference of the dish, including the middle, to cover the entire bottom of the dish. Using a tablespoon (the type from your silverware drawer, not a measuring spoon) ladle on enough ranch dip to create a thin layer across the potatoes. Add another layer of potatoes to cover the first and cover with dip. Continue layering potatoes and dip, creating a thin layer of ranch between each layer of potatoes. I came out with three full layers and only the ends of my potatoes left over to fill my casserole. Set aside.

In a large freezer bag, add Corn Flakes and using your hands, crush until the crumbs are about the size of a pea. Add the softened butter to the bag and work it into the crumbs. Pour the crumbs over the potatoes in the casserole and smooth to form an even layer.

Cover the casserole with foil or a lid and place in the oven for 60 minutes. Remove foil and allow to cook for 90 additional minutes. Your casserole is done when a fork can be easily inserted into the potatoes with no resistance and the top is golden brown and crispy.

Enjoy!

~Hugs, Lisa

Chocolate, Banana, PB Bliss!

I was craving something chocolately, sweet and creamy and didn't have the inclination to make a baked treat from scratch, nor did I want to dirty up my kitchen to the level that baking usually requires. I tried to ignore my hunger pangs and my craving, but to no avail. So, I finally found myself in the kitchen starring forelornely in the pantry and fridge. I turned around and saw my blender, which thanks to my mom and dad has recently found its way from the top shelf of our pantry to the kitchen counter where it can be more readily used. 


I've been making plenty of smoothies lately. My wonderful daughter loves fruit and she's still teething, so something on the cold side often settles multiple issues for us. Likewise, my darling hubby and I have been indulging in smoothies made from yogurt, fruit and juice or milk in an effort to also eat more healthfully. Therefore, I decided that I could probably concoct something in my blender that would settle my craving, fill me up and be more healthy than the triple layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing from Shapiros that I had requested of my hubby as a pick up treat for me on the way home from work. 


The results were amazing! Creamy, smooth, tons of flavor, sweet, cold, chocolately, decadent.... you get the idea. This has to be my new favorite smoothie, I can see having it for breakfast, lunch or a snack. I'll be working on other variations as well to see if I can continue to lighten it up calorie wise, but as it is it's pretty darn good and hubby and baby both agreed!




Recipe:  Chocolate, Banana, PB Bliss Smoothie (Serves 2)


Place the following in your blender:

• 1 cup plain low fat yogurt, organic if available
• 1 cup low fat milk, organic if available
• 1/4 cup Hershey's Lite Syrup (the kind you use to make chocolate milk)
• 2 very ripe bananas (don't let this gross you out, they're sweet and you'll never know they had spots)
• 1 cup ice 
• 1/4 cup natural PB (we use Smuckers)

Blend all ingredients on High speed until mixture is homogeneous. Serve in 2 glasses and savor the yum!


~Hugs,
Lisa

Sunday, Sunday.... Easy Peasy Veggies and Pasta

Most people know by now that our house has been under some level of stress for the past few weeks. The affects have been numerous, but one of the most visible is in our meals. Since I haven't felt well, I frankly haven't been up to cooking as much as I have in the past. This led me to finding and developing some easier dishes/menus than I may have previously enjoyed making.


Today was "one of those days" and I didn't feel up to doing much in the kitchen. However, with a hungry toddler dancing around my feet, I felt it necessary to make an attempt to feed the family around lunch time from our own kitchen. Fortunately, an assisted trip to the grocery store earlier in the week meant that I had tons of veggies and some fresh pasta (three cheese tortelloni to be exact) on hand. By combining them I came up with a very easy, stove top, pasta dish that satisfied the adults while providing one of the toddler's favorite ingredients (anything pasta).


Recipe:  Easy Peasy Stove Top Veggies and Pasta


Place a large pot of cold water over high heat and cover to help it come to a boil more quickly. 


Meanwhile, chop the following ingredients into pieces that are approximately the same size:

• 1 small onion or a large shallot
• 1/2 Green Bell Pepper
• 1/2 Yellow, Orange or Red Bell Pepper
• 1/2 a large (14oz) of Marinated Artichoke Hearts
• 1/4 cup Marinated Sundried Tomatoes
• 2 small ripe fresh tomatoes (I used Campari tomatoes)

Place a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Allow oil to heat with the skillet until the oil shimmers, then add the onion and bell pepper along with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir to cover with the oil and allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the onion/pepper mixture cooks, mince 1 garlic clove, or more to taste. Then add it to the skillet along with 2 cups washed fresh baby spinach leaves (organic if you can get it) and another pinch of kosher salt. Stir all ingredients to combine and place a lid on the skillet to help the spinach wilt. 

Once the spinach has begun to wilt, remove the lid and add the artichoke heats, sundried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes to the mixture and stir to combine. 

Next add 1/2 cup vegetable broth - if you don't have or want to use vegetable broth, substitute white wine, red wine, chicken broth or water - along with the contents of 1 14/15 oz can of Garbanzo Beans that have been rinsed and drained.  

When sauce is done - i.e., spinach wilted and the other ingredients have come together, add the contents of two small packages of cheese tortelloni to the boiling pot of water along with 2 tbsp of kosher salt. Cook according to package directions (fresh pasta cooks much more quickly than dried, so this is fast).

When pasta is done, drain and add it to your sauce. Stir to combine and taste for seasoning adjusting if necessary.

Serve in warmed pasta bowls with fresh parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can add bread or another side dish, but I intended this to be an all inclusive dish and we skipped the garlic bread for once and didn't miss it at all - well, at least I only thought about it a couple of times :p   Enjoy!


~Hugs,
Lisa

The Magic Cookie Bar Experiment

I recently found a cooking show that is beginning to spawn new ideas in my kitchen, it's Lifetime's Cook Yourself Thin. For obvious reasons this show appealed to me. The premise of the show is that if you follow their approach you will lose a dress size (sorry guys, I haven't seen any men on the show yet, so it's dress size for now) in 6 weeks.


At first I was just watching to see if they had any interesting recipes, then I caught onto their basic approach and realized that it's a lot like what I do in the kitchen on a regular basis:  trade out one or more original ingredient for a substitute that's either more appealing to me or fits with our family's food needs. My own results in making substitutions have not arguably produced the same effect on my waistline, but have resolved some allergy issues, made way for a toddler to eat at our table and accommodated a variety of eating approaches that we've tried over the years (going vegetarian, detoxes, cost containment, etc.). If you want to check out some of the Cook Yourself Thin recipes, recipes from each episode are available here. In addition, they have a cookbook that is available online now.


One of the Cook Yourself Thin recipes that caught my eye on a night when I was craving something sweet and satisfying was the Dessert Calzone. This is a very simple recipe that uses low fat Ricotta as the filling along with an egg, some sugar and other goodies. The hosts of the show use low fat Ricotta in a number of their other recipes as well as a way to boost the protein while controlling the fat and calories. This was an idea that I thought I could apply in my own kitchen. So, the adventure to substitute low fat Ricotta begins.


Enter Magic Cookie Bars
You may remember these from your childhood (especially if you grew up in the US). My mother would make a large tray of these every year for Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandmother's house. My mother's family is quite large (she's one of seven), so when you got everyone (grandma, grandpa, their kids, their kids spouses, their grandkids, great grandkids and a girl/boyfriend or two) in her little house the total count of guests was nearing 60 or 70. So, it was a big to-do with a turkey, a ham and tons of side dishes and an entire chest freezer topped with a table cloth and desserts. In fact, it was common for every surface in Grandma's kitchen to be covered with dishes from everyone's contributions. So, Magic Cookie Bars hold a special place in my heart and on my palate. Here's the original Eagle Brand recipe in case you want to reminisce along with me.


The Experiment
I had nearly all of the ingredients on hand yesterday with the exception of low fat Ricotta (of course) and butterscotch chips. The butterscotch chips are my own twist on the original recipe, which calls for only chocolate chips, but I promise you that this addition makes all of the difference in the world and takes the original yummy product to a new level of satisfaction on the tongue! So, I decided to grab some Ricotta and butterscotch chips and give my new approach a try.


The Results
The results were very good in that the cookie bars came together as intended, looked and smelled delish and cut like they should. My darling hubby liked the new recipe as the addition of the Ricotta and reduction in Sweetened Condensed Milk makes for a final product that is a bit more creamy and a little less sweet. I would have liked a bit more sweetness, but realized later on that I only had two reasonable sized squares and felt much more satisfied and didn't have the urge to go back for more later (as is the usual case for me).


So, maybe there's something to the use of low fat Ricotta as a substitute ingredient in terms of creating a more satisfying product! I'll continue to look for opportunities to test this ingredient in some of my and my family's favorite recipes in the future. Stay Tuned!


Please Note:  The following are my earlier changes to the original Magic Cookie Bar recipe:


One, I cut the amount of butter in the crust significantly. The original recipe calls for an entire stick of butter. Even before watching a number of Cook Yourself Thin recipes, I would have cut this amount at least in half. Luckily, there happened to be a recipe on the back of the Nabisco Graham Cracker box that included a Graham Cracker crust and called for a mere 2 Tablespoons of butter. I decided to give that amount a try and it worked as well as the original, especially once the bars had been allowed to set-up in the fridge overnight.


Two, sweetened and unsweetened Shredded Coconut are both available at my grocery store. Since my darling hubby prefers the unsweetened version, I mix a bag of each (they're the same size) in a large freezer storage bag and use it from the pantry when I need shredded coconut. The results of this earlier experiment have been quite good and I've used it on my coconut cupcakes, my Easter cake and now this recipe all with the same results. As time goes on, the combined coconut does become a bit more dry, so use the combined version fresh from each bag when you make something that is topped with the coconut and not then cooked - like sprinkled on top of cupcakes or a cake - and use the rest of it later in a recipe like this one where the coconut is baked or cooked in some way. This way you maximize your coconut investment and use all that you have on hand.


Three, the original recipe calls for nuts. Since we have a toddler who is not yet at the age to where she can eat nuts, I didn't include them. If you want nuts, include them. My mother always used Walnuts (a good choice given the Omega-3 content), but I would probably use Pecans (toasted lightly in a 350 oven for about 5-7 minutes before adding them to the uncooked bars) or even Macadamia nuts! I did in turn increase the amount of coconut in my recipe since I wasn't using the nuts and the top of the bars looked a bit naked without the additional ingredients. You could also increase the amount of chips, if you prefer, to make up for the lack of nuts. If you take this approach, use butterscotch or mix dark, milk or white chips together to create your own; peanut butter chips would probably be a delicious addition to this recipe as well.


Finally, I have substituted fat free Sweetened Condensed Milk in this recipe since the product first became available in the 80's. I have never had anything but success with this substitution and cannot taste the difference between the full-fat version and the fat free even tasting it on a spoon right from the can - yes, my sister and I both have been known to turn to a spoonful of this magic ingredient at various times!




Recipe:  My NEW Magic Cookie Bar Recipe


Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees


Step 2:  In the bowl of a food processor place 8 Graham Crackers (full cracker) and pulsed until cracker crumbs are the consistency of sand


Step 3:  Meanwhile, in micro safe bowl, melt 2 Tbsp unsalted organic butter in the microwave.


Note:  You probably want to do this in increments of 20 seconds or so as butter has been known to "pop" at around the 28-30 second mark in my microwave and it makes a terrible mess that's difficult to clean.


Step 4:  Add melted butter to the cracker crumbs in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse the processor a few times to incorporate the butter. When the cracker crumbs look like slightly wet sand, you're done.


Step 5:  Prepare a 9x9 baking dish - I used my Pampered Chef stoneware pan - by spraying it with cooking spray.


Step 6:  Pour Graham Cracker crumb mixture out onto the bottom of the pan and spread using your hand or a measuring cup. You want an even layer of crumbs covering the bottom of your baking dish.


Step 7:  In a medium sized mixing bowl add the following and mix with a whisk or a spoon until well combined:

• 3/4 cup of low fat Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 can of a 14 oz fat free Sweetened Condensed Milk (I didn't measure this, just eyeball it)
• 1 large free range, organic egg
• 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla extract

Step 8:  Pour Ricotta mixture over Graham Cracker crust and spread to create an even layer across the pan. I left a bit of an "edge" to my crust, but am not sure this is necessary as the Ricotta mixture sets up when baked.


Step 9:  Cover Ricotta mixture with 1 cup Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips (I used dark chocolate, but Colin said he thought milk chocolate might be even better), 1 cup of Butterscotch Chips and 2 cups of shredded coconut.


Step 10 (optional):  Scatter 1 cup of chopped nuts over the pan.


Step 11:  Place cookie bars in the oven and bake for ~25 minutes, check after 15 and adjust cooking time based on your oven (some are a bit hotter, some a bit less). The cookie bars have finished baking when the coconut layer is golden and you can "smell" the Graham Cracker crust.


Step 12:  Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before you cut into bars.


Note:  If you serve this as soon as the pan is cool, the crust will still be a bit crumbly. If you place the cooled pan in the fridge overnight, the crust will set and you will have clean bars that cut easily and retain their shape.


Step 13:  Serve with milk or coffee. This is a simple kid-friendly recipe, but if you want to dress it up drizzle the plate with chocolate sauce and add a beautiful ripe strawberry (sliced and fanned) or a trio of raspberries.


Enjoy!


Hugs ~Lisa

The Adventure Begins

If you know me at all you know that I'm a foodie at heart and, therefore, often love to cook for my family and friends. For me, time in the kitchen is really a way to regroup and decompress from the stress of daily life. You might say it's my way to most quickly get back to the roots of my family and home life.

It's also the way I show that I love and care about the other people in my life. People connect on a different level over a good meal or even a cup of coffee. I have found that people are most likely to share their genuine self with you when food is involved. So, I love spending quality time with a long time friend or new acquaintance over a meal. That time together is really special to me.

Last, but not least, cooking is a creative outlet for me. I'm the type of person who likes to view most rules as "guidelines" and even other rules as "optional". Now, let's be clear here, I'm not talking about those rules that will land you in a jail cell for years at a time. I'm talking about ratios of brown sugar to white sugar in a recipe, or garbanzo beans in chili. Maybe it's best to say that sometimes I think the traditional approach is good and other times I like to blow the doors off of it and define a new approach. My approach.

I've started this blog because a few friends have asked me to do so after trying to keep up with my kitchen centered experiments in other ways. So, here we go. I can't promise that it will always be a perfect ride, but I am hopeful that you will find here something interesting and new with a bit of tradition thrown in for good measure! Let me know what you think. I'm always up for a new challenge.

Hugs ~Lisa B