Potato and Poblano Gratin

Recipe as published:

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
3 large poblano chiles, charred, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch wide by 1/2-inch-thick strips
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup Mexican crema, or creme fraiche
4 Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 pound), unpeeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray a glass 9 1/2-inch, deep dish pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the poblano strips and corn.

In a small bowl, mix together the half-and-half and crema.

Arrange 1/2 of the potato rounds, overlapping slightly, in the prepared pie dish. Sprinkle 1/2 of the poblano-corn mixture on top, season with the salt and pepper, and top with 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with the cheese. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the potatoes are tender and the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes longer.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note: For easy peeling, enclose the charred poblanos tightly in a plastic bag.

~Source: Food Network, Mexican Made Easy, Marcela Valladolid

 

 

 

Patti’s Notes: I was at Farmer’s Market in the morning and they had just roasted poblanos so I bought those instead of charring my own.  (DIY method is easy to do over a burner or under the broiler, and as Marcela said above, put them in a zip bag while still hot and the skin will peel right off.)  I used fresh corn instead of frozen because they had some at Farmer’s Market. I had about 2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes instead of one (again, Farmer’s Market) but didn’t double any of the other ingredients. I used a 9x11 baking pan instead of a deep dish pie dish. I read the comments about the recipe on Food Network's website so based on those I made the following alterations: My grocery store didn’t have Mexican Crema or Crème Fraiche so I subbed 1 cup heavy cream (as one commenter did). It worked fine and saved me the trouble of going to another store.  There were a few comments that the Monterey Jack was too bland so I used 2 cups of Pepper Jack and 1 cup of Mexican Cheese Blend.  There were also comments about the potatoes needing to cook longer so I par-boiled them first (as suggested).  Since everything was virtually cooked I baked them at 350° instead of 400° (still 30 minutes covered, 30 minutes uncovered). The potatoes are seriously delicious. 


Tip-of-the Day: Always read the comments posted on recipes.  Let someone else do the experimenting and use the ideas that make sense!   

Health-O-Meter: This recipe rates pretty low on the Health-O-Meter, however I have a tip to light up the dinner plate.  When serving a heavy side dish, make the rest of the meal healthy to balance it out.  I made a turkey on the rotisserie and steamed fresh green beans. 

Easy Meter: Food Network rates it “easy”.  I would agree. 

Easy Schmeasy Berry Cobbler

1 Pound Frozen Fruit

1 Yellow Cake Mix

12 oz Lemon/Lime Soda (7-Up, Sprite, etc.)

 

Pre-Heat oven to 375°

 

Put frozen berries in 9 x 11 pan;

Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top;

Pour soda over the mix;

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

 

~Source: this one is hard to pinpoint the origin.  It’s been all around the internet (Pinterest, Weight Watchers, Sparkpeople, etc.)

 

Patti’s Notes: I sprayed the pan with Pam and used a 16 oz package of mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries and blueberries) and added some extra berries that I had in the freezer (probably another cup or so).  I baked it an extra 10 minutes because I thought it was too loosy goosey.  I actually thought it was still too loose and that next time I should add some cornstarch over the berries to help thicken it, but low and behold, after it sat out for about an hour while we were eating dinner it set up and was just perfect. No cornstarch needed. We topped it with vanilla ice cream. The boys loved it.  I think everyone had seconds. There wasn't an ounce of leftovers. This one is a keeper. I think this would also be great made with frozen peaches.  Peach Cobbler ala mode.  Yum. 

 

Health-O-Meter: You can use regular cake mix and regular soda or you can lighten it up and use reduced calorie cake mix and diet soda. Top with Cool Whip Lite instead of ice cream.

 

Easy Meter: It doesn’t get any easier than this. 

  ^That's just frost on the berries, I didn't add sugar.

Covered with cake mix and bathed in 7-Up.

Brie Bites

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed but still cold

1/2 wedge of brie, cold

1/3 cup cherry jam (or any flavor you fancy!)

1 large egg, beaten

splash of milk

Recipe as Written (but not exactly what I did)

Store bought puff pastry usually comes frozen and folded into thirds. We’re going to use these folded thirds to our advantage. Cut the puff pastry into thirds along the creases. Cut each panel into four pieces. They’ll be 2 1/4-inch tall and 3-inches wide. One sheet of puff pastry will yield 12 rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half. You’ll have 24 little rectangles that will create 12 little rectangle pockets.

Combine beaten egg and splash of milk. Brush 12 of the small rectangles with egg wash. If you’d like to make brie bites on sticks, now is the time! Place a popsicle stick halfway up the puff pastry and press in gently. Place a small sliver of brie (rind and all) on top of the egg wash (and stick). Top with about 1/2 teaspoon of cherry jam. Take another square of puff pastry and press between your fingers to make the rectangle slightly bigger. Place puff pastry on top of the cheese and jam. Use a fork to press the edges together. The egg wash will act as a glue. Make sure to seal the edges well by crimping with the fork.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place prepared brie bites on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with a touch of coarsely ground sea salt. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Brie bites are best served warm, but are also delicious at room temperature.

~Source – Pinterest via Joy the Baker

Patti’s Notes: Okay, I used this more like a pattern than a recipe.  I didn’t add milk to the beaten egg, I don’t think it’s necessary.  I didn’t use the popsicle sticks.  I used French Strawberry Jam because Frenchy Momma had just brought a jar from France for my sister.  Next time I’ll try Fig Jam.  I think fig goes great with Brie.  I did not egg wash the inside of the puff pastry.  I only used the egg wash on top to make the pastry brown and shiny. I didn't add the salt ground sea salt (I forgot but it really didn't need it so that was okay). 

The author says let cool, best served warm or room temp.  I disagree.  I like them hot (being careful not to burn your mouth because you can’t wait to try them straight out of the oven).  Room temperature was okay but not as good as when they were still hot/warm.  That being said, next time I will use my pizza stone so they will stay hot while being served. 

Tip of the Day:  Keep one sheet of puff pastry in the refrigerator while you are preparing the other.  You want it to stay cold because if the butter starts to melt it won’t “puff” as well.  I assembled one sheet, put it in the oven and started the second sheet. 

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Heath-O-Meter: These do not rate very high in the Healthy Appetizer Department.

Easy Meter: It’s time consuming but not difficult.  As you can see it's also a bit messy!  



Cheese and Tomato Tart



7 fresh or frozen filo pastry sheets, thawed

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cups grated Swiss cheese (recommended  Emmenthal)

8 large ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

12 fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On a large baking sheet, place 1 sheet filo pastry and brush with melted butter, repeat, stacking them on top of each other as you build your pie crust. You may want to stagger the sheets a little bit to ensure that the baking sheet is well covered allowing a little bit of an edge.

On the top layer, brush on the mustard. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the pastry to ensure even coverage. Lay the tomato slices generously, all over, overlapping, as needed. Season with coarse salt and ground black pepper. Sprinkle the thyme leaves on top.

Bake in the oven until the pastry is crisped and browned at the edges, about 25 minutes.

Add another sprinkling of coarse salt, and cut the tart into 8 squares. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Delicious when served hot, warm, or at room temperature*.

~Source: Chuck Hughes, Cooking Channel

Patti’s Notes:

I also used farm fresh tomatoes and put the slices on paper towels (sprinkled with a little salt) to draw out some moisture prior to assembling. I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper.  I used Stone Ground Dijon.  I’m a cheese lover but Swiss is not my favorite so I used half Swiss and half Shredded Four Cheese Blend.  I skipped the second round of salt since I had salted the tomatoes from the get go.

*These were best right out of the oven, not as good at room temp.  Next time I will serve them on my pizza stone to keep them warm for a longer period of time.

Easy Meter:

Filo Dough is not my favorite thing to work with.  It is very fragile and ALWAYS breaks apart.  Since the sheets are layered in this recipe it doesn’t really matter if they look like a patchwork quilt.  You won’t see the seams. 

Health-o-Meter: According to the nutritional value on the box, 5 sheets of filo has 1 gram of fat and 2 grams of sugar. There are 7 sheets in the recipe and Chuck says it “serves 8” so you can do the math.  It’s on the low end for a carb product.  The calories are in the cheesy deliciousness. 

Tomatoes on papertowels 'drying out' a little (30 minutes) prior to assembly.

7 sheets of buttered filo

A schmear of stone ground Dijon mustard

Say cheese!

All that lovin' ready for the oven.

M-M-Good!

Grilled Eggplant with Tomatoes, Basil & Cheese

  

Slice eggplant; rub with EVOO, Salt & Pepper. Grill 4 minutes each side; add sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, provolone cheese and fresh basil. Grill another 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I don’t do hash marks but if I did I’d say #MeatlessMonday,  #Vegetarian, #LowCarb, #SuperDelicious, #EasySchmeasy

Grilled Chicken with Garlic/Basil/Lemon Sauce

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Marinade:

¹/₃ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 T Lemon Juice
½ t Salt
½ t Pepper

Sauce:

1 Clove Garlic
1 C Fresh Basil Leaves
¼ C Lemon Juice
1 t Lemon Zest
½ t Salt
½ t Pepper
¹/₃ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix marinade and add chicken to zip top bag.  Marinade at least 30 minutes (at room temperature) or up to several hours (in the refrigerator).

Grill chicken.  I use the ‘Emeril Lagasse’ method.  On hot grill cook chicken 4 minutes.  Turn ¼ turn (not over) and cook another 4 minutes.  Turn chicken over and cook 4 minutes.  ¼ turn and cook another 4 minutes. 

In blender puree all sauce ingredients except EVOO until smooth.  Add EVOO slowly to mixture.

Put chicken on platter and pour sauce over the top.

Patti’s Notes: I buy Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at Costco.  They are pretty big so sometimes they take an extra 2 minutes to grill.  If you use smaller (normal size) chicken adjust cooking time accordingly.

Pictured above with corn and roasted baby beets. This sauce was really good and I think it would be great over pasta (next time).

Health-o-Meter: I’d rate this as petty healthy.  Olive oil is a “good for you fat”. 

Easy Meter: It doesn’t get much easier than this. 

Source: I think I saw something similar on a Food Network Moment (?Giada?) and just used the idea and faked it with the amounts. ;-)

Asian Apricot Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

1 Package Chicken Wings (approximately 2 pounds)

Peanut Oil

Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar

Soy Sauce

Fish Sauce

Ground Ginger

Red Pepper Flakes

No Sugar Added Apricot Jam

Kosher Salt and Cracked Pepper

 
How To:

Preheat oven to 450°.

Line baking pan with foil and insert rack.

Prep wings. Cut off wing tips or as Alton Brown calls them, the culinary wasteland. Snip the skin between the wing and drumstick portion then snap it backwards for its natural breaking point. You can now easily cut thru making two pieces. Lay chicken pieces flat on the baking rack. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.

In the meantime make the sauce. I didn't measure so this is approximate: Equal parts oil and vinegar to equal ¼ cup; about a tablespoon of soy sauce; about a teaspoon of fish sauce, a good sprinkle of ginger (about a ½ teaspoon) and a shake or two of red pepper flakes. Mix with a wire whisk. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of jam. Mix to combine.

After wings have been in the oven 15 minutes, brush sauce over wings, turn them over and brush the other side. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes. Put under broiler for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.

~Source: This was inspired by a Kraft recipe that called for Asian Ginger Salad Dressing and Orange Marmalade. I had neither so I made my own version of an Asian Dress and used SF Apricot Jam instead. (The original recipe called for ¼ cup dressing; ¼ cup jam and double baking. I added the salt & pepper, turning the wings over to get the sauce on both sides and the broiler part cuz I like ‘em tasty and crispy!)

Patti’s Notes: The foil lined pan will make clean up a snap and the rack will allow the heat circulate for even cooking. Don’t throw away the wing tips. Put them in a zip bag and freeze them for another day (chicken stock). Hey, you paid for them, might as well get your money’s worth and not have to buy stock/broth. Don’t be afraid of Fish Sauce (found in the Asian section of the grocery store). It does not taste fishy; it just tastes like a different layer of salty.

Health-o-Meter: I’d say middle of the road because of the chicken skin.

Easy Meter: Also middle of the road because of prepping the chicken. You may be able to find wings already separated. In that case I’d say easy schmeasy but DIY is less expensive.