Warm Caramelized Potatoes

My sister Julie makes this and it's amazing. I love the balsamic and sweet combination. Goes great with pork or chicken dishes, but can totally be eaten on its own it's that good!

2 lbs small red potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 tsp salt

1 lb asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 cup butter

1 large onion chopped

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

Boil potatoes with 1/2 tsp salt until tender. Drain and set aside.

Boil asparagus until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside. Combine both in serving dish.

While vegetables are cooking, melt butter in skillet. Cook onion in butter till softened about 5 minutes and until golden brown. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour over asparagus and potatoes. Stir until coated. Sprinkle with pepper.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

I put this recipe together to force myself to eat vegetables.  Ed calls it Ratatouille even though it's not. Enjoy!

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

 2 Zucchini

2 Yellow Squash (or 2 more zucchini)

½ block of Gruyere cheese, grated

1 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes

about 1 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese, grated (NOT THE STUFF IN THE CAN!)

olive oil

crushed garlic to taste

 

Slice zucchini into 1/8 inch slices.  Sauté zucchini and squash in small batches in olive oil  until browned. Add a little crushed garlic toward end. Be careful that you sauté in small batches or they will steam not brown.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spoon enough tomato sauce into the bottom of an oval or round casserole dish to cover the bottom.  Layer sauteed zucchini slices into dish, overlapping the slices a bit.  Add another layer of tomatoes then sprinkle one third of each type of cheese before adding another layer of zucchini.  Finish with remaining tomatoes; sprinkle the remainder of the cheese until top is completely covered. 

Bake 40 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Then put under the broiler for about 3 minutes (watch carefully!) until the cheese gets brown and crusty.

Let casserole set for about 10 minutes before serving. (I know it’s hard to wait but not burning your tongue in the cheesy goodness is worth it!)

Cheesy Onion Bread

So good with pasta, salads and soups! A nice alternative to garlic bread. YUM!

French loaf, any size, cut into 1 inch slices

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese (powder will NOT work)

3/4 cup mayonaise

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to broil on low. Mix all ingredients together and spread on cut sliced bread. Bake until top is brown and bubbly.

Creamed Spinach

Tried this one last night and got rave reviews!

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and tough stems removed or 10 oz. box of frozen, chopped spinach
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes. (Or follow package directions for frozen spinach). Drain in a fine mesh strainer, pressing with a large spoon to release as much water as possible. Finely chop and set aside.

Melt the butter in medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, just until the liquid is released. Add the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook until the cream is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the parmesean cheese. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

It's Emeril's recipe but I added some cheese to it -- so I'll call it mine!

Cheesy Potatoes

1 stick butter
1 bag Ore Ida hash browns
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pint sour cream
1 large onion chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except hash browns in pot, reserving 2 cups of the cheese. When all is combined and melted together, mix with hashbrowns in pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 45 minutes or until browned on top and heated through.

Lawry's Creamed Corn

3 Cans corn- drained
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 stick unsalted butter

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour stir till combined. Add cream and salt. When thickened, add corn and sugar.

Killer Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2 lbs potatoes cubed and cooked till fork tender
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup Romano cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
8 cloves roasted garlic (full bulb drizzled with olive oil wrapped in foil @ 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes)

Combine all in pot and mash. Add a shot or two of milk if you like your potatoes more wet.