Scalloped Potatoes

Do you love scalloped potatoes?  Me too... But, sometimes they can be a pain to make.  Slicing the potatoes thinly by hand, or getting out the food processor, attaching the right blade, the clean up... Yes, I hear you, no fun!  But, there is a tool out there, a gadget, that will make scalloped potatoes a breeze!  I promise, no need to wait for a special occasion, this tool will make it easy for you to have this delicious side dish any night of the week!  It's called a mandolin.  You can order one from Amazon or Sur la Table.  I was lucky enough to get one as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago and I am so thankful!  You can slice potatoes, julienne carrots, make the perfect thin onion ring... Plus, the clean up is so easy.  Seriously, as easy as cleaning your knife!  I made these potatoes with mine.  I know you'll want to make them too!

Serves 4-6
Prep time 10 minutes
Bake time 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes
1/2 of a small yellow onion
2 cups of sharp white cheddar cheese grated
1 cup of heavy cream
salt & pepper

Directions:
Slice your potatoes and onion on a thin setting using your mandolin.  Grease an 8x6 baking dish.  Place a thin layer of potatoes evenly across the bottom of the dish.  Sprinkle with a few of the thinly sliced yellow onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Pour 1/4 cup of heavy cream over the layer, then sprinkle lightly with cheese.  Repeat until you have used all of your ingredients.  You should have enough to do 4 layers.  Remember to save enough of the cheese for the top!  Cover with aluminum foil (I spray the top so the cheese doesn't stick to it!) then pop into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour!  Voila! The perfect scalloped potatoes!  They may take a little while to bake, but I promise the prep is a breeze and they are worth the wait!

This is my mandolin!

See how nicely it slices?

See how thin I can get my potatoes?

Even layer of potatoes with onion.

Top with salt, pepper, cream and cheese, then repeat.

They look like heaven, don't they?

They are as fabulous as they look, I promise!

Ham & Lentils

Does anyone else still have leftover ham?  Or maybe you saved the bone from your ham with ideas of making a stew?  Well this slow cooker Ham & Lentil dish couldn't get any easier!  It's the perfect way to finish off your leftovers and, it's comfort food at it's best!  Grab a big loaf of crusty garlic bread and you're all set!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups of dried red or green lentils
1 small onion diced
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots diced
3 celery stalks
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 ham hock or leftover ham diced
1 tbs of Italian seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
Parsley for garnish

Directions:
After chopping your veggies, put them all into the crockpot.  Rinse the lentils and put them in as well.  Add the ham and pour in the vegetable broth.  Add the seasoning and cover.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  If the lentils start to look a little dry, add a little water or more broth.  Taste before serving to check seasoning. Since ham is salty, I didn't add any additional salt.  I love the touch of fresh parsley to brighten the flavor and add a little color!  This dish is delish!  Enjoy!

Throw Back Thursday

One of the new trends on social  media is to post pictures from your past.  I think this is sort of a fun idea! Because I'm fairly new to the blogging world, many of you don't know much about my past.  So... I thought I would share a little of my background story today with you all, and a few pictures as well (because hey, who doesn't like pictures, right?)!

I grew up in Carmichael, California.  A little suburb of Sacramento.  In my early 20's I started working for Easter Seals, a non-profit organization that assists children and adults with disabilities.  I loved my job!  I moved around a lot within the organization, but remained with them until 2008.  In 2007 I met my husband and by 2008 we were married and had our first child in July of that year.  After having Lily Claire, I couldn't imagine returning to work and leaving her in daycare during the day, so I made the decision to become a stay at home mom.  It's the best decision I ever made!  In addition to Lily Claire, we had our second child in 2011, Ella Rose.  Our little family wouldn't be complete, however, without a few furry friends, Paris our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Cat, our cat... (The kids named her!)

Well, that's enough about my little family for now...  Here's the fun stuff, pictures!

Other than my kids, Paris is the love of my life... Oh, and my husband... He's pretty great, too... LOL!

Catch Me {Adventures in Motherhood}

This morning my two year old woke up in my bed alone.  She called out from upstairs "Mommy, where are you?" In her sleepy little voice.  I called back, "Down here".  I set my cup of coffee on the dining room table and made my way towards the stairs.  I looked up, and there she was, in her Tinkerbell nightgown, smiling down at me.  "Good morning, baby."  She promptly smiled, threw her arms out and launched herself at me from about 8 steps higher than where I was standing, shouting "Catch me!" with gleeful joy in her voice.  With mom-like reflexes I reached out and caught her just in time.

What would it be like to have such blind faith?  To know, without a doubt, Mommy will catch me.  She will save me.  She can always get there in time.

And don't you wish it were the truth?  It made me think about all the times I haven't reached out, couldn't prevent the fall, the bruised nose from stepping off the stool in the kitchen, just feet from where I was standing. The broken elbow that happened as I had my hand on her leg when she was going down the slide. I swear, I was touching her and couldn't save her in time.

It's terrifying, isn't it?  Being a parent.  Knowing that as much as you love your children, as much as you want to save them every time.  As fast as you run to catch them.  Sometimes... Sometimes, you miss.  Sometimes they fall.

But this time, I was lucky.  This time I caught her.  This time her face lit up with joy and she giggled.  This time I was her hero...

Happy Easter!

I'll be posting recipes from our meal over the next few days, but I wanted to share a few quick photos in the mean time!

This one is from my friend Sheena Talbot!  She is super creative and I loved this idea!

And here are a few from our family!

Hoping you all have a fantastic Easter!

Penne Primavera

This recipe is a throwback to my childhood.  When I was a little girl, my parents would have date night a couple of times a year and my brother and I would spend the night at my grandparent's house.  My Grandma wasn't much of a cook, think mayonnaise and ritz crackers on pretty much everything she made, so she would take us to the Rainbow Market and let us pick out a TV dinner.  This was pretty much the only time we ever ate TV dinners, so it was a pretty special event.  I would always choose the Marie Calendar's Primavera Alfredo and my brother always chose Salisbury Steak.  It's been years since my grandma passed away, and even longer than that since I've eaten a TV dinner, but once in a while I still crave the comfort of Primavera Alfredo.  This recipe is almost as simple as reheating a TV dinner, but soooo much better and more satisfying.  I hope it brings you the same comfort it brings me!  Enjoy!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1lb of penne pasta (or any pasta you have on hand)
2 cups of mixed vegetables (I used bell peppers, asparagus & broccoli)
1 cooked skinless chicken breast, diced (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1- 5.2oz garlic cheese round (such as Boursin)
1/2 stick of butter
2oz. cream cheese
1 cup of whole milk
 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsb olive oil
1 tbs Italian Seasoning
fresh parsley for garnish
Shaved Parmesan for garnish

Directions:
Prepare the pasta according to package directions.  While pasta water is heating, place a sauce pan over medium heat and add the butter and boursin cheese.  Whisk until melted and combined.  Stir in the milk and the cream cheese and continue to whisk until smooth.  Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and smooth.  Lower heat and keep warm until pasta is cooked.

After preparing the sauce, chop your vegetables into bite sized chunks.  In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil.  When hot, add vegetables, chicken & Italian seasoning.  Cover and saute for about 5 minutes.  I like my vegetables to be slightly soft, but still bright in color.

When pasta is al dente, drain and add to the cheese sauce.  Combine and transfer to a serving dish.  Top with the vegetables and chicken.  Garnish with parsley and fresh Parmesan shavings.  Serve immediately.

Cabbage Rolls & Spring Break...

For us, Saturday was officially the first day of Spring Break.  We're nearing the end of the school year here, in the home stretch.  Kindergarten if officially two months from being over.  I'm full of mixed emotions about this... On one hand, I can't wait to have a break from homework, school projects, reading assignments, ect... But, on the other hand, my baby girls is growing up so fast!  I wish I could just slow it down a little bit.  Alas, as this weekend officially marked the beginning of Spring Break, we were super busy enjoying ourselves! So much so, that I didn't even get a chance to post a new recipe that I worked on last week.  I'm finally getting some time to write tonight, so I'm sharing my new recipe for Cabbage Rolls with you!

This recipes is hearty, sweet and savory, and oh, so, satisfying!  It does take a little effort in the prep, but definitely worth it!  Plus it makes enough for 8 people, and since I only needed enough to feed four, I froze the rest and have a pre-made dinner ready to pull out and bake at a minute's notice.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients
1 head of cabbage, core removed and leaves peeled off
1lb. of ground pork
1lb. of lean ground beef
1/2 cup of golden raisins, divided (1/4 for meat mixture, 1/4 for sauce)
1 can of diced tomatoes
3 tbs of tomato paste
1 tbs of brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
2 tbs garlic powder, divided (1tbs for sauce, 1tbs for meat mixture)
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs of apple cider vinegar
2 tbs of Italian seasoning, divided (1tbs for sauce, 1tbs for meat mixture)
1 cup of long grain white rice
1 onion finely diced
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:
1.  In a large mixing bowl combine meat, rice, onion, 1 tbs Italian seasoning, 1 tbs garlic powder 1/4 cup of raisins, olive oil and milk.
2: Blanch cabbage leaves in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes until pliable.
3. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the meat mixture into each cabbage leaf.  Gently fold in the sides and roll up. (Similar to rolling an egg roll or burrito.)
4. In a small sauce pan add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  Add the vinegar, Worcestershire, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and the rest of the Italian seasoning, raisins and garlic powder.  Simmer over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.
5. Spoon about half of the sauce mixture into the bottom of a baking dish.  Add the Cabbage Rolls to the baking dish and spoon the rest of the sauce over the rolls.
6.  Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.
7. Serve immediately & enjoy!!