Cheesy Yukon Gold Scalloped Potatoes

Growing up at my house, we called these "Unfair Potatoes".  Everyone always wanted the crispy part at the top, and if you weren't one of the first ones to serve yourself, you were left with the not so crispy bottom portion.  So unfair!  ;)

This was my first attempt at making scalloped potatoes, and they were SO good!  I will definitely make these again.


I decided to go with Yukon Gold potatoes instead of using the basic Russet potato, since they have a buttery taste to them, without having to use any butter!  I followed a general recipe as a guideline, but tweaked it a little as I went along.


This is a perfect side dish if you're having people over and don't want to be confined to the kitchen, just prep before company comes, and just stick it in the oven.  Or in my case, prep it, put it in the oven, and head to the gym while it bakes for an hour!



What you need:

- 7 or 8 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
- 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
- 1 can condensed Cheddar Cheese soup
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup of milk
- 1.5 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- lemon pepper

Get started!:

1. Preheat the oven to 375*.  Grease a large casserole dish (I used my large glass Pyrex pan)

2. In a large bowl, mix the canned soups, onion, and pepper.  Slowly add in the milk, pouring a little at a time, mixing until it blends together with the mixture. 

3.  Place a single layer of potatoes in the pan.  Spoon one layer of the soup mixture over the potatoes.  Then sprinkle a thin layer of cheese.  Repeat, this time using the rest of the mixture and topping with the rest of the cheese.

4. Bake until the cheesy is bubbly.  This will take 45-60 minutes.  Check after 45 just to be safe. 

I let mine get a little too crispy, but they still tasted perfect!  Enjoy.

Edamame Hummus

This is the perfect summer snack!  It was pretty easy to make and tastes great, plus it's made from edamame (soy beans) so it's healthy, HOLLLAAAA!


I've been wanting to make this ever since I tried Trader Joe's version.  So good!  Every time I'd buy it for the boyfriend and I, it would be gone in less than a day, so sad! 


What you need:

- 1 cup frozen edamame, shelled
- 1 Tbsp Tahini (you can find this in the ethnic food aisle, I found it near the curry)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced or finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp onion, chopped (white or yellow, whichever you have on hand)
- salt and pepper, to taste

Get started!:

1. Boil the edamame for 5-6 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cool water.

2. Using a food processor, puree edamame along with all ingredients until creamy and smooth.  Use your best judgement when it comes to the salt!

3. Cool in the refrigerator for an hour.

4. Get out your pita chips/bread or favorite crackers and enjoy!  :)

Pea & Bacon Risotto

Hello amazing-ness!

You HAVE to try this one!  The boyfriend loves peas, and really, who doesn't love bacon?  This was my first time making a risotto, and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out.  :)



What you need:

- 2 cups Arborio rice (risotto rice)
- 3/4 of a 12oz. bag of frozen peas (slightly unthawed)
- 5 slices of bacon (or more if you KNOW you're going to snack!)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- garlic, minced (as much as you want!)
- 1 and a half boxes chicken stock, low sodium
- 1/2 cup white wine
- olive oil
- salt & pepper (I love lemon pepper, but regular will do)

 ^why yes, that is a nice bottle of 2 buck chuck!

Get started! :

1.  Using a food processor (a blender with a puree mode works fine!), puree peas with a little chicken stock, adding more as you check consistency (I ended up using about 1/4 box for this part), until you have soft, beautiful green mush.  See picture below.

2. In a small pot, heat 1 box chicken stock on low.

3.  In a fairly large pan, cook the bacon on medium heat.  Remove bacon from pan, but do not drain the fat.  I repeat, DO NOT DRAIN THE FAT!  Chop the bacon once cool.

4.  Add onion to the pan.  Let cook about 2 minutes.  Then add the garlic.

5.  To this same pan, add the rice.  Let it sizzle in the bacon fat for about 5-7 minutes, adding a little olive oil (2 Tbsp) if there's not much bacon fat. 

6.  Add the white wine to the rice.  Once absorbed, start adding chicken stock one ladle at a time, stirring continuously, until the rice has soaked it up, then repeat until stock is all gone.  This will take about 15-20 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.

7. Turn off the heat and add the pea puree and chopped bacon.  VOILA! You have made amazing risotto!  Enjoy!

1st post, WHAT WHAT

Hello!

First, I have to admit that this is my first blog ever, so bear with me!  (Side note: As I was typing this out, I had to google whether to write "bear" or "bare".  Glad I did that, otherwise I would have been asking you to get nakie with me...) 

ANYWAY, this blog will be a place where you can find recipes for foods I make frequently, which will consist of a lot of Mexican food (Yum!), as well as a place to share new recipes that are firsts for me. 

I tend to not follow recipes to the exact measurements, I believe in adding more of what you love, and what you feel will make something THAT much better.

You'll probably notice that there are a few ingredients I use A LOT.  With that said, if you don't like garlic, onion and parmesan cheese, this isn't the place for you!  

Watch out for my first food post!

Tor