Mashed Potato Gratin from Cooking Light

I love, love, LOVE this recipe. It is perfect for a pot luck or a fancy Thanksgiving feast. 

Although Yukon Gold potatoes give this cheesy gratin extra buttery flavor and color, russets will also work.

ingredients
4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 cup (4 ounces) fontina cheese, shredded and divided
3/4 cup (3 ounces) Gruyere cheese, shredded and divided
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup warm 1% low fat milk (100 - 110 degrees)
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place potatoes in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Return potatoes to pan. Add 3/4 cup fontina cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper to pan; mash with a fork or potato masher until well combined. Add warm milk to pan; continue mashing potato mixture until desired consistency. Spoon into a 13x9-inch  baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup fontina cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Gruyere cheese. Cover with aluminum foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; remove and discard foil. 
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Broil gratin 5 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly. 

Yield: 14 servings. (Serving size: 1/2 cup)

Apple Crisp

I do not know the source of this recipe. I found it on the printer at work and made a copy. Turns out it is a pretty good recipe. I don't even like cooked apples and I ate this!

1 cup flour (gluten free)
1 cup oatmeal (gluten free)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

8-10 med-large apples, peeled, cored, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Put apples in a 13x9-inch pan, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Combine other ingredients and sprinkle over apple mixture.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. 

Roasted Cauliflower with Shallots from The Washington Post

Roasting releases the sweetness hidden deep inside the cauliflower florets. 

Makes 4 servings. 

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 3-inch florets
3/4 cup shallots, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (2 or 3 tablespoons)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
leaves from 1/4 bunch flat-leaf or curly parsley, chopped (1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or a silicon liner. 

Arrange the cauliflower florets and shallots on the baking sheet in a single layer, then sprinkle with the oil and water; toss to coat evenly. Roast for 30 minutes or until minutes or until the edges of the cauliflower and shallots have browned. 

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the top and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the parsley and serve hot. 

The Washington Post acknowledges that the recipe was adapted from Judy Zatsick, gardener at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria. 

Sweet Potato Casserole

The recipe calls for canned sweet potatoes, but I often use fresh! I cook them in the microwave to save time. 

ingredients
3 cups (1 tall can) sweet potatoes drained & mashed
1 cup sugar (I scale this WAY back to about 1/3 cup)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick butter, melted

Combine the above ingredients together with mixer until well blended, adding the melted butter last. Spread the mixture in the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans (halves or pieces)
1/2 cup flour (gluten free flour if needed!)
1/3 cup butter (softened or slightly melted)

Combine the above ingredients together & mix with fork until well blended. Spread on top of sweet potato mixture. 

Place in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until topping is crunchy looking. 

My Mom's Cranberry Mold

This is simple yet so yummy & a nice change from traditional cranberry sauce. 

2 small or 1 large raspberry jelly
1 can whole cranberry sauce
7 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained

Boil 2 1/4 water, add raspberry jello, stir well & transfer to a bowl.
Add cranberry sauce & crushed pineapple to raspberry jello mixture & stir. 
Transfer to a pyrex dish or jello-mold and chill until firm. 

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole from Cooking Light

for crisper broccoli, remove it from boiling water after three minutes. Serve with a simple green salad. 

Ingredients

3 quarts water
1 (12-ounce) package broccoli florets
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
dash of nutmeg
1 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed 30% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup(4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, and cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer broccoli to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add chicken to boiling water; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cool slightly. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, and add chicken to bowl with broccoli. 

Combine evaporated milk, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add mayonnaise to broccoli mixture; stir gently until combined. 

Spoon mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until mixture bubbles at the edges and cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven; let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes. 

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about cup)

CALORIES 276 (25% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 3.5g, mono 1.8, poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 31.1g; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 365mg; SODIUM 696mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 1.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.9g

How to Make This Gluten Free?

*Use all-purpose gluten free flour
*use Daisy sour cream
*use gluten free mushroom soup

Braised Pork Loin with Port & Prunes from Cooking Light

This is a favorite dish in my family. My mother discovered the recipe and my sister and I have embraced it! 

Braised Pork Loin with Port & Prunes
Yield: 8 servings
Cooking Time: 5 to 8 hours on HIGH
Slow Cooker Size: 5 1/2 quart oval

ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (4 pound) boneless pork loin roast
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled & sliced
1 large leek, white part only, rinse well and finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup port
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth or chicken stock (make sure to buy gluten free!)
1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) pitted prunes
2 bay leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium head. 

In a small bowl combine the pepper, salt, sage, mustard and thyme. Trim the excess fat from the port and rub the surface of the roast with the spice mixture. Tie the roast at 2 in intervals with heavy kitchen string.

Brown the pork on all sides and transfer to a plate. Add the onions, leek and carrot to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Scrape the vegetables into the insert of the slow cooker. Place the roast on top of the vegetables. Add the port, broth, prunes and bay leaves. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 to 8 hours, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center registers 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the bay leaves. Transfer the roast to a caring board and slice. Place the sliced pork on a serving platter and keep warm while you prepare the sauce. 

Scoop 8 to 10 prunes and some of the cooking liquid from the insert into a food processor or blender; process until smooth. 

Return the pureed prunes to the remaining cooking liquid. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the pork before serving or pass is separately.