Food is my love language
A perfect light lunch after my grocery shopping today. Everything you see here is from Trader Joe’s. no, they don’t pay me to say that although I wish they would.
Here’s what it took:
Sourdough bread slices
Sliced goat milk Brie
Sliced pear
Drizzle of olive oil
Broil for few minutes
Then drizzle honey
And a few grinds of black pepper
Success! I have conquered scalloped potatoes au gratin and am inspired to make them again – but better! I would definitely add more cheese on top because I like them to be a little more cheesy and a more substantial “crust” on top. I am thinking about putting in some finely chopped oyster mushrooms between layers of potatoes. Bacon or pancetta would be good, too. The possibilities are endless! All in all they were really easy to make and are perfect for a Sunday night dinner because they do take a while in the oven.
Ingredients:
1 3 lb bag of gold potatoes or some other yellowish waxy potatoes
1 – 2 cups grated cheese – I used this Gruyere-Cheddar blend but any semi-hard cheese would probably do
3 cups 2% milk
two garlic cloves, whole
one sprig of thyme
dash of nutmeg
salt to taste
oil spray
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. slice the potatoes about 1/4 inch thick with a mandolin
3. warm the milk in a saucepan with the garlic cloves, thyme, sprinkle of nutmeg, and salt
4. Grate the cheese and set aside
5. Spray a baking dish with the oil spray and arrange about 1/3 if the potatoes on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle on some cheese. Repeat until all the potatoes are arranged in the dish. Top with the last bit of cheese.
6. Pour warmed milk over the entire thing. It is going to seem like a lot of liquid but, trust me, the potatoes soak it all up. Remember that when you are adding salt to the milk mixture – you’re going to want to put more than you think.
7. Bake covered in foil for 45 minutes then take out, take off the foil, and put back in for another 25 – 30 minutes. Let cool and (if you can wait) DIG IN!
And that’s what I did! Yum!
It’s low in fat, it has some carbs, some protein, even a gram of fiber, and – hello – it has chocolate! This Trader Joe’s version is even fortified with vitamins. It’s perfect to replenish what was lost during a run. I’m going to try and double up my miles this week and am probably going to need something a little more than chocolate soy milk. Any suggestions?
With all the money I have been spending lately on Christmas presents, decorations, and things if the like, I have been dreading spending more money on things I really need like food and gas. It’s silly I know but what is even more silly is how empty my refrigerator has become. I don’t think I have seen a refrigerator that empty since I moved in! I will be paying a visit to Sprouts and Trader Joes tonight for sure!
This past Friday was a big day for me so I decided to celebrate with pizza, wine, and friends. I bought some pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe’s (but dough is super easy to make – just didn’t have yeast) and used what I had in the fridge to make a delicious mushroom, arugula pizza with truffle oil. I had fun showing my friend Monica how to stretch out the pizza dough. I also made a pepperoni and mushroom pizza for the meat-eaters. Fun night with friends!
The Love Language of Food 