Blog - Girl and Her Kitchen

Rosemary Cheddar Au Gratin Potatoes

Are you ready for the best Easter side dish you have ever had in your life?

Yes? Then please proceed because you are just about to read all about it.

I am a huge potato fan. Like, an obsessed fan. Like an “I can eat potatoes every day for every meal” type of fan.

Crazy huh?

The funny thing, I wasn’t always like that. When I was pregnant with my first child, I went through that stage where every food you thought you liked turned you off and cravings of oranges, white flour bread and pasta, and, most of all, POTATOES, took over my life!

Fried, roasted, mashed, baked…give them to me in any preparation and I was all over it. Like my pregnancy hatred of onions and garlic, I thought it would subside over time after I had my baby.

Here I am. Ten years later. Still in love with potatoes.

So, of course, when someone gave me this recipe a few years back, it made our rotation more than it should have due to its very decadent nature. It was actually sent to me in one of those recipe chain letters. Did you ever do one of those? I hate chain letters in general, especially as an adult. I mean, it feels weird to take part in something like that as an adult, let’s be honest! Anyways, because this was a recipe one, it intrigued me. I was promised something like 48 recipes from people! How could I say no?

I received one. One recipe. O-N-E.

Well, the light at the end of that tunnel was that it was seriously the best recipe in the world with one of my favorite ingredients. Did you guess potatoes? If so, I now know you pay attention to what I write! Thank you!

This recipe soon fell off of my meal rotation because it is so decadent, it truly deserves a place at a holiday table. I am not a fan of ham, but it goes perfectly with a baked ham or roast chicken dinner. It would be great for Thanksgiving as well in the place of the traditional mashed potatoes.

Leftovers? Toss with ham and broccoli for another meal ready to go! Serve with eggs for a cheesy egg dish. Toss in some thawed, frozen peas and cooked crumbled bacon for a twist on the side dish.

You can make this in a large casserole dish, or in small little ramekins. Whatever floats your boat works for this versatile dish that is sure to please!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Rosemary Cheddar Au Gratin Potatoes

Butter, for baking dish
4 lbs of Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled, sliced very thin
2 large shallots, sliced thin
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together cream, shallots, rosemary, salt and pepper. In a single layer in a buttered 13×9 baking dish, arrange potato slices. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese over top. Layer with another layer of potatoes. Pour cream mixture over the top. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour, covered. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 40 minutes more until cheese is melted and potatoes are tender. If you like it extra browned on top, put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes before taking it out of the oven. Remove from oven and let sit for five minutes before serving.

Your dish will look like this picture very soon after serving. This is what it looks like when the kids love dinner. Oh, there were other things to eat too. This took top billing, as you can see from the remains! This makes a lot though, so we still had plenty of leftovers!

What is your favorite side dish for Easter?

Let me know in the comments!

Easter

Easter Yard Signs {Pottery Barn Hack!}

I am a lover of Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids, but a lot of the time, not a lover of their prices. A couple years back my sister-in-law saw these adorable Easter signs (sorry the originals are no longer on the Pottery Barn kids website)…and then she saw the price! If my memory serves right, they were around $40 per sign.

Eeekkk!

But have no fear! We can make them and for about $5 per yard sign, less if you already have the paint. They are an adorable way to get your yard ready for Easter and can be personalized easily for you and your family.

Here is what you’ll need:

-Wood: I bought one 3/4″x9″x8′ board (you’ll need more or less depending on how many signs you are making) For the taller signs I cut the boards to 13″ so the signs ended up being 9″x13″. The wider pink chick sign was made from a piece of scrap wood I had lying around and is 12″x13″

-Paint and paint brushes: I used both spray paint (Rust-oleum American Accents) and acrylic/craft paint for the actual design

-Chosen design picture printed off or traced/drawn on a paper: Here’s the fun part. I looked all over the internet for cute Easter ideas. For Crew’s sign I used an Easter Basket from clipart. For Ryder’s I found a picture of Peter Rabbit that I adored. You get the idea, find something you love and use it!

-A pen and some tape to transfer the image to your wood

-Polyacrylic clear coat spray

-Garden stakes or larger paint stirring sticks. ( I bought a pack of garden stakes and my sister-in-law used paint sticks. The garden stakes are more heavy duty and can be found at your local hardware store.)

Now lets get crafting!

Step 1: Cut your wood or have the wood department at your local hardware store cut the wood to the desired length. Again my taller signs were 9″x13″ and my wider sign was 12″x13″. Sand the edges if necessary.

Step 2: Paint your sign(s). I used spray paint to paint the base of each of my signs but craft paint would work just as well.

Step 3: While your sign is drying, print of the image you would like to paint on your sign. Clip art is a good source to find some cute easy designs. Simplicity is actually quite chic.

Step 4: Place your paper on top of your wood and tape it in place. You don’t want it moving while you are making your indentations. Grab your pen and with moderate pressure trace along the lines of your image. this will create a faint indention on your wood allowing you to then “color inside the lines”. Repeat this step with any words/names to personalize your signs If you don’t like this method you could use transfer paper or simply freehand the image.

Just a regular ball point pen works great for making the indentations

Can you see the little indentations? Now you just paint inside the lines and add as much or as little detail as you want.

If your house is like my house and you don’t always get the crafting done during naptime, the kiddos always want to be involved too!

The finished product.

Step 5: Spray your sign with a protective clear coat. This sign is going to be outside in the elements so make sure you spray it with a clear coat of polyacrylic. You don’t want April showers washing away all of that hard work.

Step 6: Screw or nail the garden stake to your sign. Make sure you don’t go crazy with the screwdriver. You don’t want to split your sign in half. Now stake that adorable sign in your yard and enjoy a Happy Easter.

Here are all the signs we have made together, one for each of our kiddos and a couple extra for fun.

I can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with!

Do you have a fun craft planned for Easter? Please share in the comments below!

Pasta Sauces and Condiments

Baked Ziti

My children happen to be picky eaters (not fun for me!) and there are very few things they all like. So when I need a no fuss, no meltdown night, our meal usually includes some sort of pasta. My children love spaghetti and anything even remotely close to it, so this recipe is always a hit.

The best part? Adults love it too!

This can be prepared early in the day for less stress later, and freezes beautifully.

Not a meat eater? This recipe easily adapts to vegetarian and tastes great even without the meat.

I am sure this will become a family favorite in your home too. And then, you will thank me for that very rare, meltdown free dinner time with your family.

You’re welcome!

Baked Ziti

1 lb. ground beef, ground turkey, or Italian sausage – (sometimes I use a combination of beef and sausage) – omit if making the vegetarian version
1 medium onion, chopped, only if using meat version
1 pound part skim ricotta or1% cottage cheese, small curd
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces grated parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cups
1 pound ziti or similar pasta like penne
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves, finely minced, about 5 teaspoons
1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream or whole milk ( if using whole milk instead of cream increase cornstarch to 2 teaspoons and the cooking time by 1-2 minutes)
8-12 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Place oven rack in the middle of oven at 350 degrees. If using ground beef or turkey cook in skillet with the chopped onion and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.

2. Whisk ricotta or cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup of parmesan cheese together and set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and pasta; stir occasionally and cook until pasta begins to soften but not cooked all the way through, approx. 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander. The pasta will finish cooking in the oven. Set pot aside to use later.

3. While pasta is cooking, heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not browned, approx. 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomoatoes, honey, basil and oregano. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, Take off heat and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Mix cornstarch into heavy cream and transfer to the empty pot the pasta cooked in. Set the pot over medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, approx. 3-4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of the simmered tomato sauce, and half the mozzarella cheese, then stir to combine. (If using meat add at this time) Add pasta and stir until pasta is thoroughly coated.

5. To transfer mixture to a 9×13 inch baking dish pour half the mixture in dish and half the remaining tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, then repeat. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the top. Cover the dish with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Remove foil and continue cooking until cheese is browning and bubbling. Approx. 30 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

*This can also be divided into two 8X8 baking dishes. I like to do this and freeze one to either have another time or to bring to another family*

Enjoy!!

Appetizers Snacks

Rosemary + Garlic Scented Popcorn with Parmesan

I love popcorn.

Not the kind that comes in microwave packages. (Don’t eat that!) I don’t really care for the kind in bags at the grocery store either. It is just…missing something. I prefer to make mine on the stove. Popcorn seeds with a little bit of oil and salt is all you really need, and you have an amazingly delicious snack. It’s so easy.

What’s better than THIS popcorn? The popcorn recipe that I am about to share. It is pretty much my classic popcorn recipe, but trashed up with a bunch of delicious other things that I love.

This particular popcorn recipe takes just a little prep and time, but is requested a lot around here. It is pretty much a staple at our book club meetings, and is a fabulous addition to any movie night or party.

Who am I kidding? It is also great to make when you are home watching a movie, alone, and you are hungry.

It really is addicting, so you may thank me, or you may hate me for passing this along. Regardless, it is worth tucking away.

I love recipes like this. The recipes that are so easy, but seem like you discovered some amazing technique to make something THIS delicious.

Make sure you read through the recipe. The Rosemary Garlic Oil should sit at least two days. I keep a bottle around at all times. It is perfect to use for this popcorn or for marinating fish and chicken. It is also delicious drizzled over grilled vegetables or for roasting potatoes.

Rosemary Garlic Oil

1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup olive oil (do NOT use extra virgin)
3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
6 garlic cloves, peeled

Combine all ingredients in a large glass jar. Seal tightly and keep at room temperature for at least 48 hours.

Rosemary + Garlic Scented Popcorn with Parmesan

3/4 cup rosemary garlic oil (only the oil–do not pour the rosemary sprigs or garlic into the pot)
1/2 cup popcorn seeds
popcorn salt
freshly grated parmagiano-reggiano cheese

Heat oil in a heavy duty saucepan with a lid. Add seeds. Seeds should be covered lightly in oil. Add another teaspoon or so of oil if that is not the case. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover pot tightly with lid and let it heat. Once you hear the first kernel pop, using oven mitts, start shaking the pot over the fire to toss the popcorn around. Keep doing that until you hear the popping slow down. Once popping has slowed to one or two pops, turn off flame. Keep it covered until you are sure that popping has ceased. Remove the lid, pour popcorn into bowl. Sprinkle parmesan over hot popcorn. Sprinkle with more salt if desired.

Desserts St. Patrick's Day

Healthy Shamrock Shake

So it’s that time of year.

The time everyone goes strangely crazy for those green shakes at McDonalds! I mean, have you met one of the die hard shamrock shake lovers? They are intense.

They know the exact moment the shakes are available. All of a sudden it’s on Facebook…everywhere.

“Just got a shamrock shake!”

“My first of MANY shamrock shakes this season!”

“This day basically sucked-but not now!” (photo of someone holding a shamrock shake)

These are just a couple examples of real things I saw about shamrock shakes on Facebook. (I am not kidding). I mean, should I really be seeing this much about a…shake?

Apparently, this shake is a BIG deal! I think I had one once, but drinking that much mint is not really my thing unless it is covered by chocolate so it wasn’t for me. I do, however, realize that people are all about this shake, so I thought I would make it easy for those that don’t want all the sugar and junk in their shake to still enjoy the shamrock shake season. (That’s what it actually seems like-a season!)

My kids, at least the two that like mint-one will not touch it, loved this shake. They sucked it down and wanted more. The other one wouldn’t even get close because it “smelled like peppermint”. The horrors!

I know many of you will still go and get that shake at McDonalds, and that is great! Live a little! Drink a shake! But, if you are seriously addicted, you may want to add this healthy, superfood shake to your rotation.

Healthy Shamrock Shake
Serves 2

1 cup fresh spinach
1 1/4 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1/2 avocado
1 cup frozen banana chunks
handful of crushed ice
1-2 tblsp honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 tsp peppermint extract

Pulse together spinach and only 1 cup of almond milk until completely blended. Add the other 1/4 cup almond milk, avocado, banana, ice and 1 tbsp honey. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Pulse until well combined and taste. Adjust with more honey or peppermint if necessary. Pour into a serving glass and garnish with mint if desired.

Salads and Dressings Vegetables and Fruit

Tex-Mex Rainbow Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

So, the weather hit the 50’s over here this past weekend and we are anticipating it again. You know what that means if you live in the midwest and just suffered through a long winter, right?

Break out the light jackets, turn on the grill and slice up the watermelon!

You think I am joking, but I am actually not! My kids (and my husband and I) felt like it was summer this weekend. Which is actually really funny because if it hit 50 degrees in August, we would all be complaining how bad the summer weather was and there was nothing to do, blah, blah , blah. But, in March? We were all throwing open our windows and proclaiming it a “beautiful day!” The kids were rejoicing outside with light or no jackets, riding their bikes through puddles and jumping off them and dumping them right in the…snow.

We were doing sidewalk chalk all over our soggy driveway and blowing bubbles outside as if it were the most beautiful summer day. My youngest asked if we could go to the pool later. We could all feel summer creeping closer.

So, as expected, I started to get into the warm weather spirit and fresh food was on my mind. Ditch the soups and heavy comfort foods, I wanted something crisp, something light, something…you would eat when it was actually much warmer than 50 degrees outside.

Enter this beautiful salad. It is so beautiful, it almost pains you to take the salad tongs and mix it all up. You will soon forget those feelings though when you drizzle it with creamy avocado dressing and maybe crunch a few tortilla chips over the top of it.

Ahh…summer at its finest. Well, at least when you are pretending it’s summer.

The salad can really be played with to your liking. Add what you like, take out what you don’t. It’s easy like that. Easy like a lazy summer day.

Had enough with the summer references? Ha! Get ready-they will be on overdrive for the next few months!

Save Print

Tex-Mex Rainbow Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Author: Heather

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Lunch or Dinner

This fresh salad recipe is great for a quick lunch or perfect for a light dinner. Add some protein and it will fill you up for hours.

Ingredients

Tex Mex Salad:
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
Tortilla chips, crumbled - optional
Grilled shrimp or chicken - optional
Creamy Avocado Dressing
2 garlic cloves
1 avocado, pit and skin removed
⅓ cup cilantro, torn
1-2 limes, juiced
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp chili powder

Instructions

Arrange all salad ingredients on a serving platter.
For dressing, Add garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse until it is in small pieces.
Add avocado, cilantro and lime juice and pulse until smooth.
Drizzle in olive oil.
Pulse.
Add honey, salt and chili powder.
Pulse until smooth and creamy.
Adjust taste with extra seasonings, extra lime juice, olive oil if necessary.
Dressing should be thick and creamy, but pourable.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
Drizzle over salad and serve immediately.
Leftovers can be stored for three days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Appetizers Snacks St. Patrick's Day Vegetables and Fruit

Kale and White Bean Pesto Dip

‘Tis the season for the month of green food!

Yes, I am one of those moms. I totally am and I wear the badge proud! When March comes around, I start to compile all of the green foods I can possibly make, eat, create, etc.

Green lime sherbet floats. Oh yeah. Green tortilla chips and dip? Got ’em. Green muffins? Perfect for this month. Making a bean dip with kale and lots of other delicious things? Sounds right up my alley.

I even go beyond the green for this month. Rainbow food is also top on my list! This fruit rainbow is my favorite. So cute!

What? Doesn’t every child get a green lunch on St. Patrick’s day?

I love getting into the spirit, no matter what that spirit is! I just love celebrating things. That’s me-Miss Celebration. My kids are either going to grow up loving holidays…or thinking their mother is absolutely crazy.

It’s a toss up.

Want this recipe? Check out my Kids in the Kitchen with Girl and Her Kitchen feature on Little Lake County.

Cookies & Bars Valentine's Day

Cookie Truffles

Every year I struggle with what to give my husband for Valentine’s Day. Something small and thoughtful but something that he likes. I usually go with chocolate. My husband loves chocolate. Who doesn’t, right?

A few years ago my cousin Tricia made these Cookie Truffles. My husband loved them and begged me to get the recipe. When my cousin Tricia told me how to make them, I couldn’t believe how easy they were.

What is also so great about these cookie truffles, is that they are adaptable. Cover them in chocolate and any kind of sprinkles that match the occasion. You could use different kinds of chocolate. Here I used dark chocolate and pink and red sprinkles for Valentine’s Day. I have seen them dipped in white chocolate to look like a melted snowman.

Oh, I like that. Maybe I will try that next Christmas!

They are great to take to a party or give as a hostess gift.

I made these for my husband this weekend. Hope he likes his Valentine’s Day gift!

Cookie Truffles

Ingredients

36 chocolate sandwich cookies ( I used Oreo cookies)

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened

1 10-12 oz package of chocolate ( I used dark chocolate)melted

Place cookies and cream cheese in the food processor and mix until completely blended.

Shape into about 48 1 inch balls. Freeze for 10 minutes. Dip in melted chocolate. Place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place sprinkles on truffles. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Store in refrigerator.

That’s it!!! How easy!! Enjoy!!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Breakfast Muffins & Scones Valentine's Day

Peanut Butter Muffins

These muffins are killing me.

I mean, why can’t they make a muffin pan with a single serving? Making twelve muffins at a time just makes me want to eat all of them. I cannot stop at just one.

Especially ones that taste like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Which happen to be my most favorite sandwich that I never make or eat. I know…weird. I love having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I just cannot ever find the perfect time to eat one. I mean, I cannot have a sweet sandwich for lunch. Too much bread for me for breakfast, and forty something year olds just don’t eat peanut butter sandwiches for dinner.

At least they probably don’t admit it if they do.

So, this muffin is the perfect compromise. The delicious nutty taste of peanut butter, and then, depending on how you make it, the sweetness of jam or chocolate chips. Perfect anytime! Unfortunately though, that 12 cup muffin pan might be your demise. Tread carefully!

Check out this recipe over at Little Lake County! My kids in the kitchen post is up and you can make a batch of these this weekend!

Enjoy these!

Someone did over here too!

Breakfast Cookies & Bars Snacks

Quinoa Granola Bars

I have always loved a good granola bar. I love the ones that have it all. You know the ones? They have a delicious nutty crunch, maybe some tart dried fruit and, of course, we cannot forget the chocolate.

Can I throw in there that I really do not want artificial ingredients, tons of sugar, and unhealthy fats?

Am I being too picky?

Probably, if we are talking store bought granola bars (I do have some favorites though! I love KIND bars and Larabars!).

That’s why I decided to just make my own. I could get everything I want, and then some, and I would be assured that they are good for my family.

Better yet? These are gluten free and can be vegan if you use dairy free chocolate chips!

Healthy snack. Easy snack. Tasty snack.

Perfect snack.

Quinoa Granola Bars

1 1/4 uncooked quinoa

1 1/4 cup uncooked oats

3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup slivered almonds, or chopped nuts of your choice (I have used cashews and pistachios before)

1/2 cup dried fruit (I have used raisins, dried cranberries and dried cherries-all delicious!)

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)

3/4 cup honey

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup chocolate chips (you can add to the bar or melt and drizzle on top)

On a large sheet pan, sprinkle oats and quinoa. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes on 325 degrees. Take out of the oven and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add salt, coconut, nuts and fruit. Toss to combine. In a microwave safe bowl, warm peanut butter for 30 seconds until it is slightly “melty”. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, coconut oil and brown sugar. Mix until smooth and pour into dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips and stir gently until all ingredients are incorporated together. Line a 13×9 inch pan with parchment paper that hangs over the sides and grease lightly with coconut oil or non stick spray. Press mixture into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool for 2 hours +. If you would like to add some chocolate drizzle, melt chips in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl for 30 second intervals until smooth, but not over cooked. Drizzle on top of granola bars. Let chocolate set until hardened. Remove bars by pulling up on the parchment paper and put on a hard, flat surface to cut. Cut into bars. Store in a sealed container on the counter for three days, the refrigerator for 3 weeks or the freezer for three months.