Potatoes Au Gratin ala Meal

Once again I have come up with another way to use up some of those Holiday leftovers. If your like me, the same old things just doesn't cut it anymore. We want new and exciting flavors for our taste buds to enjoy.

To accomplish this feat, I was able to whip out my brand new Black and Decker 10 Cup Food Processor... Santa was sooo good to me this year! I was caught doing the happy dance while the sharp blades made short work of my potato slicing. I'm currently working on more ideas that would involve me using it! Like the perfect Pizza Dough tomorrow!

OK... on to the meal itself. This recipe serves about 6. Adding and subtracting ingredients is a snap so if you do not have something on hand, just improvise!

mmmm Just LOOK at all the cheesy goodness!


1 cup Half & Half
1/2 cup Milk
1 tsp Cayanne Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
4-6 Potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup Gruyere Cheese, grated
1/2 cup Colby Jack Cheese, grated
1 cup sliced Mushrooms
1 cup Turkey & Ham, cooked and chopped
1 cup Spinach, ribboned

1) Preheat oven to 350. Line a casserole dish in foil and spray with butter flavored oil.

2) In medium saucepan mix together cream, milk, cayanne and salt. Bring to boil and add half the potatoes. Let simmer uncovered 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a heat resistant spatula and remove to prepared dish with slotted spoon. Add remaining potatoes into cream sauce and simmer another 5 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, Spread first batch of potatoes in an even layer in prepared dish. Layer on gruyere cheese, mushrooms, turkey, ham and finally spinach. Then cover with second batch of potatoes by pouring them straight on top and spreading out.

Inside this yummy goodness!

4) Bake, uncovered for 45-50 minutes until potatoes are tender all the way through. Sprinkle the colby on top and return to oven for another 10 minutes or until cheese has melted and turned a light brown.

Chicken Parcels

Here we go again... found a great sounding recipe at My Delicious Recipe and couldn't get all the ingredients at our local grocery store. So we had to improvise. If you check out theirs along with mine below you will see how far away I went to get something to come out tasting great with what we could get our hands on.

This recipe will make 6 parcels. If serving this with cheesy rice and sauteed vegetables, you will probably only need one per plate.

3 tbs Butter
1 tbsp Peanut Oil (or Olive)
2 tbsp Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Chicken Season Salt
6 large Basil Leaves
1/2 cup Muenster, grated
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1 tbsp Parsley, dried
1 tsp Oregano, dried
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
6 slices Jalapeno (in a jar is fine)
6 Chicken Thighs, boneless, skinless
2 pks Ham, thin slice lunch meat (Budding)

1) In small skillet melt butter in oil and saute garlic with chicken seasoning. Strain into bowl, reserving liquid for basting later. Let cool at least 10 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet in foil and spray a roasting pan with oil, set on top of foil.

3) In large bowl, mix together cheese, egg, parsley, oregano and pepper. Set aside.

4) Place individual breasts in plastic bag layed out flat. Using hammer, skillet bottom or rolling pin flatten thigh by half thickness.

5) Lay out chicken on flat surface. Place a basil leaf, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a jalapeno slice near the edge. Roll up chicken, then wrap it in a couple of ham slices and use toothpicks to hold it together. Repeat to finish off all thighs.

6) Roll parcels in reserved butter and place on roasting pan. Bake for 20 minutes and baste one more time. Finish baking another 10 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting into them.