It's never too late for Christmas!!!

This week I received a package in the mail from Linda. I was giddy with excitement! It was her Christmas present to me, yipppeee! I don't know if you all know it but Linda is a domestic goddess! Every year her and her mother make home made jams, jellies and syrups and guess who gets to reap the rewards? That's right! Me, me, me! Unfortunately, when I moved last year I was not able to bring my goodies with me so I doled them out to Nancy and my family. Knowing I didn't have any of my goodies from last year Linda stocked me up and not only that, she sent a cool basket to go with it! There was blueberry and marionberry syrup as well as apple and grape jelly (no seeds) and strawberry, rasberry and marionberry jam (seeds). Needless to say the first thing I did was go out and buy some english muffins so I could pop open my grape jelly for breakfast. A much tastier breakfast then cereal!

I have to say, I'm having a lot of fun with the basket. As soon as I saw it I wanted to fill it up and go on a picnic (the pic that came with it had a baguette as the woman walked down the street) but since that is unrealistic I am using my basket for my groceries. I walked to Target the other day with my basket swinging on my arm. Now everytime I go to the store I tell them I don't want a bag, just put everything in my basket. I use it as my shopping cart too. The baggers are still adjusting to not bagging everything. I'm constantly pulling things out of bags. I don't want anymore bags, I have a closet full! I have to say, I feel so cosmopolitan shopping with my basket. Of course, when I was telling Nancy how chick I was I was in sweats that have seen better days and my old ugly tennis shoes, LOL. When I was visiting Nes they all brought their own baskets to the store, it's the norm there.

Today I made Jennie's Potato and Fennel Gratin. Here is the recipe:
Prep: 15 min. Cook: 1:15 hr.

For 6 servings you'll need:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 med onion, thinly sliced
2 med fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
2 tsp. minced garlic
6 med or 4 lg Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
2/3 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup fat free half and half cream
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp. Smart Balance margerine to coat a baking dish


Topping
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
3 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. melted Smart Balance margerine

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly coat shallow baking dish with 1 tsp. Smart balance margerine.
3. Heat oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over med/med-hi heat.
4. Saute onion, fennel, and garlic for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until softened.
5. Layer potatoes, fennel mixture, parmesan, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in “buttered” baking dish. (like lasagna)
6. Beat egg and whites with cream, and pour evenly over vegetables.
7. Combine topping ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle topping over top.
8. Bake uncovered about 1 hour to 1:15 hours or until potatoes are tender and topping is golden.

Note: This recipe originally called for heavy cream, butter, 3 whole eggs, and an 8 oz. package of Marscapone cheese (marscapone cheese was combined with cream and egg in step 7). I substituted in fat free half and half, Smart Balance, 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites, and omitted the M. cheese to make it a healthier side dish. Add more or use less salt and pepper to your taste. You can add 1 tsp. fresh minced rosemary too, but I don't care for rosemary.

*Fennel: Remove stalks, tough or discolored outer layers, and trim a little off the base. Slice the bulb vertically, from stalk to base The "half moon" inner core holds the bulb together. Cut out that dense core, discard and you're ready to slice the fennel.

This is my first time using fennel in a dish, it actually has a sweet taste to it. I found the topping to be a little redundant since the top layer was bread crumbs and cheese so I don't think it's necessary. I only made a little topping and it burnt. Next time I would cover the dish for at least half of the cooking time. I also added more half and half as I was cooking because it was drying out but I think covering it will keep it more moist. That being said, I ate myself silly. The dish turned out wonderfully and it's totally adaptable. I like the fact that it gave me a base for a lower calorie au gratin. Jennie did wonderful job of making it healthier while keeping it tasty!I also cheated like I said in response to Aimee and bought a rotiserrie chicken to go with it. It was a fabulous dinner!

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About Leiha

I love to eat and sleep. One thing is more fun to blog about than the other. In between eating and sleeping I love to travel, spend time with my family and talk about myself. :)