One of the things I noticed right away after having kids was that the time or desire for talking on the phone no longer existed. My children can be playing quietly or even asleep but the second I get a phone call, they make a beeline for me and put an abrupt end to any adult conversation with questions, demands, or telling me they have to or have just pooped.
Lucky for me, around the same time that my son was born, texting became the accepted and preferred way to communicate with just about everyone I know. Scrolling through my phone at the end of the day can be an amusing snapshot of how my day went and the kind of friends that played a role in it. Do you see yourself in any of the categories below?
The hungry pregnant friend: "I want some really good chicken fingers with ranch" and "Where is there a donut shop?" These texts often come in at strange times because pregnant friends like to taunt their sleep deprived mom friends with the fact that they could be sleeping but aren't.
The workout motivator: "Did you get a workout in this morning?! Perfect weather for a run!" Depending on whether or not this text arrives before coffee you might hate this person but either way, unless you've already worked out, this text is super annoying. (Bonus points if your pregnant friend is also your workout motivator)
The best friend: "I'm in the Starbuck's Drive-Thru. I'll be there in 5." They know your order and they know you're home.
The 'not quite there yet' texter: These narratives often take the form of a hybrid voicemail-meets- email from your mom who knows you probably don't have time to talk at 11 a.m but somehow manages to do it anyway via giant texts. "Hi Kate, it's Mom. I just wanted to say hi and see how it went last night. It's snowing really hard here but Dad and I are getting ready to go out to breakfast and were wondering if you wanted us to mail you....." These texts disappear from your phone's screen before you can get to the punchline but you make a mental note to call later.
The perfect husband: "On the way. Want wine?" Experience and self preservation combine to ensure all is well at home after a long day. In time the wine in that sentence will be understood and the text will become a question only of "red or white?" but for now, I'm happy to reply a simple 'Y.'
Who am I kidding? My reply will still be 'Y'
I'm so excited to team up with The Kim Six Fix and this group of amazing bloggers to share The Ultimate Recipe Challenge Blog Hop with you today! Each challenge will have a theme ingredient and our first challenge ingredient is potatoes. (Endless possibilities right?!)
We love combining cheddar and Gruyere cheeses in our homemade macaroni and cheese but for this challenge we decided to try mixing Gruyere with a Dubliner for a St. Patrick's Day spin on a potato gratin.
We used our mandoline slicer to get the potatoes super thin but you could also use the slicing attachment on a food processor. Just get them as thin as you can!
The bubbling cream mixture that froths out of the sides of this dish when it's finished is practically dessert-like and it smells like fondue while it's cooking. Even though we make this for a side dish, it's rich enough that it could easily be the main dish served with a salad. My thoughts are more along the line of 'so rich it's best served with a good steak and an even better wine' but that's just me.
Our 'Pot O' Gold Gratin' came out so savory and delicious and I can't wait to try the recipes the other bloggers came up with for the challenge!
Ingredients:
3 Pounds Gold Potatoes
1 Cup Finely Shredded Gruyere Cheese
1 Cup Finely Shredded Dubliner
3/4 Cup Whole Milk
1 3/4 Cups Heavy Cream
2 Cloves Fresh Garlic (smashed)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill (plus more for garnish)
Salt and Pepper
Butter for dish
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Butter the bottom and the sides of a casserole/baking dish
3. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes using a mandoline slicer or food processor ( about 1/8 inch)
4. Combine milk, cream, chopped dill, and the smashed garlic in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer
5. While cream mixture is warming, grate cheeses
7. Layer the potatoes and cheese like a lasagna, seasoning as you go with salt and pepper and reserving about 1/4 of the cheese for the topping
8. Pour cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer over the dish to catch the garlic cloves and dill
9. Press hands down on top of the potato mixture forcing the liquid between the layers of the potatoes
10. Sprinkle remaining cheese mixture over the top layer
11. Bake for 90 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and browning to look like a Pot 'O Gold!
Garnish the finished dish with some sprigs of dill and serve in cheesy stacks. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Potato Gratin
Be sure to check out how all of the other bloggers used their Potatoes in this Ultimate Recipe Challenge!
