It tastes better than it looks...

I swear! The "it" I'm referring to is black bean smash. I first made this Rachael Ray recipe a few months ago, and we loved it so much I make it all the time. I also make it because it is simple. And I love simple things. How I make it is really just based on her recipe. Below is how I make it.


Black Bean Smash

• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 large or 1 small white onion, chopped
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp evoo
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• pinch of kosher salt
• chicken broth (optional)

Heat evoo in pan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook a minute more.

Add half can of black beans to the pan, combine with onions and garlic, and smash with back of fork or potato masher.

Add rest of beans, along with seasonings. Mix well and heat. This last time I made them I kept adding a chicken broth a little at a time (tbsp or so) so they wouldn't dry out as I finished dinner. I liked the end result.



I served the black beans with Cilantro Turkey Burgers from Cooking Light. Yes I served the burgers with the black beans, not the other way around, because I am in love with black beans and they are the best part to me. I love how these burgers taste and they are very juicy. I make them just like the recipe, only I don't serve them with the ketchup; Justin doesn't want to try it. We just melt monterey jack cheese over it and serve it on nicely toasted buns.

I also made roasted red potatoes to go with the burgers. Just chop the potatoes into chuncks, toss with evoo and some sort of seasoning, and roast at 400 for 20-30 minutes. This time I sprinkled them with cumin and chili powder.

It tastes like fried cheese

A few weeks ago I had seen a recipe for au gratin potatoes on Ally's blog Culinary Infatuation. Never having had au gratin potatoes before, I wasn't even sure what au gratin potatoes were. My only experience with them had been seeing the boxed kind on the grocery store shelf.

And to be perfectly honest, potatoes that come from a box or bag scare me a little. They have an awful taste and an even worst texture. The few times my mom made mashed potatoes from a box growing up I refused to eat them. I can tell the difference no matter what you do to them. I need real potatos full of starchy goodness. And when I saw this recipe I knew that I had to have them. I mean, who can go wrong with cheese and potatoes (fresh potatoes that is)?

So tonight was the night to make them. The only thing change I made to the original recipe was to use two giant red potatoes instead of three medium Yukon golds and only making two layers of the potatoes and sauce because, well, that seemed enough to me; I had also cut my potatoes a little thicker than I should have. I also used already ground nutmeg instead of freshly grated. I almost omitted the nutmeg altogether, but I'm glad I left it in because it added a nice, nutty undertone to the dish that I really like (I really sound like I know what I'm talking about, don't I).

I was happy with how this turned out and will be making it again. Justin really liked it, too, and went back for seconds. He especially liked how the cheese got crispy on the edges (I will admit that was the best part) and decided that it made the dish taste like fried cheese!