Recipes

So this blog is mainly a baby book for my kids and I would be remiss if I didn't include a couple of their absolute favorite foods. Grayson eats a lot like his momma...loves Mediterranean food....salads, tomatoes, pasta, artichokes, dolmathes, olives (I did eat an entire jar of kalamata olives the day before I took the pregnancy test), etc. Matalley on the other hand eats a lot like Matt...meat and potatoes. They both LOVE milk, yogurt, cheese, and fruit so we keep a well stocked kitchen of fresh fruit...grapes, kiwi, apples, pears, bananas, and oranges (sad that clementine season is almost over because it's a staple these days) and dairy. Anyway, there are a few things that they both gobble up and request seconds on....Rigatoni K, Thai Pork Burritos, Meatloaf, and the following 2 recipes. I'm not sure where I got these...online, a magazine, a cookbook...really can't remember, but my kids love them (and so do I).

Potato, Tomato, and Cheese Tart
1 c. grated Gruyere cheese
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese
4 c. thinly-sliced unpeeled potatoes
1 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 TB minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
5 large plum tomatoes, halved crosswise, seeded and thinly sliced

Heat oven to 425'. Coat a 9 in. pie pan with cooking spray. Place the potato slices in a large microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 4 min. Meanwhile, in skillet heat oil over low heat. Add garlic and stir 2 min. or until golden. Remove from heat, stir in salt and pepper. Add to potatoes and gently mix. Cover potatoes with new piece of plastic wrap and microwave 5 min. Arrange layer of overlapping potato slices in bottom of pie plate. Combine cheeses and sprinkle half over potatoes. Top cheese with half of tomato slices. Arrange remaining potatoes in layer over tomatoes. Top with cheese and then the remaining tomatoes. Place piece of parchment on top and tightly cover with foil. Bake 40 min. Remove parchment/foil and bake 15 more min. Let cool 10 min. I serve it plated with a green salad with balsamic vinegar dressing.

Monster Cookies (we don't have sweets very often, but these are yummy and with all that oatmeal, can't be too bad for us!)
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. light karo syrup
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 ou. plain m&ms

Mix ingredients in order given. Drop by teaspoonful on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350' for 10-12 min.