My Little Angel, Brecken!

Yesterday was a day I'll never forget. Ten-year-old Brecken insisted on making the birthday meal for all our December and January birthdays (Kade, Steve, Sage and me!) and invited both sets of grandparents over for the occasion. For weeks before the dinner, she planned the menu, made a grocery list, learned the best napkin folding techniques on the internet, etc. Saturday morning we went shopping, then I let her loose in the kitchen. She made the desserts on Saturday, then finished the main meal dishes on Sunday before and after church. Her menu was incredible:

Parmesan Chicken
Steak House Potatoes Au Gratin
Lacquered Citrus Salad
Fresh Cranberry Relish
Grilled Asparagus
Angel Pecan Pie
Southern Banana Pudding
Gourmet Chocolates

Everything was AMAZING and we were all shocked that a 10-year-old had made the meal! She even did a great job keeping the kitchen clean and washing dishes along the way.

We loved everything but our favorite dish was the recipe below. Just had to share:

Steak House Potatoes Au Gratin
from the kitchen of Brecken Bearnson
1 cup whipping cream (no wonder they're so good!)
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 large clove of garlic, pressed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3-4 medium russet potatoes
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine the cream, milk, flour, garlic, and pepper; beat by hand until well mixed. Coat the inside of a large baking dish with the softened butter. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch slices; quarter each of those slices. Arrange one fourth of the potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Pour some of the cream mixture over the potatoes. Repeat this layering step three more times. Cover the potatoes and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake another 40 minutes, or until potatoes are starting to brown on top. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the potatoes and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Yields 6-8 servings.

Thanks, Brecken, for the wonderful early birthday gift!

Speaking of gifts, I was in my favorite cafe and bakery today and my cute friend who works there (I met her at the cafe but we bonded because she's a huge scrapbooker) gave me something incredibly yummy (and darling to boot!) for an early birthday present. So--stay tuned later on this week. I'm going to have a birthday contest for my big day and 10 of you have a chance to get the very same birthday present I got!!

Have a great Monday night. And--I'll announce the contest very soon!

Lisa

P.S. Another great part of the dinner was going around the table and asking each person what the best part of their day was and the best part of their week. Lots of interesting, fun information!