Potato Gratin

This is one of our favorite 'potatoes for dinner' options.

What you need (for two servings):

• 1/3 cup half and half,
• 1/3 cup 2% milk,
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or one garlic clove sliced/crushed),
• salt and pepper,
• 3 - 4 medium size potatoes,
• grated cheese of your choice

and also: baking dish, some butter to grease the baking dish, aluminum foil.

Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 375F/ 190C
2. Heat the milk and half and half + garlic in a pot on the stove  (set it to #4).
2. Peel and slice the potatoes (each slice = 1/5 inch thick).
3. Grease your baking dish slightly.
4. Place 1 layer of sliced potatoes in the baking dish (see the picture).

5. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.

6. Pour a bit of the milk and half and half mixture over the potatoes.
7. Place another layer of sliced potatoes into the dish, repeat step #5 & #6 etc.
8. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes.
9. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more.
10. Take the dish out of the oven, cover the potatoes with grated cheese.
11. Bake it all for 10 minutes till the cheese is melted and a bit brownish on sides.

12. Enjoy!

Totally Decadent Cake

This delicious and light cake was made with the help of Black Forest Cake kit we had bought around Christmas. The box we got at Aldi's included: chocolate cake mix, cherry filling mix and cream powder mix. The products I had to add were: three eggs, whipping cream, milk and a can of pitted cherries + juice which was in the can. The procedure of making this dessert is quite time consuming even when using the kit: it took me about two hours to create this Schwarzwald Torte. But the result is great - the cake is light and tasty, not too sweet and it looks good too!

Maraschino cherries decorate the cake.

The torte: two layers of cake. I used two round, 9'' tins to bake them (baking time = 20 minutes).
The lower part is covered with the sweet cherry filling + whipped cream put onto it. The upper layer of the cake goes on  the creamy part. Next, the rest of the whipped cream + the flakes of grated dark chocolate go on the top and sides of the Black Forest Cake.
It all makes a really special and enjoyable  treat! Next time I will possibly try to make the cake from the scratch (have found a recipe which looks quite good and useful) unless I wait till the next holiday season, when Aldi stores will have the Black Forest Cake kit again.

A piece of decadent cake: lots of pleasure but low standards meaning a proper diet. :)

Cinnamon Streusel Bran Muffins

Mac & Cheese