Bachelor Night!

Yes, tonight was Bachelor Night! When Elizabeth and I lived together a couple years ago we started watching the Bachelor with Emily each week. We have watched it every season since and now include the husbands and eat dinner together. The new season started tonight and Russ and I brought the side dishes. Elizabeth and Seth served steaks with Bearnaise sauce which were wonderful. I made scalloped potatoes and a salad to accompany the steaks. Emily and Dowe made a yummy appetizer of several cheeses and crackers. They also brought a Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby and brownies for dessert!

As for my sides... I have been wanting to make scalloped potatoes for some time now mainly so I can use my mandoline. It is fancy slicer that we got as a wedding gift that I just love. It makes slicing so much fun and keeps the slices consistent in thickness. I didn't have a scalloped potato recipe, so I looked online for one. I ended up not having a lot of time to look for one and picked Tyler Florence's Scalloped Potato Gratin. I thought that overall they turned out well, however, the color of the potatoes changed a little sitting over night. I loved the size of the potato slices thanks to the mandoline. I think the texture from the slices really made the dish (and the heavy cream didn't hurt the flavor!). While I overall liked the dish I think there are probably better recipes out there. Next time I'll try a new recipe and make them the day I am going to serve them.

For the salad I did a simple salad of romaine hearts, sliced apple, crumbled goat cheese, pecans, and my balsamic dressing. This is one of my favorite salads and I change it up using different fruits (such as pears), different nuts (like walnuts) and different cheeses (such as feta). It is really easy and tasty!

We had a wonderful time with everyone and this season's Bachelor looks like it is going to be very entertaining! Next Monday Russ and I are bringing the appetizer and bread to Emily and Dowe's house. I did just get a new appetizer cookbook from our trip to Colorado.... so I may be checking it out this weekend!

There are no pictures yet because Russ and I forgot our camera. However, Seth saved the day and took pictures for us. So, once we get them from him we'll post them.