Savory Potato Casserole

I saw this scrumptious casserole in the January issue of Southern Living. The recipe was posted online at potatogoodness. Wow, what a concept: an appealing ad in a magazine that leads you to a website! (I know, I’m behind the times, but this is for food!) And, what a site it is! While Danny is a rice guy, I’m a potato girl, but this recipe also has another of his favorite foods – artichokes. This is one website I’ll be returning to over and over again, and this recipe will take its place in my favorites collection…

Recipe of the Week: Two Potato with Artichoke Hearts & Spinach Casserole

• 1 lb. red potatoes
• 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1- 1/4 c. low-sodium vegetable broth or stock
• 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbs. Mrs. Dash’s Garlic and Herb seasoning
• 4 oz. Neufchatel (1/3-less fat) cream cheese
• 4 oz. fat-free cream cheese or 1/2 cup shredded fat-free Cheddar cheese
• 1 (7.5-oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (6-oz.) bag baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c. sliced green onions

Directions: Preheat oven to 425F and coat a square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
1. Scrub and rinse potatoes, then cut in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on cutting board and slice very thinly. Boil in dutch oven for 5 minutes or until tender, then drain well. Set aside.
2. Heat broth, Parmesan, Mrs. Dash, cheeses, and artichoke hearts in medium saucepan until cheeses are melted. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.
3. Stir mixture over potatoes with green onions, mixing well to coat potatoes as evenly as possible. Spread in prepared baking dish, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Options: Substitute asparagus tips for artichoke hearts.

*****

Thought of the Week: Well, I spent most of the past 29 hours at the hospital with Dad and Mom. Yesterday morning I took Dad to the hospital for a contrast CT of his abdomen and pelvis for a better look at his three aortic aneurysms. Two and a half hours later we were munching some Sonic lunch when my phone rang. Mom needed to go to the emergency room. We were at their house in ten minutes. She was nearly passed out and complaining of a terrible headache in the back of her skull. Two days earlier she had high blood pressure and the same type of headache, but this time was different. She was disoriented, listless, and not responding to my questions. I didn’t mess around and called 9-1-1.

In the ER, the first dose of morphine she received for the level-10 pain did not help; she continued to moan and cry. We watched her blood pressure slowly rise throughout the afternoon, as well, and became very concerned when it hit 194/86. She had a CT and MRI, both of which were normal. However, she was not given any blood pressure medication until her blood pressure reached 225/114, then  230/106 an hour later. When they finally got the bp down to 148/51, they wanted to release her, but due to the second dose of morphine she was incoherent and unresponsive. The eight of us that were there knew she was not ready to go home; however, the ER doctor could not be convinced until he saw that she was unable to sit up, let alone move by herself, open her eyes, or talk to him.

It was harrowing. I grabbed a few hours sleep and went back early this morning (6:30 a.m.), which is why I’m late getting to this post. I saw both her primary doctor and her hematology/oncology specialist, and to the best of their knowledge the excruciating headache was caused by the blood pressure. She was given a couple prescriptions and released. I took her home and put her to bed, while Dad left to go to another doctor’s appointment. I should have gone with him, but I couldn’t leave Mom alone. I kept a close eye on her for another five hours. Dad came back with her two prescriptions, but she was still out of it. All she wanted was a little sip of water or juice once in a while. When one of my sisters and brother-in-law arrived, I left..I just received word that Mom finally flushed out the last of the morphine and roused herself out of bed. Now she can eat something and take her medications. Hooray! Tonight, another sister is sleeping over there, and tomorrow our Tennessee sister is coming…

Soooo, this first month of 2013 has been a doozy with Mom’s three episodes and Dad’s back pain and aneurysms…As we worried over Mom last night in the ER, we took turns trying to soothe her and chatted with each other about our own ailments and aging complaints rather than about food, as we usually do.

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