Dr. Bill loves making (and eating) these potatoes.  We refer to them as “G-Potatoes” since I have a hard time saying Gruyère which is the cheese that you use to make them.  He makes them for dinner guests frequently because they are easy and always a hit.

Enjoy this recipe for Gratin Dauphinois(fancy name) for G-Potatoes!

Both Dr. Thompson and Dr. Hoellrich enjoy cooking.  Which is a really great thing for their wives!  The current favorite cookbook at the office is Cooking for Two: 2009,The Year’s Best Recipes Cut Down to Size

Last night, based on Dr. H’s recommendation on what recipe to start with, Dr. T made the Shrimp and Grits recipe.  It’s all made in one skillet which is really nice and although it may not have been perfectly healthy, it was delicious!… and for me it’s all about portion control.  Dr T. used about 12 ounces of shrimp and if a nice quality cheese is used, you can reduce the amount of cheese by 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

Shrimp and Grits(serves 2)  I wanted to link to the America’s Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated for this recipe but couldn’t. 

• 8 Ounces Raw Large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 minced garlic clove
• pinch of Cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 1 TBLSPOON unsalted butter
• 1 small onion minced
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 cup Quick Grits (Quick not instant grits is key)
• 4 oz extra-sharp shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 green onion sliced thin

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle and heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Toss the shrimp with the oil, garlic, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper
3. Cover and refrigerate will making grits
4. Melt butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soften stirring frequently.(3 – 5 minutes)
5. Stir in water, cream, hot sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to a boil.
6. Slowly wisk in grits, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often until grits are thick and creamy.(5-7 minutes)
7. Take off heat and wisk in cheddar until combined.
8. Lay shrimp on their sides in a pinwheel(circle the skillet with tails in middle) over the grits then press on them slightly to submerge about half
9. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 – 7 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with scallions before serving

It’s a warm, comforting meal that goes great with roasted asparagus.  Check out other cookbooks from America’s Test Kitchen.  They come in all categories and are always packed with delicious, tested recipes, and other grocery item tips.

It’s hard to believe kids have started back to school already, summer seems to always be the shortest season doesn’t it?

I don’t know about you, but my kids come home from school starving and I am forever trying to come up with snack ideas that they will like and that have nutritional value as well.

One way  to make healthy snacking fun for  kids is to include the kids in shopping for the ingredients and preparing the snack. Try keeping whole grain tortillas ,lunch meat and cut up veggies on hand so the kids can create their own “roll-ups”.  These can include any combination of meat, cheese, veggies and dressing that appeals to your child. When I was young, my brother and I would make “mini pizzas” after school that were so easy. Today kids can do the same thing with whole grain English muffins, pizza sauce, veggies, pepperoni and shredded mozzarella cheese.  These can be as basic or complicated as the child wants to make and are cooked in 10 mins in a 250 degree  oven or about 30 seconds in the microwave! Do you remember the saying that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? A tasty nutritious snack can be as simple as apple slices with a smear of peanut butter and a sprinkling of granola.

Give the recipes below a try and feel good about  rewarding your kids with something delicious and nutritious to snack on after a big day at school!

Banana Fruit Smoothie

Southwestern Club Wrap

Applesauce Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Balls of Energy

As some of you may know Dr. Thompson is somewhat of a foodie.  And he loves to grill.  So we just picked up a bunch of baby back ribs for the weekend.  This year’s recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine.

Enjoy your 4th of July Holiday and remember to have plenty of dental floss on hand…. you’ll need it after these ribs!

Sticky Balsamic Ribs – Start to Finish 1 day including marinating!

The nutritional labels above are from Coke and Diet Coke some of the leading soft drinks in the industry.  Regular soft drinks contain both sugar and acid that can lead to tooth decay.  And although Diet soft drinks don’t contain sugar, they contain acid which is still harmful to teeth.

Sugary drinks, including sports drinks and energy drinks are consumed by children and adults a like but a lot of the cautionary information is aimed at parents and children.

But young adults should also pay close attention.  Students studying for exams or young people on the job trying to “get through the day” can mindlessly sip on soft drinks most of the day.  This continual sipping means the acid and sugar stay in contact with your teeth and can literally “bomb out” your mouth in between visits to your dentists.  Repairing the decay in these “bombed out” mouths isn’t cheap but if the decay isn’t repaired it just leads to bigger cavities.

So how much acid and sugar is in some of your favorite soft drinks?  See the chart below and remember the lower the acid number, the worse it is for your teeth.  I added battery acid, just for fun so you could compare the acid PH level of battery acid to your favorite soft drinks.

For more soft drink results see the information from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry where these results were taken.

In honor of Memorial Day, Grandview Dental Care will be closed on Monday May 25, 2009.

Please enjoy the holiday with friends and family and remember those that are fighting for our country!

Dr. T’s Memorial Day Cook Out Menu

• Spatchcock(butterflied) Chicken on the grill
• Broccoli Salad
• Potato Salad
• Watermelon
• Ice Cream

Yum!  Enjoy your holiday!