~~Potatoes Au Gratin~~

For such a rich and flavor forward dish, making potatoes au gratins is surprisingly easy...

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 large sliced onion
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3 pounds white potatoes sliced about ⅛" thick
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F.
• Melt butter and stir in the onion over medium low heat. Cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes, remove the onions and set them aside.
• Add flour to the melted butter while stirring to make a roux. Stir constantly. The butter and flour will combine to form a liquid slurry. If you don’t keep stirring, the roux will start to burn and you’ll have to start over, so do not stop stirring. Stirring is a must!
• Add 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese to the roux, stirring until melted.
• Reduce heat to low. Combine milk and roux. Add a small amount at a time whisking to thicken. The mixture will become very thick, continue adding a little bit of liquid at a time whisking until smooth.
• Once all of the liquid has been added, bring to a boil over medium heat while continuing to whisk. Stir in salt and pepper and let boil 1 minute.
• assembly
• Grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Place ⅓ of the potatoes in the bottom and season with salt and pepper. Pour ⅓ of the cream sauce sauce over top.
• Add a layer of onions.
• Repeat adding a layer of sliced potatoes and the rest of the cooked onions, cover with the rest of the cream sauce.
• Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
• Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
• Uncover and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are tender.
• Broil for 3-4 minutes to obtain a golden top.
• Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Variations:

• You can add 1 ½ cups cubed fully cooked diced ham. Mix it in with the sliced potatoes.
• You can add a cup of corn and mix it in with the potatoes
• You can add chopped bacon and mix it in with the potatoes.

Nutrition information: Carbohydrates approx. 39g

~~Mom’s Meatloaf~~

I consider meatloaf as one of the basic comfort foods, low cost, easy to make and there are an endless number of recipes. This was the one that I liked growing up.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (My mom used ground meat with a high fat content, it adds favor to the meatloaf.)
• 1 can (10 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup (Do not mix with water or milk)
• ¾ cup chicken-flavored bread stuffing mix (such as Kraft® Stove Top®)
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt to taste (I’m on a low salt diet so I don’t add salt.)

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 350°F.   
• While the oven is heating, season the beef with salt. Thoroughly mix the beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl by hand. Do not over mix!
• Mix the stuffing on slightly the dry side and place stuffing on the bottom of a 9x5x3-inch baking pan (non-stick or grease the pan) and press in shape firmly into the pan.
• Place the beef mixture on top of the stuffing and pat down (The idea is that the juices from the meat will be adsorbed by the stuffing.
• Spread the condensed tomato soup on top (Don't not add water or milk, just the straight condensed soup) You might not need the whole can of soup.
• Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Allow to cool in loaf pan for 5 minutes, then slice and serve!

Variations:

• Use another condensed soups like Cream of Mushrooms or Cream of Celery
• Add chopped cooked bacon
• Substitute dry onion soup & dip mix for the onion, and Worcestershire sauce.

~~ Scalloped Potatoes ~~

My mom used to make this all the time and it was one of my favorites!

For such a rich and flavor forward dish, making scalloped potatoes is surprisingly easy...

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 large sliced onion
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3 pounds white potatoes sliced about ⅛" thick
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F.
• Melt butter and stir in the onion over medium low heat. Cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes, remove the onions and set them aside.
• Add flour to the melted butter while stirring to make a roux. Stir constantly. The butter and flour will combine to form a liquid slurry. If you don’t keep stirring, the roux will start to burn and you’ll have to start over, so do not stop stirring. Stirring is a must!
• Reduce heat to low. Combine milk and roux. Add a small amount at a time whisking to thicken. The mixture will become very thick, continue adding a little bit of liquid at a time whisking until smooth.
• Once all of the liquid has been added, bring to a boil over medium heat while continuing to whisk.  Stir in salt and pepper and let boil 1 minute.
• assembly
• Grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Place ⅓ of the potatoes in the bottom and season with salt and pepper. Pour ⅓ of the cream sauce sauce over top. 
• Add a layer of onions.
• Repeat adding a layer of sliced potatoes and the rest of the cooked onions, cover with the rest of the cream sauce. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
• Uncover and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are tender. Broil for 3-4 minutes to obtain a golden top.
• Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Variations:

1. You can add 1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, mix 1 cup in with the cream sauce and sprinkle the ½ of grated cheese on top (But then it becomes Potatoes Au Gratin).
2. You can add 1 ½ cups cubed fully cooked diced ham. Mix it in with the sliced potatoes.
3. You can add a cup of corn and mix it in with the potatoes
4. Chopped bacon.

Nutrition information: Carbohydrates approx. 39g