Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

I had a Ham Steak in the Freezer and some Yukon Gold Potatoes in the pantry and thought why not make a Scalloped Potato and Ham Casserole.  I have never made one before and it sounded really good on what had been a snowy and cold day!  My friend Janet sent me her Mother's recipe and I looked at a few others and came up with the below recipe!



Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon butter
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly I used a mandolin)
6 Yukon Gold Potatoes thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)
1 cup cubed ham
3 cups grated cheddar cheese (I used a mix of Monterrey Jack and Sharp Cheddar)
1/2 tsp Cayenne or more

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking dish.

In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in milk.

Return pan to heat and bring to a simmer while stirring. When sauce has thickened remove from heat, season with salt, pepper and cayenne and set aside.

Spread 1/3 of the white sauce in bottom of baking dish and top with half of the potatoes. Spread out half of the onions, ham, cheese and another third of the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper. Continue layering ingredients, ending with the remaining cheese on top.

Bake for an hour or until golden and bubbly.

Garlic Parmesan Cheese Bombs!

I have been seeing this quite a bit on Pinterest, we decided to have soup for dinner and I wanted a little something to go along with the soup.  These are easy and super delicious.  I highly recommend giving them a try!

1 can refrigerated biscuits (like the ones by Pillsbury)
3 mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into 4 pieces each (so you have 12 total)
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 and grease a baking sheet. Separate each biscuit.

Place one piece of cheese in the center of each biscuit, pinch the sides around the cheese so it is completely encased by the biscuit dough. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes until golden.

Melt butter. Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. When biscuits are done baking, brush butter mixture over each biscuit. Serve warm.

Chunky Apple Snack Cake

Since it is Apple Season in Oregon I want to take advantage of it as much as possible.  I realized today I had three kinds of apples in my fridge, a small Red Delicious, a medium Granny Smith and a huge Honeycrisp. I figured what the heck, lets see what we can make.

I saw this recipe on the Noble Pig's website, she has been Food Blogging as long as I have.  I tweaked the recipe to make it a bit healthier and it was so good, no frosting required.


2 cups granulated sugar (I used 1 1/4 cup Vanilla Sugar and 4 Equal Packets)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 cup of Coconut Oil and 1/2 cup of Apple Sauce
1 Tablespoon vanilla
4 cups (6-8 apples) Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered and diced coarsely
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan by spraying it with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.

In a small bowl combine eggs, oil and vanilla; add this to the sugar-flour mixture in the large bowl.

Mix thoroughly. Batter will be stiff (do not use mixer). SHE IS NOT KIDDING

Add the apples and walnuts. Pour into baking pan and cook for 50-60 minutes or until the middle springs back when touched.

Serve with whipped cream. Feel free to make this cake a day ahead, the flavor only improves.