Au Gratin Potatoes

The high point in tonight's meal.

First, thinly slice 5 cups of potatoes and chop 1/2 cup of onion. We always end up with way too much, even after leftovers, so I only sliced about 3 cups this time.


Now melt the butter in a skillet.


Add the flour, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth.


Gradually add the milk. Boil and stir about two minutes until combined and thickened.


Remove from heat and add the cheese.

Stir in the potatoes and onions.

Transfer to a buttered, 2 quart casserole dish.


Au Gratin Potatoes

3 T. butter
1 1/2 t. salt
2 c. milk
3 T. flour
1/8 t. pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar
5 c. thinly sliced potatoes (about 6 medium)
1/2 c. chopped onion

Melt the butter. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add the milk. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cheese. Stir until melted. Add the potatoes and onions and stir until coated. Transfer to a 2 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are tender.


Bonus: Homemade Potato Chips
As I was thinly slicing the potatoes my daughter asked if she could eat one. "Sure" I replied. We've all tasted raw potato at least once. That's how we know they're so much better cooked. "Eww." she pronounced as she tasted the starchy slice. Then my husband pointed out, "That's what they use to make potato chips. You like those." So I somehow ended up making potato chips. Just a few. I was curious too. It was easy and they did taste just like the ones from the store...only fresher.

I just poured some vegetable oil into a small skillet and heated it over medium heat. Then I dropped those thinly sliced potatoes into the oil and fried em' until they were golden.


When they were ready, I removed them from the oil with a metal slotted spoon and dropped them onto a paper towel and liberally sprinkled them with salt.

Green Bean Casserole

This year I decided to give my 4 year old her very own recipe to make for the Thanksgiving dinner. I chose the least complicated recipe, Green Bean Casserole, and then set out all of the ingredients. She felt so special to have a dish all of her own instead of one that she just helped out with.

The ingredients

Combining the soup with the milk

Whisking them together


Pouring the green beans into a bowl. The recipe calls for thawed green beans. We used 2 jars of home-canned beans.

Add 2/3 cup of the onions

And pour in the soup and milk mixture. The pouring step required a little help.

Stir and smooth and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees

Top with remaining 2/3 cup of onions and bake 5 minutes longer.

So easy a 4 year old can make it!

French’s Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can CAMPBELL'S® Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 (9 oz. each) pkgs. frozen cut green beans, thawed*
1 1/3 cups FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

Directions:
1.MIX soup, milk and pepper in a 1 ½ -qt. baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions.
2.BAKE at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot.
3.STIR. Top with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 min. until onions are golden

Corn Casserole

Everyone has a favorite Thanksgiving food. This one happens to be my husband’s favorite. He actually said that as long as there are corn casserole, mashed potatoes, and rolls on the table, he really doesn’t care about the rest. He doesn’t even eat dessert. I guess men are from Mars and women are from Venus, because that is just plain craziness to me!

I began by melting a stick of butter in my baking dish. Then I dropped in a couple of eggs and slightly beat them with a fork.


Now I just start dumping. The recipe calls for 8 oz. of canned corn. My family froze corn into bags last summer, so that’s what I used. I’d guess this is about 2 cups. I dumped in some chopped onion, which the recipe does not call for, and salt and pepper….also not in the recipe that I used.


More dumping. That’s 8 oz. of sour cream and 1 small box of corn muffin mix.


Top her off with a can of cream corn and stir it all up until completely combined.


Now pop it in a 350 degree oven for an hour. The center should be set (not jiggly). This one may have gotten a little too “done”, I didn’t have any of this casserole left over, so it was a hit with the crowd.

Baked Irish Corn
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
2 cups of corn, drained
1/3 cup chopped onion, optional
8 oz. cream corn
8 oz. sour cream
1 small box corn muffin mix
salt and pepper, to your taste

Combine all ingredients in a large baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, until set.