White Bean Chili

Yeah, I know, it's been a long time coming. :P This will probably be the best dang chili you have EVER had. I can almost promise it.

Yield: Approximately 7 servings

1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. oil
2 cans (15.5 oz each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp/ cayenne pepper
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 pint whipping cream

1. Cut up chicken into small pieces and cook.
2. Separately, saute onion in oil.
3. When onion is almost done add garlic powder and cooked chicken.
4. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or so.
7. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and whipping cream.
8. Feast!!!

spanish tortilla

So, I know that I am not currently in The Dinner Group (which is cause for much sorrow), but my Spaniard friend Noemi recently taught me how to make a really delicious Spanish dish-tortilla.
Now, this is not your flat Mexican bread tortilla. This is a potato, egg, onion cooked goodness tortilla. I posted the recipe on my Europe blog, so you can click here to see it.

I look forward to attempting to make it for you all in the fall (along with crepes, macaron cookies, and zucchini/feta cheese "cake". be excited. i am.).

:)

Chicken, Cheddar, and Bacon Casserole

Click the picture to go to the Allrecipes.com page with this recipe. Some of the people's comments might be useful to you.


Some pre-notes about this recipe:
I ended up using a lot less cheese than this recipe calls for. I put in about 2/3 of what it called for and it already looked like a ton, so I didn't put in the rest.

I'm not positive about this, but I think if you want to make the recipe a little bit more healthful, you could substitute the bacon grease and the butter that you fry the chicken in with canola oil. But I'm making that up, so I don't know if it'll work.

Also, be aware that one of the ingredients it calls for is chicken bouillon, but then it never tells you to put it in in the instructions. You want to put either the 1/2 cup chicken broth or extra 1/2 cup of milk at the same time you put in the 1 1/2 cups of milk.

One last thing: you probably won't need as much of the bread crumb mixture as it says, but since bread crumbs are pretty cheap I wouldn't worry about it too much.

What you need:

• 8 ounces mini penne pasta or elbow macaroni
• 6 to 8 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or more milk
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces American cheese, shreds or chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

What you need to do:

• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water following package directions

• Grease a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°

• In a large skillet or saucepan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to paper towels; crumble. Pour off grease in the skillet, leaving about 1 or 2 teaspoons

• Add butter to the skillet and cook the chicken over medium-low heat until cooked through

• Add green onions and cook for 1 minute longer

• Add flour and stir until blended into the fat. Gradually stir in the milk, cooking and stirring until slightly thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the cheeses and thawed peas, along with crumbled bacon. Spoon into the prepared baking dish

• Combine bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until topping is browned and casserole is bubbly

Serves 6

Ham Tetrazinni & Spinach Salad

Ham Tetrazinni

8 oz. spaghetti, broken in pieces
5 T butter
6 T flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup light cream (or 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup regualr 1% milk)
1 tsp. salt
pepper
2-3 cups ham cubed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until just tender (do not overcook). Melt butter; blend in flour. Stir broth into flour mixture. Add cream. Cook until mixture thickens and bubbles. Add salt and pepper. Turn into individual baking dishes or into a 2-3 qt. flat casserole and add ham. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Add drained spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Makes 8 servings.

*notes by natalie. You know the sauce is thick enough when you drag a spoon through it and you can see the bottom of the pan. Thicken and bubble on med-low heat. Don't do it on high or the milk will curdle. nasty.

Spinach Salad

1 lb spinach, washed & torn
iceberg lettuce, torn
bacon, crumbled,
swiss cheese, shredded
onions
mushrooms
combine with poppy seed dressing just before serving.

poppy-seed dressing

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon onion juice
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup salad oil

combine sugar, mustard, salt, vinegar, and onion juice in medium size bowl. beat oil in gradually, using portable mixer. until mixture is thick and smooth. stir in poppy seeds and store, covered in refrigerator. makes 1 2/3 cups.

ENJOY

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

My brother Nick gave me the recipe and I made it when we celebrated pi day. If you have a recipe for pie crust that you prefer, feel free to substitute.

Crust:

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup cold water

Sift flour, then measure. Mix flour and salt together. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in water with a fork until dough holds together. Form into two rough balls. NOTE: too much handling or stirring makes dough tough.

Roll out onto a lightly floured surface (works best if the dough has been refrigerated). Place crust in a 9" or 10" pie pan.

Filling:

• 1 & 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 & 1/2 TB cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon zest (or 1 tsp dried lemon peel powder)
• About 2 cups rhubarb, sliced into roughly half-inch sections (about 2-3 medium stalks)
• About 3 cups sliced strawberries (about 2 lb fresh strawberries)
• 3 TB butter or margarine

Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon zest in a small mixing bowl. Slice strawberries roughly in fourths. Slice rhubarb stalks every half-inch or so, and if the stalks are large, slice each piece in half again, leaving roughly half-inch by half-inch cubes. Mix the strawberries, rhubarb, and dry ingredient mix in a large mixing bowl, then place mixture in pie crust. Slice the margarine into thin slices and place on top of the fruit mixture before covering with the top crust.

Cover with the remaining pie crust and press together the edges. Make a few slits in the top crust. Brush top crust lightly with milk to add shine, sprinkle sugar on top crust if desired.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 hours, then refrigerate. (Pie will be runny and difficult to serve until fully cooled) Pie is usually best served warm with vanilla ice cream.

The Pumpkin Dessert

Believe it or not, but my Mom actually found this recipe in The Friend when I was little.
Crust:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for topping)
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter melted
• 1 egg beaten

Filling

• 1 can (29 oz) pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup canned milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

• 1 cup yellow cake mix
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup margarine/butter. softened

1. Mix the crust ingredients together. Spread the mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13" pan.
2. In a bowl beat eggs, brown sugar, colves, and cinnamon. Stir in pumpkin and milk. Stir till well blended. If you use a mixer to mix in the pumpkin and milk be careful because the batter will be thin and splatter. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the crust in the pan and spread evenly.
3. Mix together the dry cake mix, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in softened margarine. Sprinkle little pieces over the top of the pumpkin layer.
4. Bake 350 for 60-70 minutes. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Can be served warm with ice cream or cold with whipped cream.
   

Tres Leches

This is the recipe from Allrecipes.com :)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract*

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3. Cream butter or margarine and the 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract*; beat well.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
6. Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
7. Whip whipping cream, the remaining 1 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla* together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

*I almost always add extra vanilla (not quite doubling) to every dessert I make.

Taco Stackers

1 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion

1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 & 1/4 cups water (I'm actually not sure if this is the right amount...I'm just guessing. Maybe put in one cup and then add more at the very end (once you've added the rice) if you don't like the consistency. More water mixes in well if it's a little dry, so don't worry about that).
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano

2 c cooked rice (like, take two cups of dry rice, then cook it)


Brown and drain hamburger and onion – add all ingredients EXCEPT rice – simmer 30 minutes (you can just let it simmer while the rice is cooking) – add rice – serve over fritos (scoops, please. it's much better that way) and top with grated cheese.

You can also top it with lettuce and tomatoes, kinda like a stacked taco

Mongolian Beef

I got this recipe from my coworker Naomi, who got it from our mutual friend Nate, who got it from his sister. Look how far this recipe came to come to you!

Sauce:
2 tsp Vegetable oil
½ tsp minced ginger
1 TBLS minced garlic
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar (light works just fine)

Heat oil in sauce pan over med/low heat. Add ginger and garlic. Let sauté for a minute. Add water and soy sauce. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Raise heat to med/high and boil for 3-5 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Meat:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 lb flank steak
¼ cup cornstarch
4 green onions

Slice the steak against the grain into ¼ inch thick bite size pieces. Toss meat in zip lock with the cornstarch. Allow meat to rest in bag for 10 minutes. While the meat rests, slowly heat up the oil in a large skillet or wok on medium heat. After 10 minutes, add beef to the oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the edges darken. Use a slotted spoon to take the meat out and put on a plate with paper towels (meat may not be completely cooked, but will be in the pan again to finish cooking). Empty oil out of the skillet. Put meat back in the skillet and add the sauce to it and stir. Bring this to a boil for 3-5 minutes or until sauce gets really thick. Sprinkle green onions on top and serve over rice.

Kellie's Amazing Shortbread Cookies

1 c butter
1/3 white sugar
1/3 brown sugar
1 small egg
1 Tbsp almond extract
2 1/2 to 3 c white flour

Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the egg and flavoring. Add and stir in the flour and knead by hand a little. Dough should be firm enough to form into a ball and hold a shape. Bake for 10 min or so in 400 degree oven.

Katie's plug: ohmygoshbestcookiesever! They're the perfect amount of sweetness. And you can eat like 7 of them without pausing for air, because they are so delicious. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway...they're great.

Your Basic Curry Recipe

My friend Jody requested that I post this on the blog. It's not really a recipe, it's just what I always do to make curry.

1 can of coconut milk
your choice of meat (chicken, beef, etc.)
3 or 4 large potatoes
curry paste* (red, yellow, massaman, etc.) to taste

Brown meat in frying pan. Cut potatoes into small pieces. Pour milk into higherish sided pan. Add curry paste. (I usually do around four heaping small spoonfuls....umm, which probably translates into about 5 teaspoons. The more you add, the hotter it'll be.) Add potatoes and meat. Cook until potatoes are cooked. Serve over rice.

Also, it's really fun to pretend fried pitas are naan bread:
Cut pitas into sixths or eighths. Fry in olive oil with whatever seasoning you want (we usually do garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, oregano). Spoon curry/rice combo onto pita triangle and eat!

*You can get curry paste at an Asian market on 300 E 300 S. It costs around $3 and lasts a while.

Cuban Chicken

{This recipe is from the cookbook my sister made me for Christmas. For dinner group, I basically quadrupled the recipe, but these are the original measurements.}

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

4 cloves garlic

2 tbsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

2 chicken breasts

Combine juices and spices for marinade and pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day heat a skillet over medium heat. Place set marinade aside and then put chicken breasts in a skillet and cook until done. Remove from pan and set aside, keeping warm. Add marinade to pan and bring to a boil. Add a little more orange juice and lime juice to increase the amount of sauce. Serve chicken with sauce.

Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole

Once again from the criminal goddess of domesticity:

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 whole chicken legs (about 3 pounds total)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 ounces green beans (stem ends removed), cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, cook chicken until browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate (chicken will cook more in step 2).
2. To pot, add coconut milk, broth, 1/2 cup water, and curry paste; bring to a boil, and stir in rice. Add chicken (with any juices), arranging pieces in a single layer. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, without stirring, until rice is almost tender, 15 minutes.
3. Scatter bell peppers and green beans on top of chicken mixture; cover, and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Katie's notes:
A lot of the comments on this recipe said that 2 tsp of curry paste wasn't enough, and I would agree. I think I used about 4 tbsp, maybe a little more. The more you add, the more heat you'll get. You can find really good curry paste for quite cheap ($2.50ish?) at this little Asian market on 300 E 300 S. And...I think you'll want a little bit more rice than the recipe calls for because there's a lot of liquid in that pot. In fact, I just realized right now that I didn't add 1/2 c of water. Oops. It was still pretty watery until I added more rice.

Chicken Feta Bake

(This one's from Tyler too)

Chicken Feta Bake

- Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a glass pan
- Place your boneless, skinless chicken breasts the pan
- Salt and pepper the chicken breasts, then sprinkle lemon juice over the tops of them to your liking
- Top with "Athenos" dried tomato and basil(?) feta cheese - it comes in a round container and is reddish in color
- Place in the oven at 375 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes (until the chicken is done)
- Top with diced red pepper and parsley
- Serve with couscous and a Cesar salad or hummus and pita chips in keeping with the Mediterranean theme

Chicken Taco Soup

(Tyler emailed this to me, so this is actually his recipe, not mine)

Chicken Taco Soup

- 1 can black beans
- 1 can of corn
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 can of green chilies
- 1 can of chicken
- 1 envelope of taco seasoning

Combine all ingredients and heat them up! It's that simple. (When I made it for dinner group, I just doubled everything to make more so that gives you an idea of how many it serves)
- Add cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips to your liking

perfect macaroni and cheese...

...according to the title on Martha Stewart's website.

Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Katie's comments:

A lot of the comments on the recipe said the dish was too greasy with the breadcrumbs, so I left those out. A lot people suggested adding bacon as well, which hello, would be delicious because everything is better with bacon. Also, if you can't find any gruyere cheese (I know at least Smith's doesn't carry it), you can substitute swiss for a slightly milder flavor.

Portuguese Fruit Salad

The "Portuguese" is really just to impress people.

• Chop your favorite fruits up and put them in a bowl. I used bananas, pears, apples, kiwis, oranges, and grapes, and I should have added strawberries.
• Pour a few tablespoons of sugar over the chopped fruit. (Not too much, lets still keep this healthful!)
• Pour some kind of fruit drink in just below the top of the fruit. I used V8 Splash "Fruit Medley," but I think any of them would have been good. (p.s. V8 Splash is WAY cheaper than V8 Fusion, but feel free to go wild with what juice you put in.)
• Stir up the concoction carefully, so as to avoid mashing the fruit.
  
• Cover and store in the fridge for about 2 hours. I didn't have time to do this, but it probably would have been a little better if I had.

Yay!

Southwest Chicken Salad

It was really just a made-up thing, so I couldn't really tell you proportions, but here's the "recipe" anyway and you can figure out how you like it best.

Salad

• Cook breaded chicken strips in the oven as directed on the bag. (Kroger brand "Crispy chicken breast strips: fritter style" are better than Tyson brand). Cut into bite-sized pieces.
  
• Chop Romaine lettuce (or whatever kind you prefer, although iceberg would probably not be a good choice) and place in a bowl.
• Drain (and I rinsed, but I don't know if that made it better or worse) black beans. I also heated them up afterward. (You know, now that I think of it, it would have worked better to heat the beans with all the juice from the can, then just scoop out the beans when adding them to the salad. That's probably what you should do...). Add beans to lettuce.
  
• Heat up corn.
• Add the chicken, corn, and beans at the end just before serving.

Winger's-like Sauce

• Heat up 1 part Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• Add 3 parts golden or dark brown sugar
• Stir until sugar is dissolved

A few extra notes:

This sauce is amazing, albeit on the spicy side (more so than the real Winger's sauce). However, a few cautions about the sauce:

• Do not sniff it directly, as it will burn your nose. (It won't damage you, but it sure is strong and stings a bit.)
• DO NOT use any white cooking materials (spoons, bowls, etc.) when preparing or storing this sauce, unless you've always wished those white cooking materials were orange.
  

I would HIGHLY recommend using this sauce on the crispy chicken strips by themselves (without cutting them into bite-sized pieces). The best way to coat them in the sauce is to put the cooked chicken in a bowl with a lid, pour the sauce (warm) liberally over the chicken, cover, and shake. Looks beautiful at the end! Have some Kleenex ready, because your nose will run.

Ranch seemed to work pretty well for those with more sensitive taste buds. Ranch mixed with the sauce was even better.

And I'm done.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. Great Northern white beans (3 normal-sized cans)
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (the frozen chicken breasts are fine)
Olive oil
2 large onions
Garlic, minced
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies (chopped/diced jalapenos work too)
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
Optional: cilantro leaves, sour cream


Directions:

Beans

• If using canned beans:
• Drain beans and place in a pot.
• If using real beans
• Rise beans well, pour into a bowl, cover them with water and soak overnight
• Drain and rinse beans
• Place beans in a pot and cover with water.
• Add 2 Tbs olive oil and 4 whole garlic cloves. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook until tender (about 1 hour).
• Remove garlic, drain beans, and place in a pot.

Chicken

• Put chicken breasts in a pot and fill water to the top of the chicken
• Boil chicken breasts for 15 minutes (until cooked through), remove from pan and cool.
• Save 6 cups of the water you boiled it in for broth. Add 1 or 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the broth while still hot. 
• Make sure to take out all the gross chicken floaties. Add this to the beans in the pot
  
• Cut off any extra fat or other gross parts from the chicken. Tear the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Onions and spices

• Chop onions. Mince 4 large garlic cloves (or just use minced garlic - I'm not sure how much, just make it up.
• Heat 4-6 Tbs olive oil in pan and add onions. Sauté for 10 minutes
• Stir in garlic, chilis, cumin, oregano, cayenne and chili powder and cook two minutes
• Add to beans and chicken in the pot.

Bring the chili to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender. Sprinkle cilantro leaves and add sour cream on top of each serving as desired.

A few notes:

• It's hard to put in too much cumin, so don't worry about adding a little extra if you want to.
• I doubled the recipe when we ate it for dinner group and there was still probably half left after everyone finished. The chili freezes really well, too.
• If you use the frozen chicken breasts it may take a little longer to boil (I'm not sure).
• Club crackers are delicious.
  

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

4 to 5 medium russet potatoes (about 2 lbs.)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
a few grinds of fresh pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 to 1 1/2 cups diced ham or 1 (6 ounce) can
1 tablespoon additional butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, salt , pepper and onion powder and blend well into a smooth paste. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat.

Pare and slice the potatoes very thinly, about 1/8-inch thick. Butter a casserole dish and place half the potato slices over the bottom. Scatter the diced ham evenly over the potatoes and then cover with half the white sauce. Layer the remaining potatoes over the ham and pour the rest of the sauce over the top, smoothing with a rubber scraper to make sure all the potatoes are covered. Dot the top with 1 tablespoon butter.

Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid or foil, turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake another 30 to 40 minutes until potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown.

Serves 4 - 5*

*I doubled the recipe when I made it Tuesday.