Au Gratin Potatoes

 Potatoes and cheese- does it get a lot better than that? In my opinion? No. It's especially great to warm you up on a really cold day.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/ 190 Celsius
You will need a 2 quart baking dish with a lid.

4-5 medium-large potatoes

Cheese Sauce-
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon diced onion OR 1 teaspoon onion powder, optional
1 Tablespoon flour
dash salt
dash pepper
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or a cheddar cheese blend

Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Peel and slice the potatoes fairly thin. About 1/8" or a little thicker is good.
Put the slices in the baking dish.
Make your cheese sauce-
Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.
Add the diced onion and cook til soft, if using. This will take a few minutes.
Next add the salt, pepper, and flour.
If you didn't use the onion, but are using the powder, add the powder with the salt, pepper, and flour.
Raise heat slightly, continuously stirring until the flour/butter mixture is bubbly.
Add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce is bubbly and thickened.
Turn the heat off and stir in the cheese until melted.
Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top of the sauce.
Cover with a lid and put in the preheated oven.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
After 45 minutes, check the potatoes, by poking with a fork.
If they are tender, the dish is done. If they seem a little solid, cook for another 15 minutes and test again.

Remove from oven and serve.
Serves 4-6.

The thicker the potatoes are sliced, the longer they take to cook.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Cheese Sandwich

This sandwich is a meal all by itself. I really love grilled cheese and I am always looking for ways to change it up.

You will need a skillet.
You will also need another skillet or griddle for grilling the sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast half, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced bell pepper(red, green, OR a mix of both)
1-2 Tablespoons cooking oil to coat the skillet
salt, pepper, garlic powder to season
6 slices of your favorite bread
butter for spreading on the bread
Approximately 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat a skillet to hot. Add the cooking oil.
Add the chicken, bell pepper, and onion.
Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Butter one side of all the slices of bread.
Heat up your griddle or other skillet.
Lay 3 slices of bread butter side down on the griddle.
Divide the chicken mixture among the bread slices.
Sprinkle with the cheese, about 1/4 cup per sandwich.
Lay the remaining slices of bread on top of the chicken- butter side up.
Let cook for a few minutes until the bottom bread slice is golden and than carefully flip over.
Cook for another few minutes until the cheese is melted.
Remove from the heat and serve.

Makes 3 sandwiches.

If the chicken breast half is large, you may have enough left to make a 4th sandwich.

Enjoy!
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Last year's G-  Gravy

Ten Layer Dip

This dip is pretty awesome. The best toppings for a taco or burrito in a dip.
The ground beef is optional, but it is tasty.
You can shorten everything by using already made ingredients or go the whole nine yards and do everything from scratch.

You will need a large platter or shallow pan.


Ingredients:

2/3 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
dash salt
2 cups awesome refried beans or a 16 oz can refried beans
1/4 lb ground beef fried and seasoned- optional
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup super easy guacamole or use ready made
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 medium chopped tomato
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

Combine the sour cream, cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt. Set aside for flavor to blend.
Heat up the beans. Spread on the platter.
Sprinkle the ground beef over the beans.
Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese over that.
Spread the guacamole over the cheese.
Sprinkle over the black olives.
Spread the sour cream over the olives.
Sprinkle the onions, the tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and cilantro over the sour cream.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Making Pasta Salad- The Easy Way

I love pasta salad so much. I could eat it all the time.

I never used to make it. I would eat it when I'd go somewhere or someone brought it to my place and I always loved it.

I searched for recipes or just bought a mix.

Than I realized I was making it much harder than it needed to be.

All you need is some pasta,whatever meat you want- if you want, cheese, and vegetables.
You will also need a bottle of salad dressing. Just whatever kind you like.

I usually take a handful of every veggie I am using.
If it is frozen, put it in a colander.
The rest goes into a big bowl with the meat. Use maybe a cup of meat.

Cook 3-4 cups of pasta.
Drain in the colander you have the frozen vegetables in. The hot water will thaw out the vegetables.
Rinse the pasta and vegetables in cold water. Drain well.

Pour the pasta/veggies into the bowl with the meat and other vegetables.
Add a handful of shredded cheese or small cubes of cheese.

Pour salad dressing over the mixture.
Just add enough to coat the pasta salad.

Chill until serving.

The pasta may absorb some of the salad dressing. So, if the salad seems dry, add a little more to moisten.

What could be easier?

That's it.

Your pasta salad done your way.
Yummy!

Cheesy Zucchini

Cheesy Zucchini

If you grow your own zucchini, you know how plentiful it can be.

If you are like me you get tired of fried zucchini or zucchini bread.
So, I went on an internet and cookbook quest to see what all I could make with it. This is one of the ways I found.

It is inspired by a recipe I found online. I did change it a bit and I find it so yummy! 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
You will need a 9" square baking pan.

Ingredients:

2-3 medium-small zucchini
2 Tablespoons butter
salt, pepper, garlic powder to season
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Wash, stem, and thinly slice the zucchini. You will need 3-4 cups.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
Add the sliced zucchini.
Season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Saute for about 10 minutes, until the zucchini has softened. Stir frequently.
Spread the sauteed zucchini in the baking dish.
Sprinkle  the cheese over the top and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Serves 4 as a side. 

Cheese Casserole Bread

This is a yeast bread that is super simple to make. You don't even knead it, just beat it with a spoon or use a mixer.

It is great served along side soup or salad.

Makes 2 loaves baked in 1 quart casserole dishes

Ingredients:

4 - 5 cups all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

2 packages dry yeast( 4-1/2 teaspoons, by measure)

2 cups water

1/3 cup dry non-fat milk

2 Tablespoons shortening

1-1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.

In a saucepan or microwavable bowl mix the water, dry milk, and shortening. Heat just until warm. Add it to the dry ingredients and beat with a spoon or with a mixer for a couple minutes.

Add the cheese, egg, and about a half cup flour to make a thick batter and stir or mix again for another couple minutes.

With the spoon, stir in another couple cups of flour. Just so the batter is stiff but manageable.

Cover the dough and put it in a warm place and let the dough double in size. This will take about 40 minutes or so.

Now, you need to grease your two casseroles pretty well.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stir down the batter and beat vigorously for about 30 minutes.

Divide among the two casseroles.

Make for 45 minutes. To check use a toothpick inserted in the center. It will come out clean dry.

Take out and remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.

Let them sit for probably 5 - 10 minutes before cutting. Serve in wedges or slices.

Bacon-Cheese Fries

 

  These fries are so good. They are cheesy and bacony and so very, very yummy.

You will need a deep fryer or deep pan filled with oil.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Ingredients:

3 unpeeled medium size russet potatoes

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Clean the potatoes, but don't peel. Slice them into thick fries. You should get 12-15 slices per potato. Maybe more, if you have bigger potatoes.

Fry the fries in the hot oil. To make sure they get crisp, you fry them for about a minute and remove from oil and drain. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Now, fry them in the oil for another 5 minutes. They will be a light golden brown color.

Drain them.

Put them on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle the cheese and bacon bits over the fries.

Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve with ranch dressing if you like.

This will feed about 4 as an appetizer. If you want to make more just slice up an extra potato, cook and extra slice of bacon, and add a little more cheese.

So good!

Chicken Enchilada Dip

This dip is to die for. Serve it with tortilla chips and it tastes just like you are eating chicken enchiladas.
It is a hot dip. I hope you enjoy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 C.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken meat
1-8oz package softened cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese OR cheddar/jack cheese
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1- 4 oz can diced green chili pepper- you can also use half of a fresh Anaheim chili
1 Jalapeno OR Serrano pepper, finely chopped- optional

Bake chicken in oven for about 20 minutes or until done. Take out, cool and shred or cube.
In a mixing bowl add all of the ingredients and blend well.
Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. A 2 quart casserole works really well.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. It will be bubbly and the edges will be golden.

Jalapeno Cheese Balls

These are tasty little snack bites. They don't have a ton of heat, but there is a bit.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You will need one large cookie sheet.

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/2 cup softened butter
3-4 finely chopped jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup cheez whiz
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour

Beat egg well. Add he rest of the ingredients in the order given. Roll in 1" balls and place on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or til light brown on the bottom. Remove from the pan to paper towels or a rack to cool. Sprinkle with paprika or chili powder.
Makes about 2-3 dozen. You can make them smaller and get up to 72 if you truly want them bite size.

Shrimp Dip

This is a very simple dip that has great flavor. My friend Jacque shared this with me. Serve with snack crackers.

Ingredients:

1 4-1/2 oz can tiny shrimp or 4 oz of frozen salad shrimp
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped- tops and all
1 cup mayonnaise

Drain canned shrimp and mash with a fork. If using frozen, thaw and chop finely in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and chill until serving. If you don't have green onions, use about 1/4 cup chopped onion.

Yummy Queso Dip

This is a simple dip. You can make it on the stove or in the crockpot. All up to you. I like to do it in the crockpot and keep it on warm once it is done.

Ingredients:

10-1/4 oz. can cream of mushroom condensed soup

16 oz. Velveeta cheese

12 oz. cooked ground sausage. Any kind is good. Italian or breakfast both work.

16 oz. jar of your favorite salsa

On top of stove, or in a crockpot, combine the soup and Velveeta. When cheese is melted add the cooked and crumbled sausage.
Stir til combined and add your salsa. Mix well and heat through.

Best served warm.Great with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!