Easy Scalloped Potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love potatoes.  Mash them, fry them, baked them… or make a little more fancy potato dishes like Scalloped or Au Gratin.  But as fancy as they might seem, they are not difficult to make.  What’s the difference?  Scalloped potatoes consist of thinly sliced potatoes layered in a casserole dish and baked with heavy cream topped with cheese.  Potatoes au gratin, on the other hand, has grated cheese sprinkled between the layers, resulting in a cheesy, more decadent dish.  I love both!

Easy Scalloped Potatoes

¼ cup butter

1 large onion diced

2 cloves garlic minced

¼ cup flour

2 cups half and half or whole milk

1 cup chicken broth

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 cups Gruyere cheese, freshly grated

3 pounds white potatoes sliced about ⅛" thick

 salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Preheat oven to 350˚F.

To make the sauce, melt butter, onion and garlic over medium low heat. Cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low. Combine milk and broth. 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next add your freshly grated cheese to the sauce and stir until it melts.   

Assembly 

Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour enough sauce on the bottom to just cover the dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place ⅓ of the potatoes in the bottom and season with salt and pepper. Pour ⅓ of the cream sauce sauce over top. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Repeat layers ending with cream sauce. Cover with non stick foil 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rocky Road Fudge

I love Rocky Road!  I love Rocky Road ice cream, I make a mean Rocky Road Cheesecake, and my Rocky Road cupcakes are a best seller at the church bake sale!  So why not this old fashioned Rocky Road Fudge?  It is the easiest of all the fudge recipes to make and everyone loves it.  How could you not like chocolate and marshmallows and nuts, oh my!    The secret to making sure your marshmallows show in your finished fudge is to freeze them first because adding them. They won't melt so fast in the hot chocolate and you will see them peeking out at the end!  

Rocky Road Fudge

4 cups miniature marshmallows, frozen
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk)
20 large marshmallows
12 oz pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter
1-2 cups chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Freeze your mini marshmallows for about 3 hours before making your fudge. Do this only with your mini marshmallows and not the larger ones that are coming up.

Combine the sugar, milk and larger marshmallows in a large saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat. You want to allow the mixture to boil for about 5-6 minutes stirring the whole time so it doesn't burn on the bottom.  You may see some little brown bits come up in your mix, but no worries. Ignore those.

Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in your chocolate chips and butter and vanilla. Set aside for about 10 minutes and then fold in your nuts if using.  I love walnuts but macadamia nuts are good too! Any kind of nuts will do or you can leave them out.

Allow your fudge to sit for about 10 more minutes and then stir in your frozen marshmallows. Then pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and refrigerate until completely set. Cut in squares and treat yourself to a piece of heavenly Rocky Road Fudge!  

NOTE:  I store my fudge in the refrigerator, but you can just keep in a dry cool place if you prefer.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Mini Pumpkin Pound Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

 

 

 

I love these mini cakes to give as gifts during the holidays.  They are so moist and the frosting is so creamy, you will want to make them every year!  I use a mini loaf pan, but you can use a standard size loaf pan if you want to make a larger cake. 

Mini Pumpkin Pound Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 1/2 cup all Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup c. Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt
• 3 Egg Whites
• 1 cup Canned Pumpkin
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• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan, set aside. Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, and nutmeg, into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
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• In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, yogurt, and egg whites. Whisk thoroughly until blended. Stir in the pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Stir until completely incorporated.
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• Pour into regular loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Or bake for only 25 minutes if you choose to use mini pans as I did.  Allow to cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, about 3 3/4 cups before sifting
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sprinkling of cinnamon

Using a mixer, combine all ingredients except for cinnamon and blend well.  You can spread on top of cooled cake or pipe on your frosting as I have done in the photo.  Follow with a light sprinkling of cinnamon.

Photograph is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home