Scalloped Potato & Ham Bake

Once upon a time there was a crazy lady who had to feed her 5 growing children.  One day she went to the store and noticed that they had a 15 pound bag of YELLOW potatoes for $2.98!!! She jump for joy and purchased them, again and again and again.  Now 45 pounds of potatoes later the crazy lady is trying to use them all up before they go bad…thus this recipe.

Scalloped Potato & Ham Bake

You’ll Need

• 1 onion chopped
• garlic (I used 1 tsp. of chopped garlic)
• 5 TBS. of butter or margarine
• 5 TBS. of flour
• 4 cups of milk
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 5-6 potatoes (it really depends on how big they are)
• cheese (I used cheddar)
• French Fried Onions (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1- 2 cups of cubed ham

Directions

Wash your potatoes, because I used yellow potatoes I didn’t peel them, if you use russets or something like that you’ll want to peel them.  The slice them really thinly, and make one layer of potatoes on the bottom of a 9X13.   Then in a large sauce pan combine the onion, garlic and butter and cook until soft. Add your flour and stir. Gradually add your milk, I added two cups and let that thicken, then I added the last 2 cups and let it thicken again.  Then add 1 cup of sour cream and stir.  Add your salt and pepper.  A note on salt, if you are going to use the French Fried Onions go easy on the salt.  On top of your layer of thinly sliced potatoes add half of your cubed ham, and then half of your sauce.  Then add another layer of thinly sliced potatoes, ham and the rest of your sauce.  Bake for 1 hour and 30 min at 350 degrees.  I left mine uncovered but if you know you have an oven than runs hot you might want to cover yours.  After 90 minutes pull out your potatoes and add your French Fried Onions and cheese to the top, return to the oven for about 15 min or until cheese is nice and melted.  Remove from oven and let rest before serving.

add a second layer of potatoes, ham and sauce.

Okay it’s probably not the healthiest thing I’ve ever made but it was really good and we almost polished the entire thing off at one dinner.    You can serve it with another little scoop of sour cream if you like.

  Enjoy

Fast and Easy Chicken Pot Not Pie

 

This is a super quick and easy recipe for leftover chicken, but you don’t have to wait until you have leftover chicken to try it. I’m super yummy!

I just take my chicken and cube it, then add a bag of mix veggies and almost a whole family sized can of cream of mushroom OR cream of chicken soup. (maybe you could use two little ones? I’m not sure, I don’t buy little sizes of anything anymore) Sometimes I add a little milk to it too, then salt and pepper.  Then you can either put it between two pie crusts OR you can put it in a casserole dish and put biscuits on the top OR you can put cornbread on the top.  This time I did cornbread. Then you bake it at 350 degrees until the center is heated through and the dough is done, or the cornbread is cooked or the biscuits are cooked.  The cornbread one takes the longest at about 50-60 minutes baking time.  BUT IT”S SO WORTH IT & it’s super fast to put together.

My kids will gobble this stuff up. 

P.S. The pie crust version of this recipe freezes really well, just make it all up and instead of baking it cover it with foil and put it in the freezer until you need it.

ENJOY!!

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

This is a great recipe for your leftover pulled pork.  First place your pizza stone into your oven and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Then you’ll need your favorite pizza dough.  I used my recipe here, but I left out the seasonings and just made a plain crust.  

Cover your dough with your favorite BBQ sauce.

Then add your pulled pork

I also added some caramelized onions.

And topped it off with shredded jack cheese. I would have preferred to use pepper jack cheese, but the kiddos think it’s too spicy.

Carefully slide your pizza onto your pizza stone in the oven.  I don’t have a pizza peel, but I have found that use a cutting board generously coated in cornmeal works great.  Bake for 18-25 min.  I always check after 18 min and see how it looks then add more time if it needs it.

Serve it with a nice slaw.  I have a great healthy slaw recipe that we served ours with.  I like my slaw right on top of the pizza. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the slaw but I’ll share the recipe with you soon.

ENJOY!!

Stay and follow for these upcoming posts

• Blueberry Cheesecake
• 
• (YUMMY) Flourless cookies
• 
• Homemade Pizza Sauce
• 
• AND hopefully a bathroom redo
• 

Italian Tomato Alfredo

I came up with this recipe one day when I need something fast to bring to a friend.  It is a quick and tasty recipe that uses canned tomatoes and alfredo sauce for a little different twist on an old favorite.

• 1 package of fettuccini noodles cooked to package directions

The Sauce

• 1 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce or you can make it from scratch
• 1 can of Italian diced tomatoes. Or you can use the regular diced tomatoes and add some Italian seasoning. ( I usually don’t drain the Italian tomatoes but if I use the regular tomatoes then I drain them.)
• 1 jar of sliced olives
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
• 1-2 medium zucchini diced small.

ENJOY!

SAMM- Japanese Style Curry

I was lucky enough to marry a man who make the best Japanese Curry EVER!  It’s so YUMMY and EASY you should try it.  As always I’m linkin’ it up here.

First you’ll need to find these.  Curry Sauce Mix, they are sold in the Asian section of most supermarkets.  They usually come in three degrees of heat, mild, medium hot or hot.  We usually like to mix a medium hot and a mild together.  We make 2 boxes of Curry for our family of 7.  (6 of which are currently curry eaters) I suggest you do the same because this curry is one of those things that gets better with age it’s always so good as leftovers.

Then you decide what you want to go in your curry, we always do the same things.  Carrots, potatoes, onions and chicken. You however can add whatever you would like.  ( If you are now looking at the pictures and are a little concerned I just wanted to let you know, YOU DO NOT NEED THAT MANY CARROTS, POTATOES, ONIONS OR CHICKEN.  We were making a mega batch so my hubby could bring some to work for his Thanksgiving holiday lunch) What you really need is enough veggies and meat to fill up 5 cups of water, (that’s for two boxes of curry sauce.)

After you have all of your veggies peeled and diced, cube your chicken and cook it up in a skillet with your onions and a little bit of oil. 

While that’s cooking bring your vegetables to a boil in a large pot.  When the vegetables are just tender and your chicken is completely cooked add the chicken and onions to your veggies.

Then you add your curry.  It comes in these little blocks that you just drop into the water

As it dissolves it makes this really lovely curry gravy. 

Then you serve it over, or next too some rice.  I would recommend a Japanese style short grain sticky rice, but really you could serve it on whatever rice you have.  Try it I know you’ll love it!

ENJOY!!