My Perfectly Scalloped Potatoes

WARNING: This is total comfort food. It is not a "diet" friendly recipe.

Ingredients:
5 Large Russet Potatoes - peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thickness or thinner
1 medium onion - minced
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup (heaping) flour
3 cups of whipping cream*
3 cups of half and half*
salt
pepper

Prep:
Take your 4Qt baking dish and grease with the 1 tbsp of butter. The dish should be greased somewhere between lightly and generously. The 1 tbsp is usually enough, but you can use a little more. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and slice your potatoes. Set aside in a large bowl of cold water to keep from browning. Or, you can slice as you need when ready to "layer" the pan.

Sauce:
This is a typical white sauce. Have your flour and liquid ingredients ready as you will have to add them quickly. I cut the stick of butter into smaller chunks for faster melting. In a large pot (I use the dutch size pot since the finished sauce fills half) Melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the flour and stir. These ingredients together should make a paste. Next add all of the cream and half and half at once. Whisk or stir over the medium heat until the sauce thickens. (This is usually about 15-20 mins). Once the sauce has thickened (you'll be able to tell as it becomes more difficult to stir, especially with the cream), remove from heat and let stand 1-5 mins. Add the minced onion to the sauce.

Layering:
Take your greased baking dish and put a light layer of sauce across the bottom. Next layer your potato slices over the sauce. (Be sure to get all the excess water off if you put them in a bowl so as not to make your sauce runny.) Pour sauce over the potatoes and spread - be generous. There should be sauce over every slice! Repeat the potato/sauce layering until you are either out of potatoes/sauce or until you have approximately 1/2  inch left at the top of the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 90 mins. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 mins. Test the center of potatoes with fork. If it easily touches the bottom of the dish, they are done! If not, leave in for an additional 15 mins. Remove and cool for 15-20 mins. Salt and pepper on plate as desired. Serve warm.

*for a less calorie version, you can substitute milk for one or both of the liquid ingredients. It will however, change the flavor and consistency of the end result. :)

Jen's White Chicken Chili

I made this white chicken chili for the General RS Broadcast and had several requests for it that night - the funny thing is that I started off with a white chicken chili but I thought it was too spicy and not very colorful, so I started adding things.  I'll try to remember what I did. 

1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed, soaked and drained.  (I did the quick soak method, with 2 min of boiling).

5-6 cups chicken broth (I used the broth from my chicken, plus 1-2 boxes)

4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)

2 tbsp. garlic, minced

1 med. onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced (with seeds if you want spicy)

1 can green chilies

2 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. italian seasoning (or use oregano & basil)

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1-2 cans kidney beans

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

1 lb. chicken, chopped (or use a rotisserie chicken or a whole chicken de-boned)
Salt & Pepper, to taste

For the broadcast, I took a frozen whole chicken and placed it in my crockpot with about 4 cups water and carrots, onions, celery, rosemary twigs, garlic & season salt.  I let that cook for about 10 hours on low.  Once cooled, I de-boned the chicken, diced it up, and set aside. I then strained the broth to use as part of my chicken stock. You could totally just buy a Rotisserie Chicken or cook your own chicken breasts and omit cooking your own chicken.

Rinse beans and soak for 2 hours, drain. Set aside.

Place beans in large pot with 5-6 cups chicken stock and bring to boil over high heat. 

In a small food processor, mince the onion, garlic, and jalapeno - together is fine.

In a saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, jalapeno & canned chilies and saute for 5 minutes.

Add this mixture to the pot of boiling beans.

Add diced chicken, cumin, italian seasoning, pepper,  and red pepper flakes.

Add 1 can Rotel Tomatoes.

Lower heat to medium and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add 1-2 cans of kidney beans, drained. 

Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until all the beans are done. 

You may add some cilantro leaves, if desired.   
Add salt to taste - this will be a personal preference, but beans needs a lot of salt!

Best Zucchini Casserole

This is the best zucchini casserole I have ever eaten. I know summer is over but I'm sure you can still get zucchini.
Summer Zucchini Casserole

2 lbs sliced zucchini or summer squash
1/4 c sliced green onions
1 c grated carrots
1 tbsp butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 pkg chicken flavored stuffing mix

In a large bowl mix together soup, sour cream and stuffing mix.
In large frying pan melt the butter and add zucchini, onions and carrots. Saute until the zucchini is tender but not mushy.
Add the zucchini to the soup mixture and stir until all the ingredients and mixed together.
Spray a 9x13" baking pan with non stick spray. Add the zucchini to the baking pan and spread it out evenly in the pan.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Debbie's Pumpkin Bars

Mix together:

2 cups pumpkin

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup oil

Then add:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix together until smooth. Spray a sheet cake size pan with Pam.  Bake @350 for 20 minutes.

When cool frost with the following:

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

4 ounces of cream cheese (1/2 block)

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon almond flavoring

Lime-Cilantro Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing mix packet
1 cup mayo
1 cup milk
2 tomatillos (found by the jalapenos and they look like a little green tomato)
1 jalapeno
juice of 1 lime
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 bunch of cilantro
Place all in a blender and mix until well combined.