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. :)

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.

Perkins Fluffy Jell-O Salad

1 sm. can mandarin oranges
1 sm. can crushed pineapple
1 regular can cherry pie filling
1 container cottage cheese (24oz)
1 lg. (6 oz) package of sugar-free cherry jello (can use black cherry)
Mix all ingredients together and then mix in 1 container of cool whip (medium to large container depending on how fluffy you want it)

Jen's Louisiana Baked Beans

5-6 cans pork and beans (or any other beans - great way to use expiring cans of beans)  
1 lb. bacon, crisp fried
1 lg onion
1 lg green or red pepper
2 T worchestershire sauce
1 small bottle BBQ sauce (any generic brand will work, I prefer honey flavored)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 tsp garlic
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp. Louisiana hot sauce (I use Franks Red Hot Sauce, but you could use Tabasco)
Jalapenos, optional


DIRECTIONS:
Chop bacon and fry to crisp. Sauté coarsely chopped pepper and onion in the bacon grease. Place beans, bacon, pepper and onions in lg baking dish or crock pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, Molasses, garlic, pepper, hot sauce, and mustard. Add diced jalapeno’s if desired. Stir and bake at 250 for 3 hrs. Or place in a crockpot.