Potato and Bacon au Gratin

6 (2 pounds) medium potatoes
8 slices bacon, cooked crumbled 
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel potatoes and slice thinly.  You can leave the peel on if you would like.

In 2 quart baking dish, arrange 1/3 of the potato slices.  Sprinkle half of the bacon on top.  

Add an additional 1/3 of the potato slices.  Sprinkle the remaining bacon over top.  

Arrange the remaining potato slices on top.

In medium saucepan, saute onion in butter until translucent.  Add flour, cook 1 minute.  

Add milk and cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  

Cook over medium heat until cheese is melted.  

Pour over potatoes.  Bake one hour, until golden brown.  If the potatoes are not tender after an hour, cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

I finally feel well enough to get back to blogging.  Who knew a small cut on my foot and walking in the ocean in South Africa would cause me so much trouble.  Outside of that, I am in great health and glad to be getting back to my normal schedule.

Check back on Tuesday,

for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too! 

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 strips bacon, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut the cauliflower into florets that are approximately the same size. Place cauliflower on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  

 Sprinkle chopped garlic over top.  

 Arrange bacon over cauliflower. 

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on the edges, stirring the cauliflower a couple of times while baking.

The weather is warming up and I only have a few days left to use my oven before it gets too hot.  I love to roast vegetables!  This recipe and my Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe are two of my families favorites.  Roasting gives the vegetables a rich and I think a slightly sweet flavor.  I end up eating more vegetables than meat when they are roasted, and that is a good reason to heat the kitchen up a little.

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Tuesday,
for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Apples & Angel Hair Pasta

Apples & Angel Hair Pasta

1 (1 pound) box angel hair pasta
2/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large apples, peeled, cored, diced
1 large tomato, seeded, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain and place back in the pot it was  boiled in.  In medium skillet, saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden brown.

Combine all ingredients. Salt to taste. Mix well.  

Serve with fish or chicken.

When I had this meal in Cape Town, South Africa, I knew I was going to recreate it when I got back home.  I love the fresh simple flavors in this dish.  The diced apple is the star of this recipe.  It's sweet and crisp texture is an unexpected surprise.

Bo, of Bo's Bowl, posted my Baked Pasta recipe.  Please stop by and take a look.  His pictures are so much better than mine are!

Check back on Tuesday, for my last post about my trip to 
South Africa and a helpful travel tip!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Mom's Mac & Cheese

Mom's Mac & Cheese

2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
1 (16 ounce) package Velveeta Cheese
1 (15 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Prepare macaroni according to package directions.  Drain well, my mom says this is the key to making good Mac & Cheese.  Return macaroni to the pan it was cooked in.  Cube 3/4 of the Velveeta Cheese, add to macaroni.  Add evaporated milk, milk, butter, salt, and pepper.

Cook over medium heat until bubbly.  Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese melts.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour mixture into 8x8 inch baking dish or deep pie dish.  Slice remaining Velveeta.  Arrange cheese slices on top.  Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.

We can not have a family dinner without Mom's Mac & Cheese.  This creamy cheesy comfort food is everyone's favorite and there would be riots in the kitchen if mom did not fix it.

I had so much fun in Florida with my family!  But now it is back to reality.  I am in Iowa to promote and peddle my cookbooks at the Iowa State Fair.  For the next two weeks I will be posting pictures from the fair and prize winning recipe from the contests that I will be judging.

Iowa State Fair Cake

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Potatoes

2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Toss to coat.  Pour onto a baking sheet.  Bake 45 minutes.  Makes 5 to 6 servings.

 

When I was shopping at the grocery store last week, I spotted this bag of mixed fingerling potatoes.  It contained red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, and purple potatoes.  I love to try new food products, so I grabbed a bag.

Typically when I roast potatoes, I will just put the potatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle olive oil and seasoning, then toss them to coat.  For this recipe, I wanted to make sure every potato was evenly seasoned, so I tossed them in a large bowl instead.  It was an extra step, but each bit was perfectly seasoned, so for me it was worth it.

I loved the addition of the purple potato!  It put a fun new twist to a good old standby recipe, without changing the flavor.

Giveaway! 

Enter my giveaway, for your chance to win a copy of my cookbook, 
MY KIND OF COOKING, and a set of knives!  

For more details, check out my post about the Giveaway.

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully 
follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Stop by and visit Ashley, at What Does A Songbird Sing.  She posts recipes and exercise tips on her blog, and who couldn't use a little more of both!

Wacky Wild Rice

Wacky Wild Rice

1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 3/4 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 (6.0 ounce) box long grain and wild rice mix
1/2 cup raisin and dried cherries mix 

In small skillet, brown pecans over medium heat.  Set aside.  In large saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil over medium high heat. Add rice and seasoning packet.  Bring to a boil.  Add raisins and cherries. Cover.  Reduce heat to low.  Cook 25 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Add pecans.  Mix well.  Makes 4 servings.

 Recipe can be found on page 133 in, 

MY KIND OF COOKING COOKBOOK.

I love this side dish!  I could honestly eat the whole thing myself.  The savory taste of the wild rice, pared with the sweet raisins and cherries, throw in the crunch of the toasted pecans, and you have a winning combination!

This is one of the dishes that will be on our Christmas table.  It is quick and easy and full of flavor, and I am so far behind in everything I need to get done before Christmas, that is just what I need. 

Are you behind like me, or have you made it to the place I treasure most, remembering the reason for the season?  I still have 38 Christmas baskets to get ready and a few cards left to be mailed.  Even though I am behind, this is still my favorite time of the year!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Another blog that I think you would enjoy is my friend Janet's blog, 

Chocolate and God.

Recipe: Extra Cheesy Hash Browns

Extra Cheesy  Hash Browns

1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cheddar cheese soup
1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onion rings

Coat inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Add all ingredients. Mix well.  Cover. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours or high 2 to 3 hours.  Makes 8 servings.

I made this easy recipe during one of my cooking demos at the Iowa State Fair.  It is not only a tasty side dish for lunch or dinner but by adding some chopped, cooked bacon, it would also be delicious for breakfast.  It would be kind of like Cracker Barrel's Hash Brown Casserole.   Extra Cheesy Hash Browns and Tortellini Toss were the recipes that got the most comments and questions from the audience during my cooking demos.  People were amazed that you could get so much flavor out of just a few simple ingredients.

Tortellini Toss

I made a new blogger friend while I was at the Iowa State Fair.  Heidi, not only purchased my cookbooks but she wrote about them on her blog, Hens & Chicks Quilt Studio.  Please visit her wonderful blog, you will be happy you did!

On September 3rd, I will be doing a drawing from the Followers on my blog.  The drawing is open to all of my Followers, regardless of where they live.  I will be giving away a copy of MY KIND OF COOKING COOKBOOK and my new, BUSY WOMAN'S SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK.

Sign up to  FOLLOW my blog, for your chance to win!

Check out the great giveaway at my blogging buddy, Bo's Blog (say that three times fast), Bo's Bowl.   Not only does he have great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Check out my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!