Scalloped Potatoes

I wish that picture were sharper.

I tend not to measure things, but just throw it together as I go.

4 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes 

3 T flour

4 T minced onion (and garlic)

salt

pepper

2 - 2.5 cups hot milk 

Spray pan with cooking spray. Arrange a layer of potatoes; sprinkle with flour, dots of butter, onion, salt and pepper. Repeat for 3 more layers, omitting the flour on the top layer. Pour hot milk over. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes covered and an additional one hour uncovered.

A great variation is to sprinkle each layer with grated cheese and/or bacon. Like this:

This is the original cookbook.

Coq Au Vin

This is based on the recipe in my 1975 edition of Joy of Cooking, but I have made changes and simplified it over the years.

1/2 lb. bacon, diced
6 chicken thighs, skin removed
1 small onion, diced (about a cup)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 carrots, sliced (about a cup)
2 T flour
1 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried marjoram
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. pepper (I don't add salt because the bacon is salty enough)
2 cups red wine
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (1 package)

Cook bacon pieces in pan until almost crispy. Push to one side and brown chicken pieces on both sides. Push chicken to one side and saute onions and garlic until they just start to brown. Add carrots. Stir in flour and herbs/spices*, add wine, stir, and distribute chicken evenly in pan. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn chicken over and add mushrooms and simmer another 30 minutes or until mushrooms are done and chicken is tender. If the sauce is too thin, you can thicken it with a little more flour or cornstarch (dissolved in liquid first). Serve with egg noodles.

*amounts are approximate, you can add more or less to taste. If you have fresh herbs, add a lot more!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Two Ways

I've only been to a Red Lobster once, but I did have a box of their Cheddar Bay biscuit mix from Costco. It was good. So I improvised a recipe from Bisquick only to find that on the new Bisquick box, they had a recipe too.

The key is the garlic butter poured over the biscuits after they come out of the oven.

Bisquick's Recipe:

My Recipe (Makes 12 LARGE biscuits)
I know, it has a lot of butter.

Biscuits:
3 c. Bisquick
1 cube butter
1 T. Old Bay Seasoning
1 c. grated cheese
1 1/4 c. milk

Topping:
1 cube butter, melted
2 T chopped parsley
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut butter into Bisquick with a pastry blender, like you would for pie crust.
Mix in Old Bay and cheese, then add milk. Mix till it holds together, you can knead it a few times if necessary. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix together the topping ingredients. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, immediately spoon the garlic butter over them. It will soak in and make them ultra delicious.

Swedish Meatballs

These meatballs from the Skandi Kitchen cookbook are absolutely delicious.

Clearly this is the photo from the cookbook:

 

I think the allspice and grated onion give them the special flavor. 

What I do differently is make at least twice as much gravy and after browning the meatballs, simmer them in the gravy for 30 minutes.

My gravy: For every cup of liquid, you need 2 T each of butter and flour.

8 T (1 stick) butter
8 T (1/2 c.) flour
2 cans beef broth
seasoning

In pan on medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook roux for a few minutes. Gradually pour in broth, stirring. It will start to thicken. Season to taste. You could use salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, or au jus flavoring (to "beef" it up a bit).

Update: finally got a picture of my own meatballs.

Beef Stew

2 lbs beef (chuck or tri-tip) cut into 1" cubes
flour
oil
1 can beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 potatoes, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 T worcestershire sauce
pepper
oregano
basil
sage
thyme
1 can green beans

Dredge chunks of meat in flour, fry in oil until brown. (Do this in a frying pan if your stew pot isn't big enough.) Add broth, tomatoes, onion, garlic and simmer for an hour or so. Add vegetables, Worcester, and herbs. Simmer another hour. Add green beans and simmer until beans are heated through.

Oven Fries

Oven Fries have been a hit around here since 2003.

Oh, you wanted the recipe? Sorry, I got distracted by my cute children.

Ricotta Pancakes

Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes
makes 8

1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
3/4 c. milk
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

[The original recipe says to strain ricotta for about 30 minutes. I usually don't bother with that.]

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter. Use a ladle or measuring scoop (we used  1/3 cup measure) to pour batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown.