Dark Chocolate Strawberry Tart

I found this recipe a few years ago out of a Woman's day magazine. I ran across it when thumbing through my recipes looking for something yummy to make for dessert for my Valentine's day dinner. It turned out awesome!! Tastes like chocolate covered strawberries only better! I think next time I will slice the strawberries and layer on the top, it was hard to eat with them whole. But other than that this recipe was devine!! It's quite rich though, Jim and I split a piece, how romantic is that?? but after all  that's what I was going for. :o)

Dark Chocolate-Strawberry Tart

By Jacqueline Hopkins from Woman's Day

May 30, 2006
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Recipe Ingredients

CRUST :
33 shortbread cookies (I used vanilla wafers)
1 cup pecans
2 Tbsp sugar
1 white from 1 large egg

FILLING:
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3 Tbsp cold butter
11⁄2 cups (9 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (I used Baker's chocolate baking squares, it takes 9)

1 large container (16 oz) plus 1 pt (12 oz) strawberries, rinsed, patted dry, cap ends cut straight across; put cut sides down on paper towels . (I bought 2 packages I think they were 1 lb packages and had plenty)
1 can spray whipped cream

Recipe Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable sides with nonstick spray, (I just used my springform pan that I use for cheesecakes and it worked lovely)
Break cookies into food processor. Add nuts and sugar; pulse until fine crumbs form. Add egg white; pulse just to blend. Press evenly over bottom and up sides of  pan. Freeze 10 minutes, or until firm. Cover crust with foil.  Bake 15 minutes; remove foil. Bake 5 minutes more, or until lightly browned.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make filling: Heat cream and butter over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat, add chocolate chips and let stand 2 minutes to melt. Whisk until blended and smooth. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour until cool but still pourable.

Pour into crust. Place strawberries cut sides down on filling.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours for filling to set.  To serve: Put tart pan on a small, sturdy bowl; let sides fall down. Gently slide tart off pan bottom onto a serving plate.Planning Tip: Can be made up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate loosely covered.
Serve with a dollop of  whipcream ! YUMMO!

**Next time I make this, I will let the tart set up in the fridge for 1/2 an hour, then slice the strawberries and layer around the top of the tart, I think that would make it easier to cut and eat.

My romantic Valentine Dinner- Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Oozing Maitre d' Butter

I made my Valentine's Dinner on Sunday since I was off work and had lots of time! It turned out quite yummo!! I love cooking and enjoy making a nice dinner over going out. I made stuffed mushrooms, look on my blog under appetizers for the recipe, Grilled Rib-eye steaks (which I will post here, garlic mashed potatoes (looked under vegetable recipes, or side dishes), and steamed asparagus. Yumm!!
Here I will post my Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Oozing Maitre d' Butter! I got this off of the food network show Alex's Day off. I tweaked it a bit for our tastes and with what I had on hand. Turned out Delisioso!

Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Oozing Maitre d' Butter
Ingredients:
1 cube butter
4 green onions, minced
1 heaping teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, plus a "few grates" lemon zest
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons dried parsley
3 ribeye steaks, brought to room temperature, this makes the steak more tender
Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning


Make the butter: In a medium saute pan, heat  1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat, then add the green onion. Season with salt, to taste, and cook until they are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the green onion/ butter mixture to a medium bowl. Add the black pepper, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk to blend so all of the flavors start to meld together. Use a fork to blend in the other 7 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt as needed, to taste, and stir in the parsley.
Roll the butter into a log shape (like cookie dough) in plastic wrap or parchment pepper and refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to use, unwrap and slice into 1/4 inch slices.

Cook the steak: Heat your outdoor grill to medium/high heat. Sprinkle both sides of steaks with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Place on grill, and cook on one side about 4 minutes, and then flip, and cook 4 more minutes. This makes the steak about medium/ medium well done. They are slightly pink in the middle. Adjust cooking time to your liking.

Let rest about 4 to 5 minutes before serving.

When ready to eat, place 1 slice of the Maitre D'Butter on top of the steak. The heat from the steak should melt the butter. If not, place under the broiler for a few seconds. Spread over the steak so you get butter in each steak bite!

Yummo!!!

My Favorite Cinnamon Roll Recipe

I don't make cinnamon rolls very often, but I saw my neice Alison's blog and she had made some and shaped them like hearts for Valentine's Day! How cute!! So I just had to make some for Sunday morning breakfast, and of course I tried the heart shaped ones!! This is a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com, but instead of making them in a bread maker, since I don't have one, I tweaked it to just make in my kitchen aid mixer. When I do make cinnamon rolls this is the recipe I use. And I added a little cinnamon to the creamcheese frosting... after all they are Cinnamon rolls... :o)

Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls

Disolve in 1/4 cup warm water
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
in the bowl of your mixer.
Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes until yeast starts to bubble.
Meanwhile, warm 1 cup of milk in a small saucepan, remove from heat and add 1/4 cup butter, a 1/2 teaspoon salt, and another Tablespoon of granulated sugar. Set aside and let the butter melt, you want this to be lukewarm before adding to the yeast (I set mine in a sink with a little cold water in it after the butter is mostly melted).
Next, add 1/2 of a (3/4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (about 1/4 cup) to the yeast mixture along with the milk mixture , 1 egg, and 2 cups bread flour. Mix to combine. Add 2 more cups as you mix on medium speed (this does the kneading for you! Yay!). After about 3 minutes of mixing you should have a soft but firm dough, place dough in a large bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, turn dough ball so that the top is a little greasy from the spray. Cover with towel and let raise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about an hour.
Punch down dough and roll out into about a 10 by 17 inch rectangle.

Spread 1/4 cup softened butter over the dough. In a small bowl, combine together 1 cup brown sugar, 4 teaspoons cinnamon, and 3/4 cup chopped pecans. Sprinkle this mixture over your butter covered dough, go clear to the edges! Kind of press this down into the dough so it doesn't fall out when rolling into a log.

Roll up dough starting at one end on the long side to form a long log roll, slice roll into 16 1-inch thick pieces and place in a buttered 13x9 baking pan. Let raise until doubled (about 45 minutes)
While rolls are raising preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then bake rolls for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Make cream cheese icing -see recipe below. Frost while still warm from the oven.

**to make heart shaped rolls, instead of rolling the dough from one side to make a log, roll from both sides to the middle,

 then cut into 16 pieces, and place on cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick cookig spray,and pinch the middle to form the point!

How cute are these?!!

Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes until just turning golden brown.
While rolls bake make icing:
Combine:
1/2 (8 ounce package) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons milk (more if needed)
Cream together the cream cheese and butter first to remove lumps, then add rest of the ingredients and whip together on high speed in mixer until fluffy and there are no lumps.
Frost Cinnamon rolls while still warm.

Enjoy with a large glass of milk ! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Baked Pasta and Chicken Casserole

I made this casserole the other night for dinner! I LOVE anything Pasta.... I got this recipe from my Food network magazine. It was one where you could pick a pasta, a sauce, and mix-ins. I had leftover cooked chicken and some ricotta cheese that I needed to use up. So this is what I did, and it turned out yummo! You can substitute the veggies you use, I had leftover asparagus that I used, but broccoli flourets would be good too. This made quite a large casserole, we ate for two meals with still a little left over. So if you don't need quite so much, you might half the recipe. We loved the leftovers for lunch though. This would be good served with a salad and crispy french bread! Yummo!

Baked Pasta and Chicken Casserole

1 pound of  Rigatoni Pasta (or you could use Penne or Bowtie)
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced garlic, (or 4 cloves, minced)
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
2-8ounce cans tomatoe sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons chopped  fresh Basil (Remember, I like to use the pre-chopped stuff in the tube you find at walmart, but you could just chopped about 4 large basil leaves, or a teaspoon of the dried basil)
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
Season with Salt and Pepper (start out with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I had leftover grilled chicken, or you could use rotisserie chicken)
1 can artichoke hearts
1 handleful size bundle cooked asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces (I had leftover in the fridge)
1/2 cup chopped roasted red bell pepper (I buy the roasted pepper in the jar, and use as I need)
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 cups grated mozzerella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta until al dente, or cook 2 to 3 minutes less than the time reccommended on the package (it will finish cooking in the oven). Drain and set aside.

While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook until the garlic starts to turn golden brown. Add the diced tomatoes, and the tomatoe sauce. Rinse the cans with about 1/2 cup water and add to the sauce. Add the basil, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
Simmer the sauce, uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until thickened.
While the sauce is simmering, prepare your veggies. Chop the chicken into bite size pieces, and cut the veggies into bite size pieces, set aside.

After the sauce cooks 15 minutes add in 1 cup ricotta cheese and stir to combine,

Then add the meat and veggies to the sauce, and stir.
Toss in the pasta and 1 1/2 cups grated mozzerella, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. When combined, place in a 3 to 4 quart baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the remaining mozzerella cheese over the top, then the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan. Bake uncovered until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!!

We loved the crispy cheese on the top!! Yumm!!!

My version of Pizza Bites (or tootie patoodles as Sarah called them) :o)

I've been experimenting with appetizers that we could make at Sarah's wedding reception, but the more I experiment, I think I'll get a caterer... I could do it, but it would be a lot of work, so I think I'll let someone else do the work for a change. BUT these pizza rolls were heavenly if I do say so myself! I made them when we got home from church last Sunday, and we were all sooo hungry, that we had eaten them ALL before I had gotten a picture of the finished product... :o(  I got the above picture from Kraftrecipes.com where I got the idea for these and  they looked kind of like mine, they had made a similar Savory Parmesan bite recipe, but with just cream cheese, parmesan, and red peppers. One of the caterer's we were looking at had a stromboli stick on their menu, so that started the idea of how I could alter the kraft recipe into what we would be more like a pizza bite and this is what I came up with. We were trying to come up with a name, I thought of Pizza Bites, or Stromboli bites, but Sarah just said to call them Tootie Patoodles or something like that... Ha-ha!

Di's Pizza Bites
1 package of Pillsbury Large cresent rolls (should be 8 in the package)
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 scant teaspoon dried italian seasoning
2  heaping Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, and a little more more sprinkling on top later
a dash or two of salt and papper
1/2 a package of pepperoni slices, diced (I think it was about 3/4 cup after I diced it)
1 small jar of Pizza sauce (you won't use the whole thing, I just keep it in the freezer till I need it again)
Kosher salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine the creamcheese, italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Stir. to combine. Then stir in diced pepperoni.

Take two cresent triangles and press slightly to seal seam. You want a rectangle shape. Spoon about two Tablespoons cream cheese filling down the center of rectangle,  then spoon about two smaller spoonfulls of pizza sauce down and ontop of the cream cheese mixture.

 (don't use too much sauce or it will ooze out) Next fold sides over , I folded one side over, then the other, you will have a slight overlapping of the dough then pinch a little to seal.

I rolled mine over so the seam was on the bottom. Then cut roll in half and each piece in half again so you have 4 pieces. Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Place about 2 inches apart and seam side down. Repeat process until all the roll dough is used. You should have 16 Pizza bites. You might have a little creamcheese mixture leftover, just put in fridge, I used my leftover in a pasta sauce, you didn't even know it was there.

Sprinkle the top with more Parmesan cheese and just a pinch of Kosher salt (if desired).
Bake in hot oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from oven, let cool for about 5 minutes so you don't burn your mouth, and place on serving tray (if you make it that far) and enjoy!! (We devoured ours right from the cookie sheets!!)
I was sad I didn't have a pic of my finished product, but I did take pics while making them. :o)

Potatoe Skins

ok... I did a LOT of cooking last weekend for the Super Bowl. I made Potatoe Skins to go with the Sandwiches I made. I LOVE potatoe skins that you get as appetizers in some restaurants. All the recipes I've found say to bake the potatoe, then cut in half and scoop out the middle for use later, but what do you use it for later??? I think it's a big waste, so this is what I do!! These are my favorite, they taste pretty much like potatoe skin appetizers, but I think they are easier! Yummmo!!!

Di's Potatoe Skins
3 or 4 medium size baking potatoes, uncooked
Olive oil
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt (approximate)
3/4 teasppoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup (appox.) cooked bacon, crumble (or you could use real bacon bits)
1 cups grated cheese
Sour cream for dipping or dolloping!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash potatoes, but leave the peel on. Then slice potatoes lengthwise in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Place potatoe slices in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper, stir to combine.
Next drizzle the potatoe wedges with  a good drizzle of olive oil (maybe 2 Tablespoons) toss to coat each slice. Be sure all slices are well covered.
Next sprinkle seasoning mixture over the potatoes, (I sprinkled with 1/2 the mixture, then tossed around again, then sprinkled with remaining seasoning, and tossed again) You want the seasoning all over the slices.
Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Then place the potatoe slices on the cookie sheet evenly so they are flat and not touching each other too much.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and top with a spoonful of cheese (so the entire slice has sprinkles of cheese). Then add a few of the bacon bits to the top.(See photo above)
Place back in oven and bake for about 3 or 4 minutes longer until cheese is melty.
Remove from oven and serve with sour cream! Enjoy!!!

Brownie covered Oreo's

I got this idea from my cute neice, Alison, who got it from this website:
 http://picky-palate.com/2010/12/06/brownie-covered-oreos/ I tried it for the Super Bowl with my saucepan brownie recipe and regular Oreo's. As you can see mine weren't too pretty because of the melty icecream, but it was GOOD. I thought it would be cute for Valentine's day with the red filled Oreo's and sprinkled on top with red sprinkles.  Instead of dipping the Oreo's in the Brownie mixture like the original recipe said, I put a small spoonful of Brownie batter on the bottom of the muffin tin and then placed an Oreo on that and then came another spoonful of brownie batter. Mine came out looking like small cupcakes or muffins, but were perfect for holding a scoop of icecream and chocolate sauce drizzled on the top, then they had the oreo cookie in the middle for a surprise. YUM!
I used my Saucepan Brownie recipe which I love and will post again for this.

Saucepan Brownies
Melt in saucepan:
1 stick of butter
2 - 1 ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate
Remove from heat and add:
1 cup of sugar
Stir then add:
2 eggs, one at a time, stir after each
Then stir in:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Then add:
3/4 cups flour
dash of salt
Stir till well mixed. Can add nuts or chocolate chips. Bake in greased 8 x 8 pan at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes (or until desired doneness, I like mine slightly gooey)Sometimes I like to sprinkle nuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chips on the top before baking, then when they're done I drizzle melted carmels over the top. Or drizzle with marshmellow cream and fudge frosting. Sinful.

Here is how I made my brownie covered oreos:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray a muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
Put a spoonfull of brownie batter into each muffin cup, then place an oreo cookie on top the batter. Then comes another spoonful of brownie batter.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes or until brownie is set, you don't want to over bake.

Mine came out looking like little muffins

I topped mine while they were still warm from the oven with icecream and chocolate fudge icecream topping. You could do with the red filled oreos and sprinkle the top with red sprinkles. Or I think any miniature candybar would be good in the middle as well. Just use your imagination!

YUMMO!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

I made these for the super bowl. Jim loves hot wings, and I saw the Neely's make this on the food network, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I used Ranch dressing for the coleslaw, but you can use blue cheese dressing instead if you like, we don't like blue cheese dressing. These turned out Yummo!! but spicy, but buffalo wings are spicy right? Yum!!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Louisiana Hot Sauce
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 small package coleslaw mix
1/2 cup ranch dressing (approximatly 1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper
sliced pepper jack or provolone cheese
Hard rolls (I like the kind you can get a walmart, perfect texture for sandwiches)

First, marinade the chicken breasts. In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/4 cup hot sauce. Place chicken in a ziploc bag, then pour hot sauce mixture over the chicken, zip up the bag and mush the marinade around on the chicken. Let chicken marinade in the refrigerator for a few hours. (I put mine in the fridge in the morning, and cooked later in the afternoon) Also, if your chicken breasts are quite thick, it's better to butterfly them before marinating it. I use a sharp knife and cut through the thickest part, so you end up with 2 thinner pieces of chicken.
Make the coleslaw mixture by pouring about  1/2 cup ranch dressing over the coleslaw mixture in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Cover and set in fridge until ready to use.

To cook chicken, heat grill to medium/high heat. Place chicken breasts on grill and cook 7 to 10 minutes per side, depending on how thick your chicken is. I did mine about 7 minutes, and then turned, and cooked 7 minutes more. While chicken cooks on the first side, make a basting sauce by melting the 2 Tablespoons butter in a small saucepan, then whisk in another 1/4 cup hot sauce, let simmer over medium/low heat. 
When chicken has cooked on one side, turn, then baste the top with your butter/hot sauce mixture. After 7 minutes turn over one more time, and baste this side with the hot sauce, let sit for a minute more. Then remove from grill.
Cut the rolls open and toast under broiler for 2 minutes or until just starting to turn brown.
Remove and assemble sandwiches by placing 1 chicken breast on the bottom half of the roll, place a slice of cheese on the chicken , next add a spoonful or two of coleslaw, then the top half of the roll goes on next.
These were good, but spicy, just like buffalo chicken should be. Yum!

Grilled Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches

mmmmmmmm........ I love these Sandwiches. I learned how to do these clear back when I was a teenager. I think they were in my 'Teen magazine, or maybe it was Seventeen, anyway, one of those magazines you read all the time as a teenager. But with the weather still way cold and the sky all cloudy and gloomy, don't you crave your favorite comfort foods? This is one of my ultimate comfort foods. If you haven't ever tried these before, you just have to go give'em a try right now!! Just look at how gooey the Peanut Butter gets..... and if you want, you could put sliced bananas in it as well, if you want to be like Elvis (he liked Peanut Butter and bananas didn't he?)... but I don't care for banana's :o) Just eat them carefully, they are really gooey!

Grilled Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Peanut Butter
Honey
2 slices of bread
butter

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. While pan is heating, spread 2 slices of bread with peanut butter, (be sure it's a good helping on both pieces.) Next spread 1 to 2 Tablespoons of honey on the peanut butter on 1 piece of bread, then top with the other slice.
Next, on top of sandwich, spread a thin layer of butter on top piece of bread, place in skillet- butter side down. Let cook for a minute or 2 until golden brown. While cooking spread a thin layer of butter on the top slice of bread. Then when bottom slice is golden brown, flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
Place on a plate, the peanut butter is probably running out the sides by now (if not you didn't use enough peanut butter).
Eat right away with a tall glass of milk. YUMMMMMMM!

A 2-Year-Old Cooks! How to Clone Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake

I thought this was cute!!! This made me laugh, love her mixer!!!

My version of Taco Time's Crunchy Chicken Burritos

I LOVE the crunchy chicken burritos you get at Taco Time, I was craving them and just had to get one for lunch the other day! YUM! While I was eating it and trying to decide what to have for dinner, I realized I had cooked chicken in the fridge that I needed to use up, and I just happened to have some cream cheese in there too, so why not experiment and see if I could make them myself! This is what I came up with, easy and they were pretty close only I didn't fry them, I baked them instead. These would be good cut in half or thirds and used for appetizers or since this weekend is the superbowl they would be great for munchies while watching the game!! I served mine with sourcream and salsa as a dip, but guacamole would be yummy too!
I made a similar recipe under chicken quesadillas....

Crunchy Chicken Burritos

2 cups diced cooked chicken (or 2 large cooked chicken breasts) (approximately)
1 8-oz package cream cheese, brought to room temperture
1 heaping Tablespoon diced jalepeno peppers, (I used the ones that come in the jar)
1 Tablespoon of the jalepeno juice
1/2 of a small can of diced green chilis
1/4 cup grated cheese (any kind, I used cheddar, but pepperjack would be good too)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Burrito size flour tortilla's

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, stir the cream cheese, jalepeno juice, salt and pepper together till there are no lumps.  Add the chicken, cheese, jalepeno's and green chili's , stir to combine. Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper.
Put a spoonful or two of the chicken mixture down the middle but more towards one end of one tortilla, and fold over end and roll up like a burrito, but leave the ends open. Place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Keep making burritoes until the chicken mixture is used up. It will depend on how full you make them as to how many you get. I made mine kind of skinny, like the ones you get at Taco Time. Brush the tops of the burritos with melted butter, or spray with a bit more non-stick cooking spray to help with browning.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the tortilla's start to brown and are crispy.
Serve with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole for dipping! Yum!!

**you can just use green chili peppers instead of jalepeno's, depending on how hot you like things. We like ours a bit spicy.

Scalloped Potatoes

Diet ? what diet? So much for New Years resolutions.... It's been sooo cold and gloomy, I've had to whip out my comfort food recipes, and this is one of my favorites I think. I almost forgot about this recipe! This is one of the recipes I got from my mom, I love scalloped potatoes, nothing like potatoes and a creamy cheese sauce... and I added bacon to it, I love bacon and potatoes together. This is good served with any cooked meat, I served mine with hamburger patties. Yum!

Scalloped Potatoes

2 large or 3 medium size potatoes, sliced very thin (sometimes I peel mine, sometimes I don't)
1/2 cube butter (1/4  cup)
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup chopped, cooked bacon (i use the precooked kind, or you can use real bacon bits either)
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 to 2 cups grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350.
Put sliced potatoes in a medium size pot and cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then drain, they will finish cooking in the oven. Set aside.
While potatoes cook, start making the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a medium size saucepan. Add the onions and bacon and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the onion is crunchy tender. Add flour and whisk until combined, let cook for another minute or two. Slowly whisk the milk into the butter/flour mixture, and cook over medium heat until thickened. Then add a cup of cheese and the can of cream of mushroom soup and stir to combine and the cheese is melted. Add a dash or two of  Salt and Pepper to taste.
Spray a square casserole dish (or any smaller casserole dish) with non-stick cooking spray, and add the potatoes, you can sprinkle these with a dash or two of salt and pepper as well. Then pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes, I lift some of the potatoes up here and there so the sauce can get under them. (You can put the sauce on the potatoes in the pot before you put in the casserole dish, I just found that my potatoes break up a bit that way)
Sprinkle more cheese on the top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve and enjoy!! YUM!!!