Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese

In this video, Betty demonstrates how to make a large casserole of Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese. This is a perfect accompaniment to her dinner of Herbed Chicken Crunch, Sauteed Zucchini and Yellow Squash, fresh green beans from the Farmer's Market, and a large croissant!

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick (I used Russet, but any variety is fine.)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk (for sauce)
2 cups shredded Velveeta cheese (You may substitute any variety of shredded cheese that you like.)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried chopped parsley)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups additional milk (for pouring over casserole to come to the top of the potatoes)
cooking oil spray
salt and black pepper, to taste

Prepare the sliced potatoes, and cover them with cold water in a large container, and set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup flour, stirring until lumps are dissolved. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 2 cups milk, and 2 cups shredded Velveeta cheese. Return mixture to low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until cheese sauce is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley. Spray a very large casserole dish (13-inch by 9-inch by 2-inch) with cooking oil spray, and place 1/3 of the cheese sauce on the bottom of the dish. Spread it out evenly. Now, place 1/2 of the sliced potatoes in a layer on top of the cheese sauce. Sprinkle 1/4 cup finely chopped onion over the potatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and pour another third of the cheese sauce over the top. Next, place the other half of the sliced potatoes in a even layer over the top of the casserole. Salt and pepper to taste, and pour the final third of the cheese sauce evenly over the entire casserole. At this point, if your cheese sauce does not come up to the level of the potatoes, add milk, distributing it evenly, until there is liquid all the way to the top of the potatoes. (I used 2 additional cups of milk.) Cover casserole with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake 45 minutes longer. Test the potatoes with a fork, and, if they are soft, remove the casserole from the oven. Place the foil back on top of the casserole, and let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to let the potatoes soak up all the liquid. Remove the foil, and your Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese is ready to serve! It will look gorgeous, and it is very tasty! You'll love it!!!

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How to Make Homemade Croutons

This is one of those things that seems so simple and sensible, you wonder why everyone isn't doing it already. The taste, texture, and value of homemade croutons are fabulous. Maybe you just don't know how. So here's how to make croutons at home, with delicious results.

Basically, croutons are just toasted bread. The difference is that they are toasted longer, so that the interior of the bread dries out, giving a satisfying crunch throughout, not just on the surface.
However, if you like that crunch just on the outside, the good news is, you have full control when you make your own. You can leave them in the oven for less time, to get a softer, chewier finished product. Or keep them there longer, to get almost a tooth-shattering morsel. The choice is yours.

Simply use some leftover bread. I don't like bread heels, the slices you cut off at either end of a loaf. Normally I give them to friends, but since they have moved away, I'm stuck with them. I can either give them to the chickens, who would gladly devour them, or I can make croutons. Guess which I prefer?

Any bread is fine. You can use fresh bread or stale, whole grain or white, sweet or savory. In fact, for variation, try using sweet bread sometimes. It makes for a nice complement to a carrot soup, for example.
You don't even have to use bread slices. Any shape or size will work. Have some leftover rolls or buns? Use those.

Recipe: Homemade Croutons
2 slices bread, cubed (or a similar amount of rolls or buns,) about 3 cups
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste (optional)

I use a serrated knife to cut the bread into cubes. Place the bread cubes into a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. I prefer this to a cookie sheet, because the cubes stay inside when you mix them, but you can use a cookie sheet as well.

Add the olive oil. Mix well. Sprinkle on the garlic and onion powders. Mix well. Spread out evenly in the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned and hard. Stir halfway through.
Stick around while they are baking, because they can overcook very quickly.

Be sure to cool them completely before storing in an airtight container.

Now you know how to make homemade croutons. It's very straightforward and simple, and if you try it for yourself, you'll see how delicious they are. You will likely never buy pre-made again.

Want to know what to do with them?
Find more tips for how to make homemade croutons at http://almostveganinparadise.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/homemade-croutons