Amish Scalloped Potatoes

Yesterday, I shared with you my journey of discovering how to make my favorite potatoes.  Today, I would like to share with you the original recipe and the recipe I have found that works for me.  I never got a recipe from any of the ladies at church.  I just kept adding the different ingredients I learned were in the recipe until it tasted right to me.  The broth base is different from one of the ingredients I learned was in the potatoes.

To make the scalloped potatoes in the Amish cookbook I have you need the following ingredients:

6 potatoes sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 t salt
pepper
3 T butter
2 T flour
2 c hot milk
3/4 c grated cheese

Melt butter in a double boiler or sauce pan.  Add flour and seasoning and stir smooth.  Slowly add the hot milk, stirring constantly.  When it thickens, melt the grated cheese in the sauce.  Into a buttered baking dish or casserole, put layers of the sliced potatoes, onions, and cheese sauce, repeating until all ingredients are used.  Bake in a moderate oven (350) for 1 hour.

That was the recipe from which I started.  To make the potatoes the way I like them, these are the ingredients you will need:

3 T butter
2-3 T all purpose flour
2 c hot milk (I warm mine in the microwave.)
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 c grated cheese ( I used mild cheddar.)
1 can of cream of mushroom
1 T Orrington Farms chicken flavored Broth Base & Seasoning
3 cans of whole white new potatoes, drained
3/4 c sour cream

In a sauce pan melt butter.  Add chopped onions and cook until soft.

 Reduce heat to medium low and add flour, salt, and pepper slowly, stirring constantly.

Cook for about one to two minutes, and then slowly add the milk, stirring constantly.

When the sauce starts to thicken, pour in the soup and broth base.

When the sauce has thickened,

Add the grated cheese and stir until completely melted.

 Carefully pour in the potatoes and sour cream (I didn't get a picture of the sour cream part.  :)  ).  Stir well to coat with the sauce.  More milk can be added if needed.

Cover and simmer on medium low until potatoes are done and heated through.

Serve the potatoes as a side dish to crock pot BBQ pork chops and lima beans when your husband comes home after being on the road for a week, and you have yourself an awesome meal!

It seems complicated, but I promise it is very simple and quick.  If I can do it, anyone can do it!  I hope you get to try them!  If you do, let me know what you think!

What is your favorite potato recipe?  Please feel free to share!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Inspirational Potatoes

Several years ago when we moved into our new home in a new town for us, we heard of a restaurant about thirty minutes from our home.  We were simply given the name of Yoders.  Upon visiting, we thought it was Amish.  My curiosity about the people in plain dresses was piqued.  I began researching the town history and found that the people there were actually Mennonite.  I found it quite quaint and comforting to know such a culture existed in my own backyard.  Little did I know that God was leading me down a road to live a life very similar to these precious people I was meeting!  It was through eating at this restaurant and receiving an invitation for my children to attend vacation Bible school from two ladies who have now become dear friends that I found my church.  All of that, though, is a story for another day!  :)

For today, I wanted to share the amazing potatoes I found at this restaurant.  I had never found anything like them!  I was happy just going to the restaurant on a Thursday or Saturday, the days that the restaurant offer the potatoes, and eating them then.  That was until I discovered I actually love cooking!  :)

Last year, I found an old Amish cookbook that had been converted to digital format to be sold for Kindle users!  The sky parted and the angels sang!  Well...not really, but it really was one of those moments!  I was so excited!  I read through that whole book and wrote down every recipe that caught my attention.  Would you believe there was a recipe that sounded exactly like the potatoes at the restaurant?!  I was so excited, I could have run laps around the house!  I tried the recipe that very week.  The potatoes were good, but they just weren't right.  The recipe was put aside for a while, but most certainly not forgotten!

Upon attending my first church function at my new church, there were those heavenly potatoes again!  I found out who made them with intentions of asking about the recipe, but I just didn't have the courage.  Once, I was lucky enough to be sitting nearby when someone asked this dear sister about the recipe.  I couldn't hear well enough to hear her full response.  However, I was able to catch one ingredient that my potatoes didn't have.  Back the store and kitchen I went!  Nope.  They still weren't right, and the recipe went back to it's safe spot.  :)

Fast forward a few months.  I have developed beautiful relationships with the ladies of our church.  One of these ladies invited my family to lunch after church one Sunday, and, glory be, she had the potatoes, too!  I still didn't ask about the recipe, but this time, it wasn't because I was too shy.  This time, the fellowship was just too exciting, and I forgot!  This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of being invited to another lunch after church, and the potato recipe sister was there. ;)   I had the great pleasure to even be seated beside her during the meal!  You guessed it!  I finally was able to find out what I needed to add to mine to get them just right!  I even had pot of the potato recipe in my refrigerator at home!!!  I couldn't wait for supper that night so I could adjust my recipe!  Oh, glorious day!!!  It was sheer joy to taste my beloved potatoes that night!

It has been a very long time since one of my posts has had a motto, but today's post just lends itself to one!  We as Christians are like the potatoes.  Often times we are just okay as Christians, but if we let God add and take away just the right ingredients, we can become something spectacular in, for, and through him!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

p.s.  I will share the recipe in my next post.  :)

Play in the Dirt Again!

I've got the itch again.  It creeps up every year around February.  I just can't get rid of it until my hands are back in the dirt, and my mind is full of hope and promise of beautiful, abundant plants come late spring and summer!

The other day I gathered the eager children and let them plant garlic in pots to grow inside until it warms up outside.

To plant the garlic, we filled the pots almost to the top with a starter soil.  Then we planted the cloves pointed end up just under the soil.  We watered the garlic but did not soak the soil.

When I bought the pots for planting the garlic, I found a nifty little greenhouse for starting seeds.  I had some pepper seeds I had saved from a yellow, orange, and red bell pepper that I wanted to plant, so I bought it.  When we were through with the garlic, I prepared the "greenhouse."  In it, I planted the pepper seeds and snapdragon seeds.  I can't wait to see if it actually works!

I tried starting pepper seeds last year, but, due to being greatly inexperienced, nothing grew from my seeds.  I have just recently found out if the peppers from which my seeds came are hybrids the seeds won't produce or either go back to the original plant no matter what I do to start them.  At least this year I knew to dry the seeds first and start them inside!  We'll see what happens!