Au Gratin Potatoes

2 large baker potatoes or 4-5 medium, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped onion
2 Tbs. butter
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. flour (white bean flour)
1¼ c. milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup dry bread crumbs

Cook and stir onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook over low heat until thick and bubbly (at least 3 minutes if using bean flour). Add ¾ cup of the cheese. Stir until melted. Place ½ of the potatoes in a greased casserole. Cover with half the sauce. Repeat. Bake covered at 350* for 40 minutes. Mix remaining cheese and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle over potatoes. Return to oven and cook uncovered for 30 more minutes.

Turkey Tetrazzini

8 oz. noodles, cooked
4-6 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
8 ounces mushrooms, optional
½ - 1 cup green peas, optional
3-4 cups cooked turkey or chicken
½ - 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Bread Crumb Topping: ¼ cup dry bread crumbs & ½ cup grated cheese (any kind)

Cook noodles. In a skillet melt 2 Tbs. butter and sauté mushrooms. In saucepan, melt ¼ cup butter; stir in flour, garlic, and salt until smooth. Add chicken broth and cream. Cook until thickened. Add turkey, cheese, peas, and mushrooms; heat through. Add cooked noodles and combine. Transfer to a buttered baking dish. Top with bread crumb topping. Bake 15-20 minutes in a 425° oven.

This recipe is my morphing about 3 different recipes into my own version.

Photo courtesy of: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/turkey_tetrazzini/

Beef Stroganoff

½ c. butter
½ lb. mushrooms (washed & sliced)
1-2 lbs. lean sirloin
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
½ c. tomato juice
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup*
1 c. sour cream**

Trim fat from beef and cut meat into thin strips approximately 3 x 1½ inches. Melt ½ of the butter, add mushrooms and sauté until golden.
Remove mushrooms and add rest of butter. Stir in meat and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomato juice and garlic. Return mushrooms to pan. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir seasonings, soup, and sour cream into mixture just before serving and heat thoroughly (do not boil!) Serve with rice or noodles.

CROCK POT: Follow above directions except after sautéing mushrooms and browning meat, put all ingredients except the sour cream in the crock pot and cook on low for 5 hours or until meat is very tender. Add sour cream just before serving.

*Make your own condensed soup using this recipe: Condensed Cream of "Whatever" Soup

**Note: When I double this recipe in order to freeze half, I take out the half I want to freeze BEFORE I add the sour cream. Sour cream changes after it's been frozen and the texture isn't quite so nice. So I just add in the sour cream after the "freezer meal" has been thawed and reheated. Fresh noodles too. I don't know how to successfully freeze prepared noodles!

Cheesy Beef Casserole

½ lb. ground beef
1 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. minced onion
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
½ C. cooked carrots, sliced
½ tsp. salt
dash pepper
½ C. sour cream
½ C. cottage cheese
3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley (1/2 Tbs. dried)
4 oz. noodles, cooked & drained

Brown ground beef in butter; add onions and sauté. Stir in tomato sauce, salt, and pepper; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until thickened. In a bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese, parsley, and carrots; gently stir in cooked noodles. In greased baking dish, layer half the meat mixture, half the noodle mixture, half the meat mixture, and finish with half the noodle mixture. Top with grated cheese and bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. (I do this last step out on the gas grill during the summer heat!)