Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

2 1/2 lbs red-skinned potatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 c milk
1-2 c shredded cheddar (depending on how cheesy you like yo food)
~1/2 lb thick sliced deli ham, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. P eel potatoes and slice thinly.
3. Rinse and cover with water in medium saucepan. Bring to boil & boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
4. In saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat.
5. Add diced onion & saute until tender.
6. Add minced garlic and parsley.
7. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth.
8. Gradually add milk, cooking and stirring until thickened.
9. Stir in cheese until melted and sauce is smooth.
10. Stir in ham.
11. Add half of potatoes in 2 1/2 qt casserole and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour ~1/2 of sauce evenly over potatoes. Add remainder of potatoes and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle top with cheddar cheese.
12. Cover dish and cook at 350 for 40-50 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Carie's Mediterranean Pasta Knock Off

1 box penne pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c crumbled feta
3 tbsp pine nuts
1 bunch spinach, rinsed & torn into bite-sized pieces
1 pkg sun-dried tomatoes

1. Cook penne according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in dry skillet, toast pine nuts until golden brown over medium heat (careful not to burn them, which I typically do.)
3. Put spinach in colander and drain hot penne over it so that spinach is wilted.
4. Return penne to large pot and add spinach, pine nuts, feta, sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.

Penne Pasta with Spinach & Bacon

12 oz penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces

1. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add penne & cook until tender (8-10 min.)
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large skillet. Cook bacon until browned and crisp.
3. Add garlic & cook for about 1 minute.
4. Stir in tomatoes and cook until heated through.
5. Place spinach in colander and drain hot pasta over it so that it's wilted. Transfer to large serving bowl and toss with remaining olive oil and bacon/tomato mixture. Voila.

Mladen really likes this dish. I think it's okay, but I like my knock off of Bravo's Mediterranean pasta so I'll post that too.

French Toast & Apple Casserole

4 Tblsp. butter
3-4 large apples
3/4 cup of brown sugar
2 Tblsp. water
1 Tsp. cinnamon
8-10 slices of Italian bread/French bread
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
2 Tsp vanilla extract

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add apples.
Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
Add brown sugar, water, and cinnamon and continue to cook and stir for 10 minutes until apples are tender.
Spoon mixture into 13x9 baking dish.
Cover apples with bread slices, making sure to cover the entire surface.
Trim the bread to fit if you must.
Beat eggs until foamy, then beat in milk and vanilla.
Dip each bread slice in the egg mixture.
Cover apples with bread slices, making sure to cover the entire surface.
Trim the bread to fit if you must.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let it stand while oven is preheated to 375 F.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until bread is golden and firm.
Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
To serve on a platter, run a knife around the edges of the casserole, place platter on top of casserole, and carefully flip.
To serve individually, use a spatula to remove serving, place serving plate on top of serving and carefully flip so apple side is up.

And you all know how I am, I never follow a recipe exactly. I didn't really measure things exactly. I think it would be delicious though to have the casserole double-layered. It seemed a little thin to me.

The apples end up being really delicious, so believe me, you'll want to eat a lot of this!

And also, I'm sure you don't have to refrigerate it overnight.

How Does This Blog Work?

I thought we should try using a blog to share all of our family recipes. That way, they will always be easily accessible to everyone in our family. Librarians are all about access, you know!

Since we are each set up as contributors to this blog, we all have the ability to create posts. Each new recipe should be entered as a new post. Use the title of the recipe for the title of the post. After a recipe is posted, if you find that you substitute an ingredient or change the recipe in some other way, post this information as a comment to the orignal recipe posting.

In case you are unfamiliar with blogs, think of them as online diaries. Only in this case, this "diary" has many authors. And instead of babbling on about our personal lives, we are writing down our recipes. Blog is short for "weblog," a log of entries on the web! Remember, blog entries are stored in reverse chronological order, with the oldest entries being at the very end of the blog. Blog entries never disappear, unless the author removes the post or the creator of the blog (me) deletes it altogether. To the left of this post, you can see a list of active contributors and a list of all of the posts by title. It's not necessary to sign your name at the bottom of the post because Blogger does that for you automatically.

I hope we all find this blog useful and fun. Happy Eating!