Potato Tomato Bake - Flashback Friday

Looking for a different potato recipe?  For Flash Back Friday I'm hoping you'll try
 this Potato Tomato Bake It is simply made and so delicious.

My favourite kind of comfort food.

• 2 medium onions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 medium potatoes
• 2-3 fresh tomatoes
• 1 cup grated Gruyre or Swiss Cheese
• salt, pepper, basil

1. Cut onion in half and slice lengthwise from stem.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a frying pan and saute onions over medium heat until soft and caramelized.
3. Spread the caramelized onions in a layer in the bottom of a buttered glass flan dish, or 9" cake pan.
4. Thinly slice potatoes and tomatoes.
5. On top of onions, lay potatoes and tomatoes closely together in an overlapping circular pattern, alternating 2 or 3 thin slices of potato with 1 slice of tomato, seasoning lightly with salt, pepper and basil as you go around. Continue overlapping until bottom of dish is covered.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in 350 F degree oven for 50 minutes or until potatoes are tender and top is browned.
7. Cut into wedges to serve and enjoy!

                                                                                                       

Chocolate Marshmallow Squares , Gluten free

These are delicious squares and I almost didn't get a photo! I grabbed the last piece before it too disappeared! If you don't need them gluten free, just substitute the base with your own regular recipe.

BASE

• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 1 cup Julie's flour or gluten free flour mix of your choice 
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum 

MARSHMALLOW LAYER 

• 2 cups mini marshmallows 

CHOCOLATE TOP LAYER 

• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter 
• 1 cup chocolate chips 
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1 cup gluten free rice crispy cereal 

1. Crumble all ingredients for base into fine crumbs and press into a 9x9 inch pan. 
2. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. 
3. Remove from oven, scatter marshmallows over the top and return to oven for 3 more minutes. Remove from oven. 
4. In a saucepan stir together peanut butter, chocolate chips and sugar, then place on medium/low element and stir until  melted. and smooth. 
5. Add the 1 cup cereal , stir and pour over the marshmallows. 
6. Let sit in fridge until set before cutting into squares...  ( I served a gooey helping to my husband just after I made them, with ice-cream,  and he thought it was the best dessert ever!) 

Tuna Melt over Biscuits

When I think back to Mom, who's been gone for 18 years, I think of how she was so frugal as she raised a family of seven children.  She would be milking the cows and washing up the dairy and come in and serve up a quick nutritious meal.  One of our favorite meals was a simple creamed tuna served on a hot buttered biscuit. Strawberry jam came out for dessert.   This recipe is found in the Mennonite Treasury. 

Creamed Tuna

• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 / 184 g  (7oz) tin tuna (drained and flaked)
• 1 cup cooked peas
• 1 tablespoon chopped pimento

1. Bake up your favorite Biscuit recipe.  
2. Blend ingredients from the recipe above into a saucepan and heat slowly. 
3. You can also substitute 1 cup chicken for this recipe.

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Just recently we updated our kitchen.  We replaced the old wooden oak cabinets for the white shaker door style.  It was always my dream to have a white kitchen since we were first married.  But what I like the most in my new kitchen is my farmhouse sink.  That was a must for me. Our cabinet maker suggested it to me because I'm short and so is she.  She spoke from experience and I'm so happy that we made this choice.  And why would I suggest this kind of sink? 

• It sits on top of the kitchen cabinet base.
• You can stand directly in front of the basin with no countertop or cabinets in between.
• It serves as my mixing and kneading area.  
• The sink is generally a lot deeper and wider.
• It is very useful for washing large pots and pans.
• It's an undermount sink and easy to wipe the counters while the water runs straight into the kitchen sink.
• And I  like the rustic character that enhances my country-style kitchen.

 "The Kitchen is still the Heart of the Home"

Mac and Cheese

You just can't go wrong with Mac and Cheese. This recipe is filled with the creamy goodness of Smoked Gouda, sharp cheddar and Jarlsberg cheeses. Bacon, onions and jalapenos bring it up a notch too. 

Cast Iron is perfect for baking mac and cheese in. In the oven or on your grill. 

• 3 cups macaroni
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 jalapeno pepper OR 1/2 green or red pepper, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1/3 cup flour
• 4 cups milk
• 2 cups aged cheddar, grated
• 1 cup smoked Gouda, grated
• 1 cups Jarlsberg, grated
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 6 slices bacon, fried and crumbed

1. Cook pasta as directions on package until al dente.
2. In a large pan melt butter. Stir in flour and whisk until sooth.
3. Add milk and spices, and mustard. Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and is smooth.
4. In separate fry pan, fry bacon and then in a little of the bacon grease saute vegetables until translucent. Add to thickened milk mixture.
5. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheeses.
6. Stir in feta and crumbled bacon.
7. Pour hot cheese mixture over drained pasta. 
8. Spray a 9x13 pan OR a large or two small cast iron pans with oil and add macaroni and cheese mixture. 

For topping:  (optional, if you don't want to add this topping just sprinkle with more cheese)

• 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons butter

1. Melt butter and stir in cheese and bread crumbs. 
2. Sprinkle mixture over mac and cheese.
3. Bake mac and cheese in 400ºF oven for 30 minutes.

If you like it spicy garnish with a slices of jalapenos.