Lion House Potatoes Au Gratin

LION HOUSE POTATOES AU GRATIN
4 large potatoes peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp salt
4 TBS butter
1/2 cup flour
2 & 1/2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 & 1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups cubed cooked ham
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes, onion and in large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat & let sit for 5 minutes, covered. Drain the water off the potato mixture and spread potatoes in a 9×13 inch glass baking pan; set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, stir in flour. Stir constantly until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix the milk, cream, salt and pepper together and slowly add the milk mixture to the roux. Stir constantly until sauce has thickened. Reduce heat to low and stir in cubed ham and half of the grated cheese. After the cheese has melted, pour sauce over the potatoes. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Note: We used Colby Jack cheese and found it to be too mild. Would use medium or even sharp cheddar next time.

Cabinets: Before & After

BEFORE:

There are the set of drawers in our upstairs closet where we stored games. They did not slide well and were too small for some of the larger games. The odd shapes of game boxes made it difficult to get everything in there.

AFTER:

John removed the drawers and replaced with adjustable shelves with cupboard doors. These are so much easier to use and when we put the games away, we now have empty shelving as they allow the games to fit together better. A little touch up paint and baseboard trim and it will be completely done. Thanks John!!

Greenbluff

We went on our annual trip to Greenbluff today. In addition to the craft vendors, today they had a zebra? You can see it behind Audrey & I in the picture below. We had a nice time checking out the crafts and then headed back to the main store to buy a gallon of fresh apple cider. We also wanted to get a pumpkin donut, but then Brother Wynia saw us in the crowd and gave us their extras - still warm! Thanks!

Afterwards we went home and relaxed, after making sure to get a jack-o-lantern pizza to accompany our apple cider.

Pirate in Audrey's Room!

Audrey was able to get this movie poster stand-up after the Pirate's movie release.

Dakota's Eagle Project

John helped at our nephew Dakota's Eagle project on Saturday, September 24th, along with members of our ward/troop.

The Liberty Lake paper (The Splash) featured this article in their October 27th edition:

Dakota Gramlow, 14, installed a new gate at Liberty Lake Regional Park in September for his Eagle Scout project. With help from area businesses, members of his ward and fellow troop members, Gramlow cleared barbed wire and debris from the area in addition to putting in the gate. Gramlow, a member of Troop 415 based out of ward 15 of the LDS Church, attends Centennial Middle School in Spokane. He is the son of Shaune and Michelle Gramlow.

Fall Apple Salad

FALL APPLE SALAD

Salad:
Lettuce (any combination of Romaine, leaf and/or spinach)
1/2 c. craisins
1 c. chopped pecans
1 apple, diced (used Honey Crisp)
6 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
Combine the above ingredients in a bowl

Dressing: Combine these together
1/2 c. poppy seed dressing
1/2 c. balsamic vinaigrette
Combine the above 2 ingredients together. Mix well. Drizzle over salad.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These were SOOO good! We had a hard time saving any for John. This is the recipe that Audrey tried at great-aunt Carol's house on Memorial Day. Sometimes it takes awhile to try a recipe, but this was definitely worth the wait.

OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
Cream together:
1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
Add:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Next add:
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Combine a little at a time until incorporated:
1 & 1/2 c. flour
3 c. oatmeal
1 c. raisins

Bake 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.