From Scratch Creamy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

From Scratch Creamy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

First of all, let's talk about the fact that it's Friday! To top it off, it is 3-day Friday, and let's face it, it doesn't get much better than that. In honor of this wonderful 3 day weekend, I decided that I would let you in on a top secret recipe for the most amazing homemade scalloped potatoes ever.  Seriously guys, these potatoes are like crack in the form of food. They are creamy and cheesy and my hubs is in love with them (and I can pretty much bet yours will be too)!

Side note---these potatoes take about 90 minutes to cook so make sure you have plenty of time!! They are definitely worth it so don't let the time scare you away! Another side note is that we bought the BIGGEST potatoes known to mankind, so that is why I only used 2 for the recipe...seriously, they were as big as my head.

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes From Scratch
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Feeds 3-4

Ingredients
4-5 Russet potatoes
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (or so) or Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 stick of butter
1 tsp Crushed red pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. In a saucepan, melt butter with garlic & crushed red pepper on low.

3. While butter is melting, peel potatoes and slice them SUPER thin (almost as thin as a potato chip, about 1/8 inch)

4. Add milk & Worcestershire sauce to melted butter & cook for about 5 minutes (be careful not to scald the milk)

5. Add 2 cups of shredded cheese to butter/milk mixture and cook until thick, about 5 minutes

6. Place sliced potatoes in casserole dish & pour liquid mixture over, making sure to fully coat potatoes

7. Cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes, removing foil for last 10 minutes.

OMG my mouth is watering just thinking about it!!! And just to prove how big the potatoes really were, I took a picture...did you expect anything less?

HUGE potatoes!!!!

I hope everyone has a GREAT three day weekend!!!

Speaking of crafts

Speaking of crafts

The Rustic Guest Room decor is coming out wonderfully!! I just wanted to share a quick little sneak peak at a few more of the pieces that we have made so far. By the way, everything we are making has been out of free pallets---score!!!

Here is another finished string art:

This one was much less tedious that the last one (seen here), and I feel like the end result is much better! I kind of wish that I could make like 50 of them and hang them up all over the house, but then it might be overkill...we'll see :)

The other finished piece is a shelf-slash-dresser-slash-thing-that-will-hold-the-cable-box. My momma saw the idea online and I LOVED it, so we got to building. We took one 10 foot long pallet and cut it in half, then basically folded it into itself. Some nails here and some stain there (ok, some stain everywhere--everyone's arms, my brother-in-law's leg, the garage floor) and this is the finished product:

The picture doesn't really do it justice, in part because I am a terrible photographer and in part because the lighting in the room was way too bright. I swear, once the entire room is put together I will take a better picture of everything!!

And now for your viewing pleasure, I will share with you the hubby in action (FYI--I am obsessed with watching him work...something about him doing manual labor--love it!!)

 

...love him...

 That's it for today, just wanted to drop in and get everyone's creative juices flowing! 

Linked With:

Just call me Nicole Curtis

Just call me Nicole Curtis

Ok, so if you have been following along to my blog, you know how much of a DIY Network/HGTV freak I am. The hubby and I could literally sit in front of the TV for hours and get lost in "House Hunters" or "Rehab Addict." (And when I say we 'could' get lost for hours, I mean that we have seriously sat in front of the TV for hours on several occasions). Every time we watch Rehab Addict, the following thoughts run through my head:

1. OMG that house is amazing
2. The tool looks like SO much fun to use (Exhibit A--After watching an episode one night, I left my house, drove to Lowe's and bought a power washer...true story)
3. Nicole Curtis is too hot to be using power tools:

(cred) 

 Well ladies, I am officially part of the power-tool-using-chick club. (There's gotta be a club out there somewhere, right?) Over the past few weeks we have been working on projects for our Rustic Guest Room. So far we have completed the headboard, side table, 1 string art sign and 2 hanging bottle-art pieces (Next on the list is another string art sign, a few shelves and possibly a dresser/shelf). And of course, in keeping with the rustic/DIY theme, everything is made out of pallet wood. In case you have never built something out of pallet wood before, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It is a LONG process! First, the pallets have to be cut down to size. Next, you have to sand the hell out of each board because lets face it, no matter how rustic you want your headboard to look, splinters suck. After everything is sanded comes the task of assembling. Before I started I was thinking "Oh piece of cake, just throw some nails and screws in and I'll be good to go." Nope, not the case. Another thing that you should know about pallet wood is that it splits. Too close to the edge? Split. Knot in the wood? Split. Luckily, my patience is pretty good when it comes to crafting, so I didn't let it get to me. After assembly comes stain, which by the way is no joke. It will stain your hands for days!

The reason for me describing every little detail about our projects is that I had NO idea how much work went into it, and the "fun" power tools that I described above are not exactly as fun as I had thought! I have never really been one to pick up a power tool and try it out. I've used the basics---drill, hand saw, hedge trimmers---but I've never had the chance to use a 'real' power tool. Well let me tell you, now I feel like a seasoned pro! To take apart the pallets, I used a nifty little jigsaw. To sand the wood down I used an electric sander, and to get those pretty angled edges on the headboard I got to use a mitre saw (which I kept calling a circle saw...same difference, right?). And guess what? I looked nothing like Nicole Curtis. I was sweaty, my lines were far from straight, and I had sawdust in crevices that I didn't know I had. My hands were vibrating like crazy from the jigsaw, I sanded my finger twice with the sander, and the mitre box is officially the loudest and scariest tool ever. I swore I was going to lose a finger every time I turned the damn thing on. But you now what? I did it! I stepped outside of my comfort zone (and by comfort zone I mean scissors and a hammer) and I'm still alive to tell the tale! Hey Nicole, looking for a sidekick?!

Here are some pictures of the progress so far. Once everything is completed I will take some pictures of the finished room, but for now you will have to settle for these less-than-pinterest-worthy shots.

 

String art sign numero uno

 Headboard completed!

And here is a picture of the mitre saw that I was using. Seriously, that blade is no joke! 

(cred) 

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week! And i apologize for the lack of nice pictures, after sitting on the ground hammering and sanding for 3 hours my phone isn't really in a picture taking mood. And by my phone I mean me.


Linked With:
Tres Chic

Bathroom facelift

We had our house built a little over 3 years ago, and we have made tons of updates since then. We ripped up the floors, added back splash, painted some walls, added a fire pit and a pool and several other additions. One thing we haven't made any changes to is the master bathroom. We have big plans in store, including  replacing the tub with a tile shower and re-doing the closet, and we will eventually get around to doing them. Yesterday, however, I realized that I needed a change. The shower curtain has been the same for as long as I can remember, the vanity needed some major de-cluttering, and it just needed an overall face lift. So off to the store I went, decorative gears a-turning, and I spent 2 hours picking out some new decor. And let me tell you, I feel much better! Now it looks less like a plain jane bathroom and more like a cozy and romantic commode (I really just wanted to refer to it as a commode). Even the smallest little updates can make a room look 100% better!

 

How cute is that tissue box?! And the soap dispenser--amazinggg!! I am LOVING the Sofia Vergara collection...super sparkly and gaudy and exactly my taste!

 

Of course I had to buy the matching shower curtain and hooks to go with the tissue box. They are super sparkly and the picture does not do them justice.

 

I have been eying up these monogrammed towels for awhile now and I finally caved and bought them.  The shelf is also new...the space above the toilet was way too bare and I couldn't take it!

 

This picture was drawn by a woman I used to work with, and I absolutely love it! It has been in my bathroom for a few years now, but I figured it was still picture worthy :) 

So there it is, the new updates (and some old ones) to my bathroom. I love love love them and now I am even more impatient about our eventual bathroom remodel.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!!

Power Washer & What I Wore

Around here we watch a lot of TV. Aside from The Walking Dead (come on February!!), basketball or football, you will usually find us watching something on HGTV or the DIY network. One of our favorites is "Rehab Addict." The show is hosted by Nicole Curtis, and let me tell you, she is one bad ass blonde. There are some men out there that can't handle a power tool like she can. She buys old houses, guts them, rehabs them & then sells them for a huge profit. Steven and I have a dream of flipping houses one day, so we are super into this show. On an episode last week, Nicole was cleaning up the front of a house with a power washer, and I was completely amazed at the amount of gunk and dirt that this thing was taking off. I mean, years of wear and tear. I guess I have been living under a rock for the last 28 years, because I had no idea how awesome those things were. So of course, I had to have one. The clean-up projects were running through my head at lightning speed--I could power wash the driveway, the garage, the windows, the front & back porches--the possibilities are endless! ((You should know that our house is only 3 years old, so there really isn't THAT much dirt to remove...but I was still beyond excited!!)) So tonight, off we went to Home Depot in search of a power washer. And we found one!! T-Minus 2 days until I get to use my new toy! Bet you've never met anyone so excited to power wash a driveway...

Now on to What I Wore. While taking tonight's pictures, some of the family wanted to be part of the process. So without further ado, here's a little look into my family:

 

Jeans: Target

Cardi: Charlotte Russe

Tank: Walmart

Boots: Charlotte Russe (Find them here)

Necklace: Cozumel, Mexico (Similar Here)

 

 Meet my baby sister, Angela. And I look scared in this picture?

 

Meet Gigi (my momma), Aiven & Mason (my nephews)

My niece Camden <3

Now I must go because Rehab Addict is on and a bowl of Lucky Charms is calling my name.