Wednesday, and its raining...

It was raining when I got up on Wednesday; not hard, but just enough to use the intermittent wipers on the way into work. But, it did rain off and on all day until about 4:00 PM when the sun finally came out. So, no grass cutting tonight, because when I checked the rain gauge, I had gotten about 1/4 inch of rain and there were standing puddles.

Back inside and cats treated, I changed clothes and started the Wednesday night wash. Then I started thinking about what to make for dinner. I still have 6 burgers, very little macaroni and cheese and that ham slice. I got it! A ham casserole!

So, I peeled about two pounds of my russet potatoes, got out the mandoline and sliced them thin. I buttered up my oval casserole dish and preheated the oven to 325 degrees F.

I melted butter in a large saucepan. I added about 1/2 cup of diced onion and the same amount of thinly sliced celery; I saut�ed that until tender. I added my little bell pepper (finely chopped) and saut�ed for one minute longer.

I stirred in three tablespoons of flour until smooth. Then I gradually added one cup of milk and one cup of heavy cream, stirring constantly Note: you can either use 2 cups of milk or the half and half. I went half and half because I had some heavy cream I needed to use up left over from the macaroni and cheese.

I added 1/4 teaspoon of dried mustard, about 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper and a palmful of fresh chopped parsley. I didn't salt it at all as the ham was pretty salty, itself. I continued cooking, stirring, until thickened. I added sliced potatoes and the now diced ham slice and stirred to combine.

I transferred the mixture to the prepared baking dish. I put the lid on (the recipe said to cover tightly with foil) and baked it for 45 minutes. I took the lid off and baked for about 10 minutes longer, or until potatoes were tender. Finally, I sprinkled shredded Cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole and baked it for a few minutes longer, or until the cheese was melted.

I let it cool down a bit and ate a great dinner! I watched TV until about 10:00 PM and then went to bed.