I went to see Avatar (in 3D) last night. I was truly amazed! Sure, the storyline is one that is slightly modified from previous movies, but in all truthfulness, there are only a finite number of plots, and all movies are just some adaptation of that limited number. I heard the number of different possible plots one time, but I don’t remember what it was (something in the 30′s I think).

I won’t give any spoilers about the movie, but I will just say that I enjoyed the in-your-face reminder of our current views toward the planet. Personally, I try to be conscious of my “environmental footprint”, with recycling, minimizing energy usage, composting, and avoiding excess waste whenever possible, but I know that the changes we will have to make are greater than those small efforts.

I’m curious: How many of you garden and/or hunt for part of your food? Do you compost your food scraps? I know many of us “foodies” like to avoid the preservative laden pre-packaged foods, but how many of you also try to minimize waste with regards to the packaging itself? Whenever possible, I like to stick to mainly just the outer perimeter of most grocery stores. Have you ever noticed the difference between the perimeter and all of the inner isles? The perimeter is where the “whole foods” are: fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products. The inner isles of groceries are usually where the processed foods are stored. It is amazing how much you can reduce your packaging waste by simply avoiding the inner isles of the store whenever possible.

And on a lighter note…
I listed this dish as both an entree and a side dish. The magazine specified only 6-8 servings, which I assume that because of the ham, they considered it a main dish. I made this for a large group, but we ate it as more of a side dish. Regardless or the classification, this recipe was delicious! This is one of the only scalloped potato recipes that really sounds good to me. Normally, I am not a big fan, but I really liked these.

As in all of my cooking, I used skim milk. In addition, if you were to cut back on the butter, use fat free sour cream, and a low fat version of the white cheddar cheese, this could even be a very healthy addition to a meal.

The short and sweet comment on this recipe… Everyone really enjoyed it and I will be making it again for sure.

White Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. parsley
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 3 cups milk
• 10 3/4 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 8 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
• 3 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 8 oz. white cheddar cheese, shredded

METHOD

1. Saute onion with the butter until tender. Stir in the flour, parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme.

2. Gradually add the milk, bringing it to a boil. Once boiling, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

3. Stir in the soup, remove from heat, and mix in the sour cream.

4. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and ham.

5. Layer half of the potatoes in a greased 9×13 inch dish. Top with half the cheese, and then half the white sauce. Repeat layers.

6. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 min. Uncover, and continue baking for another 40-50 min. or until potatoes are tender.

Recipe from the December / January 2006 issue of Taste of Home.