And they are.

In my family, we have some pretty strong holiday traditions. If there is any deviation from those traditions, it just doesn’t feel right. Two of my favorites have to do with food. Well, what’s Thanksgiving and Christmas without some really great food? Isn’t that part of the whole point? Anyway, back to my faves — my Mom’s stuffing and my Aunt Lyla’s Lip-Smackin’ Potatoes Au Gratin. Now I can’t reveal the family stuffing recipe, but my Aunt has given me permission to share the spuds with all of you. Man, oh, man do these go great with turkey and all the trimmings. Or baked ham. That’s pretty tasty, too. Believe me, once you try these you will never go back to the boxed stuff. Be sure you make enough to have left-overs, or you may end up with a frown. One Thanksgiving, my cousin Patty teased me mercilessly because she got the last of her mom’s potatoes. That was a very sad day…

My mouth is watering just typing this up…

Aunt Lyla’s Lip-Smackin’ Potatoes Au Gratin

Tools:

Food processor or sharp knife

Measuring cup

Shallow baking dish, preferably with lid (Can use foil)

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. First Street salted butter (CMAB product)

2 to 3 tsp. salt

2 large white onions, thinly sliced

½ tsp. pepper (Fresh cracked pepper is better)

6 White Rose potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced (Unless you have the knife skills of a Food Network star, I strongly recommend using a food processor. All your slices will be uniform and cook more evenly. I use the Cuisinart Duet. It’s fabulous.)

1 ½ cups sweet cream/whipping cream or combine cream & half & half

6 oz First Street Jack cheese (CMAB product), shredded (I suppose you could do three ounces of each, if you are so inclined or use Havarti instead of Swiss.)

First Street Cheddar cheese, grated, enough to cover top of casserole

 

 There is no image of the finished product because my Husband dove into them as I was getting the camera. But trust me, they’re yummy!

Cooking instructions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line baking dish with bits of  butter.

Cover dish with some of the sliced onion then a layer of potatoes and cheese.

Sprinkle salt and pepper as you make layers.

Continue with another layer until all onions, potatoes, butter and cheese are used.

Pour cream over entire pan. Cover and bake for 1 hr at 350 degrees. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes until brown, gooey and bubbly.

Serves 8.

Enjoy!

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for  #collectivebias #CBias

Did you hear that? N-O-V-E-M-B-E-R. As in one month until Christmas. As in the Holiday Season. As in…well, you get my point.

We are supposed to be all dressed in cozy sweaters, boots and eating a hot, calorie laden, but oh so good meal. When it is that hot out here, all I want to do is be as still as possible so as not to generate any more heat than is necessary for my body to function properly. As you can guess, that is not very conducive to getting a full Thanksgiving meal prepared, cooked and on the table by mid afternoon.

Why are you mixing the seasons up on a daily basis around here? It may be predicted to be 90* on Thanksgiving, but it will be in the mid 40′s that night!! Talk about your hot flashes!

And don’t even get me started on those devil Santa Ana winds!

Yes the winds are blowing like a freight train as we speak. It’s supposed to be FALL, not Summer, Lady. The nasty winds give me atrocious migraines, dry out my skin and eyes, congest my sinuses {And those of my family} and make it difficult to sleep. Not to mention the horrendous amount of shit that gets blown into my yard that I have to clean up. I have enough messes of my own, I do not need to have the added task of cleaning up other people’s trash from my yard.

Oh and let us not forget what Santa Ana winds truly mean in SoCal…FIRE. Yes fire. As in forest, brush and arson. Every psycho with a hard on for flames will be trying to set something ablaze right now. They always do. This is SoCal, we have dry tinder brush, a severe lack of rain and more village idiots per capita than any other state in the Union. You think this little wind episode is going to pass without at least one wind whipped fire? I think not. And the chances that it will be caused by spontaneous combustion is slim and none.

Mother, can’t you take a page from the immortal Mrs. Claus, who in the claymation Christmas classic “The Year Without A Santa Claus“, convinced Heat Miser to let it snow in South Town for one day {As long as his brother, Snow Miser, allowed him to make it sweltering at The North Pole}? Come on, give a fellow sista a break and give me some real Autumn weather. Or some rain. Or something besides heat and relentless, blowing winds. Please?

If you don’t straighten this mess of weather out, I will be forced to tell Santa you have been a very naughty girl this year and you will get nothing but coal in your Christmas stocking. I will also spread it around that you either have perpetual PMS and are in need of some industrial strength Midol or are going through The Change and in need of Hormone Replacement Therapy, thereby revealing your true age. I will also tell how you are taking your hormone fueled rage out on the innocent citizens of SoCal.

You really don’t want me to have to resort that now do you?