Veg O Matic Deluxe Review and a Cheesy Beer Scalloped Potato Recipe

So, this past week I have been having some fun playing with my new kitchen toy, Ronco Veg-O-Matic Deluxe.
At first I was a little intimidated because, having no cable or satellite tv, I had never seen it "in action" If you haven't and want to check it out here is the link to the Veg O Matic Deluxe Explanatory Video.  It's a nifty little chopper/slicer. I foresee it getting quite a bit of use.  French fries, and sliced onions are uniform, Garlic is a snap, just peel and place in the smallest dicing gadget. Apples, well, so much easier leading to many more apple crisps in the near future!
 
The cutting edges are very sharp, so be careful. Also, common sense tell you that you have to push down quite a bit harder with a potato or apple, than a zucchini or pepper. It wont cut it by itself. :)

Using my Ronco Rocker Knife to prep the veggies.

Apples are a cinch!

One tiny problem, make sure the veggies/fruit being cut actually FIT in the slicing area.

LOL!

On to the recipe! Slicing the potatoes was so easy that I decided to make a scalloped potato dish that night. 

Beer Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

 6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced

3 large onions, sliced thin

4T Butter

4T flour

1 12 oz beer, your choice

1 pint light cream

Scallions, chopped

1 10 Oz. block colby jack cheese, shredded, divided, saving half for top

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Set aside. butter in a large saucepan till bubbling. Whisk in flour and stir till lightly browned. 

Slowly pour in beer and whisk till incorporated. Slowly pour in light cream and stir constantly until slightly thickened. Add 1/2 the shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Stir. Remove from heat.

To arrange the dish, place a layer of sliced potatoes, then a layer of onions, repeat till onions and potatoes are gone. Pour cheese sauce mixture over the top. 

Sprinkle with remaining cheese and scallions. 

Bake, covered, for approximately 1 hour. Remove cover and bake about 15 minutes or till a light golden brown. 

Cool and serve. 

 

 Disclaimer. Ronco sent me this item free of charge to try out and review. My opinions are solely based on what I thought of the product. I received no monetary compensation to write this review. 

Fancy Pants Campfire Potatoes

 Wishing everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend, along with the BBQ's and fun, don't forget to take the time to remember a soldier or two today.
 These are so easy and versatile, I don't have measurements because you just add as much as you like.
5 baking potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in half lengthwise
butter or olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
minced garlic
rosemary
chives
smoked paprika
sea salt
black pepper

Cut small slits into the halves of the potatoes. This makes the butter and other ingredients soak into the flesh easier. Cut slices of butter and place on one half, add the onion, garlic, rosemary, chives, smoked paprika, sea salt, and pepper.
Place on a small sheet of aluminum foil. ( IF GRILLING USE 2 SHEETS OR HEAVY DUTY ALUMINUM FOIL, the butter and oil can cause some serious flare ups, believe me I learned the hard way)
and wrap tightly.
Bake or grill as you normally would.
Enjoy!

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

You know those people that are so far behind it looks like they are in front of the race? Well, that’s what I feel like. There are so many food ideas in my head, written on post-its, scribbled in my notepad. Bookmarks in magazines and cookbooks and we won’t even discuss the long list in my email and favorites.
Are you one of us? Do you have any pointers on time management? Have you pulled all of your hair out yet?
I guess I will just plug along, seemingly ever so slow and try to get what I can done without spazzing out…
Anyway, back to the original idea for this blog, sweet potatoes. I wanted to bake and stuff them. You can also make these in a small casserole dish instead of back in the shells. I think it adds an extra special touch. Also, toasting the pecans adds another extra special touch, and it only take a couple minutes.

4 sweet potatoes, try to get them the same size so they cook evenly
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup milk, half and half , or heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ( optional)
3 Tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans
2 Tablespoons dried cherries
1 Tablespoon butter, for dabbing on top
Wash potatoes and prick with fork. Bake in a 375 oven for approx. 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of your potato.
Remove from oven and let cool. Cut in half and scoop out insides carefully with a small spoon. Place in medium bowl and add milk, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, and optional nutmeg. Mix well.
Place mixture back into potato skins. Sprinkle with pecans, cranberries and dot with tiny pieces of butter.
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.