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November and December are often filled with many family and community gatherings. Potluck meals call for easy transport and keep warm dishes. Pinterest and recipe blogs fill our lists with new recipes to try and meanwhile there are everyday meals to prepare. Scalloped potatoes are an easy side option for potluck meals and buffet tables.

Buffet Scalloped Potatoes, a recipe that has been in my collection since 1978, has stood the test of time and adapted well to a variety of baking times and methods. Because the potatoes are parboiled, partially cooked before the casserole is assembled, it finishes well at any baking temperature, microwaves well and holds hot in an insulated carrier for several hours.

Buffet Scalloped Potatoes

1/2 cup thin sliced onion

6 cups peeled thin sliced potatoes

Boiling water to cover potatoes

1 tsp salt

Sauce

1 1/2 cups milk

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup grated cheese

Garnish

Ground paprika

Place potatoes and onions in a large kettle with salt and boiling water. Place over high heat and boil for 5 minutes. Drain immediately and return to the pan. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour. As mixture begins to bubble, stir in milk and continue stirring until mixture thickens. Stir in grated cheese until completely melted. Pour sauce over potatoes and mix gently. Pour this mixture into a 2 quart casserole. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 400 degrees, 20-30 minutes or 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Yield: 8 side servings.

Note: This recipe cooks well in a microwave. 10-12 minutes on high in most microwaves.

Quick breads are another easy addition to a buffet table, or to give as gifts. A recipe for Steel Cut Oatmeal Honey Bread caught my interest and having made it several times adjusting to my taste, I feel it is worth sharing. The original may be found at http://www.afamilyfeast.com. I have increased the amount of honey and added a bit of baking soda to better activate leavening, and used solid shortening and parchment paper to prevent sticking in the pan.

Steel Cut

Oatmeal Honey Bread

1 cup steel cut oats

1 cup boiling water

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

2/3 cup whole milk

Place steel cut oats in a large mixing bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 2 hours. Stir once, halfway through.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease with shortening a large loaf pan and line with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt butter and honey, then stir into the bowl with the oats.

Add egg to milk and beat until well combined, then add alternately in several additions with the flour mixture to the oat mixture, stirring gently. Do not over mix.

Spoon dough into the prepared pan and use a spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth the top of the loaf. Place in the oven and bake for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. The dough is dense, so take care not to under-bake.

As soon as the bread comes from the oven, remove the loaf from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. The slices cool better. Serve with additional honey and butter. Yield: 1 loaf, about 10 slices.

Note: recipes including honey raise better if a 1/4 tsp of baking soda is added per cup of honey. Though there is only 1/4 cup in this recipe, there was a noticeable difference in texture with the addition of the baking soda.

Following the annual hunting seasons, game meat is often on the menu in many area households. I recently tried the following recipe for Moose Meatloaf. The accompanying notes suggest this can be a gluten free recipe if you select a gluten free condensed soup and condiments. And if you are fresh out of moose meat, lean ground beef may be substituted

Moose Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground moose

1 egg

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup quick rolled oats

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Topping:

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp prepared mustard

1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine meat, egg, onion, soup, oatmeal, salt and pepper, mixing thoroughly. Place mixture in prepared loaf pan and smooth top.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and spread over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake meatloaf for 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Yield: 8 thick slices.

Note: 1/2 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce may be substituted for the recipe topping.

Other notes on this recipe indicate this recipe is suitable for low-glycemic diets and keto friendly.

I have done it again, run out of room before I have run out of recipes, so Springerle and other holiday treats will have to wait until the next column.

Are you searching for an old family favorite holiday recipe? Looking for new ways to prepare old favorites? Send your requests to Welcome to My Kitchen and we will do our best to locate by enlisting the help of your fellow readers and searching my vast collection.

Send recipes and recipe requests to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office.

What’s cooking in Davenport and Harrington? I am sure if you drop recipes off at the Record-Times office in Davenport they will get to me. Most fall porch displays of pumpkins, squash and gourds are frozen solid. Remember to get them into compost as soon as possible after Thanksgiving so thawing vegetables don’t strain your porch.