Gluten Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I have quite a few friends that are gluten (wheat, barley, and rye) free so little by little I've been trying to experiment with different flours to get a go-to all purpose flour substitute. I've had great success with the following mixture, which can be subbed 1 to 1 for any all purpose flour. I make a big batch of this and just store it in my cupboard for whenever I've making something without gluten:

Gluten Free All Purpose Mix
2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cups potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp xanthan gum


The recipe I made today is to die for. Not literally of course but seriously these are amazing in texture and flavor. Totally indistinguishable as gluten-free! This is a big smack in the gob from fall. If you have no desire to make them gluten free, feel free to use AP flour instead.


Gluten Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
adapted from Dreamy Desserts

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15 oz pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Mix
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat together the sugars, oil, and pumpkin, adding the eggs one at a time and mixing well after. Add vanilla.

In another bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Add little by little to the wet ingredients just until combined.

Using a pastry bag or ziploc bag with a corner snipped off, pipe the mixture in concentric circles starting from the middle and moving outward until the discs are about 2 inches wide. I like to use parchment paper

Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.


Cream Cheese filling
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick of butter, room temperature
16 oz powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of cinnamon

Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Frost flat side of half the pies and top with another piece.

Pancake Syrup

Like I said in my previous entry, we've got one bajillion pounds of fruit in this house. One thing I love to make and uhh eat, is pancakes. Family friendly, quick, healthy (potentially, unless you're my husband. In which they are laden with chocolate chips), etc. Here is my recipe for the above pictured syrups. You can make them separately or combine to make taste explosion.

Blueberry Pancake Syrup

8 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup water
4 cups orange juice
3 cups white sugar
1 cup cold water
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.

In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.



Peach Syrup

10 sliced fresh peaches
1/3 cup sugar
2 dashes cinnamon
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups water

Put everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until desired thickness is achieved.

The peach syrup will be slightly cloudy. That's totally normal.

Peach Cobbler

summer, thy name is peaches

I could eat peach something-er-others all year round, and we do because each year from the farmer's market we get 4 pecks (approximately 20 lbs) of peaches which we can, dehydrate, and freeze to enjoy later. Many, many of them are eaten as-is, you know - juice running down your arms and neck.

I made this peach crisp last night and ahem. enjoyed it until midnight. I also have quite a few gluten free friends so instead of all purpose flour I use almond flour.

Peach Cobbler

FOR THE FILLING:
5 lbs. ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1" pieces
1–1 1/4 cups sugar
5 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
Heaping 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 cup walnut bits
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp chilled butter, cut into bits
1 cup rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine peaches, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients and toss until well blended. Then sprinkle over peach mixture.

Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy warm, with ice cream, or umm for breakfast if you're fancy.

Peanut butter chocolate chip pie

This recipe and photograph is taken directly from Baked Bree


There is kind of an unspoken rule amongst my friends that I am expected to bring a dessert to cookouts or potlucks. It just wouldn't be an afternoon at my house without sharing pie or cookies (or both, whatever) over a cup of tea. This is my favorite all-season pie recipe.

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons melted butter

Mix together and press into a pie pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Let cool and start on the filling.

For the filling:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup peanut butter (I use smooth)
4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Whip the heavy cream and set aside. Cream together the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add the vanilla. Fold the whip cream mixture into the peanut butter mixture. Add the chips. Pour into cooled crust. Chill before serving. Enjoy!

Almond Chicken Salad

Once I went to a bridal shower for a friend and they served chicken salad sandwiches on luscious, buttery croissants and I may or may not have asked if I could take some home. And I may or may not have gone home with a half dozen in my purse.

TRUE STORY

Can I blame it on the fact that I was pregnant? Because I was and I am going to.

The point is that I love chicken salad. I've never had one I didn't like! There are endless things to love and endless ways to tailor the recipe to your personal tastes. My husband hates nuts of all kinds (well except peanuts but what kind of loon would want peanuts in their chicken salad?) My kids and I love them all so I made two batches of this to suit everyone. I added grapes but you could easily sub a Granny Smith apple or if you want to get REALLY wild, some dried cherries. BONKERS I KNOW but it's fab. Also, pecans instead of almonds would be delicious too.


Almond Chicken Salad

1 cup almonds, salted and roasted
2 whole boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup of seedless grapes, halved
2 stalks celery, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 – 3/4 cup mayo
Salt
Black pepper

If you want to make your own mayo (I admire you but yeah, I am not that person):
Blend eggs, yolk, salt, pepper, mustard, and lemon juice in a blender. Stream in the oils and blend on high until thickened. Extra mayo can be stored in a jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, grapes, celery, onions, and parsley, and just enough mayo to bind the chicken salad. Salt and pepper to taste. If serving, add the almonds. If making ahead of time, wait to add the almonds until just before assembling the sandwiches.

Makes 4 delicious sammiches

Teriyaki Noodles with Asparagus and Snap Peas

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 30 minutes

Just by adding a little extra liquid, you can turn virtually any stir-fry into an excellent sauce for tossing with noodles, rice, or other grains. Asparagus is particularly nice here because it browns beautifully, but you can use green beans or sliced broccoli as alternatives. (I peel thick asparagus, which isn’t strictly necessary, but it only takes a minute and makes it much less fibrous. Or skip the whole thing and use broccoli florets.) For a spicier sauce, add a couple dried red chiles to the skillet along with the garlic and ginger.

1 1⁄2 pounds asparagus, peeled if thick, cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1⁄2 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 ounces of noodles such as rice, buckwheat (soba), or wheat noodles. I used these
1 -2 cups of fresh or frozen snap peas
1⁄4 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup mirin, or 2 tablespoons honey mixed with 2 tablespoons water

1. If the asparagus is thick, parboil it, then shock it in a bowl of ice water and drain. If the spears are thin, don’t bother.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put a large skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the oil, wait a few seconds, and add the asparagus and scallions. Cook, stirring, for a minute, then stir in the ginger and garlic. Cook until the asparagus is dry, hot, and beginning to brown and get tender, 5 to 10 minutes; remove the pan from the heat.

3. Cook the noodles in the boiling water until tender but not mushy. Check them frequently: The time will vary from a minute or 2 for thin rice noodles, to 5 minutes for soba, or up to 12 minutes for wide brown rice noodles. Drain the noodles, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

4. Turn the heat under the asparagus to medium. Add the noodles, snap peas , soy sauce, mirin, and about 1⁄2 cup of the reserved water to the skillet; continue to cook, stirring, until the asparagus and snap peas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide the noodles among 4 bowls, spooning any extra broth in the pan over all. Serve hot.

Variations:
You could easily add chicken or swap the vegetables for other types. The original recipe called for edamame instead of snap peas. Just use what you have on hand!

Adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe

Breakfast Bars

This is an incredibly delicious, healthy, but most of all easy recipe that I use all the time. It is adaptable to an endless combination of flavors too! I throw in whatever I happen to have on hand. The main component is the honey-peanut butter to bind it together and a cereal as a base so don't stress if you don't have anything else lying around. I've had great success with puffed grains as a base but I've also used Life and Cheerio type cereals too.


Breakfast Bars

1/2 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1-2 cups cereal
2 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp wheat germ
Optional additions: nuts, dried fruit, coconut, chocolate chips


In a small sauce pan melt together the honey and peanut butter until smooth. Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl and toss until well combined. Pour peanut butter mixture over and stir until everything is well coated. Press into an 8x11 inch pan and cool completely before cutting.

Sweet Potato Fries

I am rather nutty about recreating my favorite foods from restaurants in my own kitchen. One of my favorite local places is a restaurant downtown called Tip Top. Not only are they bike friendly but they make a mean sweet potato fry. After trying out a few different recipes here is my favorite recreation of those delectable fries (straight from Martha). Oh, and these are unexpectedly healthy!


Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potatoes (about a pound), skins on, scrubbed and cut into 4-inch sticks, each 1/2 inch thick
2 egg whites
spices of your choosing (I prefer salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, garlic powder & paprika)


Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees.

While that is warming up start cutting your sweet potato. The skin has almost 3 times the antioxidants than the potato flesh itself so keep those babies on! Typically, sweet potatoes (aka yams) are more dense than it's more common relative so to speed up the cooking process, place them in a microwave safe dish and cover them, cooking them on high for 2 minutes in the microwave. Let them rest for 5 minutes.

While they are resting, beat the egg whites until they are frothy then add the spices. Working in batches toss the fries in the egg mixture, letting all of the excess fall back into the bowl. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. Bake 10 minutes then flip with a spatula, returning them to the oven to bake for 15 more minutes or until golden brown.

Orange Chicken with Couscous

I havn't put up a new recipe for ages. Forgive me.


Couscous is basically tiny pasta, popular in north African cuisine. If you don't have it you can easily sub brown rice, just make sure you cook it before adding it to the broth.

Orange Chicken with Couscous

Marinade for chicken:
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

Couscous:
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
1 scallion or 1/4 cup onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup golden or dark raisins (optional)


In a large bowl, combine the OJ, honey, soy sauce, and garlic. Put this into a bag and marinade the chicken in it for 20-30 minutes at room temp or up to 2 hours in the fridge. You will be adding this chicken to skewers so if you are using wooden ones, now is a good time to start soaking them in water.

Prepare the couscous in a medium bowl by adding the broth, OJ, scallion, oil, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Bring this to a boil and stir in the couscous and optional raisins. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat, and set it aside for 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and you are done.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. You will broil these for 2 minutes, then baste it with the remaining marinade. Broil 2 minutes longer or until the chicken is fully cooked. For a thicker baste, after removing the chicken from the bag bring the marinade to a boil and reduce it to your desired consistency.

Spoon the couscous onto a plate and top with the chicken after removing it from the skewers.

Macaroni and Cheese Pt. 2

Martha Stewart is one crazy lady but she has brought some great things to my life - parchment paper being the main one. But! second to parchment paper is this macaroni and cheese recipe. It really takes it up a notch from the standard recipe I've always made, which made use of only sharp cheddar. I like using Fontina cheese but you could also use Pecorino Romano or Gruyere.




Macaroni and Cheese

4 tbsp butter
2 1/4 cups milk, hot
1/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of black pepper
2 - 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar (I like Cabots)
1 cup (2 oz) shredded Fontina
2 cups elbow macaroni

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble add the flour, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Add the hot milk and continue whisking until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly.

Remove from heat and add pepper, nutmeg, salt, and cheese. Stir together until melted. While the cheese is melting, prepare macaroni according to the box. Drain when finished and add to the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into 2 quart casserole dish and serve. Top with more cheese if that's how you like it.

I love my crockpot

I'm a mom to two small kids, I also work from home and have a husband who is going back to college to be an Engineer. He also works, naturally. I say all of that to say that in order to maintain not only my house but my sanity I must at times rely on my crockpot. Don't get me wrong, I use it in a pinch and on the fly but I deeply love that little convenient contraption. It makes my life so much easier! The following recipe is really a deconstructed take on a taco, and it is on of my family's favorites. It is very versatile too - sometimes we use chicken, beef, no protein other times we play around with adding black beans or corn.




2 bell peppers, cut into slices
1 large onion, chopped
10 oz of steak, cut into strips (or chicken breasts cut into strips)
1 diced chipotle in adobo sauce
1 taco seasoning packet

Slice peppers, dice onion, slice your protein, and toss it all in the taco seasoning packet. Dice the chipotle and add 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce from the can, reserving the rest for a later use. Pop this on high for 3-4 hours or 5-7 on low depending on how firm you like your peppers and onions to be.

Serve this over rice with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Cupcake Pops

i cross posted this entry from my primary journal. subscribers to both, excuse the hiccup.

bakerella's cupcake pops

well i finished the cupcake pops. through sheer will and determination not to let a recipe get the best of me, i finished those stinkin cupcake pops. to be quite honest the err was not on my part but that of the recipe/recipe maker. im not trying to knock bakerella, because i admire and love her & her creative style but if im being frank, the way the recipe is, i find it unimaginable to have the kind of results promised in her photos. the big problem is in the "chill in the freezer for 15 minutes" section. this is supposed to firm up the "dough" enough to allow for proper molding with the cookie cutter. NO WAY. i had my dough in the freezer over an hour and it was still bordering on being too mooshy. so my advice is that if you want to make this recipe freeze the balls overnight before dipping them in the icing or applying the lollipop sticks. once i did that they came out much nicer.

would i make these again? maybe. i don't think i would make the cupcake type, instead i would make one of her many many other types that do not involve such molding. if you do make them, i also recommend getting the dough balls just a tiny bit wet in your hands before putting them through the cookie cutter. otherwise they stick to the metal.

Whole Wheat Banana Hazelnut Pancakes

My kids are obsessed with pancakes so I am expected to whip up new and creative variations on the general theme. Search my archives for some successful previous endeavors. This recipe tasted almost a little too delicious to be healthy! These disappeared too quickly to take a photo of.


Banana Hazelnut Pancakes

1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup milk
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (aka filberts)


Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat, spray lightly with oil.

Combine the flours, baking powder, sugar, and nutmeg and set aside. In another bowl combine milk, bananas, egg, and hazelnuts. Then add the wet to the dry and combine until smooth.

Steak

I defy you to dislike a steak from my house or any one of my forebearers. It's kind of just one of those things we are born loving and knowing how to do. Imagine the irony when I married a vegetarian! Each year for Christmas my parents buy us a share of a locally raised cow and we have been enjoying the bounty. There are many ways to make steak. My preferred method is grilling but seeing as how it is January in central Ohio we're doing this indoors in the cast iron skillet.

Also I will note that organic meats are always going to be your best bet. If you are unable to afford organic meat be sure to trim off as much fat as possible before consuming, as that is where pesticide residue is most concentrated.




Steaks

2 ribeye steaks (or preferred cut)
1 tsp peppercorns
seasoned salt (I prefer something like Lawyr's)
2 tbsp olive oil (or butter if you're feeling decadent)


Rub the spices into the meat while a skillet, preferably a cast iron skillet, heats the oil or butter over medium-high heat.

Sear the meat well and flip once after 5-6 minutes per side or until desired crusty-ness has been achieved. Then remove from heat and put aluminum foil over them. This not only allows the juices to redistribute but actually the foil cooks them longer. Using a meat thermometer to determine desired doneness, eat when the following temperatures have been achieved:

Rare - 120 degrees F
Medium Rare - 125 degrees F
Medium - 130 degrees F

Baked Potato Soup

My sister in law and brother just had their first baby (Kylie!) this week. So I decided to make them a few meals to fill up their freezer. This soup was one of them and always reminds me of a restaurant in Texas called Salt Grass. They have an AMAZING baked potato soup there!

Oh and this soup was very hard to photograph so i skipped it. Sorry!


Baked Potato Soup

8-12 slices bacon
2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk*
4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, chopped (or 1 large regular onion)
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

* If you like your soup creamy use 1 cup of heavy cream for 1 cup of the milk.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

Oreo Truffles

This recipe is as easy to make as they are delicious. I bring these to many holiday parties and yet somehow I never end up bringing any home. Hmm...



Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreos (for Christmas try mint ones!)
8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
2 packages (16 oz total) semi-sweet Bakers chocolate, melted

Smash up the Oreos into crumbled pieces in your favorite fashion. I've used a blender, a rolling pin, a potato smasher, a hammer, and a fork. It's fun just whacking the daylights out of cookies. Add the softened cream cheese to the crumbs and mix together thoroughly.

Roll into 1 inch balls and dip these in the melted chocolate. Place onto wax paper to cool. Refrigerate leftovers.

Meatball Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a rustic stew from France that's traditionally made using white beans and a variety of meats. Work-saving frozen meatballs and a crock pot make this version extra easy! Navy or cannelli (white kidney) beans are tasty options as well. I used chick peas because that's what I had on hand and that's what my family likes.


Meatball Cassoulet

2 15 oz cans Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups vegetable or tomato juice
12 oz frozen cooked Italian meatballs, thawed
8 oz cooked smoked turkey Polish sausage, sliced (Jennie O's is my favorite)
1 finely chopped carrot
1 finely chopped celery stalk
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika

Combine all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low 8-9 hours or high 4-5 hours.

Chocolate Toffee Pie

This entry will not have a photo because the pie was devoured in minutes by some of my great friends. And since I did not wish to cut the pie, take out a piece, photograph it, and then put it back before taking it to a party, ahem. You're just going to have to use your imagination. My recipe is an offshoot of one by Kraft. That one utilizes pecans but I know quite a few of my friends either have nut allergies or do not care for the taste of them. But you can check out the pictures over there and they look deliciously similar!


Chocolate Toffee Pie

3 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 oreo pastry shell
2 3 oz packages of instant chocolate pudding
2 cups of 2% milk
1 tub of cool whip, thawed
desired amount of toffee

In a small sauce pan melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and add the condensed milk. Pour the mixture over the pastry shell. Layer your desired amount of toffee over this. I usually do about 3-4 oz.

In a mixing bowl add the pudding mix and the milk and whip for about 2 minutes. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of this over the toffee. Mix half of the Cool Whip with the remaining pudding and put that on top.

Finally top all of that with the remaining half of the Cool Whip. If you want to get all fancy shave some chocolate strips or garnish with more toffee.




AND! the best part of making this, besides my friends delightful reaction was the endless Cool Whip laughs around our house.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

The first Sunday of every month I am on our church's baking team, where I am to bring 10 dozen mini muffins to church to help feed the goers. Here is half of what I made (the other being boring banana nut muffins)



Cranberry Orange Muffins

1 cup dried cranberries (or craisins, or cherries!)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping, if desired
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove berries from the heat, and set aside to cool and plump. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.

Line muffin tins with papers or lightly brush a tin with butter. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, orange zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the cranberries. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.

Potato Soup with Ham

Each year my brother and I lovingly squabble over who gets to take home the Thanksgiving ham bone so we can transform it into some delicious soup. This year was my year and here is what I made. Sorry no photo. The broth wouldn't look right when I photographed it! So rather than an unappetizing photo, better none at all :) I made a double batch of this!


Potato Soup with Ham

2 cups red potatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 tablespoons flour
cayenne pepper
black pepper
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked, cubed ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
fresh chopped parsley or chives for garnish, if desire

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain; reserve 1 cup of the liquid.Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring, until tender. Stir in flour; season with red and black pepper. Cook for about 3 more minutes, stirring. Add potatoes, reserved liquid, milk, and salt; stir well. Add ham; simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Add cheese; stir until melted. Top with fresh parsley or chives, if desired.