One large egg, fried (medium) served on a slice of whole wheat toast
with two strips of crispy bacon on the side. And yes, a glass of cold
milk.

I'm thinking of making au gratin (scalloped) potatoes for dinner. I'll
be using about 6 gold potatoes, sliced then dropped into hot salted
water to quickly par boil them. Set them aside.

There are two reasons for this: Peeled or cut potatoes tend to
discolour unless they're held in a pan of cold water until you're ready
to use them. No so with this method. Once par boiled they don't
discolour.

The casserole also bakes faster if the sliced potatoes are already
slightly cooked. Strain the slices before layering them into the
buttered baking dish with the other igredients.

My mother always served this as a main dish. She added diced cooked
ham. I'm thinking of adding sliced browned pieces of andouille sausage.
The cheese sprinkled among the layers will be shredded Fontina. Pour
a nice thick white sauce over the top. Bake at 350F for about 40
minutes until the potatoes are tender, the sauce is bubbly and the top
is nicely browned.

Sounds like a nice warm meal on a cold day. And yes, it's gotten
what I call "cold" down here in South Carolina. Windy, rainy and only
in the 45F range.

Jill