Green Bean Casserole (from scratch)

Making things "the hard way" when it comes to food has always been a habit of mine. At first it was just the means to learning how to bake and cook better, and it worked like a charm (with a bit of frustration, and a LOT of coffee). But once you master a few things, it's time to "flex those baking muscles in your brain" as my friend and former co-baker Kristen used to always say when things were getting stagnant at work. It's important to continue to challenge yourself in any task in life if you want to continue to get better, and now that baking has become a hobby instead of a living, I feel the rust forming on my baking muscles little by little, and don't want to undo years of  hard work.

This is the sentiment that inspired me when I was making good ole' green bean casserole a few weeks ago, (a forever favorite) and it occurred to me I've made all these things seperately before, why not try making it from scratch?

Green Bean Casserole

- 2 cups fresh or frozen green beans

Cream of Mushroom Soup

-8 ounces fresh mushrooms

-2 tablespoons onions, chopped

-1 -2 garlic clove, minced

-2 tablespoons butter

-2 -3 tablespoons flour (separated)

-2 cups chicken broth

-1 cup half and half

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

-Cut the mushrooms into slices.

-Melt butter in large frying pan. Add in onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until onions are soft.

-Blend in 2 T. flour and stir.

-Add in the chicken broth and heat until slightly thickened while stirring frequently.

-Stir cream with additional 1 T. flour and seasonings. Add in cream to soup. Heat to thicken while stirring frequently.

 Fried Onions

3 large onions

2 cups nonfat milk

2 cups all purpose flour

salt to taste

oil for frying

(extra can be stored in tight container)

Directions:

-Slice onions into rings. Soak them in the milk for 5 minutes.

-Heat the oil in a large skillet.

-Coat the onions with flour.

-Fry the onions in the oil. Flip and stir as needed to ensure they brown evenly.

-Place on paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Salt to taste.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 cups of cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup fried onions, and 2 cups beans and stir to combine, scoop into 

9x13 inch glass pan, bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle 1/2 cup onions on top before serving.

A tad more colorful than the grayish hue of canned green beans. This turned out so comforting and delicious,  just in time for Thanksgiving in a few weeks.

The onions had a great crunch, and actually tasted like real onions and not just oil. I know the holidays are a busy time, but it's also a time to pull out the big guns food-wise and make some things that will impress your guests while keeping the traditional foods we all love around. I know this recipe is going to replace the one off the French's onion can permanently for me! Enjoy!