Ham & Scalloped Potatoes (Leave out the Ham for Plain Scalloped Potatoes)

Start this one about two hours before you want to serve it.

Ingredients:
cooked, sliced ham 1-to-2 lbs
6 medium boiling or baking potatoes, scrubbed clean. Peel them or not, cut into thin slices.
3 T butter or margarine
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 c)
3 T all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 & 1/2 cups milk
1 T butter or margarine

Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 2-qt casserole dish with shortening.
Melt 3 T butter or margarine in 2-qt saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in margarine about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.
Stir in milk, heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute.
Spread enough potato slices in bottom of casserole dish to cover and cover with slices of ham.
spoon sauce over top and continue layering potatoes, ham and sauce until your last bit of sauce is your top layer.
Dot evenly with the 1 T butter or margarine.
Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and top is a light golden brown.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
Great with buttered corn bread and green beans with onions and bacon.

Tender, Baked Pork Chops

4-6 pork chops, any variety
1/4 cup shortening
1/2-3/4 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 can condensed cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
yes, cream of chicken soup...it is actually better than the mushroom soup for this recipe!

Heat oven to 350.
Grease the bottom of a 9x13x2 baking dish with a dab of the shortening.
Melt the rest of the shortening in a 10" skillet on the stove top over medium heat.
In a bowl big enough to hold a pork chop or in a semi-large zip-lock baggie, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and cinnamon.
Coat all sides of pork chops with flour mixture (a baggie is great for this, throw one in, zip the baggie, shake it and you're all done with no mess).
Quick-brown the pork chops in the skillet turning once to brown both sides (5 minutes per side or less) and then put them into the 9x13x2 baking dish.
When all the chops are browned and in the baking dish, prepare the condensed soup with only 3/4 the water or milk it calls for and pour it over the chops.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Serve with applesauce and your potato & vegetable of choice.