White Sauce

White sauce can be used as a substitute in dishes calling for "cream of" soups. I was in a hurry the other day and didn't want to make a large batch of it, so I found a recipe that is equivalent to 1 can of "cream of" soup (I can't remember where I found the recipe though). I'm also including a larger batch that you keep in the fridge and use as you need it. I like the idea of using white sauce in my cooking instead of the traditional soups because I can control my sodium, I can control the flavor better, it helps use up food storage items, and is inexpensive.

Basic White Sauce
yield: about 1-1/2 cup or the equivalent to 1 can of "cream of" soup

2 Tbl flour
dash of salt
1/4 cup powdered milk
1 cup cold water
1 Tbl butter/margarine

In a covered jar, combine first four ingredients and shake until blended (I didn't have a jar, so I used a ziploc baggie and it worked fine). In a saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in water and flour mixture. Cook over low heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Season with your favorite spices (I used salt, parsley, and pepper). You can use this in any of your favorite recipes in place of 1 can of "cream of" soup.

White Sauce Mix- from the Make-a-Mix cookbook
yield: 1 quart white sauce mix or the equivalent of 8 cans of "cream of" soups (about 1-1/2 cups sauce per can)

2 cups instant nonfat dry milk (or you can use 1-1/2 cups regular nonfat dry milk)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup butter/margarine

Combine dry milk, flour and salt. Mix well. With a pastry blender, cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles fine crumbs (you could also use a fork to cut in the butter/margarine if you don't have a pastry cutter). Put in a large airtight container and store in refrigerator. Use within 2 months.

To reconstitute white sauce mix:
In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup white sauce mix and 1 cup cool water. For thinner sauce, decrease white sauce mix to 1/4 cup. For thicker sauce, increase white sauce mix to 3/4 cup. Cook over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Season with pepper, herbs and spices, if desired. Makes about 1-1/2 cups sauce.