Homemade Cream of Mushroom

A couple of years ago I cut back on using canned cream of mushroom soup in recipes that called for them.  Instead I started making my own just for the sake of cutting back on processed foods.  It's been a while now since I've used a canned cream of mushroom and wanted to share the recipe I use in its place. 

Oh yes, mushrooms aren't something I keep in my fridge regularly so it is very likely that I wouldn't have any on hand when I needed the cream of mushroom soup.  I just make it anyway without the mushroom, and while you do lose that flavor, I just add a few extra shakes of seasonings like onion powder and garlic powder.

I plan to make a potato casserole tomorrow, Insha'Allah, and went ahead and made the cream sauce tonight so that I'll be that much ahead tomorrow. 

In a saucepan I melt 1/4 cup butter.
Add to that 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms and saute till they are soft, a few minutes.
Add 1/4 cup flour and blend well.  Cook and stir over medium heat to blend it all well. 
Add 1 cup milk (I use whole milk) and stir until the flour has mixed into the milk.
Sauce will thicken within a minute, and then you can add about 1/4 tsp salt and some pepper. I like to use white pepper. 
That's it.  You're left with a gloppy, goopy, creamy mushroom base!
Here's my picture... it's not glamorous!