Crockpot Corn on the Cob

I will give a disclaimer:  This is nothing fancy at all.  I don't know if I would even call it a "recipe". But I wanted to share because apparently it is good stuff.

Another disclaimer:  I do not eat cooked corn. I like corn in corn dip but beyond that, I just don't. I try it periodically because it looks good to me. But it doesn't taste good (to me).  However, the people in my family who DO eat corn have loved it this way.  Thus, I am sharing.

Ingredients:
Corn on the cob, husk removed and corn washed (I break mine in half to make it easier to eat, per hubby's request)

Melted butter (2-3 Tbsp)

Salt and pepper (I use sea salt and freshly ground peppercorns)

Directions:
After cleaning the corn, rub with melted butter.

Salt and pepper the corn cob.

Wrap in aluminum foil.

Place in a crockpot (no water added) on low for about 4 hours.

Enjoy!

Like I said, simple but apparently really tasty!

Reba

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Usually if I make mashed potatoes, I use this recipe. 

But the other day I decided to try something new that didn't require so much planning ahead.

So I did a little Googling and found this recipe.

Very simple.  Few ingredients.  Little time involved other than peeling the potatoes.

And guess what?

Hubby declared they were his favorite mashed potatoes I have made.

Well, guess it was a winner then!

Ingredients:
5 or 6 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut (I rarely dice, I usually just cut into smaller chunks)

1 Tbsp kosher salt

2-4 Tbsp butter (I think I used 3)

1/4 tsp white pepper or black pepper

1 or 2 cans evaporated milk

Directions:
Boil potatoes in a large pot of water with salt added.

Okay, you really should bring the salted water to a boil before adding the potatoes but I kind of just did it all at once.

Boil until fork tender (15+ minutes...a little longer if you don't bring the water to a boil first :).

Drain the potatoes and mash.  I just used a mixer because I have a ricer, not a masher.  I now have a hand masher on order... :)

Add in the butter and pepper.

Add in the evaporated milk slowly until the desired creaminess is reached.

I only used 1 can; it was just right for us.

Enjoy!

Reba

Smashed Potatoes

The other night we ate "glazed" pork chops (good flavor but mine did NOT glaze properly).  I wanted a good potato dish to go with it.  So I turned to my Taters and Spuds folder on Pinterest and searched for just the right recipe. Lo and behold, this recipe popped out to me. 

So I made them.

And loved them.

I could have eaten the whole dish.

I don't think I have ever met a potato that I didn't love.

Anyway, this was fairly easy and full of good taste. And it complemented the pork chop nicely.

We will be having these again!

Ingredients:
2 lbs fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean (I used Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes...they were just the right size)

Olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

3 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 cup parsley minced (which is about 1/4 cup)...I never actually measure. I just cut with kitchen shears until it looks like enough :)

zest of a lemon (I did not add very much and it was pretty strong "lemon" tasting)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Boil potatoes in water until tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 400.

Remove potatoes from stovetop and drain/dry.

Sprinkle olive oil on a cookie sheet (I actually just used a glass baking dish).  Okay, I totally forgot to spread the oil first and did so after the fact. Thankfully, I didn't have much problems with sticking. Oops!

Place potatoes on the cookie sheet/baking dish in a single layer.  Flatten the potatoes (smash them) with a meat tenderizer or the bottom of a glass.  That was kind of fun. :)

Drizzle more olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once during the process.

I actually didn't have time to do it for 30 and did NOT flip them at all and they worked just fine.

Toward the end of the baking time, mix together the garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and Parmesan cheese. 

After removing the potatoes from the oven, stir the parsley/cheese mixture in with the potatoes. I went ahead and topped with a little more Parmesan cheese because who doesn't want more Parmesan??? :)

Enjoy!

Reba

Garlic Herb Potato Wedges

Recently we had some "Crescent Burgers".  I thought, "We have to have fries with them..."

I usually make these fries. 

However, I was in the mood to try something else.

So I did my usual "stroll" through my Pinterest boards, in particular the Taters and Spuds board.

And I found this recipe.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

(What does that even mean anyway? :)

Easy and YUMMY.

There was not ONE fry left by the end of the evening.

Bummer for me.

But yeah for the recipe!

Ingredients:
4-6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp  dried thyme

(Original recipe called for 1/2 tsp paprika...I omitted)

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes into 4-6 identical potato wedges (kind of like steak fries).

Mix in a bowl with the ingredients listed above.

Line a sheet pan with foil.

Place the potato wedges on the foil, skin down.

Bake for 35-50 minutes or until well browned.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

I know, I know, I have been MIA.

It was a long (and exhausting) week. Not a bad one, just a long one. I did cook though.

 And I even have a recipe or two to share.

 Soon.

 Not today but soon.

 But just so I don't leave you hanging, here is one recipe from the week.

 Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks.

Yum.

My mouth waters just thinking about them.

I have been craving some sort of garlic bread.  And since we were having mostaccioli one night not long ago, I wanted some even more.  However, due to the diet of one of our kids, I had to make some adjustments. The normal frozen garlic bread I buy in the stores would not do. I needed to do something different.

I have taken regular French bread and made it into garlic bread.

Toasted regular bread and sprinkled garlic or spread garlic butter.

Etc.

Etch.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I pulled some Rhodes dinner rolls out of the freezer to thaw and rise.

As I did, my eye happened to catch the back of the Rhodes dinner roll bag.

Hmmmm...

garlic/cheese breadsticks.

Well, that sounded yummy.

And it was.

Ingredients:
Rhodes White Dinner Roll dough, thawed

garlic salt to taste

melted butter (amount depends on how much dough you are using)

Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Directions:
Open the bag of dinner rolls and take out however many you need.

Let them sit out on a cookie sheet or plate to thaw.  I usually spray some plastic wrap with cooking/baking spray to keep the dough from sticking.

When they are thawed but still cold, take them out and shape them into 6 inch breadsticks. Okay, mine looked more like a little bun. I think I waited too long and let them rise a little.  They were resistant to shaping more into a stick than a log.

Oh well.

After they are shaped, let them rise.

The back of the package actually has you roll them in butter at this point and sprinkle with cheese, but I waited until they had risen.  It worked.  So it is your choice

After they were doubled in size, I then melted some butter and brushed the dough with it.  Then I sprinkled garlic salt on top and topped with shredded Parmesan ("fresh" of course...I love that stuff).

After that, I baked them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350.

And then we devoured them.

Yum.  Yum.  Yum.

Reba

PS I am getting no favors or coupons or free products from Rhodes. I just happen to like their products a lot.  And even better, they are "clean" products...made out of good and natural ingredients.

Parmesan Baked Potato Halves

I really wish I had taken better pictures. And I will try to next time. The night I made these, it was my grilling smorgasbord so I had a lot going on. I just got a few quick "shots" wit the camera. And these pictures do not do these justice.

I wanted a good but easy potato recipe to go with our grilled goodies. I played around on Pinterest and somehow happened upon this recipe.

Just what I wanted.  I would encourage you to to the original site because her pictures are SOOO much nicer :)

Really, go look.

Much nicer.

Even in real life, mine didn't look quite that nice.

But they were still tasty.

Hubby gave them two thumbs up.

Ingredients:
6-8 small potatoes scrubbed and halved (you can use any kind of potato, I decided to use red this time...I like the texture of them

1/4 cup butter (I did use Blue Bonnet light)

Grated/shredded Parmesan (I shredded it fresh with my rotary cheese shredder)

Garlic powder

Other seasonings (after reading through comments,  I went with a little rosemary...I think Italian would be good too)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put butter in a 9 x 13 dish.  Put in oven while it preheats to melt it.  You can also melt it in the microwave and just pour it in the dish but I am all about reducing the number of dishes I have to wash :)

Generously sprinkle shredded Parmesan all over the butter.

Sprinkle garlic powder and other seasonings over the cheese.

Place potatoes, cut side down onto the cheese mixture.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes or so before removing from pan.

You can serve it with sour cream, though honestly, it was good all on its own. :)

Simple but good.

Enjoy!

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

A few weeks ago, I made dinner for my girls' teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week.  I wasn't excluding the boys' teachers. The oldest boy has too many teachers due to his grade level, and the youngest child's teachers had a special lunch at their school.  Anyway, I gave the girls' teachers a choice in meals, and they both chose Crispy Cheese Chicken.  In the past when I have made that meal for others, I have taken a microwaveable bowl of mashed potatoes.  This year I was feeling adventurous. I decided to make some mashed potatoes.

But not the ones with the 22 dollar cheese, though those are SOOO very yummy.

I decided to search the Internet for some make ahead mashed potatoes since I make the meals and give them to the teachers to cook at home.

I found one aptly named Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes.  

Even better, they seemed simple.

So using that as a guide, I decided to try them out.

I made one batch following the recipe on that site (mostly, with an adaptation here and there).

And that one batch made PLENTY for two containers, one for each teacher.

After spooning it into the containers, I decided I should lick the spoon to test the potatoes.

Yum.

Very creamy.

About a week later, I decided to make them for our family.  Except I went to the fridge and discovered that somehow I had NO sour cream.  Seriously? That is a staple around here.  I decided to try vanilla yogurt in its place.

Word to the wise.

Vanilla yogurt is NOT like sour cream.

The potatoes tasted like frosting.  Seriously.  They were sweet. And while I like sweet and frosting, I do NOT want that with my mashed potatoes.

Tonight I made the Crispy Cheese Chicken for our family.  I decided to try the potatoes again.  This time WITH sour cream.  Oh yum.

Here is what I made for us.  It was more than enough. We all had good helpings, and we even have leftovers which is a rarity around here!

Ingredients:
2 lbs or so of golden russet potatoes (I only had 5, I think 6 would have been just right)
1 package cream cheese (I did use light)
1/2 container (8 oz) sour cream (again, I used light)
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp onion salt (Okay, I don't have onion salt, so I just used some freshly ground garlic salt then threw in a little chopped onion; I have also used onion salt and some minced garlic)
peppercorn to taste

Directions:
Wash or peel potatoes.  I don't mind the peels in my mashed potatoes but some people in my family do. So I peeled them.

Cut the potatoes into small pieces.

Boil in lightly salted water until tender.

Drain potatoes.

Mash or use a potato ricer. I have been using the ricer which works well if the potatoes are really tender. I was tired of finding lumps when I just mashed. :)

Mix in cream cheese, sour cream, milk, onion AND/OR garlic salt, and ground peppercorn.

At this point, you can bake them at 325 for 50 minutes.

I didn't do that.

I stuck them in my 375 degree oven (which was baking my chicken) for about 20 minutes.  They were plenty hot and quite creamy.

If you make ahead, you can store them in the fridge.  Just pull them out around 30 minutes before baking.

One of the teachers came to me later and asked for the recipe; she said she couldn't believe how creamy they were.

I think this will be a fallback recipe for mashed potatoes.

Hmmm, suddenly I am craving the leftovers...

Happy cooking!
Reba

Manchego Mashed Potatoes

Right before Thanksgiving, our local grocery store (Harps) had a cheese tasting event. I didn't really realize that; I just stopped in with child 2 for some groceries. It was pure luck on my side. I LOVE cheese. And while all of the cheese treats were tasty, one stood out.

Machego Mashed Potatoes.

I do like mashed potatoes. I really do.

But these potatoes. I loved.

Why?

The cheese of course.

I was ready to go home and make a pot of them (since I only seemed to be allowed to have one sample). Child 2 was ready to join me too. She loved them too.

I got the recipe and checked out the cheese.

Manchego.

Then I saw the price.

And the dream was over.

Manchego is apparently a special cheese.

I am not overly frugal; I am terrible at cutting out coupons, and I do buy brand names mainly because there are some things I just prefer brand names for.

At the same time, I just cannot splurge. I mean, I am feeding a family of 6, including one very hungry teenager. I cannot use our whole paycheck for food. That is one of the reasons I plan out menus. It keeps us from buying food that will go to waste (and waist) as well as from eating out frequently.

My biggest splurge in the cheese department is Parmesan wedges to grate/shred on demand (usually my own demand). And even then, I do NOT get the high end Parmesan.

This cheese costs about 3 times what I pay for Parmesan.

Bummer.

Fast forward to this week.

I asked my parents if they would like to come over for Easter dinner (which is a twist since we usually go there :).

I had already decided we would have ham, the traditional meal. Sidenote on ham: One of my friends explained that one of the reasons we eat ham on Easter is because with Jesus' death and resurrection, we were freed from the law which banned ham as an unclean food. I don't know if that is true, but it sounds neat.

Anyway...
I thought Easter might be the perfect time to splurge.

I will admit, I almost walked away when I looked at the price again.

But in the end, the memories won out.

I bought the cheese.

And we had the potatoes tonight.

They were just as wonderful as I remembered.

This will not be in the regular line up for us due to the cost of the cheese. I just cannot justify spending that money.

But for very special occasions...well, if we can, we just might.

I do think I will use this basic recipe and substitute Parmesan on occasion. It isn't a fancy recipe but I REALLY liked the texture. And honestly Parmesan and Manchego have a similar taste, though I daresay that I like Manchego more.

I am not totally positive who to attribute this recipe to...I guess Harps? The main adjustments I made were reducing the amount of ingredients to what I could find.

Ingredients:
3 pounds baby red potatoes (or baby Yukon gold potatoes)

4 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces (I used Blue Bonnet light)

1/2 cup milk or cream (I used milk...did add a little more)

5 to 6 oz Manchego cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Wash the potatoes (I just have to...I can't use dirty potatoes). I chose not to peel them; peels in mashed potatoes don't bother me. The recipe said to halve the potatoes, but I actually quartered them

Place potatoes in a large pan, filling with water just above the potatoes. I went ahead and added some salt at this point (just in the water).

Bring to a boil.

I didn't cover to bring to a boil but if you do, uncover once the water starts boiling.

Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes.

Drain potatoes.

Return potatoes to the still warm pan.

Add milk, butter, cheese, and pepper (which I actually forgot this time around) to pan.

Mash potatoes until smooth.

Enjoy. Each and every bite.

And don't think about the cost. :)

Reba

Almond Rice Pilaf

I had planned on having Swai again (at my family's request) and wanted a good side dish. I usually just use a boxed wild rice as a side dish which works. But this week, I wanted something more. Somehow I stumbled upon a recipe for almond rice pilaf, and I knew I had found what I was looking for.

It was fast. Easy. And just the right complement to the meal.

Ingredients:
2 cups instant rice (though next time, I think I will just use my favorite regular rice and cook longer)

2 cups chicken broth

chopped onion to taste (I think the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup but I just added what I thought was a good amount, didn't measure at all)

1/2 cup slivered almonds (I just had sliced, so I used that)

1 tbsp butter or margarine (I did use Blue Bonnet Light)

Directions:
In a saucepan, brown almonds and cook the onion until tender in the butter.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Add rice, remove from heat, and let stand for 5-8 minutes.

Fluff with a fork.

I didn't remove mine immediately from the heat after adding the rice, so I burned the very bottom. But it didn't affect the taste at all.

It was a very nice side dish. But really, with almonds, how could you go wrong? :)

Reba

Fried Rice

Sorry I have been missing in action.

School started back. That means life got crazy. :)

Anyway, here is the fried rice recipe we made to go with the sweet and sour chicken (all found on Pinterest). I have tried different fried rice recipes, but this has been my favorite so far. It does take a little time and a little planning ahead, which thankfully we had time for that day!

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked white rice (We cooked it earlier that day and refrigerated it...from what I have read, it actually works better if you start with cold rice)

3 tbsp sesame oil (Okay, I confess...I just couldn't shell out the money for this since it wasn't an ingredient I would use often. I used our typical oil, a canola/vegetable/soy oil mix. New note:  I finally gave in and bought toasted sesame oil. Oh my word. Worth every cent!  It has such a wonderful flavor!)

1 cup frozen peas and carrots thawed (I actually did about half a cup frozen peas...didn't worry about thawing...and diced a few "baby" carrots we had in the fridge)

1 small onion chopped (I just chopped a yellow onion and used part of it)

2 tsp minced garlic (I would normally use fresh but what I had was moldy, so I had to use dried minced garlic)

2 eggs slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce (I think we added more but we also used more rice)

Directions: Saute the onion, garlic, and peas and carrots in the sesame oil over medium heat in a skillet.

Reduce heat to medium low. Push the food over to one side and stir fry/scramble the eggs on the other side until cooked through.

Add the rice and soy sauce. Cook until heated through.

It was very good.

I do think if I had had any bacon, I would have cut it up and added that.

But I didn't.

Otherwise, there wasn't much I would change.

It was good stuff.

I have another recipe to share...maybe tomorrow. :)

Reba

Baked Oven Fries

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, we had had our fill of turkey. We decided that hamburgers, fries, and shakes would be a nice change of pace. I kept thinking about a Pinterest recipe that had caught my eye. Baked Oven Fries.

So I had hubby pick up a few Russet potatoes. I followed the recipe fairly closely since I am no fry expert.

They were a hit.

I will be making these again!

Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes (peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges...okay, you can tell by looking at MY picture, I do NOT have the even size thing down yet...)

5 tbsp vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, divided 4/1 (I used a vegetable/canola combo)

3/4 tsp kosher salt (more or less to taste)

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Place the potato wedges in a large bowl. Cover with hot water and let soak for 10-30 minutes. I only got about 15 minutes in due to time constraints.

Meanwhile, take a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread 4 tbsp oil on the sheet (tilting it and using a pastry brush helped tremendously). Sprinkle the sheet liberally with salt and pepper.

Take the potato wedges out of the water and empty the bowl. Put the potato wedges on a plate with paper towel to dry them off. Then put them back into the bowl. Drizzle with remaining tbsp of oil. Mix thoroughly.

Spread on the cookie sheet.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

Uncover with foil, flipping the fries once they are a golden brown on the bottom.Bake an additional 10-20 minutes. Bake until golden and crisp.

Enjoy!

Reba

Cheese Filled Breadsticks

Our school does a fundraiser through Schwan's on occasion. I don't typically order through Schwan's (though I like their food), but for a fundraiser, I do. One of my favorite Schwan's foods is a frozen crusty French bread. It is delish. This last time I noticed a new item...cheese filled breadsticks. I ordered a box. My family loved them. LOVED them. However, after two meals, they were gone. And we probably won't have a fundraiser again until the spring. (The links are if you are interested in seeing what I am talking about...I am getting NO kickbacks from Schwan's. :)

Anyway, I have been thinking, "Surely I could make some kind of cheese filled breadstick. It may not be the same but cheese and bread, how can you go wrong? So the Google search began.

Cheese Stuffed Garlic Breadsticks

That looked like a good starting point.

However, that recipe involved making a pizza crust dough.

I didn't have enough time for that.

So I just bought some refrigerated pizza crust dough.

And cheese. Mozzarella string cheese.

Add a little butter and some other minor things, and we were ready to go.

They were a hit.

I will be making them again.

I will probably toy with the recipe. I would love to actually make the dough from scratch one day...not pizza crust even. Like real breadstick dough. (We used these as a side dish for our meatballs and gravy) But in a pinch, using the refrigerated dough worked fine.

Ingredients:
1 can refrigerated pizza dough

2 bags of Mozzarella string cheese (I didn't need quite both bags but they don't let you buy one and a half bags at the store. :)

melted butter

1 1/2 tbsp dried Parmesan cheese

1/2 tbsp oregano (I might cut back on that next time)

1/2 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

There is also a recipe for a dipping sauce on the original site but we just ate it for bread.

Directions:
Roll out the pizza dough. I rolled it out on a cookie sheet. Then I used a knife cut it in half. I then just took the string cheese and rolled it until it was covered to get an idea what size "rectangle" to use. I pinched the ends, put it on the cookie sheet, and then did the same with the rest.

Does that make sense?

I then brushed them with melted butter and sprinkled with the garlic/Parmesan/oregano/salt topping.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until top is golden brown).

Enjoy!

They were yummy.

But then again, it is bread and cheese. How do you really go wrong?

Reba

Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Potatoes

I have made a recipe similar to this many times but it always involved the cubed potato hashbrowns (Southern style). This recipe uses the shredded hashbrowns. Who knew a different way to cut potatoes could make such a difference in taste? These potatoes were DELICIOUS. I wanted to eat the whole pan myself.

This recipe came from Pinterest. The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:
2 lb bag shredded hashbrown potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz sour cream (I did use light)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 stick butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (I am pretty sure I used less...my crew is not big into onions)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Spread potatoes in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. I used a glass dish.

Season with salt and pepper. I used freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground peppercorn.

Melt butter in the microwave.

In a bowl, mix butter, onion, soup, and sour cream.

Pour/spread mixture over the potatoes.

Top with cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Yes, this looks just like the picture from the Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops I posted the other day. That is because I made both of these things together. And they were delicious together. But though I loved the pork chops, I am pretty sure I could have eaten the whole dish of mashed potatoes. Yum.

This recipe (just like the last) came from this website.

First of all, this recipe calls for roasted garlic. This step takes an hour and 15 minutes. Or in my case, 40 minutes because I didn't think ahead an hour. So, don't make the mistake I did. Plan ahead.

How to roast garlic:
Wrap a bulb of garlic in aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour at 350. After one hour, remove from oven and let it cool off. Then remove the needed number of cloves, peel skin off, and mash with a fork.

Okay, so here is the recipe for the potatoes.

Ingredients:
4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 tbsp butter
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan (mine was more fresh shredded)
6 cloves roasted garlic
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper (I use the fresh ground)

Directions:
Place potatoes in a large pan with cold water that covers the potatoes.

Bring to a boil.

Cook for 10-12 minutes (boiling). A fork should easily pierce the potatoes.

Drain the potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Use the mixer to mix on low until the potatoes are mashed.

Then add the remaining ingredients.

I think I added a little too much milk, so mine were a bit runny.

But even in their runny state, I enjoyed each and every bite!

Happy cooking!
Reba

Potato Fans

Not the best picture quality but you get the idea.

Recently on Pinterest (which is VERY addictive...be warned), someone posted a picture of potato fans (which have other names like "armadillo potatoes"). However, when I clicked on the picture, it was a private blog so I couldn't get the recipe. By then my interest was piqued. I always love a good potato. So I decided to do a little research (also called "google"). I found a few recipes then decided to combine them to make my own.

One thing I learned from perusing different recipes is that you can really top these potatoes with anything you want.

Here is what we used (no specific amounts):
6 yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
olive oil (I didn't measure but I am thinking about 1/4 cup...many recipes recommended butter but I prefer olive oil)
rosemary (just sounded good to me...no exact measurement)
3 garlic cloves diced (or if you are feeling lazy, chopped with a food chopper)
salt and pepper to taste (I used sea salt and freshly ground black pepper)
cheddar cheese
bacon bits

I also threw in some bread crumbs, since several recipes had recommended them. Maybe mine were too fine. I don't know. I just know I could have done without them. (I actually left one potato without much cheese and bacon...the olive oil and the garlic/salt/pepper/rosemary were good enough for me :)

Directions:
Make several cuts across the potato, cutting almost to the bottom but not all the way. Several people recommended using a skewer through the bottom or wooden spoons on the side of the potato to stop the knife when slicing...I just did it on my own. I only had two that cut all the way through.

Use a basting brush to brush the olive oil/spices mixture over the tops of the potatoes, getting in between slices when possible.

Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes. (I would check for tenderness)

Pull potatoes out.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese and bacon bits (however much you want) and bread crumbs if you want them across the top.

Return to the oven for a few minutes more.

I did cut back the oven temp about 20 minutes into it because I had something else to cook too. I just kept checking tenderness.

I saw a wide range of oven temps and times as I perused recipes...even a recipe or two for the microwave.

Regardless (or is it irregardless?), my house smelled like garlic roasting. It was just...fragrant. Really. And for those who eat potatoes in our household, they were well-received.

I will be making again!

Reba

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Before our vacation, I bought a big bag of red potatoes for a crockpot potato recipe. Unfortunately, life got crazy, and we didn't use them. When I returned from vacation this week, I decided to check them out. Other than an eye or two, the potatoes were in good shape. I needed something "potato" for my meal but something that could be made without a crockpot since that would be in use. I did a quick google search and found a couple recipes then ultimately used the recipe on the back of my Lipton Dry Onion Soup Mix.

I know this is not really anything new but I wanted to share anyway. I could have eaten the whole pan of potatoes by myself. Yum.

Ingredients:
3 lbs red potatoes (or regular/Idaho), washed and quartered
1/3 cup olive oil
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Directions:
Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan (I just use cooking spray).

Place the potatoes in the pan.

Mix the olive oil and dry onion soup mix together; pour over potatoes.

Confession: It would probably easier to mix all of the above in a bowl or a ziplock bag first. Also, I added some minced garlic and fresh ground black pepper. And I added a little more olive oil just for fun.

Stir the potatoes to thoroughly coat.

Bake at 425 for about 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Reba

Cheesy Mashed Potato Bake

I really want to give someone credit for this recipe, but I honestly don't remember who gave it to me. It isn't anywhere on the printed page I have. So if it was you, name yourself. :) I may have found it online too. I just don't know.

I have been looking for a good mashed potato recipe. I like mashed potatoes but I am kind of particular about them. I don't like them runny, want a little flavor, but don't want to have to depend on gravy either.

So for whatever reason, I have this recipe. And tonight we were having a ham steak and black eye peas. We needed mashed potatoes. I decided to try this. So glad I did. It was just what I was looking for. Yum.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. boiling potatoes. I used Yukon gold. Oh, they should be peeled.
4 tbsp butter
8 oz sour cream (I used light)
8 ounces cheddar cheese (I used 2%, sharp shredded)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
freshly ground pepper

Cut potatoes into 1 1/2 inch cubes (I just cut them into small pieces. I didn't take time to cube...

Add potatoes to a 4 quart pot and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil. Add salt. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.

Sidenote: I couldn't put all five pounds of potatoes in my pot, though I got most of it. And I didn't simmer. I just boiled the potatoes until tender.

As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander.

Place the 4 tbsp of butter in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add potatoes. Beat with a mixer for 2 minutes. Then add sour cream, half of the cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Beat until creamy.

Pour (spoon) mixture into greased baking dish (9 x 13). Top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and serve.

Sidenote: I just did the freshly ground pepper as THE pepper in the mashed potatoes. If I use too much, my family protests.

Enjoy!

Reba

Cholesterol Raising Hashbrowns

I really think there could be a better name for these, but this is the title my mom gave it when she gave me the recipe. Trust me, they taste much better than the name sounds. :)

These are a family favorite (for those who eat potatoes). We typically only have them if we grill out but really they would go with a lot of dishes. I could just eat these for a meal alone though I try not to since they are obviously not the healthiest recipe.

Cholesterol Raising Hashbrowns

2 lb bag frozen Southern-style hashbrown potatoes
2-3 slices of bacon, diced
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-3 green onions, sliced

Fry the bacon in a large skillet until almost crisp.

Add margarine and vegetable oil to the skillet and heat until the margarine melts.

Add frozen hashbrowns and green onion.

Cook until potatoes are done (I stir often) and are starting to brown. That depends on taste too because my husband likes them to be brown and crispy. I have to watch him or he will take over cooking these when I am working on them to get them that way.

Enjoy!

Happy cooking.
Reba

Green Bean Bundles

Ask me at any point what my least favorite vegetable is. It is a toss up between okra and green beans. The thought of both turns my stomach. Ick.

However, one night a friend (I think it was my friend Tara) brought some green beans to a church social...green bean bundles. I can't say that I eat them still. However, I can tolerate the smell, and they ALMOST look good to me. They look very good to my husband, so that is why I make them on occasion. They also work well for a potluck.

Green Bean Bundles
2 cans whole green beans
1 package bacon
1/2cup brown sugar
3/4 stick of butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dash of pepper

Cut the bacon in half (vertically)

Wrap one half a slice of bacon around five or six green beans (thus the "bundle).

Lay in a glass baking dish.

Melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, the garlic powder, and the dash of pepper.

Pour over the top of the green bean bundles.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

These can easily be made ahead, though if possible, I wouldn't pour the butter mixture until you are ready to cook them, though I have done it the other way too.

So far my hubby is the only one who will touch them.

But with most people (who eat veggies), they are quite popular.

I have seen other recipes that are similar or involve putting bacon on top of the beans but this is definitely my husband's preferred recipe.

Oh, since only one in our family eats them, I often halve the recipe. :)

Enjoy!

Happy cooking!
Reba