Cheesy Potatoes

Cheesy potatoes are very popular around here.  They have several different names - Potato Casserole and Funeral Potatoes to name a few.  Call them whatever you want, just know that these are VERY good!

I made these for our Easter dinner.  My baby was so new at that point that I needed menu options that were quick and easy to put together.  These potatoes were perfect!  In fact, I assembled the ingredients and placed them in the pan the day before.  Then on Easter, all I had to do was bake them.

LOVED that!!

Try these out sometime.  Sometime soon!  Your family will thank you.  At least, mine did.

Here's what you'll need:

2 lb. bag frozen hashbrowns, shredded or cubed

1 Tbsp. dried, chopped onion OR 1/3 C. onion, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 C. sour cream

2-4 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted (opt.)

3 C. grated cheese, divided

In a large bowl, combine the hashbrowns, onion, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, melted butter, and 2 cups of cheese.

Place in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Another way you can make this is to omit the last cup of cheese and before placing in the oven, top the potato mixture with 1 1/3 cups cornflakes that have been crushed and mixed with another 2 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine.  Then bake as directed.

Ham Fried Rice

Today's recipe is the perfect companion to my Sweet & Sour Chicken!  With just a little prep work ahead of time, this dish comes together within minutes.  I love that!

Thanks to Kolette for another yummy recipe (adapted sightly)!

Here's what you'll need:

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp. chopped green onion

1/4 C. diced ham

1/3 C. frozen peas and carrots, cooked and cooled

2 C. cold, cooked rice

1/8 tsp. salt

Dash of pepper

1 tsp soy sauce, opt.

Earlier in the day, I got as much of the prep work done as I could.  So, I chopped my green onion, diced the ham, cooked the peas and carrots, and cook the rice as well.  Then I just kept each of those things in the fridge until I was ready to put everything together just before it was time to eat.

When you're almost ready to eat, cook your eggs over medium-high heat until firm.

 Add the green onion, peas and carrots, and diced ham and stir until heated.

Stir in the rice, salt, and pepper.

 If you'd like, you can add the soy sauce.  Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed and rice is hot.

Serve immediately.  If you get all of the prep work done earlier, it takes about 5-10 minutes until this dish is ready to eat.  Awesome!

Sliced Baked Potatoes

Living in Idaho and having in-laws who own a potato farm, I have lots of opportunities to use potatoes in my cooking.  

Just last week, my in-laws finished harvesting all of their potatoes, a mighty feat every year!  It sounds like this year they were very happy with how they turned out too.  

My kids got to go and help with the harvest a few times and each time they brought home some real treasures.

Look at these spuds!!!  They're both over 8 inches long!

So in celebration of a great harvest, I'm posting a way to use the wonderful potato.  Today's recipe is a very simple, yet very elegant way to use potatoes.  And there's hardly a "recipe" for it; just make it to how you would like it.  Pretty easy.

Here's what you'll need:

Russet potatoes (however many you want)

Olive oil

Melted butter

Salt (table salt and/or course sea salt)

Pepper

Clean each potato and let dry completely.  Slice each potato into thin slices, but don't cut completely through the potato.  You'll want the bottom of the potato to stay in tact.  Place on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter, then drizzle with oil, and finally season with salt and pepper.

 Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely cooked through and tender.

So easy and such a beautiful presentation!  You can serve them as is or top with a dollop of sour cream, chopped bacon, and sliced green onions.  Enjoy!!

Caramel Fruit Dip / Stuffed Strawberries

Hi there! It's been a while, hasn't it? Can you believe that we're already more than half way through June?! I can't. I hope you all have been enjoying your summer.

It hardly feels like summer here. We've only had a few days that have been over seventy degrees. It still feels like spring. But, hey, I'll take it. At least it doesn't feel like winter!

Since it's supposed to be summer, I have a yummy fruit dip that I'd like to share with ya. It's SUPER simple and way good!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 C. packed brown sugar

1/4 C. caramel ice cream topping

Toffee bits (opt.)

Assorted fresh fruit

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar, and caramel topping until smooth.

You can add toffee bits sprinkled on top or mixed in. Serve with fresh fruit. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

I decided to pipe it into strawberries rather than leave it in a bowl as a dip. They turned out way cute and super yummy!

I also decided to sprinkle the tops with toffee bits.

SO GOOD!!!!

Enjoy these some time this summer!

Microwaved Corn on the Cob

We planted a garden this year. We even tried two varieties of corn - a super sweet yellow and a super sweet red. We were so excited about it! But thanks to the weather this summer, our garden didn't turn out very well. We had four corn stalks that made it out of the ROWS that we planted. And of the four stalks, we got about eight tiny ears. Bummer, cuz we like corn on the cob!

So, the following pictures are of corn we got at the store. But this technique of cooking it is wonderful since it is quick and easy - and that's how I like things!

Here's what you'll need:

however many ears of corn you want

butter

salt

pepper

Shuck the corn, but still leaving a thin layer of the husk still on. Pull off any excess "hair".

Place however many ears can fit into your microwave in a single layer. I can fit four in mine. Microwave on High power for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave (be careful, they'll be hot!). Shuck the rest of the way.

If you'd like, and most people do, smear it down with butter, add some shakes of salt and pepper, then chow down. But if you're like me, just enjoy the natural sweetness of corn on the cob without all the extras.

Twice Baked Potatoes

I've been making lunches for the guys that my husband works with over the last several Saturdays. One thing they mentioned that they REALLY like are twice baked potatoes. So, this last weekend, I made some for them and I think they turned out Heavenly!!

This recipe comes from one of my mom's closest friends (and my good friend, Amy's mom), Janet. I found the recipe in a ward cookbook my mom gave me several years ago and have loved it ever since! Janet calls them "Jailbreak Potatoes" and I can see why. Anyone would break out of jail for these taters!!

Here's what you'll need:

4 lg. potatoes
2 T. butter, melted
1/2 C. whipping cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 C. shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub and prick each potato. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour or until flaky. Remove from oven and cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, place butter, cream, salt, pepper, and cheese. Cut an oval of skin off of the tops of each potato and scrape out most of the potato's interior and put into the bowl with the other ingredients.

As you can see, I was making these for a crowd and used more than 4 potatoes.

Whip the potato mixture until smooth. Spoon the mixture back into the skins. Place the stuffed potatoes on a buttered, rimmed baking sheet and bake an additional 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

I didn't get an after shot since I whisked them off to Brett's work. But the looked very similar to the picture above, but they had several golden peaks on them. Gorgeous and delicious!! Love them!!!!

Favorite Mashed Potatoes

Today, I'm giving you my favorite mashed potato recipe. I've had it for years and everyone that's ever tried it loves it as well. I like that it's seasoned perfectly and they're moist and rich. Mmmmmmmmm!!

I also like that you can make these ahead of time, put them in the fridge until you're ready for them, then pop 'em in the oven just before you need them.

It's very convenient when you're entertaining. Mix everything together in the morning or the night before and you don't even have to worry about them until you're ready to warm them up. Try it out and see what you think!

Here's what you'll need:

5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 C. sour cream
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 T. butter, divided
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes. Add sour cream, cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons of butter, salt, onion salt, and pepper; beat until fluffy. (You can just mash the potatoes with a masher and then mix in the other ingredients really well with a fork. But they won't be as light and fluffy if you do it that way.) Transfer to a 2 quart (9x13 inch) baking dish. (I doubled the recipe when I made them last for a dinner party. It doesn't really make two pans.) Dot with the remaining Tablespoon of butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serves 8.

Citrus Jello Salad

This recipe comes from a neighbor who is a very good cook, Virginia. She's like a legend around here. If you try any of her recipes, you know they'll be good!

In my hubby's family, there are two Jello salads that we all adore - this Citrus Jello Salad and Pistachio Pudding Salad (I'll have to get that one posted sometime). We lovingly refer to them now as Orange Fluff and Green Fluff.

So enjoy today's Orange Fluff (Citrus Jello Salad)! We do!!

Here's what you'll need:

2 C. boiling water
1 small box orange Jello
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (12 oz) container Cool Whip, thawed

Stir Jello into the boiling water, off the heat, until completely dissolved. Add pudding and stir until it starts to thicken slightly.

Let mixture cool (I put it into the fridge to speed up the process). Spoon mixture into a large serving bowl and fold in drained oranges and drained pineapple.

Or you can add the fruit when it's still in the saucepan, like I did here, and then put it into the large serving bowl.

Fold in Cool Whip. Cover and refrigerate until set.

Yum, yum, yum!!!

Yummy St. Louis Potatoes

Several years ago, I flew out to visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Marc and Shannon, in St. Louis. They are both very good cooks, but each in their own way. Marc can whip up anything with no recipe at all and have it turn out amazing. Shannon is more like me. We're good cooks when we find good recipes to follow. (I hope I'm not offending you by saying this, Shan!)

Well, she came up with this recipe all on her own. And I think it's pretty safe to say that this is my all-time FAVORITE potato recipe! It is sooooooo very good and very easy to make. So bless Shannon for coming up with this terrific recipe!!!

Here's what you'll need:

2 potatoes, sliced thin
1 onion, sliced into circles
3 T. butter, melted
galic powder
salt
pepper
1 C. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Place thinly sliced potatoes into a greased 15x18x1 inch pan. Drizzle butter over potatoes. Top with onion rings and GENEROUSLY sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Finish with Parmesan cheese and bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

Delicious!!!!

Raspberry Pretzel Salad

My sister-in-law, Valerie, is the wonderful saint who introduced me to this salad. And, yes, I consider this a salad - a side dish. Some people consider it a dessert. But no, no, not me. I happily eat this right along with my main dish. FAB-U-LOUS!!!

This recipe takes some time to set up. So either make this the night before you'll need it or the morning of.

It is sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy. A truly fantastic recipe!!

Here's what you'll need:

Crust -
2 C. crushed small twisted pretzels (that's a little more than half a 1lb. bag)
3 T. sugar
3/4 C. melted butter

Combine and press into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 4 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Let cool.

While the crust is cooling, start on the second layer -
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 C. sugar
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, thawed

Cream these ingredients together until nice and smooth. Spread over the cooled crust, completely covering the crust. Leave NO holes or else you'll have a soggy crust.

Now for the third layer -
1 (6 oz) pkg. raspberry Jello
2 C. boiling water
1 1/2 (12 oz) bags frozen raspberries

Dissolve Jello in boiling water off of the heat. Add the frozen raspberries. Stir until Jello starts to set slightly (a couple of minutes). Then spread over cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate until completely set.

You can use strawberry Jello and the sliced frozen strawberries, or you can do raspberry Jello with huckleberries. They are all VERY good!! You have to try this if you have never had this before. And if you have, you'll just have to make it again!

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Out here in potato country, I'm always trying to come up with yummy ways to use potatoes. When I came across a recipe from Martha Stewart for Garlic Mashed Potatoes, I tried it and liked it, but decided I could make it better. This is what I came up with...

Here's what you'll need:

3-4 lbs. red potatoes
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 C. butter or margarine

Dice your potates into cubes, leaving the skins on, just scrubbed clean. Put them into a large pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and let cook for approximately 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain the water. With the cooked potatoes in the pot, stir in the remaining ingredients and slightly mash. You don't want all of the potatoes totally smashed smooth, otherwise the skins will be weird in there with the smooth potatoes. You should still have some chunks in there.

You can alter the amount of salt and garlic powder to make these potatoes not quite as strong if you'd like. But this is how I like them!

Oven Roasted Herb Potatoes

This has to be one of my favorite potato recipes. It is the reason I've grown and will grow red potatoes in my garden. And everyone that's tried these have to agree, they are REALLY good!! They go fabulously with steak or ham. Give them a try!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 C. olive oil
1/4 C. butter or magarine, melted
1 envelope dried onion soup mix
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

In a large bowl or a gallon ziplock bag, combine the first six ingredients. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Place in a single layer in a greased baking pan. Drizzle with remaining oil mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. You can sprinkle with fresh parsley.