Dos baked potatoes!

I love twice baked potatoes, but they aren't always the healthiest. This recipe provides just enough cheesy creaminess, but also throws in some healthier ingredients. These were a great side dish to baked fish.

Twice Baked Mexican Potatoes

3 medium baked potatoes
1/2 cup canned black beans
1 tsp taco seasoning mix
3 TBS fat-free creamer
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup diced onion
salt & pepper to taste

Bake potatoes (whatever method you prefer). Scoop out inside of potatoes into a large bowl. Mash with a fork to break up potatoes. Add all other ingredients and mix to combine. Scoop mixture back into potato skins and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Source: adapted from Hungry Girl

Fun at the Farmers' Market

For the first time since I've lived in Indy (7 years in August), I ventured to the Broad Ripple Farmers' Market. There are tons of booths with all kinds of fruits, veggies, and baked goods, not to mention a ton of other neat stuff. To get my energy up to fight the crowds on the hunt for the best deals, I stopped by the Rene's Bakery stand to get a chocolate croissant. If you've never been to Rene's I highly recommend it, everything I've ever tried has been delicious.

After doing a lap to see what all the vendors were selling, I managed to do all of my shopping at one booth, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, which I used in the very fresh and yummy recipes below.

Green Beans & Potatoes

2 pounds fresh green beans (rinsed & trimmed)

5 red potatoes (cleaned & quartered, not peeled)

1/4 lb bacon, chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped fine

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion and bacon in a dutch oven until desired crispness. Place green beans and potatoes in the dutch oven with just enough water to almost cover. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium and let beans cook slowly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on how tender you want them.

Creamy Corn

4 cups fresh sweet corn cut from the cob or equivalent amount of frozen corn
1/2 of an 8oz tub chive and onion-flavored cream cheese
1/2 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of celery soup
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1/3 cup milk

Blanch corn in large saucepan of boiling water and drain. Add chive cream cheese, soup and green and red pepper. Stir in milk to thin the mixture and make it creamy. Warm over medium heat until the diced peppers are medium crisp.

Source: Indianapolis Woman Magazine

Hot Crash Potatoes!

Oh my gosh, these are so good! You really have to try them! Everything that the Pioneer Woman cooks looks so yummy, and after seeing these on a lot of other food blogs with rave reviews, I knew I had to try them. But first I had to run to Target, my happy place, and buy a potato masher. It was a good investment, even if I only use it to make this recipe!



Hot Crashed Potatoes

red new potatoes (as many as you'd like)
olive oil
salt
pepper
dried herbs (I used rosemary)

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Pre-heat oven to 450. Place potatoes on an oiled cookie sheet. Press down in a criss-cross with the potato masher to flatten potatoes like a cookie. Brush each potato with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and desired herbs. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 20-25 min.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Girls Night

Once a month, three of my friends and I get together for our "Girls Night." We rotate houses monthly and have been doing so for going on 3 years I'd guess. It used to revolve around a giant bottle of cheap wine, but as we've aged we've thrown dinner into the mix, and even splurged on some better wine! The fun conversations and sisterhood has not changed though! Last night I served these with grilled filets, roasted corn on the cob, and ice cream sundaes for dessert. I forgot to take a picture though, sorry! They were very yummy and I have to confess I baked and assembled them the night before and just heated them before dinner. It was a great time saver!

Twice Baked Potatos

2 large baking potatoes
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar & Montery Jack cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. (Or cheat like I did and use the pre-cooked bacon.)
When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 3/4 cup cheese. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese.

Bake for another 15 minutes.

Break out your Lederhosen!

To celebrate my German heritage, and also because Kroger was having a sale, I made a really tasty German style casserole. I was inspired by the Kroger Sales ad the other day. They were having one of their "dollar" sales, and I saw that both Polish sausage and sauerkraut were on sale for $1 each. Throw in a few cheap red potatoes and a few other pantry staples and you've got this entire dish for under $3!

Polish Sausage Bake

5 small potatoes, scrubbed and cubed with skin
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup cream
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lb sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
1 pound polish sausage, sliced 3/4-inch thick
2 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place potatoes into a large saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

Once tender, drain potatoes, and mash with 2 tablespoons butter, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Place the drained sauerkraut into a casserole dish and top with sliced kielbasa. Spread with mashed potatoes and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
Bake in preheated oven until heated through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Freaky Friday

Today has been a long, but very interesting day. It started this morning when I was awakened by an earthquake at 5:38am. I was completely dazed and startled when I woke from my slumber and immediately started questioning why the bed was swaying and the windows were rattling loudly. Without missing a beat, or even opening and eyelid, Scott said, "its just an earthquake, go back to sleep." Now maybe if I lived in California, that would have been the case, but here in Indiana, it is exciting! The rest of the day was absolutely gorgeous with perfect weather, so we couldn't resist using the grill and eating outside on the deck.

Alongside steak for myself, and chicken for Scott, I grilled veggies and potato packets.

Zesty Grilled Veggies

2 medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 Tablespoons Kraft Fat Free Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat grill to medium heat. Place vegetables in a greased grill basket.
Grill 10 min. or until crisp-tender, turning occasionally. Place in large bowl.
Add dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Source: Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Grilled Potato & Mushroom Packets

2 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large white onion, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream

Preheat grill for high heat.

Toss potato slices, onion slices, and mushrooms in olive oil and salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic.
Fold up into 2 large and liberally greased foil sheets, sealing tighly.

Place on the preheated grill, and cook 25 minutes, turning once, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle potatoes with Cheddar cheese, reseal foil packets, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Movin' to a New Ranch Potatoes

This week two of my friends (and fellow bloggers), Miss Burns & The Alberts moved in to new digs. I was able to help one of them, and it was a good thing I did because she (Miss Burns) fell under the weather in the midst of the move. Here's to speedy unpacking and recoveries to all of my friends in their new homes...


Cheese Ranch Potato Bake

1 bag Simply Potatoes (diced potatoes w/onions)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 TBS butter, cubed
1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
1/4 cup Ranch dressing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8x8 casserole dish.

Place the potatoes in the dish and season evenly with chili powder, salt, & pepper. Evenly distribute butter over the potatoes.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and mix in Ranch dressing and cheese. Continue cooking 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Source: adapted from Allrecipes.com

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

This was seriously the best chicken I've ever made. It was so good, you must try it immediatly!!! I served it with green beans and delicious mashed potatoes. The beauty of these potatoes is that you can make them a day ahead, if you are short on time or prepping for a dinner party.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices ham
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup dry white wine
3/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon
granules
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream & Cream Cheese

2-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (3 ounce) package cream
cheese, softened
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons butter or margarine, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender; drain well.

In a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes. Add sour cream, cream cheese, 1 tablespoons butter, salt, onion salt and pepper; beat until fluffy. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Dot with the remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Source: allrecipes.com