The Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour. You can just microwave the potatoes instead because it is way faster and they taste just as good. About three minutes per potato, just check for tenderness. Make sure to poke holes in the potatoes with a fork before microwaving so that they don't explode.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh so the potato maintains it's shape; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 the green onions, and milk (start adding 1/2 cup of milk but you may not need to add it all depending on the consistency you want. You don't want them too runny). Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.

Bake for another 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

5 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (around 6-7 large baking potatoes)
1/2 cup milk
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 slices bacon crispy cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Peel, quarter, and boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain potatoes and and beat with a mixer until smooth. Add milk, cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, garlic salt, and nutmeg. Beat at a medium-high speed until nice and creamy. Add salt to taste keeping in mind that the cheese and bacon will add a little salt later.

Spoon into a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with cheddar cheese and bacon. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serves 12 people.

Mini-Quiche Muffins

Broccoli and Italian Sausage Egg Muffins - -- UMM, I think I will sub fresh SPINACH for the broccoli. Thanks.

Ingredients


1 pound Italian Sasuce (sweet, mild, hot variety depending on your preference)
1 cup broccoli florets
8 large eggs
1/4 cup milk (or half and half depending on how you're feeling that day)
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
salt & pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese as needed

Directions


1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large saute pan, over medium high heat, brown Italian Sausage for about 5 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Remove from heat and stir in broccoli.
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, oil and baking powder.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Lightly spray a 12-cupcake pan with oil.Spoon out the sausage and broccoli mixture evenly into each cupcake.
5. Ladle the egg mixture over sausage and broccoli.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Chocolate Cobbler

While perusing cobbler recipes I came across this - haven't tried it but WILL FOR SURE this week. How can it be bad? Cobbler? Good. Chocolate? GOOD!  Meat? Good! Custard? Good!  (Oh, sorry, slipped into Joey-mode there)


Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

(OR IF YOU DON'T HAVE SELF-RISING FLOUR, just use 1 1/2 cups regular flour, plus 2 teaspoons baking powder, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt instead!)

1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Chocolate Layer:
1 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons cocoa
2 cups boiling water

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9x13 glass baking dish, melt the two sticks of butter in the oven.

2

Meanwhile in a bowl, mix together the 1 1/4cups of sugar, flour, vanilla and milk. Once the butter is melted pour the batter over the butter, but do not stir.

3

In a separate bowl mix the cocoa and remaining sugar together and sprinkle on top of batter. Do not stir.

4

Pour the 2 cups of boiling water on top of that (don't stir) and bake for 30-45 minutes. I bake mine until I have a nice golden brown crust. In my oven this usually take about 35 minutes. Serve warm. Great with ice cream

Honey Mustard Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Smoked Chicken, Broccoli, and Black Bean Soup

Smoked Chicken, Broccoli, and Black Bean Soup

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup diced carrots
½ cup diced onions
½ cup diced celery
1 cup broccoli stems, diced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
¼ cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock, hot
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon Tabasco
1 cup diced smoked chicken (recipe follows)
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup broccoli florets
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with a small amount of warm water (optional)

In saucepan, add ¼ cup butter. Saute carrots, onion, celery, and broccoli stems for 5 minutes. Add thyme, oregano and basil; sauté 5 minutes more. Add wine and deglaze pan. Add hot chicken stock and reduce heat by 1/3. Add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, smoked chicken, beans and broccoli florets. Simmer 5 minutes. Add cream, simmer 5 minutes more and season to taste (thicken with cornstarch if desired). Drop in remaining butter, piece by piece, stirring until melted and serve immediately.

Smoked Chicken:
On a covered grill, slightly smoke boneless chicken, cooking to medium rare (about 30 minutes).Do not allow the grill to get too hot.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins.

Just had these for breakfast. Yummers!   Next time I would replace some or all of the oil with applesauce, though!

Cinnamon and Sugar Donut Muffins

• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cup of flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and egg until creamy. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour dry mixture into the egg mixture and stir to combine. Add vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla, stirring until just combined. Divide batter evenly into muffin tin.

I always make mini muffins - so this recipe fills a 24-cup pan perfectly.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes clean, about 10-13 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tin. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar. While the muffins are still warm, roll each one in the mixture, coating all sides with the cinnamon sugar.