Twice Baked Potatoes

Usually when I cook, I find a recipe I think we will like and then switch some of the ingredients around.  Sometimes I make changes to exclude an ingredient that I don't like (i.e. mushrooms) or I make a change because I think the recipe could be improved if something was added (like peppers and onions) or I make a change simply because I don't have a specific ingredient and I don't feel like waiting until I go shopping to make the recipe. 

When I make twice baked potatoes, I follow the recipe as it is written.  Every time.  (except I leave out the green onion.) 

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 8 baking potatoes*, scrubbed
• 2 sticks butter, sliced
• 1 cup bacon bits**
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1 cup cheddar jack cheese, shredded
• black pepper
• additional cheddar jack for garnish

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
• Bake potatoes on cookie sheet for 1 hour, 15 minutes
• Place sliced butter, bacon bits, sour cream and Lawry's Seasoned Salt in a large mixing bowl. 
• When potatoes are done baking, remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. 
• Turn oven down to 350 degrees.
• Hold potato with a clean dish towel or pot holder and cut in half (lengthwise).
• Scrape out the potato pulp into the bowl with the other ingredients, being careful to leave a little still attached to the skin.  Also, being careful to not tear the skin. 
• Place the skins on a cookie sheet. 
• Mash the potatoes and other ingredients with a hand masher (not the electric mixer) to the texture you like.  I like them a bit lumpy. 
• Add the shredded cheese and mix together until ingredients are well blended. 
• Stuff the potatoes. 
• Top with additional cheese. 
• Bake on cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes. 

*I prefer to use the huge potatoes from Costco, but the more normal sized baking potatoes from the grocery store work great, too. 

**Don't use the hard, crunchy kind of bacon bits.  Use the soft kind by Oscar Meyer or similar.  This can usually be found in the salad dressing/crouton aisle or in the canned tuna/chicken/Spam aisle. 

This recipe can be found on The Pioneer Woman Cooks! blog along with a great, step-by-step picture tutorial! 

Rice-A-Roni Fake Out

While taking stock of my pantry, I found 3 bags of fine egg noodles.  I didn't even realize they there!  I don't use them and I didn't buy them!  Sometimes Joe does the food shopping and odd things like this end up in our pantry! 

I made chicken noodle soup the other night and included some of the fine noodles instead of the heartier noodles that I prefer.  I was shocked at the small amount that was needed from the bag!  Still had more than half a bag left and 2 more full bags in the pantry!  I'll never use them up! 

I saw a recipe on the package for Pasta Rice Pilaf.  After checking to see if I had all the ingredients, I planned this for dinner the next night! 

I am known to be product loyal with some things.  For instance, Acme's knock off of Bush's beans are awful!   Other things, I love buying the store brand in order to save some money.  Giant brand of Raisin Brand is just like Kellogg's Raisin Bran.  (Before that  discovery, I could only eat Kellogg's Raisin Bran...see, I'm product loyal.)

I was super-surpised and thrilled with this recipe!  Not only did it taste better than beef-flavored Rice-A-Roni, it was easy, made larger serving sizes and I am sure WAY cheaper!!!!  (I don't have a price break down at the moment.) 

So, here's the recipe: 

Pasta Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

• 
  
  1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 
  
  1/2 cup fine egg noodles
• 
  
  1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 
  
  2 3/4 cups water
• 
  
  2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
• 
  
  4 tsp. beef flavor bouillon granules
• 
  
  chopped fresh parsley, optional 

Directions:

• 
  
  In large skillet, cook rice and noodles in melted butter or margarine, stirring frequently until rice and noodles are lightly browned.
• 
  
  Add water, onion and bouillon granules.
• 
  
  Bring to boil.
• 
  
  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes until rice and noodles are tender.
• 
  
  Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

I served this with grilled London Broil and steamed broccoli. 

This recipe makes 4 hearty portions.  Hubby and I have big appetites and usually when a recipe serves 4, we don't have any leftover.  I had plenty of rice to put away! 

I left off the fresh  parsley, since we didn't have it, and I'm not much for garnishes when it's just the two of us for dinner. 

The recipe calls for beef bouillon, but I cannot wait to try it with chicken bouillon next time! 

Also, the recipe calls for the fine egg noodles, but I'm sure this would work great using the broken spaghetti, angel hair or vermicelli bits left at the bottom of the boxes.  Save them up and use them for this recipe!  I also think that orzo pasta would be a great match too!  We always have a 1/2 a box or so left in the pantry! 

This post is linked to Food On Fridays. 

Glazed Carrots with Onions

I haven't made this recipe in a while. But the cooler weather has me thinking of lots of yummy, home-cooked, Sunday dinner type foods.

This is a good recipe for holiday meals. Goes well with Thanksgiving Turkey or Easter Ham. But it's also easy enough to use as a side dish for a weeknight meal.

I'll have to remember to make this when I have a bag of baby carrots in the veggie bin that start to not look so appealing. You know, when they start to look a little dried out, but really they're not?

Glazed Carrots and Onions

Ingredients:

• 2 cups baby carrots or whole carrots cut into one inch pieces
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2-3 Tbs. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

• Cook onions and carrots in a small amount of boiling water, in a covered saucepan. About 8-10 minutes or until crisp tender.
• Drain into strainer, set aside.
• Add butter, brown sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg to saucepan.
• Cook and stir until combined. About a minute.
• Add the cooked vegetables and toss to coat with glaze.

Now, I've been known to make this without the nutmeg because I wasn't able to find it in my disaster of a spice cabinet. I like the brown sugar both on it's own and with the nutmeg, so it didn't really make a difference to us if I used it or not.

I originally found this recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I made a couple of changes to make the dish right for us.

I'm sharing this recipe on Tammy's Recipes weekly In Season Recipe Swap. This week's theme is carrots!

~ Our Favorite Baked Beans ~ Crock Pot Recipe

Baked beans have been one of my favorite foods since I was a little kid. I remember mom "doctoring" up a can of Campbell's Pork and Beans with some ketchup and mustard before popping into the microwave.

I also remember my Gram making really thick and sweet baked beans. They were always a huge hit at family gatherings. I requested that she make them so many times, she told me how to make "her" baked beans.

Since then, I've been the person assigned to make the baked beans for our family functions. I've tried so many variations over the years and the recipe I am about to post seems to be the favorite at the moment. It's a variation of this recipe.

As with most foods I cook, I make changes to accommodate our likes and dislikes.

Here's how I make baked beans:

Our Favorite Baked Beans

Ingredients:

1 (28 oz.) can baked beans, undrained2
(15 oz.) cans butter beans, drained
2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, drained
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 cup onion, finely diced
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup and mustard combined (heavier on the ketchup)
1/4 - 1/2 c. bacon crumbles or crisp cooked bacon, crumbled

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.


I usually make these beans once a month. I divide them into three portions and freeze. I usually freeze them in the quart-sized conainers that Won Ton Soup comes in from Chinese take-out. But they take up too much space in my small chest freezer.

The last time I made them, I doubled the recipe, divided into 6 portions and froze flat in gallon-sized Ziplock freezer bags. They take up such little space in the freezer now!

I will be using this recipe to participate in the following carnivals this week:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Tasty Tuesday
Crock Pot Wednesday

And the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods hosted by Katie at Kitchen Stewardship on October 1st.

Check them out for more great recipes!!!