Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

Source: All Recipes

If there's one "food group" I couldn't live without, it's carbs. And not the good kind, of course...I need crusty French bread and scalloped potatoes. Twice baked potatoes fit nicely in this category. Talk about satisfaction...potatoes, bacon, cheese, butter, sour cream...you may want to stay away if you're on a diet, but otherwise, this is one of my favorite dishes. I will actually push aside the main dish just to finish these up. Yum.

First of all, if you're using large russet potatoes, the recipe lies and you will NOT be done baking the potatoes in an hour. At 350, you'll realistically need an hour and a half. Or you could increase the oven temperature. Or you could gut the still-firm potato innards and nuke them in the microwave. The original recipe also calls for salt. With the bacon and butter, I don't think it needs it, but it's a matter of taste.

Overall, you can't go wrong with these!

Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 1 Hr 15 Min
READY IN 1 Hr 30 Min
SERVES 8


Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
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


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in the microwave. Let cool and crumble.

3. 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, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. 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. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken with Herbed Pan Sauce

Source: Elly Says Opa

I saw this on Elly Says Opa, and besides the fact that it was simple and delicious, it reinforced the fact weekend dinners don't always have to be complex. This particular combination of chicken with garlic, shallots, wine, and chicken broth can be mixed with ANY herbs of your choice. I didn't have fresh on hand, so I used 1/2 teaspoon of dried majoram, thyme, and rosemary. I felt the amount of herbs compared to the liquid left was a little strong. If you're going to use dried, I'd recommend 1/4 teasoon of your selections. probably no more than 1 teaspoon total.

But overall, this is a great recipe and a reminder to adapt it to make your own!

Chicken with Herbed Pan Sauce
Serves 2

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 chicken breast halves, pounded to about 1/3″ thick
1 small shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh marjoram, thyme, rosemary & sage (or about 1/4 dried of majoram, thyme, rosemary...or mix it up to whatever you want!)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then cook in the oil, about 4 minutes per side or until done. Remove the chicken and keep warm.

2. Add the shallots to the pan and saute until tender. Add the garlic and herbs and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Pour in the white wine and cook it down by half. Add the chicken broth and do the same. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and add the butter in to melt. Serve sauce over chicken.

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

Source: Cooks Illustrated

Okay, first thing's first. If you love cooking, you MUST get a subscription to Cook's Illustrated online! I received one for Christmas this year, and I LOVE it! It's $34.95 per year and well worth it. ALL of their recipes, techniques, equipment ratings, etc, from 16 years are on the site. It's a great value. Seriously, you will find yourself just browsing the site and before you know it, an hour will have passed! And dinner is burning! Whoops.


Okay, to the meat sauce. The recipe title perfectly conveys how the sauce tastes: a very simple, classic meat sauce. The actual preparation, however, was not simple. It took a long time to do the prep work, and you have to get out your food processor.


But it was very satisfying! There was just about 2 servings left over after we ate dinner; if you're making this with the intention of freezing some, double it. It can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for one month. I also included my favorite noodles to cook with here:


I love these noodles. They don't taste any different than the wheat noodles I typically buy, but they have protein, fiber, and Omega-3 fatty acids. They're good stuff. You know. If you're in the market for noodles.

No spaghetti is complete without some Roasted Garlic Bread! I roasted the garlic and prepared the rest of the ingredients for the bread while the sauce simmered.

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

Ingredients:
4 ounces white mushrooms
1 large slice high-quality white sandwich bread , torn into quarters
2 tablespoons whole milk
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion , chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup liquid reserved
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomoatoes
1/2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions:
1. Process mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, about eight 1-second pulses, scraping down side of bowl as needed; transfer to medium bowl. Add bread, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to now-empty food processor and process until paste forms, about eight 1-second pulses. Add beef and pulse until mixture is well combined, about six 1-second pulses.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are browned and dark bits form on pan bottom, 6 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato paste; cook until fragrant and tomato paste starts to brown, about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup reserved tomato liquid and 2 teaspoons fresh oregano (if using dried, add full amount), scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add meat mixture and cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until beef loses its raw color, 2 to 4 minutes, making sure that meat does not brown.

3. Stir in crushed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and gently simmer until sauce has thickened and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. Stir in cheese and remaining teaspoon fresh oregano; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Garlic Bread

Source: All Recipes

There are few things I love to eat more than garlic bread. Or really, bread in general. When we go out to eat, I have to be very careful to not eat all the bread at Italian restaurants so I can save room for the main course.



I love this version of garlic bread. It crisps up nicely under the broiler, and all that cheese/garlic/butter spread just soaks right in.




You do have to roast the garlic first in this recipe, which is time consuming, but well worth it! If you're using larger cloves, you should add on another 15 minutes or so, until they're fully softened.

This went nicely with the spaghetti sauce I made--while the sauce was simmering, I roasted the garlic, mixed the rest of the ingredients, and then popped it in the oven while the noodles were finishing up!

Roasted Garlic Bread

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 5 Min
READY IN 20 Min

INGREDIENTS
3 bulbs garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional) (surely a joke by the original poster--is cheese ever OPTIONAL?)


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice the tops off of the garlic bulbs so that the tip of each clove is exposed. Place the bulbs on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until garlic is soft.

2. Set the oven to broil. Slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally, and place cut side up on a baking sheet.

3. Squeeze the cloves of garlic from their skins into a medium bowl. Stir in the butter, parsley, and Parmesan cheese until well blended. Spread onto the cut sides of the bread.
Broil for about 3-5 minutes, watching carefully, until toasted.

Seven Layer Taco Dip

Source: All Recipes

This recipe is a no brainer any time I have to bring a dish to a gathering. I never have any left! The only thing I changed from the original recipe was to omit black olives, since I don't like those. It leaves a bit of a mess in your kitchen between all the chopping and bowls, but is so yummy! Perfect for any Superbowl parties you may have coming up!

Seven Layer Taco Dip

Prep time: 30 minutes
Servings: 56

Ingredients:
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa

1 large tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.

2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.

3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

Kielbasa Pockets

Source: ???

I love, love, LOVE kielbasa! My mom used to make this a lot in the summer or for picnics. Unfortunately, I made the whole recipe before realizing our pitas were moldy, but the kielbasa mixture is so yummy, so I just ate it off the plate. My husband, however, apparently has no dedication to pitas and loaded up his into a tortilla, which is just NOT the same! Pshaw! Anyway, if you like kielbasa, you'll love this. It's an easy weeknight dinner!

Kielbasa Pockets

1 pound Kielbasa sausage
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
¼ cup Italian dressing
Pita bread

Sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup milk

1. Slice Kielbasa into bite size. Sauté onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and kielbasa. Add Italian dressing.

2. Make sauce and pour over everything. (Do NOT mix together the melted butter and flour, and then add in the milk. The mixture will clump.) Slice pita bread in half and open, add filling. Enjoy!

Salmon Pesto Pasta

Adapted from: Pillsbury Complete Cookbook

I am not stalking you, Bridget! Well, actually, I am stalking The Way the Cookie Crumble's 2008 favorites, which gave me the idea to make my own list for last year. I make a lot of salmon filets, but I've never mixed it in with both pasta and pesto, so I thought it would be a fun new dish to try.

I used jarred pesto, so the recipe came together quickly. I thought it was very good; I'm sure making your own pesto only enhances the flavors as Bridget does in her posted version. But pesto IS the overwhelming flavor in the dish, so if you're not a huge fan, you may want to take a pass. As I was setting out the bowls, my husband said, "I don't really like pesto." Whoops. I guess this was one of those occasions I was "cooking for my blog," as he so often jokes.



Salmon Pesto Pasta

Serves 2

8 ounces pasta
12 ounces salmon
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
5 ounces evaporated milk
½ cup pesto (recipe follows)
grated parmesan, for serving

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; stir to separate pasta. Cook pasta until al dente; drain. Pour evaporated milk into empty pot and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup. Add cooked pasta to pot and stir to combine.

2. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Line a baking sheet or pan with aluminum foil. Season skinless side of salmon liberally with salt and pepper, sprinkle with zest, then rub with olive oil. Broil until salmon is no longer translucent and is firm when pressed, about 10 minutes. Remove from broiler and sprinkle with lemon juice. Use fork to flake into bite-sized pieces. Skin will stick to foil and can be discarded.

3. Add salmon to pasta mixture and stir over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Top with parmesan.