Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

This recipe is an adaptation from a recipe at allrecipes.com, one of my favorite go-to sites. It is perfect for potlucks, family dinners and with a bit of tweaking (see below), is just right for large gatherings (2 pans). This is the perfect dish to prepare the night before and bake the following day. And yes, I had to taste it for "quality control" <koff koff>.

Ingredients

• 2 large baking potatoes (or 6 regular)
• 1/2 pound lean bacon (or Real Bacon Bits)
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 3/4 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
2. Poke a few holes into each potato using a toothpick.
3. Bake potatoes in the preheated oven until fully cooked, about 1 hour. Cool for about 15 minutes.
4. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels and crumble.
5. Cut a thin slice from one side of each potato; carefully scoop out the flesh and transfer to a bowl. Discard skins. Mix 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, chives, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder with potatoes. Spread potato mixture into the prepared casserole dish; top with 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until just bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
7. 
   

*Let the 'tweaking' begin. I baked 5 lbs of potatoes and, after letting them cool slightly, I scraped the contents into a big bowl and chopped them up with my spoon. I added a full bag (8 oz) of sharp cheddar, 1 1/2 c of sour cream, 2 tbsp of dried chives, half bag of Kroger 'real bacon bits', ground pepper and salt (didn't measure, just poured some on my hand and then into the bowl). I didn't use garlic salt because the chives provided sufficient seasoning). I used about a cup of milk and about 4 tbsp of butter. The potatoes were still hot enough to melt the butter when mixed in. I folded everything together, put it in one larger foil lasagna pan and one smaller, more shallow aluminum foil cake pan (about 8.5" by 12.5") for us. I used another half bag of shredded sharp cheddar to top the two pans and sprinkled liberally with dried chives and about half the pack of bacon bits. The casserole was moist, not wet, before baking and because I like my casseroles well cooked, the small one took about 25 minutes to warm through with bubbly cheese. I will probably cook the large one for about 30-40 minutes. Turned out tasty, slightly puffy and smelled delicious!*

This is a recipe for Pea Salad that I absolutely love to serve for Easter Dinner. It's a recipe I have found in my favorite Mennonite Cookbook, in a Company's Coming cookbook and in a number of other cookbooks that I have. Yes, I collect cookbooks - does this come as a surprise?

My favorite version is by my favorite cook, Lee Drummond (The Pioneer Woman Cooks). She is my inspiration and cooking hero, and although my blogs aren't as professional or lovely as hers, with as dynamic photos and excellent, humorous insights, I hope that one day I can grow up to be just like her :)

Seriously. 

So here is her most excellent recipe for:

Pea Salad

Ingredients

·  1/3 cup Sour Cream

·  1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise

·   Salt And Pepper

·  1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

·  4 cups Frozen Green Peas, almost totally thawed

·  8 slices Bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped

·  1/2 whole small red onion, halved and sliced very thin

·  6 ounces, weight Cheddar or American cheese, cut into small cubes

·  3 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Preparation 

1. Mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and vinegar together to make the dressing. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
2. Stir 2/3 of the dressing into the peas until the peas are coated. Gently stir in the bacon, onion, cheese, and parsley until all combined. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours before serving. (Pop the extra dressing in the fridge, too.)
3. Remove from the fridge and stir in the rest of the dressing to your liking. Sprinkle with more parsley before serving.

So all you need now is a ham, potato salad or scalloped potatoes, a green salad and a lovely dessert like Crown Jewel Cake or Unbaked Cheesecake (aka Pineapple Dream) and you are all set for Easter dinner!

Chocolate Waffles with Mocha Syrup

I'm back! This week, I'll be featuring some fun and festive Easter Brunch dishes. Not all the chocolate has to be in the Easter basket! This one looked too scrumptious to pass up! I found it at www.bhg.com. It's entitled:

Chocolate Waffles with Mocha Syrup

Chocolate Waffles with Mocha Syrup

Ingredients

• 1/2 c butter
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c milk
• 1 c semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1 c whipping cream
• 2 tbsp coffee liqueur
• 3 c vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. In medium saucepan, combine butter and unsweetened chocolate. Cook and stir over medium heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat, Stir in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, stirring until combined. Stir in flour and baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk until smooth.
2. Add batter to preheated, lightly greased regular or Belgian waffle maker, according to manufacturer's directions. close lid quickly and do not open  until done. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off the grid. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. For mocha syrup, in a small saucepan, combine semisweet chocolate pieces, whipped cream and coffee liqueur. Cook and stir  on medium heat until mixture is smooth.
4. Serve waffles warm with ice cream and mocha syrup.

• 
  

•