Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

These potatoes taste just like twice baked potatoes without all the work.  My kids never eat the skin anyways, so this was the perfect choice for our family.  It's as easy as making mashed potatoes and stirring in all the toppings that go on a baked potato.  This was our side dish to go with restaurant style filet mignon.  Recipe is from Simple Daily Recipes.

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup evaporated milk (approximately)
1/2 cup sour cream
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Boil potatoes until fork tender.  Mash up with potato masher.  Add the sour cream and enough evaporated milk for mashed potato consistency.  Use a wire whisk to beat until fluffy.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, 1/2 of the cooked bacon, and 1/2 of the green onions.

Transfer the potatoes to casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and top with remaining bacon and green onions.  Enjoy!

Filet Mignon ~ Restaurant Style

Oven Baked Fries

This is the perfect side dish for burgers and sandwiches.  They are ready in 30 minutes and are fantastic dipped in my favorite Buttermilk Garlic Dressing/Dip.  This is a basic method recipe, so play with different spice mixtures and have fun with creating your flavors.

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes, washed and sliced into strips
olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray two baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.  Dry potato strips with paper towels, then place on baking sheets.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Toss to coat evenly and spread out in a single layer.  Bake until tender on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, about 25-30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Black Beans~2 Recipes

If you have been following my cooking adventures for very long, you know that Tex-Mex is my favorite type of food.  I am always trying to come up with new ways to eat it.  My family prefers cheese enchiladas and chicken enchilada casserole, so I decided to use these flavors for a new enchilada recipe.  I served some spicy black beans to go with mine and hubby's.  I served the kids some refried beans.  I know my kids enjoy my cooking when they clean their plates and ask for more. 

These enchiladas are made using rotisserie chicken and the new Kraft Philadelphia Santa Fe Cooking Cream. They are topped with salsa and shredded cheese and then baked.  You can set out your family's favorite toppings to serve over top, like sour cream, avocado, cilantro, pico de gallo, olives, queso, and salsa.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Ingredients:

2 Rotisserie chicken breasts, chopped
2 tsp olive or canola oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt
black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
10 oz. container Santa Fe Philadelphia cream cheese
10 corn tortillas
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
Toppings of choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, onions, jalapenos, garlic, salt and pepper.  Saute until tender.  Add the spices and chicken broth.  Stir in the cream cheese and cook for a few minutes to heat through.  Remove from heat.

Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and place in microwave on high for 1 minute.  Assemble enchiladas by spooning mixture into the middle of corn tortilla, roll up, and place seam side down in prepared casserole dish side by side.  Spoon some salsa over each and top with shredded cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Serve with your favorite toppings and some Spicy Black Beans.

Spicy Black Beans

1 tsp olive or canola oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
kosher salt
black pepper
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, jalapeno, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Saute until tender.  Add the chopped tomato, cumin, and paprika.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken broth and black beans.  Turn heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with enchiladas.  Enjoy!

Roasted Parmesan Herb Zucchini

This is a light, flavorful, and extremely simple side dish.  Zucchini is sliced thin, tossed in extra virgin olive oil, fresh rosemary and thyme, salt, and pepper.  It is then baked until tender and topped with shredded parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchini
2 T extra virgin olive oil
rosemary, finely chopped
thyme, finely chopped
kosher salt
black pepper
shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Wash and slice zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds and place in a large bowl.  Add the olive oil and seasonings and toss well to coat.  Lay seasoned zucchini in a single layer on baking sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes until tender.  Top each round with parmesan cheese and return to oven for 3 minutes.  Remove to a platter and serve warm.  Enjoy!

Creamy Herb Scalloped Potatoes

I served these amazingly creamy and flavorful herb scalloped potatoes with our olive oil~herb marinated rib eye steaks.  I found these cute little individual serving size dishes at Garden Ridge, and couldn't wait to use them.  They remind me of the dishes the fancy steak restaurants use for their sides.  I used the herbs from my garden, which includes rosemary, thyme, and oregano.  

Ingredients:

4 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
3 T unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T all purpose flour
2 cups half 'n half
1 tsp rosemary, minced 
1 tsp oregano, chopped
1 tsp thyme, chopped 
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese blend (reserve 1/2 cup for top)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium sauce pan over medium low heat, melt butter and cook garlic for 1 minute.  Add the flour and cook another minute.  Add the half 'n half and all spices.  Cook until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to low and stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Layer half of the potatoes in the greased casserole dish.  Pour half of the cheese sauce over potatoes.  Layer the remaining potatoes, and pour over remaining cheese sauce.  Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese sauce over top.  Add additional fresh herbs, if desired.

Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender and cheese is light golden brown.  Let cool slightly before serving.  Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

This is a simple side dish for any day of the week.  I made them to go with our Individual Beef Wellingtons last week.  They remind me of the skillet fried potatoes my mom used to make, but much healthier. 

Ingredients:

2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and dried well
2 T olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic powder
1 stem rosemary, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Cut potatoes into cubes, leaving skin on, and place on prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary over top.  Toss well and spread out in a single layer.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and toss potatoes.  Return to oven for an additional and 15-25 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown on the outside and fork tender on the inside.  The larger the potatoes,  the longer the cooking time.  Sprinkle with more kosher salt while still warm.  Enjoy!

Chunky Cinnamon Apple Sauce

This is my Mimaw's recipe that I found in my Mom's recipe file.  I remember it always being in the fridge every time I visited her and my Meemaw.  My girls love cinnamon apple sauce, and I have to admit, I've never made it homemade.  I've always bought Mott's, and my girls top it with a maraschino cherry.  Now that I know how easy it is to make, there's no excuse not to make it more often when Granny Smith apples are in season.  It sure brings back memories of my sweet Mimaw.  I miss her dearly.

Ingredients:

4-5 cups Granny Smith apples (3 very large or 6 small), peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup white sugar
1 T brown sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon

In a large sauce pan, add all ingredients and stir to coat apples.  Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the lid and stir well to break up the apples.  Cook another few minutes until the mixture is thickened.  Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Oven Baked Onion Rings 2 Ways

 I know that most of you are probably already busy baking up holiday treats to share, but we still need to put dinner on the table every night, right?  So I will continue to share our family meals and hopefully add in some holiday treats soon too.

I thought some oven baked onion rings would go perfect with our Roast French Dip Sandwiches we were having for dinner.  I wanted to try a couple of different coatings to see which ones my family preferred.  

I recently made Bobby Deen's very crispy Un-fried Chicken Strips using corn flakes as the coating.  I just knew I could use these for onion rings as well.  They were sweet and crunchy without all the grease and mess.  My girls enjoyed these onion rings the most.  One dipped them in ketchup, one dipped in ranch, and one dipped in ranch and ketchup. 

 The other onion rings were made using Ritz crackers as the coating.  They were salty with a little kick from cayenne pepper.  I dipped them in my Buttermilk Garlic Ranch Dip.  I found these onion rings at Georgia's The Comfort of Cooking.

Now, onto the recipes.  The recipes are slightly different, but the method is the same.

Sweet Corn Flake Onion Rings Ingredients: 
1 sweet yellow onion, cut into rings
1/2 cup flour
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (I used 2% milk and made my own)
1 egg white
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 cups crushed Corn Flakes
cooking spray

Ritz Salty and Spicy Onion Rings Ingredients:
1 sweet yellow onion, cut into large rings
1/2 cup flour
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 egg white
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 cups Ritz crackers, crushed
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large bowl, add the flour.  In another large bowl, add the buttermilk, egg white, and seasonings and whisk to combine.  Add the crushed coating to a gallon size zip lock bag. 

Dip each onion ring into the flour, then into the buttermilk, and add to the zip lock bag.  Work in small batches (I put about 5 onion rings in the bag at a time), then seal it and shake well to coat.  Place the coated onion rings on a non-stick baking sheet in a single layer.  Repeat for the rest of the onion rings. 

Spray the coated onion rings with cooking spray.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until crispy.  Enjoy! 

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving was a success!  Our family and friends joined us for a day full of fun, food, and Dallas Cowboys football. I love my family! Here's what we did...

The week before, my girls made some salt dough Christmas tree ornaments to give to our family and friends on Thanksgiving day. 

The menu was finalized, and only one item didn't make it to the table...the caramel apple pie.  We already had 3 desserts, which was plenty for 12 people.  

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

Appetizers

Spinach Dip with Tortilla Chips

Chilled Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce

Cheese/Salami/Cracker Platter

Fruit Tray with Thanksgiving Fruit Dip

Dinner

Bill’s Famous Deep Fried Turkey

Honey Baked Spiral Ham

Country Dressing

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Turkey Gravy

Macaroni and Cheese

Green Bean Casserole

Vegetable & Tomato Tian

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Dinner Rolls

Desserts

Caramel Apple Pie

Coconut Cream Pie

Maple Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

Fresh Whipped Cream And/Or Vanilla Ice Cream

 

The night before Thanksgiving, my oldest daughter helped me make all this good stuff:

Cranberry Mandarin Orange Sauce

Coconut Cream Pie

Maple Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Cheesecake (topped with caramel sauce later)

The dinner rolls were also prepared and put in the fridge to rise overnight. 

The tables were set

The Thanksgiving wreath I made earlier that day was on the front door to welcome our family and friends

And it's finally time for some shut eye before finishing up in the morning! ZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZzzzzzz

I woke up bright and early to finish preparing the rest of the side dishes for our big dinner.  The ladies in the family set up all the appetizers on the kitchen table. 

My girls were hungry and thirsty...they dug right in

The girls patiently waited at the front door for our family to arrive

Family arrived...

Bill fried up our turkey

Just look at this big moist Turkey with crispy skin!

While the ladies helped me finish up the rest of the meal. 

The girls are ready to eat

The food's hot and ready...amazingly so!

Bill's Fried Turkey

Honey Glazed Ham

Country Dressing

Mom's Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Vegetable and Tomato Tian

Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Turkey Gravy

Bill's Pea Salad

After the big Turkey dinner, we were all stuffed. It was time to relax and enjoy some family fun time. Our girls put on a concert for us. Our Taylor wants to be the next Taylor Swift...

and Jordyn will be her backup musician...

while Madison watches with pride...

 

I'm so thankful for my family! I love them all so much!