Ok, maybe lazy isn't the most accurate word....it sure isn't the most flattering! So instead, let's go with busy. I am a busy cook. I like to eat. I love food. I even like to cook. But I also have a job that keeps me really busy, so don't have a ton of time to spend preparing meals. But I also don't like eating a lot of packaged or pre-prepared foods, because they are just so bad for you.

I don't have little kids to try to feed, but I do have an 18 year old nephew living with me. So the trick is to try to balance meals for me and for him. On my side, you've got an adult female who is trying to eat in a healthy way and lose weight. On Josh's side, you've got an 6', athletic teenage boy who could happily eat 4,000 calories a day and stay slim and athletic. Sometimes, he makes me crazy! And let me add that I love to try new things and be adventurous in my cooking, and Josh would be happy always eating the same 5-6 meals, every 5-6 days. So the happy medium is that I cook healthy meals, making them in ways that make Josh's teenage boy appetite happy, provide lots of veggies, and always have a batch of cookies in the cookie jar.

So anyway, to wrap this up. I know I have a lot of friends who find themselves to be in the same meal preparation situation as me. I've found and collected some really great, simple recipe's. And, since I like to play with things when I'm cooking, I've created some dishes of my own that are pretty darn tasty! Soooo....I figured I'd start a blog to share those recipe's with my friends. I'll only post recipe's that I've made and have passed approval from my family. If they're my own creation, I'll claim credit. If I lifted it from somewhere, I'll give credit to the culinary genius I stole from!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Insane Day! And Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Today was a crazy, insane day.  It was the kind of day that leftovers were made for!  Unfortunately, none of my leftovers were meat.  Fortunately, this is why I always keep individual steaks in the freezer.  So, I pulled out steaks for everyone, and told them that their side dish was up to them!

When I made the beef stroganoff Sunday, I cooked extra noodles.  For my side dish, I heated about 2 T of olive oil in a sauté pan.  I tossed some of the leftover noodles in the olive oil to heat them and coat them with oil.  Sprinkled salt and pepper, and about 1 T of Parmesan cheese over the pasta, and slid it onto the plate.  Instant meal.

Everyone else had leftover twice baked potato casserole, which was a new addition to the menu last week, and has been requested as a regular item.  Recipe is below!



BTW, simple, quick, and delicious idea for lunch.....because I get so incredibly bored with lunch ideas.  Lunch today was an awesome BLT!  I cook my bacon on a rack in the oven so that it's not greasy...and my little secret for a BLT is that I add thinly sliced cucumbers as well....just cuz I love them!


Twice Baked Potato Casserole ***recipe courtesy of http://www.sippitysup.com***



5 lb russet potatoes
10 sli bacon
8 oz cream cheese
0.5 c unsalted butter, melted
1 c sour cream
0.25 c chives, minced
2.5 c cheddar cheese, grated
2 t kosher salt
0.5 t pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp and browned, turning once. Transfer to paper towels to drain; let cool, and crumble into pieces.
 3. Using a fork, mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy.(I left my potatoes fairly chunky, rather than mashing them smoothly.  Added some texture)   Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
4. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)