Twice-Baked Potatoes

Photo Credit: "Pioneer Woman Cooks" blog

My first recipe from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". So exciting!  There are several recipes that I want to try, and really didn't think this would be the first one, but my husband came home from the store with a bunch of potatoes and we all love bacon so why not?!?!   I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but they turned out so pretty!  I borrowed this photo from Ree Drummond's blog until I make these again and take a picture.  If you want to see her more detailed description of the recipe, along with step-by-step photos, click here. 

The Recipe:
8 baking potatoes, scrubbed clean
Canola Oil
8 slices thick-cut bacon, fried
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, cut into slices
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4-1/2 tsp. seasoned salt, such as Lawry's
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 green onions, sliced

One Possible Change: 
My husband had purchased a 5-pound BAG of potatoes so I used those.  It was fine, but the skins were not very thick so I may try larger baking potatoes next time.  It's a hard trade though because these smaller potatoes were a good size for kids.

The Verdict:
Yum, yum, and more yum! 

My daughter does not like potatoes and never eats them. Well, except for chips and fries which do come from potatoes, but not the form I would prefer her to eat.  Anyway, she ate 1 1/2 of these little beauties.  And she liked them!

My husband has always been a big fan of twice-baked potatoes.  There are often some yummy chive and bacon potatoes for sale in our local deli case, and I get him one when I want to make him a special meal.  Or when I want something from him and have to prime him with a god meal.  I think I can skip those deli potatoes and make my own now!  He loved the flavor of these.

My son ate one, and he said it was okay, but I know he was really after the bacon.  He is a big fan of bacon.  Huge.  And since he doesn't get it very often, he was thrilled to see it on his plate.  At night.  On a side feature.  To him, bacon should always have the spotlight and be the main course, and it is best in full strips at breakfast.  But he'll take bacon any way he can get it!  So he ate one of the potatoes, and I gave him a little extra bacon off one of mine.

I liked them and will make them again.  I think they are fairly easy to make ahead of time as well.   You would have to do the initial potato baking and stuff the potato all at once, but then put the stuffed potatoes on a baking dish in the fridge and finish baking in the evening for dinner.  I am also always looking for easy meals to give as gifts for new homes, new babies, sick friends, etc.  This would be easy to bake and put in containers that can just be reheated.  In fact, we had one potato left over so I reheated it the next day for lunch and it was fine.

Try it and let me know how your family likes them, or any variations you try!

Book Review: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl

I finally got the third cookbook that was on my Christmas list.  It is so pretty!  It is also the first cookbook that I have ever read from cover to cover.  I mean that literally.  I got it yesterday,  I opened it and started reading as soon as I got it home, and I read every page.

I READ EVERY PAGE!  Every ingredient list.  Every step of every recipe. Every photo caption.  Every short story that went along with the recipe.  Every "tip" for how to use the recipe.  I READ EVERY PAGE!

And I could have read more if she had written more.  Which is why I was THRILLED when I saw on her blog that she has a new book coming out:  "The Pioneer Woman Cooks:  Food From My Frontier".

Not only does Ree Drummond have yummy recipes, but she peppers it with stories about life on the ranch, how she came to be there, and things she loves about her life.  And the photographs!  The photographs are absolutely beautiful. 

What I loved most, I think, was the connection it gave me back to my memories of my Grandma.  She too loved to cook for the many people in and out of her farm house.  I have written about her cooking in this post, and a bit about her farm in this post.  I found myself laughing at some of Ree Drummond's stories because they brought up a memory from my childhood and my own experiences on the farm.  Although we didn't have "cowboys" on the farm, we did have muddy men and boys coming in from fields and livestock, and they were HUNGRY!  And Grandma did not disappoint on her delivery of food. 

I look forward to trying many recipes from this cookbook this year.  I will likely have to share the food with others because some of the recipes look yummy but make A LOT.  The cinnamon rolls are high on my list of things to make soon. And the pico de gallo.  And the guacamole.  And the "perfect pot roast".   I better get started!

Valentine Pretzel Buttons



I saw this recipe, from this blog, on Pinterest and just HAD to try them!  They were delicious which is why the entire basket full of them had to go to work so that I wouldn't eat them all by myself.

The Recipe:

*Square pretzels

*1 bag of Hershey's Hugs

*Plain M&Ms

**Preheat oven to 200°.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the pretzels on the parchment paper and top them with the Hugs.  

**Bake for 4-5 minutes until the chocolate is shiny and soft (NOT melted, more like a drooping kiss shape).

**Gently place an M&M in the center of each Hug and press it down to spread the chocolate.  

**Allow to cool completely before eating.  I put mine in the freezer for a bit to help the chocolate harden.

The verdict:

I will definitely make them again sometime.  They were fun and easy to make, festive in a Valentine basket, and so tasty!  I will likely add pastel M&Ms to the tops for Easter and a few upcoming parties.  I'm sure you could use a plain chocolate kiss as well, but the white chocolate Hug was extra special.



Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

I am new to Pinterest, but I was happy to stumble upon some new recipes like this one.  We often make pizzas, but I was intrigued by this idea to make them in muffin tins. 

Buy any refrigerated pizza crust, I used Pillsbury.  Lightly spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.  Pat dough into bottom of each tin and slightly up sides.  Spoon sauce on next.  I left the sauce off because my kids are not big sauce fans. 

Then add any toppings you want - we did ham and pepperoni for the kids, red peppers and mushrooms for the adults.

Sprinkle cheese on top of each pizza.  Bake at 400* for 15 minutes or until cheese is browned or melted how you like.

The verdict:
My kids LOVED these!  We get calzones often from a local pizza place, and the "dipping"is the best part for my son so I gave them each a bowl of sauce to dip their pizzas in as they ate.  My son is also not a great pizza crust eater, but he ate every last bite of these little pizzas!  He said he liked the way the crust tasted but also liked that it was small.

We made 15 little pizzas, and they each ate at least four so I call that SUCCESS!  We will be adding this recipe to our regular rotation. 

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas

Another yummy recipe from Our Best Bites.  This is not a new recipe for me, but I did make a change from how I have made these in the past.  I copied the recipe below from their blog, but if you want to see step by step pictures from Our Best Bites, click here.

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas
6 whole wheat English muffins at room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature (I use 1/2 eggs and 1/2 Egg Substitute, and this time I used Southwestern Egg Substitute)
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
About 10 dashes Tabasco sauce (I left this out)
12 thin deli slices of ham or 10-12 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled (I use diced ham)
3/4-1 c. shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese (I use less)
Optional: Chopped vegetables like green onions, tomatoes, sliced olives, mushrooms, green peppers, etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray or brush with oil or melted butter. Set aside.

In a pie plate, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt. Gently pull apart each English muffin and soak each side (like you would for French toast) in the egg mixture–you want the egg mixture to soak into the bread, but you don’t want the English muffin to be completely falling apart. Place the muffin, cut side up, on the baking sheet.

If using ham, slice the ham into thin strips and then place on top of the English muffins. If using bacon, just sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top. Add any additional desired toppings and then sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes and serve immediately.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: After baking, loosen them from the baking sheet with a spatula and then allow them to cool completely. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. When the pizzas are solid, transfer them to a large Ziploc freezer bag. To reheat, place on a plate and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes at a time until the pizza is heated through.

The verdict:
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe!  I keep them in the freezer and take one out in the morning to eat while getting ready for work.  I also double the recipe so that I can freeze more at a time and therefore bake them less frequently.  I found this recipe when I started training for a half marathon and losing weight last fall.  I like that I get some veggies in at breakfast, that it is easy to make many at a time, and that I have a more healthy start to my day with a "hot" breakfast and not a lot of calories.  I also like this recipe for Ham and Egg Cups from Our Best Bites.  Try it if you like the breakfast pizzas!