Make Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole

Hubby is sick.
Help me now...we all know what the "man-cold" is like.




Sigh
It's funny because it is true.

Anyhoo...being a good wife, I saw this comfort food dish on Do They Have Salsa in China and decided it would be the perfect thing for sicky over here.

Yup. Won't cure a man cold, but it tastes dang good and is beyond comforting.

Ingredients:

2 Bags Steam and Mash potatoes

8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)

½ Cup sour cream

½ Cup butter (cubed)

¼ Cup milk

1 ½ Tsp Onion powder

1 Tsp salt

1 Tsp Garlic powder

½ Tsp Pepper

6 Bacon strips (Chopped)

1 Cup Cheddar cheese (shredded)

3 Green onions (chopped)

Directions:

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Set aside to drain.

2. Prepare both bags of Steam and Mash

3. Mash potato with cream cheese, sour cream, and butter

4. Stir in milk and seasonings

5. Place in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan

6. Sprinkle with cheese, onion, and bacon

7. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use

8. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking

9. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40-50 minutes

Print

and the milk.... 

Apparently I snubbed the milk during the ingredients picture. Shocker.

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Quiche Lorraine Scones

Gah!
That was a nail-biting game for the Patriots.
I really wasn't sure they were going to pull it off!

There were only 4 of us in the room watching the game, and I could hear each of our hearts thumping.
Or...it could have just been mine multiplied.

OMG
We are off to the big game!

Feb 4th I will be in a house with 30 friends and family.
I have the feeling we would manage to set blood pressure records.
(do we remember last year, holy schnikes!)

Ingredients:

2 Cups + 1 Tsp flour (divided)

1 Tbsp baking powder

Pinch Cayenne powder

Dash Nutmeg

1 Tsp Salt

8 Tbsp Butter (cold, diced)

½ Cup Half and Half

2 Eggs

4 oz Swiss cheese

3 Green onions (thinly sliced)

7 Strips bacon (cooked and crumbled)

Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tsp water)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

3. Prepare bacon, onion, and cheese

4. Toss those ingredients with 1 Tsp flour, set aside

5. Combine flour, baking powder, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt

6. Cut in the butter

7. Lightly beat eggs with half and half

8. Add eggs to the flour mixture

9. Add the bacon mixture

10. Knead on a well floured surface for less than a minute

11. Pat dough out to ¾ to 1 inch thickness

12. Cut dough with biscuit cutter or cut into triangles

13. Place scones onto prepared baking sheets

14. Brush tops of scones with egg wash

15. Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden brown

Print

Forgot the salt. Sigh.

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Adapted from: Brown Eyed Baker

Easy Potato Soup

I have this friend, and she is about as obsessed with cooking as I am
(Check her out over at A Day in the Life of Jennay. Yes, I do know her in real life ooohhhh)
We both have started these random recipe swaps with our friends. Well, some of them at least.

Anyhoo...this is the first of those particular recipes, so I am going to add a new label "random recipe swap".
I cannot link back to an original site, so that will have to be the next best thing!

This came from one of her friends named Kelly

Ingredients:

26 oz bag frozen hash browns

28 oz chicken broth

1 Can cream of chicken soup

¼ Cup chopped onion

¼ Tsp pepper

8 oz cream cheese

1 Cup milk

Bacon bits

Directions:

1. Add hash browns, broth, chicken soup, onion, and pepper to crock pot

2. Cook for 1 hour on high

3. Stir then turn to low for 1 hour

4. Add cream cheese and cook 30 minutes

5. Add milk and cook for 10-15 minutes longer

6. Serve and top with bacon bits

Print

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Bacon Quiche Biscuit Cups

We have discussed this before, my obsession with collecting new recipes. It's great, but it also means I have a mountain to go through!
This particular one I printed from here...back in 2008. Come on now!

I made these to keep in the fridge for a grab and go breakfast option, and they worked out perfect! The girl child was able to just grab one, pop it in the micro for a few seconds, and munch on the go.

Ingredients:

5 Slices of bacon

8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)

2 Tbsp milk

2 Eggs

½ Cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 Tbsp green onion (chopped)

1 Can golden layers biscuit

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375

2. Spray 10 muffin cups with cooking spray

3. Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towel

4. Crumble bacon and set aside

5. Beat cream cheese in a small bowl until smooth

6. Gradually add milk and eggs, beating until smooth

7. Stir in cheese and onions

8. Separate dough into 10 biscuits, press to form 5 inch round

9. Place one biscuit in each sprayed muffin cup. Firmly press in bottom and up sides.

10. Place half of bacon crumbles in bottom of each cup

11. Spoon cheese mixture evenly into cups

12. Sprinkle remaining bacon over top

13. Bake for 21-26 minutes

Print

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One Pot Cannellini Florentine

:::sigh::: husbands!

Mine is a picky eater...when he remembers to be. 

Sounds confusing?

How about this: He likes kidney beans. Kidney beans = great protein, so I have been using them a lot lately. Including cannellini beans which are nothing more than white kidney beans.

On the back of one of the cans of cannellini beans I have used was this recipe. Sounds delish and it is everything we already know and like.

I am in the kitchen making dinner. 

Hubby comes home "OMG what is that, it smells so freaking good!"

Fast forward to actual dinner.

I get "mmm is that spinach I see, yum!"

then it hit....

He made a face like a 5 year old, used his spoon to pick up one cannellini bean...grimaced...and said "what in the heck is this?"

Seriously?

Convincing him that he has been eating them for months is like selling ice to an Eskimo. Forget it. Not going to happen. Once he gets an idea in his head, it might as well be written in concrete.

The girl and I loved it, she even went back for seconds.

He knew better than to snack later on. 

Ever feel like this?

Whatever. Picky hubby aside, you want to make this dish. The girl and I are not-so-sad to have leftovers for the week!

Ingredients:

4 Sliced bacon, chopped

3 Cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (14 oz) can chopped spinach, drained

1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16 oz) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

½ Cup sun dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips

1 Tsp dried basil

Crushed red pepper flakes

Salt

Parmesan cheese

French fried onions

Directions:

1. Cook bacon over high heat in large stockpot until cooked

2. Add garlic and onion, saute until brown

3. Mix in spinach, saute 2 minutes

4. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 10 minutes

5. Season to taste

6. Top with cheese and onions

Print

Just out of the pot

With the french fried onions and Parmesan cheese

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Bacon and Cheese Quiche

I promised the girl I would make her some breakfast on a Saturday morning.
This happened to be the same Saturday that we were going to be off volunteering that day.
Mega rush morning.

Wasn't thinking clearly, and had promised her this quiche.
(Adapted from Pillsbury)

When one is trying to get a family of three out the door and make breakfast...one must be ready to improvise. My bacon was frozen. No think ahead Mama here...nope. Sigh. No time to thaw it, and microwave thawing bacon just makes me gag.

Welcome bacon bits, I am so happy to see you today!
I changed the original recipe to include bacon bits instead of bacon pieces and it was still delicious. Whew! Promise keeper status upheld!

Ingredients:

1 Refrigerated pie crust (softened)

1 Cup half and half

4 Eggs (slightly beaten)

¼ Tsp salt

¼ Tsp pepper

½ Cup bacon bits

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350

2. Place pie crust in 9 inch pie plate

3. In medium bowl, mix half and half, eggs, salt, and pepper

4. Layer bacon and cheeses in crust lined plate

5. Pour egg mixture over the top

6. Bake 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean

7. Let stand 5 minutes before serving

Print

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Ranch Potatoes (Crock Pot)

I had a discussion with one of hubby's cousins last night (which was SO nice! Miss her!)

She is one of those types that would take care of everyone and everything on the planet if she had the means. Genuine heart.

She has 3 (wonderful!) kids as well as two dogs at home.

Then she heard of this other little doggy down at the pound who needed love. She went down to look and the poor thing had pulled out all of its own hair! It was a mix of unhappiness and food allergies.

Cousin brought her hubby and their youngest down to look at the dog and they were like "seriously? this must be a joke".
A joke it was not! She brought her home and worked her magic!

A couple of months later, and you would never have known that this pup had a sad beginning. She is thriving and loving life with her new "siblings".

Thank you cousin, the world needs more people like you!

Ingredients:

6 Bacon strips (chopped)

2 ½ Lbs small red potatoes (cubed)

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

10 ¾ oz cream of potato soup

¼ Cup milk

1 Envelope ranch dressing mix

3 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp.

2. Remove and drain, reserving 1 Tbsp drippings

3. Place potatoes in slow cooker

4. In a bowl, beat cream cheese, soup, milk, dressing mix, and drippings until belnded

5. Stir cream cheese mixture into potato

6. Sprinkle potatoes with the bacon

7. Cook on low 7-8 hours or until potatoes are tender

8. Top with green onions

Print

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

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Farfelle with Kale and Bacon

I really really did!!

OMGosh guys...

I skipped one week of blogging and it turned into two before I knew it!

I knew I was going to be busy for awhile...but it just steamrolled as this sort of stuff tends to do.

My birthday just passed, hubby took me out for a nice breakfast and a day of putzing around in stores with him and my mother in law. He even bought me a gorgeous cast iron pan...so excited!

My mother in law went into the hospital a couple of days later to have her knee replaced. She had one done a couple of years ago and is very happy with the results. 

Hubby and I took a mini vacation with my aunt and uncle, just a weekend away, but it was so nice! A couple of the cousins (4...so more than a couple) decided to join us, and then friends came up for the day as well. We celebrated one of the younger cousin's birthday while together.

On the way home, the girl child called me to let me know she was stranded on the side of the road. The brakes on her car went.

Sadly, this is not the first time this has happened to her!

When she was learning to drive, it happened while driving hubby's truck. On the plus side, I think she was a little more prepared than most when it happened. She found a great place to pull over and was able to tell us exactly where she was. We were two states away, which stunk...but my amazing sister in law and brother in law dropped everything to go get her for us.

We limped her car to the shop...and got a flat tire in the meantime. 

Craziness I tell ya!

A couple of days later, she was driving hubby's truck (as hers is still in the shop) and called to say it wasn't turning over. Turn the key...nothing. Sigh. Hubby was walking out the door to go get her and he had a thought and called her back

Hubby: "so...it was dark when you drove this morning, did you, by chance, leave your lights on?"

Girl Child: "oh...um, yes I did"

One jump start later and she was on her way home.

I was getting text messages about this as I am sitting in a work-required BLS certification class.

(yes, I did pass in case you are interested)

My mother in law's discharge was delayed due to a random phantom pain in her ankle (ultrasound showed nothing) and a teeny tiny fever. Just by a day, but she was bummed. 

She's home now and loving life. 

Off today to visit her and bring her some of her faves, just because.

Asparagus Soup

Baked Beans

Long story short....
I'm BAAAAAACK
Missed ya!

Ingredients:

8 oz Farfelle (Bow Ties)

5 Cups kale (torn to bite size)

5 Bacon slices (cooked)

1 Tbsp bacon drippings

⅓ Cup sun dried tomatoes (rough chopped)

¼ Tsp red chili pepper flakes

5 Cloves garlic (minced)

Salt

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta until almost al dente

2. With 2 minutes remaining, add kale to pasta water

3. Reserve ½ cup pasta water

4. Drain pasta kale mix

5. Add bacon drippings to a skillet

6. Add sun dried tomatoes, chili flakes, and garlic

7. Stir about a minute, or until garlic is golden brown

8. Add pasta and kale to skillet, pour in enough cooking water to ensure pasta will not be dry

9. Crumble bacon into skillet, toss to combine

10. Add salt to taste

11. Top with Parmesan if desired

Print

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

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English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas

Yesterday marked my parent's anniversary.

How did they celebrate? By taking a cruise.
Seriously.
I tried the whole...won't your trip be so much better with your first-born child?
No takers on that one.

Then I tried the...your oldest and first born granddaughter would make this an epic trip.
Still no takers.

Sigh.
I even tried the whole...doesn't your CHILD remind you of your long and happy marriage, which would increase your happiness?

I am starting to think they didn't feel like bringing us on vacation with them! Humph! Just who do they think they are?!

In all seriousness, they took a trip and planned it so that it was islands they have already been too (most, not all) so they can spend some quality time relaxing on the ship and not feeling like they have to get off at every port.
They thought this through...a cruise to nowhere means everyone stays on ship! Picking islands you don't care to visit again, you can stay on the ship while virtually everyone else gets off.
Nice thinking guys!

I just wanted to give them a well deserved shout out...marriages are hard, every anniversary should be special!

What is your favorite anniversary memory...and it doesn't even have to be yours!
(sort of like this year will forever be known as the year Jay begged for a month for a free trip LOL)






Ingredients:

6 English muffins

4 Eggs (room temperature)

2 Tbsp milk

¼ Tsp salt

10 (or so) Dashes hot sauce

Ham slices or cooked bacon

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional: Veggies, tomatoes, olives, etc

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray

3. In a shallow dish, whisk eggs, milk, salt, and hot sauce

4. Separate English muffins and soak each side in the egg mixture

5. Place, cut side up, on prepared baking sheet

6. Add choice of meat and any desired toppings

7. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese

8. Bake 15 minutes

Print

Adapted from Our Best Bites

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