Twice Baked Potatoes

We often bake too many potatoes in the hopes that my kids will actually eat them.  They hate potatoes of all forms except french fried.  So, alas, we always have leftover baked potatoes of all varieties.  I decided to try a twice-baked recipe and it turned out very nice.

1. Cut up any leftover (already baked) potatoes into small bite-sized pieces
2. Put half into a greased baking dish
3. Add any necessary salt and pepper
4. Add a few spoonfuls of sour cream on top 
5. Sprinkle with shredded cheese (I used extra sharp cheddar)
6. Add crumbled cooked bacon
7. Add remainder of potatoes
8. Top off with some more shredded cheese

Bake uncovered on 350 for 20-25 minutes.  YUM!

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

So this is another recipe snagged from Pinterest.  The original post was from Amateur Gourmet and you can find it HERE.  Or from the pin HERE.  I modified a bit, but really liked it.

What you need:

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Lemon

Parmesan Cheese

1. Cut broccoli and cauliflower into large pieces.  Make sure it is dry (apparently this is important).

2. Place on cookie sheet covered with foil.  Toss broccoli and cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Use oil generously.  (I eyeballed all of these, but original recipe said 5 tbsp oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper for 2 large bunches. )

3. Peel and slice garlic cloves and add on the cookie sheet as well.  I used 2-3 for my smaller portion. 

4.  Roast on 425 for 20-30 minutes.  (I was baking with something else that needed the oven at 350 so I split the difference at 375 for 30 minutes and it worked fine.)  You want it "crisp-tender and some of the florets starting to brown".

5. When it's finished, pull it out of the oven and squeeze fresh lemon juice over it.  (Also says to zest the lemon, but couldn't locate lemon zester so skipped.) 

6. Top with grated Parmesan cheese at the end.

You can also add fresh basil and pine nuts, but I skipped that as well.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Yum, yum, yum!  And you can make the batter ahead of time...see below.  I originally found this recipe on Pinterest which led me HERE.  I followed the recipe pretty closely with a few minor changes.  I didn't have a lemon so I left that out and I also didn't have kosher salt so just used plain table salt.  And thank goodness she broke down 7/8 of a cup...because I would have guesstimated otherwise (it was late and I was tired)!

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Ingredients:
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar (the 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top)
1 egg at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (you can also use fresh cranberries for a holiday spin...just increase the sugar a bit to offset tartness)
½ cup buttermilk

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

1. Cream butter with 7/8 cup of the sugar until well blended.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour.  Mix together the remaining flour (1 and 3/4 cup), baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Grease a baking pan (I used an 8 x 11) with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan.

At this point, I covered the pan with cling wrap and shoved it in the refrigerator until the next day (24 hours later!).  So you can make this ahead of time.  It turned out just fine for me.  If you are worried about your cold, refrigerated dish shattering...either let it get to room temp before shoving it in the oven or put it in while oven is cold and let them warm up together (that's what I did) or keep the batter in a tupperware container and transfer it to a baking dish the next day. 

5. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes if baking immediately or about 45-60 minutes if it's still cold from the refrigerator.

6. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Also yummy served with Cheesy Ham Pie for dinner!

Chicken Lasagna Roll-ups

I took this recipe from Pinterest.  Original can be found HERE.

Ingredients:

8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup Ricotta cheese

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup milk

1/8 tsp white pepper

2 cups spaghetti sauce

I baked the chicken the night before and seasoned it with Italian seasoning.  I used kitchen shears to cut it into bite-size pieces. 

In a medium bowl combine chicken, cheese, milk and pepper.  Spread about 1/2 cup of mixture onto each noodle and roll up in jelly-roll fashion.

Spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce in a 13 x 9 greased baking dish.  Place lasagna rolls seam-side down.  Top with remaining pasta sauce.

Cover and bake for about 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees.  I uncovered for the last 10 minutes.

Top with more Parmesan if desired.

The recipe above made about 7 roll-ups for me.  I think I overstuffed them!  The three that are starred in the picture above had extra chicken and only an Italian blend of cheeses from Kraft.  My hubby doesn't like Ricotta!  He said they were still delicious.

Amaretto Slush

If you love a sweet, slushie cocktail, then this one is for you!

Ingredients:

2 cups brewed tea (2 cups water and 6 tea bags)
7 cups boiling water
1 cup sugar
2-12 oz. frozen lemonade (thawed enough to get it out of the can!)
1-12 oz. frozen orange juice (see above)
2 cups Amaretto

Mix all and freeze. Scoop into a glass, top with Sprite or 7 Up and garnish with a cherry and/or orange slice.

Now, truth be told, this is most likely not going to get you hammered.  I drank two of the above pictured in a short time frame and didn't feel a thing.  Which either means I drink too much regularly (not really) or that this is not really potent.  There's a LOT of water added to that Amaretto.   So if you are looking for a strong drink, this isn't it.  Search for a bourbon slush recipe instead.  However, this is VERY yummy and won't disappoint when it comes to taste.  Plus it just looks nice as well.  Very festive.

Original source: http://www.modhousewife.com/2011/09/mother-in-laws-amaretto-slush/