Twice-Baked Potatoes (Speed Nuke Method)

Yes indeed, it is the delectable flavour of Twice Baked Potatoes... but in half the time!  Less than that, actually.  Thanks to the modern technology of microwave ovens, this is a recipe that produces potatoes that honestly taste every bit as good as the 2½ hour conventional oven approach!

In my opinion, the end-result is every bit as moist, creamy, and flavourful in the Microwave oven, and my children love them!  So unless you fear radio-active side-effects, this recipe is a great time-saver when you are scrambling for something to make when 6:00pm rolls around.

Ingredients:

• 4 - 6 large baking potatoes
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese + extra grated cheese!
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4 strips of crispy bacon, crumbled or sliced (Michael's addition)

Directions:

1. Scrub and prick potatoes with a fork
2. Place on a glass plate or microwave-safe dish
3. Cooke 3 - 4 potatoes at a time on high for 6 - 7 minutes
• Cook until potatoes are tender!
4. Cut cooked potatoes lengthwise.  Let sit five minutes to cool.
• This is to avoid burned fingers in the next step! ;-)
• You still want the potato innards hot enough to melt the butter...
5. Scoop potatoes from shell into a mixing bowl.
6. Mash potatoes and mix with butter, milk, sour cream, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper.
7. Place potato skins on the glass plate or dish.
8. Fill skins with mashed potatoes mixture
9. Add bacon pieces/crumble to the tops of the potatoes
10. Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese
11. Microwave on high 1 - 2 minutes or until cheese is melted
12. Prepare to double the recipe next time when your family asks for more!

Recipe Etymology:  This recipe comes from a cook-book Mom gave Mary last Christmas as a gift for her birthday.  I first tried this last month whilst Mary was face painting, and I needed to make something quick for the family upon arriving home from work.  Entitled the "Quick & Easy Cookbook," it was just what I needed.  It has some great recipes within, including this one!   Yummy-yum yum!

Oh, and here is how they should have looked, were I to have used fuller sized potatoes,  took more time artistically placing the grated cheese, and adding the fancy green onions for a final garnish...

Tator Tot Casserole

This is the traditional Tator Tot casserole that I grew up with. Some variations of this recipe calls for odd items, such as green beans. While you are certainly welcome to experiment, this is the way that I have enjoyed it for years!

Serving Size: Large Family

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- Garlic Salt
- Dried Onion pieces
- Medium or sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)
- 2 lbs frozen Tater Tots
- 3 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

Directions:
- Thaw out the hamburger the night before, or nuke it in the microwave if on a tight schedule
- Brown 1 pound of hamburger (crumbled)
- Spread the hamburger along the bottom of a 9" x 12" pan (large cake pan size).
- Sprinkle (not too much) garlic salt and dried onion on top of the meat.
- Spread layer of grated cheese on top of meat mixture.
- Top with 2 pounds of frozen tater tots and spread cream of mushroom soup evenly across tater tots.
- Sprinkle more grated cheese (to taste) and cover with tin foil (shiny side down).
- Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Note: If you wish to make this casserole more healthy, use only 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup. The original recipe calls for only 2 cans, but I have found that it leaves it a bit dry. 3 cans is perfect, albeit not as nutritious. ;-)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This probably isn't a healthy soup but my excuse is that it will help us with some additional padding in the cold winter season. I even lowered the excessive amount of butter from the original recipe (you're welcome)!

1-2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked with a dash of chili powder (either microwave or cook in a separate pan)
1 Onion
1 green pepper (optional)
1 pint Half & Half (I hope to experiment with milk someday, I'll let you know how that turns out)
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
4 c. chicken broth (bullion granules + water work fine)
1 c. cheese (plus some for garnish)
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes (with or w/out chilis)
1 can corn, drained (or use frozen)
1-2 cans beans of your choice, drained and rinsed (we like black beans and kidney beans)
Taco Seasonings (packet or homemade - chili powder, cumin, paprika, mustard, Mrs. Dash)
Sriracha chili paste (optional, but Thayne loves to add it)

Saute onion and green pepper in butter. Add Half & Half. Slowly add in and WHISK flour. Add chicken broth, cheese, cooked chicken, tomatoes, and seasonings. Rinse beans in a collander and add. Add drained corn. Season with taco seasonings and Sriracha (optional) to make it as hot as you dare.

Serve with tortilla chips, a little more cheese, and a small dollop of sour cream to cool it down.

Not Yo Mama's Enchilada's

Then again, they might be yo mama's enchilada's. (If so, she totally rocks and we should be friends!) I just thought that sort of title sounds cool too, hehe! Make them mild, medium, spicy, green or red. Whatever floats your boat, tops your ice cream, bakes your burrito. Eh, you get the point. You can also use ground beef, chicken, or (my fav) leftover steak.

1 cup +/- cooked rice
1 can refried beans
1 to 2 cups cooked meat of your choice, cubed or shredded
1 to 2 cups cheese (there is no such thing as too much of a good thing...sometimes)
2 small cans (or one big can) Enchilada sauce (Old El-Paso is a really good brand)
Package of soft tortilla shells

Prepare a 13x9 casserole dish with some pan (from experience, don't miss this step). Stir together rice, one small can (or half of big can) of sauce, one cup of cheese, and meat in a metal bowl (from experience again, trust me when I suggest a metal bowl for this because red enchilada sauce stains plastic bowls, #@$#%!). Smear a tortilla shell with one or two spoonfuls of beans. Top with two spoonfuls of meat mixture. Like this, m'dearie:


Roll up and place in dish. Repeat as many times as necessary until meat mixture is used up. Smother with rest of enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Ring the dinner bell to signal to the troops that dinner is on. Top with sour cream, lettuce, tomato, salsa, jalapenos, etc.

Alison's Chicken Chalupas

This is a casserole my mother made often for my family and also happens to be one of Thayne's favorites.

1-2 chicken breast, cubed and cooked
1 chopped onion, sauteed
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 to 1 pint sour cream
2 cups cheese
1 can olives
1 can green chiles (optional)
Seasonings - Curry powder, Mrs. Dash, Lemon Pepper, Chile Powder
6-7 flour tortilla shells

Saute onions. Cook chicken cubes. Combine all ingredients in a bowl to make a lovely mix of flavors. Spread a dollop or two of the mixture onto the bottom of your 9x13 pan so the tortillas don't stick (or you can use Pam, w/e you prefer). Spread two spoonfuls into each tortilla shell, roll up, and place into the prepared pan. Be sure to save enough of the mixture to spread on top to keep shells from drying out and burning. Sprinkle some extra cheese on top, too. Mmmm, cheesey goodness! Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour until nice and bubbly. Devour! You can add some salsa, guacamole, and/or more sour cream on top/side if you'd like.

Chicken Divine Alternative Rock #1

For a little while, we had to avoid feeding eggs to Lizzy due to a luckily short-lived allergy. That meant avoiding some salad dressings like Mayonnaise. Oh dear, mayonnaise is in daddy's Chicken Divine! Well, have no fear, we'll just oust from the recipe! I also experimented with a few other changes. We were out of broccoli, the main and really only veggie in the dish. Well have no fear, we'll just use some other veggies like oh, a can of corn and a can of green beans!

2 cups cooked rice
1-2 chicken boobies, cut up and cooked (sorry, old habit from my Aunt Jane)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 large dollops of sour cream (hehe, I love the word 'dollop'!)
A splash or two of milk
Handful or two of cheese
1 can corn
1 can green beans
Curry powder (daddy would be heartbroken if forgotten)
Mrs. dash (addicting stuff)
Lemon pepper (also addictive)
Any other seasonings you see fit to use
More cheese

Layer the cooked rice into a 9x13 pan. Mix together soup, sour cream, milk, cheese, veggies, seasonings, and chicken in a bowl and spread over rice. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top (mustn't forget or else I'll be heartbroken). Warm in oven at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is gooey. Now devour the divine stuff!

Chicken Enchiladas (Mary)

With Mary's dictation and permission, I'll post her famous recipe...Mom mentions that Mary often makes these for our Park City condo vacation in the summer and we all love it!

Start by cooking 2 cups of diced chicken. To keep it extra moist, Mary suggests steaming it a bit by throwing a bit of water on and the pan with a lid.

Mix 1 cup sour cream and 1 can cream of chicken soup.

While the chicken is cooking, melt 1 T butter in a large pan. Add 1 c. fresh chopped onions and 1 t. chili powder. (You can optionally add a 4 oz. can of green chiles. Mary says she will if she doubles the recipe, but otherwise it's over-powering.) Caramelize the onions in the butter and chili powder mix.

Add the cooked chicken to the onions and throw in about 1/3 to 1/2 of the sour cream/soup mixture. Turn the heat to Low and stir all together until it begins to bubble. Now trace lines on the mixture to divide it into 8ths. (Each eighth will be about 3 spoonfuls)

Spray a casserole dish and spoon a very thin layer of soup/sour cream mixture on the bottom. (This keeps the enchiladas from being hard on the bottom.) Spoon 1/8 of the mixture onto each of 8 flour tortilla shells. Roll up without folding in the ends. Cover all 8 with the remainder of the soup/sour cream mix.

Cover with foil and bake at 375º for 15 minutes.

(Optionally, you can also spread mild red enchilada sauce before the cheese.) Sprinkle 1 c. of grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese on top.

Bake uncovered for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Momma Mackay's Cheesy Potatoes

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream (use less if trying to be healthy)
2-3 cups shredded cheese
green onions, sliced finely (optional, for color)
1 bag frozen hashbrowns (shredded or cubed)
Leftover ham, cubed (optional)

Mix it all together in a large bowl and spread into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until it's all bubbly and you can't control your drooling any longer.

Thayne's Classic Tater Tot Casserole

Here's a classic and quick casserole that is a favorite of Thayne's:

Ingredients:
Tater tots
1/2 onion
Ground beef
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 can of milk
Spices
Cheese

Put 1 package of tater tots into a 9x13 dish to bake at 450 degrees for a bout 15 minutes or while you are sauteing onions and cooking some ground beef on the stove top.

Mix two cans of cream of mushroom soup in a large bowl with 1/2 a can of milk. Add cooked meat and onions and season with your favorite spices (I used some Mrs. Dash, chili powder, garlic salt, and curry powder).

The tater tots should be nice and crispy by now to add into the bowl and mix up. Put back into the 9x13 pan and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Serve with a side of veggies and you have a complete dinner!

Baked Potato Soup

This is probably the first soup I ever made that didn't come from a can because I durned well felt like making soup from scratch one night. The recipe came from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Eat At Home, but I left out the bacon because I didn't feel like getting frostbitten fingers searching for it in the freezer. I also added broccoli because Thayne loves it on his baked potatoes. So my rule is - put whatever you usually like on baked potatoes!

4-6 baked potatoes
1 onion, chopped
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk
1-2 cups cheese
Steamed Broccoli (frozen California blend veggies work, too)
Seasonings of your choice

Bake the potatoes (microwave or oven is fine) and scoop out the pulp. I got tired halfway through and just ended up cutting the rest into chunks instead.
Melt butter and saute onion, add milk, WHISK in flour. DO NOT BOIL!
Add potatoes, cheese, broccoli.
Season to taste with what you generally like to put on baked potatoes. We like Mrs. Dash, garlic salt, and pepper.
Mmmmm, this soup is tasty! I don't know how healthy it may be but I don't always care about that. Bad me!