Crash Hot Potatoes

This was a great way to have a side of potatoes.

This picture above is a picture of a perfect meal for my Husband, he is definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

The Hubby wanted the cheese added on top of his so we topped all of them with cheese. I think they would have been a great topped with sour cream and chives too. 

I do think that the red potatoes I got were a little on the big side. When I smashed them they broke apart more then I was hoping them to. I don't think I boil them long enough, they were a little hard to smash. 

Definitely will be having these again soon though!

Crash Hot Potatoes

12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Kosher Salt To Taste

Black Pepper To Taste

Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe From: The Pioneer Woman

Twice-Baked Potatoes

The first time I had twice baked potatoes was at one of the first dinners I had at the Harward home. I thought they were awesome!! Who would have thought to bake a potato scoop out the insides mash them up put it back into the potato skin shell and put cheese on top?! Genius!!

These pictured above are what I would consider loaded baked potatoes, they have sour cream, milk, bacon, butter, and green onions. 

We had these as part of our Christmas Eve dinner with friends. They did not disappoint. And, of course, the Hubby loved them. He loves anything that has bacon in it....well almost. He wasn't too fond of bacon chocolate chip cookies. 

These potatoes are a great side dish to your dinner plans!

Twice-Baked Potatoes

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 to 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, such as Lawry's

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

With a paper towel, rub the outside of the potatoes with canola oil. 

Place the potatoes on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked inside and the skins are slightly crisp. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees.

Dice the fried bacon into bits.

Throw the butter, sour cream, bacon, milk, seasoned salt, and pepper into a large bowl.

While the potatoes are still hot, hold each potato in a towel and cut in half lengthwise.

With a large spoon, scrape out the inside into the bowl with the other ingredients. 

Repeat until all the potatoes have been scraped. Reserve the potato shells on a large baking sheet. 

Use a potato masher to mix the ingredients together. 

Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese. 

Slice the green onions and add them to the bowl. Stir, taste, and adjust the seasonings as necessary. 

Fill in each potato half with the potato mixture and return to the baking sheet. 

Top with the remaining 1 cup grated cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are hot. 

Rogerson's Potato Salad

Now there are MANY different ways to make potato salad. Some have more mayo, other more mustard, some have pickles, some don't. The list could go on and on. 
One thing I don't approve of is store bought potato salad, there is just something about it that makes me gag. 
Now I use to be a fan of just my Grandma's potato salad, it is delicious! Then I married Dave and had his Grandma's potato salad, it is yummy! 
Throughout our marriage as we hung out with the Rogerson's she had prepared Nino's Mom's potato salad. 
Are you lost yet? Good.
I thoroughly enjoy the first 2 potato salads, I have yet to make my Grandma's though. And when I tried to make Dave's Grandma's on my own....well lets just say there was more to be desired. 
I figured I could handle the Rogerson's potato salad, it seemed simple and almost fool proof.
As if you haven't noticed by I now I succeeded in making it!
Dave may tell you it had too much mustard, I will beg to differ. How would he know if there is TOO much mustard, when he doesn't eat mustard (unless in potato salad and deviled eggs)?
Oh and yes this potato salad has pickles in it! Which I am a fan of. 
For those of you who aren't too sure of potato salad, I would start with this recipe. Just add small amounts of the fixings until you reach the taste and consistency you want.


Rogerson's Potato Salad


10 red potatoes (I used Russets cause that is what I had on hand)
6 hard boiled eggs
pickles
1 1/2 - 2 cups mayo
1 tsp. mustard
onion salt 
pepper


Boil the potatoes for around 20-25 minutes or until they are tender when poked with a fork. Then move them directly to an ice bath to remove the skins (leave them in the ice for a few minutes and the skin just comes right off). Cut into bite sized pieces. Add all the ingredients together (the mayo, salt and pepper you just kind of have to do by taste).

Dutch Oven Potatoes (4th of July Celebration)

Excuse this picture, it just doesn't give these potatoes justice. 
These potatoes are my FAVORITE dutch oven potatoes. They are loaded. They have mushrooms, onions, bacon and other unhealthy things so they just gotta be amazing right?! 
I have to tell my Dad thank you for introducing me to dutch oven cooking. He has been cooking in a cast iron pot for as along as I can remember. It is one of my favorite memories of my Dad, and it is still the highlight of my camping trips. We don't just use cast iron when we go camping, we use them all the time. I treasure mine. They seem to make the food taste better.
Back to the potatoes, try them! You will love this recipe. If it is too unhealthy for you don't be afraid to change it up a bit, but I am telling you now it won't be as good. 


Byron's Dutch Oven Potatoes


1lb. thick slice bacon
2 med. yellow onions, sliced (I diced them)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
15 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced (I didn't peel mine)
1 10 1/2oz. can of cream of chicken soup
1 10 1/2oz. can cheddar cheese soup
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste


Heat a 12" deep dutch oven using 18-20 briquettes on the bottom until oven is hot. Cut bacon into 1 inch slices and place in oven and fry until brown. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Stir, then cover and cook until onions are translucent. Add potatoes. In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour soup mixture  over potatoes and stir until all potatoes are coated. Cover and cook 60 minutes using 10-12 briquettes on the bottom and 12-14 briquettes on the top. Stir pot gently every 15 minutes.

Recipe taken from: Byron's Dutch Oven Recipes

Dutch Oven Chicken and Potates

One of my favorite ways to cook is outside in a dutch oven with coals. I am sad I don't get to do it enough. Every time I do it makes me want to be up in the mountains, camping, and enjoying this beautiful world we live in. Oh how I miss the mountains back home in Utah! 

Our first few weeks in Lubbock, there was a sale on whole chickens at the local supermarket. I decided to get one and freeze it to enjoy sometime down the road. Well I got a hankering for dutch oven cooking, after trying to think of what to have (there are a lot of choices!) I decided this chicken was the perfect solution to my craving.

For a side dish I went with a basic dutch oven diced potato recipe:

Can you tell I like cheese?

Dave was in charge of the coals, it took a while to get them hot since it is always WINDY here in Lubbock.

Since Dave hasn't finished the smoker yet we put a pizza pan in the bottom and put the hot coals on top of it. 

That way the wind wouldn't blow out the coals. Now I wanted to dig a hole in the ground for this, but David didn't think the landlord would of liked us digging up our "wonderful grass". 

We put the chicken on the bottom and the potatoes on top of that.

Just thought I would share a picture of the furball! 

Silly guys, they love that hammock.

Roast Chicken (Or Turkey)
(14 inch deep Dutch oven or larger-depending on the size of bird)


1 chicken (Or small turkey)
1 Tbsp. pepper
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. thyme
1 cup water
1 clove garlic
1 onion 
1 stock celery (I used about half, the chicken was on the smaller side)
2 or 3 pieces of bacon (as you can tell I used 4)


Rinse the chicken (turkey) inside and out. Remove the neck and giblets. Mix the spices in a bowl and rub the mixture inside and out of the chicken (turkey). Cut onion and celery into large pieces., with garlic; place inside the chicken (turkey). (Put them in the Dutch oven if the bird is stuffed.) Put bacon strips over the breast of the chicken (turkey).  Add enough water to steam or roast in moist heat. (You will notice in the first picture, my chicken gave off a lot of fat, I only added enough water to cover the bottom.) A tent may be placed over the bird to protect from excess browning. Cook with hot Dutch oven 20 minutes then reduce the heat to a moderate 300 to 325 for 15 minutes per pound or until well done. It takes longer for stuffed birds. Start with 14 coals on top and bottom then reduce heat to 12 on top and 10 on bottom.

Dice Potatoes
(14 inch Dutch oven)
(I used a 12 inch since I didn't make the whole recipe)


3 cans cream soup (I used 1 cream of mushroom)
10 lbs. diced potatoes (I used 2.5 lbs.)
3/4 lbs. grated cheese (I just put on what I thought was enough)


Stir together dice potatoes and soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook 1 hour. Add cheese the last ten minutes. Cook just until cheese is melted. 12 coals on bottom 14 to 16 on top. 
(I think my potatoes only took 45 minutes since I wasn't cooking as much, so watch them closely.)

Ham Fried Rice

Around Easter I bought a ham. They were on sale, and David really likes ham. So since it is just the two of us and we can't eat a ten pound ham we had the butcher cut it into slices for us. We froze some, and Dave was making ham sandwiches with what was in the fridge. After a few days of seeing the ham in the fridge, I remember I came across this recipe for "Perfect Ham Fried Rice" from Deals to Meals.

What a brilliant idea on how to use up some of the ham! We made a very large batch of this, it made for good lunch left overs during the week. (I always try to make enough for lunch leftovers, so that way we aren't spending money to eat out everyday, plus its healthier I think.)

Ham Fried Rice


3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. celery, diced (I didn't have any, so I left it out)
1/2 c. green onions 
1 1/2 c. cooked ham, cubed
4 c. white rice, cooked and cooled slightly (a long grain rice works the best- long, jasmine, etc.)
4 Tbsp. stick butter
1/4 c. soy sauce
Seasonings: salt, pepper (or Montreal Steak Seasoning), garlic powder (or you can use fresh garlic cloves) and powdered ginger (about 1/2 tsp.)

Cut all of the vegetables and ham and set aside until ready to cook/saute.

In a large pot or skillet bring the pan to medium high heat. Add 1 T. of butter to the pan and saute the eggs that have been beaten until they are scrambled. Once the eggs are cooked through, break them up with your spoon into medium sized pieces. Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside. Add to the pan the remaining butter. Let the butter heat up and then add the chopped onions, celery and carrots to the pan and saute until the vegetables are tender and soft (not overly cooked though). To the sauted vegetables add the cubed ham, sliced green onions and frozen peas. Heat through for about 2-3 minutes. To the pan, add the cooked rice that has been slightly cooled before adding to the pan (if you use rice that is steaming hot it will cook the peas and vegetables too much and add too much moisture to the dish). Stir the rice into the vegetables and then add the scrambled egg back to the pan and stir. Season the rice with more salt, pepper, garlic powder and ginger powder. Add the 1/2 c. of soy sauce to the rice and stir until rice is a light brown color (don't add too much or the rice will be soggy).

Refried Beans

Is there any possible way to make refried beans look appealing in a picture?

Well even though the picture doesn't look too appealing, these beans are fantastic!

So much better then canned refried beans. If you have the time to make them it is well worth the effort. 

We used them for those homemade freezer burritos I make for Dave's lunch, and we made them the other day for Cinco De Mayo. 

This last time we made them we improved a little on the seasonings and they were turn out so good!

Refried Beans

1 cup dry pinto beans

3 cups cold water

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

1 4 oz. can diced chilies

Cover beans with cold water and let stand overnight (6-8 hours).

Drain beans, rinse them. In crock pot add soaked beans, cover with clean water (1 inch more then beans). Cook 8 hours, add powders, salt, pepper and chilies, add more to taste. Smash, serve. 

(I cooked the beans on high, just keep an eye on them. The water will soak up, and you might have to add a little more if the beans aren't done cooking. If you do add water, just drain them before you mash them. I mashed mine in my Kitchen Aid mixer.)

Deviled Eggs

Now I know Easter has past, and I should have posted this recipe before Easter so you could make it Easter Day. One day I will be as cool as the other food blogs and try recipes before the Holiday arrives so you can enjoy them.

I love deviled eggs! David loves deviled eggs! These deviled eggs are divine!

Now I love brown eggs, there is just something about them that I can't get over. Maybe it is the color and each one is unique. When they are fresh farm brown eggs that is even better! But for some reason the eggshell is more thick then white eggs. So excuse my sad looking deviled eggs, I did all the tricks in the book and only one peeled nicely. So they are rustic looking to say the least. 

Try these deviled eggs! You will love them! A big thanks to the Brown Eyed Baker for this recipe!

Deviled Eggs

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sour cream

½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar

½ teaspoon spicy brown mustard

¼ teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Place eggs in medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 dozen ice cubes. Pour off water from saucepan and gently shake pan back and forth to crack shells. Transfer eggs to ice water with slotted spoon and let cool 5 minutes.

2. Peel the eggs and slice in half lengthwise. Transfer the yolks to a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, mashing the mixture against the sides of the bowl until smooth.

3. Arrange the egg whites on a serving platter and fill with the yolk mixture, mounding the filling about ½ inch above the whites. (I put the yolk mixture into a sandwich baggie and snipped off the end and piped it in that way. You could also use a nice decorating tip with a piping bag, or just a good ol’ spoon. Whatever floats your boat!) Serve immediately.

Make-Ahead Note: You can make the deviled eggs up to 2 days ahead. Wrap the peeled egg white halves tightly with a double layer of plastic wrap and place the filling a zipper lock plastic bag, squeezing out all the air. Refrigerate until ready to fill and serve.

Sesame Noodles

I loved these noodles! They were quick and easy and just what I wanted to eat the other night. I left them just plain, but you could add anything you wanted to these simple noodles. I found this recipe off the Pioneer Woman and she suggests loading them up with either red bell peppers, fresh cilantro, or cooked, chopped shrimp. We had these noodles with some delicious wontons we fried up, which I will post about another day.

For those in search of a quick simple meal, look no further! Sesame noodles are just what you need to try.

Sesame Noodles 

12 ounces, fluid Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained
¼ cups Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Sugar
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
½ teaspoons Hot Chili Oil 
4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
2 Tablespoons Hot Water
4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

I didn't have any hot chili oil and it was 6 dollars at the grocery store so I left it out this time, but I think it definitely needs it to give it a little kick!

Patty Melts, Potato Chips with Dip and Lost Thumb Prints

Hello everyone!! I am excited to say that Dave and I have finally made a real meal! I have been dying to eat more then Mac and Cheese! 

First up:

Patty Melts

Can I just tell you that I LOVE patty melts!! I remember the first time i had one, oh it makes my mouth water! I have been craving one since "Reed's Drive In" in Spanish Fork, Utah. Now that place has a great patty melt!


So here is what you need:
1/2 small onion, sliced
mushrooms (I sliced about 6 to 7)
2 hamburger patties
4 slices of rye bread (I found some Jewish Rye Bread)
 2 Swiss cheese slices


Saute the onions and mushrooms in butter. Remove from pan. Place hamburger patties in pan and cook until your liking. Take one slice of rye bread in pan, place a piece of Swiss cheese on top of bread, layer with patty, top with onions and mushrooms, add the other slice of bread to the top. Flip the sandwich so the top slice of bread gets toasted a little. I left mine in the pan a little longer to get the cheese to melt too. 


I would say for making a patty melt for the first time these turned out pretty darn good! Need maybe a little work on seasoning the meat or the onions and mushrooms, but over all the flavor of just the basic ingredients were great!


Next:
Black Pepper Chips

Ingredients

Peanut oil, for frying

2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed

Kosher salt and

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat peanut oil in a deep fryer to 300 degrees F with peanut oil.

Slice the potatoes into very thin 1/8-inch slices using a mandolin with a straight blade attachment or a V slicer. Keep the potatoes in a large bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and blot dry with paper towels; you don’t want to put wet potatoes into hot oil.

Fry the potatoes in batches, only a handful at a time, for about 3 to 4 minutes. Once they reach a golden brown color, remove the chips from the fryer and drain on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Season the chips with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Cook's Note: The biggest secret in making crispy chips is to soak the potato chips in cold water to wash away the excess starch. If you don’t have the time, then place all the potato slices in a big bowl of water and gently toss.

This recipe and the dip that follows I came across while watching the Food Network show "Down Home With The Neely's". We didn't use peanut oil, we used vegetable. And we turned the heat up to about 350 on our little fryer. These chips were so good! 

Finally:
Parmesan Sour Cream Dip

Ingredients

1(16-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Serve with black pepper potato chips.

Cook's Note: Season lightly with the salt since we are using Parmesan and it'’s a salty cheese.

These dip was perfect for those black pepper chips! It was super easy to make as well.

While Dave and I were getting dinner ready, I put him on potato duty. Barely into the first potato, he grunted, dropped the potato and quickly turned the water on. He had cut his thumb on this:

I even found the little chunk of skin under the blade! Don't worry I sanitized it! So while he was trying to get his thumb to stop bleeding, I took over cutting the potatoes. I found the protective handle but the potato wasn't cutting well so on the last potato I took off the protective handle. And what do you know....I sliced my thumb too! The exact same hand!

Dave holding his thumb above his head

Me with my sad thumb

Our bandaged up thumbs, they wouldn't stop bleeding! My actually still is bleeding as we speak. We went through a few bandages until we put flour on the wounds, it really helped stop the bleeding for Dave, and a little bit for me.

Ha ha I think it is hilarious we both cut the same thumb cutting potatoes. It took us FOREVER to make dinner. I am so grateful I have a thumb! Cause it was difficult without one.

One last picture of our fantastic dinner

Yummy!!