Fully Loaded, Potato Casserole

Fully Loaded, Potato Casserole

OK, at the request of few friends and family, here is my Fully Loaded, Potato Casserole recipe.
Sorry I don't have pictures to go with it but trust me when I say it's DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

5 to 6 large potatoes
Butter
2 1/2 cups a shredded cheese
7 slices of bacon for bacon bits
4 stocks of chives, chopped
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Frozen Tater Tots, you will only need 7 or 8 fully cooked tots

Directions:

Place your tots in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes at 350º

Place the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander, and let cool.

Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes.
Place bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Snip the cooked bacon into pieces with a scissors, or chop. Save bacon grease, leave in pan.

When potatoes have cooled, peel their skins off, cut the potatoes into large chucks and place into large bowl.

Mix the Bacon bits, 2 cups of shredded cheese, 3 Tbs of butter, chopped chives but save a few chives for top of casserole, a dash of salt and pepper in large bowl until butter is melted or mixed good. Place in serving bowl or backing dish.

Take your fully cooked tots, place in leftover bacon grease with 2 Tbs of Olive Oil, cook on high for a few minutes, chopping up your tots with your spatchula, until they are fried to a crisp.

Sprinkle tater tots, leftover chives and the rest of cheese, on top of potato mixture then serve.

Hope you enjoy this recipe :D CHEER!

EXTRA! Try mixing in half a cup of sour cream for a even creamier, load baked potato taste.

Chicken For The Hubby

Before leaving for a Moms weekend, out of town, I decided to make some chicken breast, that my hubby could eat over the weekend. I tried a combination of baking, then frying the chicken breast and WOW! YUM YUM!

Try this recipe out! It's GREAT by its self, on a sandwich or even a salad!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast, slice each in half
salt & pepper
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups a flour
McCormick grill mates, Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning
Oil for frying

After chicken is sliced in halves, sprinkle with salt, pepper and McCormick seasoning, on both sides, then place in a 9x13 backing dish, cover with foil and cook at 350º for 35 minutes.

Mix your flour, 2 Tbs of McCormick seasoning and a pinch of salt & pepper, in large bowl.

Fill a large frying pan about 1 inch high with cooking oil and heat on high or until oil in bubbling.

One at a time, dip your baked chicken breast into beaten eggs, then into the flour, making sure both sides are covered with the flour mix. Then place in frying pan and cook both sides until golden. Should only take a couple minutes on each side.

Let chicken cool and then ENJOY!

Easy Breezy Coconut Cream Pie

Easy Breezy Coconut Cream Pie

With summer time here and the temperatures rising, what better way to cool off then a yummy slice of Homemade Coconut Cream Pie! With this EASY recipe you will be enjoying a slice in no time at all :D

Ingredients:

1 Deep dish 9 inch pie shell, baked
1 box of Jell-O Coconut Cream, instant pudding & pie filling
10 oz of Coconut Flakes
Milk
4 egg white 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix Jell-O pudding/pie filling as directed on box. Once pie filling is thick, mix in 8 oz. of coconut flakes. pour pie filling into baked pie shell.

Meringue For Pie:

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Beat sugar in gradually. Beat until stiff and glossy. Beat in vanilla.

Layer the Meringue on top of pie and then sprinkle the rest of the coconut on top.

Place pie in oven on broil to lightly brown the coconut on top, for color.

Cool pie off in refrigerator for a couple of hours, then serve and enjoy!

Homemade Lasagna

More comfort food....Homemade Lasagna!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground Turkey meat
2-1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 container (15 oz.)Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup parsley
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of Italian diced tomatoes
1 jar (24 oz.) Garden blend spaghetti sauce
12 lasagna noodles, fully cooked

Directions:

Cook your noodles.

Cook meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix 1-1/4 cups mozzarella, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, parsley and egg until well blended; set aside.

Stir spaghetti sauce into your meat, stir until well blended. Spread 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup meat sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce, cheeses and sprinkle with more parsley.

Bake at 350º for 1 hour or until heated through. Let stand 15 min. before cutting to serve.

ENJOY!

Comfort Food

Comfort food...Enough said.

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

Ingredients:

3 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or 2 12.5oz Chuck Chicken Breast in the cane.
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 can mushrooms
1 Tsp minced garlic
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Italian diced tomatoes, drained of all juices
1 box of Ziti noodles fully cooked
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

For top of casserole:

Parmesan cheese
Italian bread crumbs


Directions:

In pan combine your mushrooms, minced garlic, butter, Italian seasoning, olive oil and saute until everything is soft.

After your noodles are fully cooked, in large bowl add chicken and all other ingredients and mix well.

Place in 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian bread crumbs and bake at 300º for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

YUM YUM!!!

Next up......Homemade Lasagna!

Empanadas

Recently, my neighbor and friend told me that I was making Empanadas all wrong.
She is Colombian so I figure she knows what she is talking about and OH BOY did she!
I took the Colombian Empanada recipe she gave me and added my own little twist to it.


Ingredients:

2 Packages of Goya Discos
Vegetable oil for frying
2 cups peeled and diced white potatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped white onions
1 cane of Mild Rotel, Drained of all juices
1 chopped garlic clove
1 Pound of Ground turkey meat
1 cup of rice, fully cooked
2 Tbsp Chilli powder
1 Tbsp cumin seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions to prepare the filling:

In large skillet combine olive oil, onion and the garlic. Cook on high until onion is caramelized.
Then combine your meat, Rotel and potatoes with the onion mixture in skillet and cook on high until meat is fully cooked and potatoes are tender.

Add your Chilli powder and Cumin to fully cooked rice.

When both the rice and the meat mixture are fully cooked combine both in large bowl and mix well.

Fill a large pot with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 360°

Remove the top plastic for Goya Disco and place 1 to 2 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each.

Then using the plastic underneath, fold the dough over to enclose the filling, forming a half circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork.

Carefully place 3 or 4 empanadas at the time in the heated oil and fry for about 2 minutes until golden on all sides.

Transfer the fried empanadas to a plate lined with paper towels, cool and you are done!

CHEERS!

Here's a NEW and even YUMMIER twist on these Empanadas :)

Instead of Goya Discos...Try Nasoya egg roll wrappers for a sweeter twist!

Side Dishes

Here are some VERY tasty side dishes that go with any meal. Perfect for that pot luck dinner or a holiday meal with the family.

First up....

Broccoli & Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

2 bundles of fresh broccoli....Or, 2 (10 ounce) packages chopped frozen broccoli, thawed.
2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup.
2 12.5oz Chuck Chicken Breast in the cane.
2 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tsp. Minced Garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º
Mix all of your ingredients but save 1/2 cup of cheese to top off casserole when done.
After you mix everything up well, pour into casserole dish and bake, uncovered for 45 minutes.

When done baking, layer the rest of the cheese on top and cover.

Yum Yum!!

HINT....Sub 1 cup of Sour Cream for the Mayo and Yum Yum!!!

Next up!

A Cold Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 box of Bow Tie Pasta fully cooked
1 6 oz cane of whole black olives
Cherry tomatoes
1 large cucumber peeled and cut into chucks
1/2 cup of Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
4 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 cup of Bacon bits
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients very well and refrigerate for a few hours or until cool.

YUMMY!!!