STUFFED BLEU CHEESE POTATOES

(recipe and photo from Our Best Bites)

Had these with Peppered Pork Tenderloin and Caesar Salad tonight. There was a fight over the last one, and yes, I won. ;)

4 baking potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup bleu cheese
1/4 cup buttermilk or milk
4 Tbsp butter cut into pieces
3/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4-8 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumpled (the recipe called for 8, I love bacon but there is no way I could fit a whole piece on each potato half. I think 5 would be plenty)
grated cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry potatoes. Rub them lightly with a bit of shortening or vegetable oil (helps crisp the skin) and place directly on oven rack, or a cookie sheet. Bake for one hour or until potatoes are done.

2. Remove potatoes and let cool just a bit. Cut an opening on the top and hollow out each potato, OR cut each potato in half to make 8 servings. You may want to hold them with a potholder as they will still be hot!

3. Scoop out the insides and place in a bowl. Mash, and add butter, sour cream, bleu cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic. Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy. Carefully spoon mixture back into potato shells. Place in a baking dish.
Return to hot oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.

4. Remove and sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese over each potato bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly

SORRY!

So, since I hadn't received any comments on this blog I thought no one ever looked at it, which was fine because really the whole reason I set this blog up was because my computer is in my kitchen and it's much easier for me to pull up recipes this way than to rifle through my pile of random scraps of paper and pages torn from magazines (you know, that pile I'm going to organize "someday"). But then today I noticed it said "1 comment" under my last post so I checked and what do you know there were more comments. So, my bad, I never adjusted the settings to email me when someone left a comment. It's fixed now but I apologize for anyone who asked a question and I didn't respond, I looked back and tried to answer any that I saw but if I missed you feel free to ask again and I'll respond.

SCALLOPED MIXED POTATOES WITH RED ONION

(pic & recipe courtesy of my sista)

I know I say this about every recipe I post, but really I only post the best ones, so I'll say it again. These are TDF!

1 yam, peeled and sliced

3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 sweet potato, peeled and grated

1 red onion, sliced

1 Tbs. thyme

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 Tbs. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 cups cream or half and half (I recommend Heavy Cream)

2 cups grated Swiss cheese (maybe a bit more)

Directions:

Slice yams, potatoes and onion about 1/8-1/4” thick. A mandolin is a must for this. Mix and put in a greased 9x13 pan. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour on top. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. I like to uncover it for the last 15 minutes to brown

SOUR CREAM POPPY SEED STREUSEL MUFFINS

{these come from Our Best Bites are are one of the BEST bites I've ever had}

2 c. sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. grated orange rind

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 8-oz. container sour cream (light works great)

Streusel

1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 c. flour

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare streusel by combining streusel ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. To prepare muffins, combine sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine buttermilk and remaining muffin ingredients in a small bowl and add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups or 24-36 mini muffin cups, either lined or sprayed. Sprinkle evenly with streusel mixture. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove muffins from pan immediately and place on a wire rack to cool.

NEW WAVE GREEN BEANS

(recipe from Cooking Light Magazine)

2 T butter
1 1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1 package (10 ounces) cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pkg (8oz) Brie, rind removed and cheese cut into pieces
3 T walnuts, toasted and chopped (see note)

In large skillet, melt butter over med-high heat. Add green beans; cook, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender.

Add mushrooms for skillet; cook about 5 min or just until beans are tender. Add cream, salt and pepper. Remove skillet from hear. Stir in Brie pieces until melted. Top with toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

Note: To toast walnuts, heat oven to 350. Spread walnuts on baking sheet and toast at 350 for 7-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool slightly, chop.

Serves: 8

PICANTE CORN CASSEROLE

This is delicious, pic to come later!

6 or 7 Tbsp butter

1 pkg cream cheese

12 oz frozen white corn thawed and drained

3 Tbsp chopped onion (maybe a little more)

1 or 2 (4oz) can diced green chilies

salt to taste

2 Tbsp hot salsa

Let corn thaw at room temp. Drain well. Melt butter and saute with onions. Add cream cheese and mix well. Add other ingredients, mix. Bake uncovered at 350 for 35 minutes in a 2 quart casserole.

Serves: 8

SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

I found this recipe on the Idea Room Blog and they are hands down the best blueberry muffins I've ever had.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 1/4 cups sour cream (10 ounces)
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries (wild)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin. I used the Demarle straight muffin tray so there was no need to grease. Love that!

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk egg in second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.

3. Add frozen berries to dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds. (Small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick. Do not overmix.)

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and insert toothpick into the center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes. Serve as is or with the cinnamon sugar topping below.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
While muffins are cooling, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in small bowl and melt 4 tablespoons butter in small saucepan. After baked muffins have cooled 5 minutes, and working one at a time, dip top of each muffin in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar. Set muffins upright on wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins