When Jessica was with us earlier in the year, we had a lot of fun growing veggies and herbs in containers on the deck.
She taught me a lot about having your own garden
and cooking with fresh ingredients.
On many occasions, I would come home from work at night
and eat some of the leftover veggies dishes she had whipped up.
On one such night, I opened the refrigerator and
a container with a purple hue caught my eye.
"Mmmm, Jessica must have cooked something
with blueberries," I surmised.
I opened the container and it looked like
a blueberry bread pudding...maybe...
I grabbed a spoon and took a big bite,
expecting a taste of sweet blueberry deliciousness.
"Yuk!"
You know how it is when you're expecting a certain taste and
you totally get something that tastes NOTHING like it...
I wander to her room...
"Jessica, what in the world is this stuff in this container?"
"The purple potatoes we got at the farmer's market," she replied.
"They're awful! I stated--
you know,
like any good Mom would do...
sheesh...
like any good Mom would do...
sheesh...
"What did you do to them?"
"Nothing.
I cooked them and seasoned them
I cooked them and seasoned them
with a little garlic," she stated.
"Ok, it makes sense now!
Where's the butter...
the sour cream...
the cream cheese...
the heavy whipping cream?"
I ask.
"They are healthy, Mom.
They don't contain any of that stuff.
They don't contain any of that stuff.
You just taste the potato," she informed me.
Well, that's when I found out I apparently don't like potatoes....
just saying...
Jess taught me how to make many good and healthy recipes this year, but I think I'm going to win the potato war. :)
I had the kids over Sunday after church and fixed a
new recipe for a loaded baked potato casserole.
It was amazing!
(Don't look Jessica!)
Hope you enjoy :)
**************************************************
Baked Potato Casserole
1 lb potatoes of your choice--I used the golden potatoes--
they are my favorite!
1 stick of butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
8 slices of bacon, fried and chopped
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/3 cup chopped green onions
Peel potatoes and dice. Boil 20 minutes until tender.
Drain and return to pot. Flake slightly with a fork.
Throw in the stick of butter, cream cheese and sour cream.
Place the lid back on the pot and let sit for a few minutes
until the ingredients are softened.
Stir and add 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese and the chopped bacon (reserve a small amount of bacon to place on top).
Pour into a casserole dish and top with
remaining 1/2 cup cheese and reserved bacon.
Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
The Cast of Characters
You don't have to peel the potatoes if you don't want to--
especially if you use the golden ones or the red potatoes...
But I decided to semi-peel them....
Wish I hadn't...
I remembered I don't like peeling potatoes...
at all...
That's the handsome mechanic's job...
But he was at work...
sigh..
Anyway...I barely survived it...
there was some whining...
ok...
a lot of whining...
but there was no one here to hear it...
what a waste....
But these lovely additions made it all better...
Boil the potatoes about 20 minutes and drain....
Look at their steamy goodness...yum...
But wait....
time to add the amazing additions...
This is the seasoning I use on EVERYTHING...
Mmmmmm....
Stir it up....
Add the cup of cheese and all the bacon
except what you want to sprinkle on top...
Wowww!
You could just eat this all with a spoon right now, couldn't you??
But wait...
Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bacon...
Pop in the oven and bake 350 degrees
for about 25-30 minutes
until warm, melty and bubbly...
Sigh...I missed the picture of the end result...
We were just soooo excited to eat it!!
It was just as beautiful and lovely as above
except for the cheese being melty and gooey!!
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