Potato Skins

On  the weekends I try to make something 'fun' for us to enjoy.  Potato skins are a perfect addition to a Friday night.  Potato skins always remind me of good times with friends or family.  Growing up my mom didn't make potato skins, but if I was lucky we would go to the Courier Cafe and get them there.  To this day whenever I have potato skins I always think of those special trips.  Potato skins do take a little time to prepare, however, the baking and hollowing of the potatoes (the most time consuming part) can be done in advance. The final steps are quick and easy. Crispy and crunchy, bacon-y and cheesy, potato skins are so delicious it would almost be a crime not to share them with those you love.  Make these this weekend and let the good times roll!

Potato Skins  Source:  Your Homebased Mom

Ingredients:

8 slices of bacon (I fried the whole package, knowing that a little munching while I prepare would go on)
8 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

canola oil
kosher salt
1 1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 C sour cream
4 green onions, chopped


Directions:


1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Rub the outside of the scrubbed potatoes with canola oil. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the potatoes are fork tender. Let potatoes cool so the are easy to handle (or you can play 'hot potato' like I did if you choose not to wait). Slice in half lengthwise.
3. Using a spoon or small scoop, scrape out the inner flesh of the potatoes, leaving a small margin of potato in the skins. 
4. Brush both sides of the potato skins with canola oil and salt liberally. Place the skins cut side down on the pan and return to the oven. Bake for 7 minutes and then flip the skins over to the other side. Bake for 7 minutes more or until the skins are crispy.
5. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet and chop into small bits. Set aside.
6. When the skins are crisp, remove them from the oven and sprinkle each with cheese and bacon pieces. Return to the oven just until the cheese melts, only takes a couple of  minutes.
7. Just before serving, spoon sour cream onto each skin and sprinkle with sliced green onion. Serve piping hot.

Classic Lasagna

Lasagna has to be one of the best dishes of all time.  I love lasagna.  I honestly think I have at least 5 (probably more) different lasagna recipes in my recipe collection. This is actually a new recipe to me, one that I just saw over the weekend at Annie's Eats.  Annie makes incredible food and this has been her main lasagna recipe for the past 8 years, so I couldn't wait to try it out! Annie's classic lasagna includes spinach, which I like but Matt would probably rather I leave out :)  It also has a homemade sauce which I love but I feel like the spinach slightly takes away from the richness of the tomato sauce.  If you are apprehensive of the spinach I recommend adding it a little at a time until it looks about right for your family's tastes.  Or do a half with spinach, half without spinach lasagna.  Even though this recipe took longer I am definitely planning on making it again!

Classic Lasagna  Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles
1 lb. Italian sausage
2/3 C onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 C minced flat-leaf parsley, divided (I used a total of 3 tbsp. dried)
3 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
15 oz. tomato sauce
2 C water
1½ tsp. Italian seasoning
1½ tsp. basil
1½ tsp. oregano
15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
½ C grated Parmesan cheese
3 large eggs
2 tsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp. pepper
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions, until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, cook the Italian sausage and drain.   Add the onion, garlic and 1/3 cup of the parsley, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, basil and oregano.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining parsley, ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, eggs, garlic salt, and pepper.  Mix well until blended.
4. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  
5. Spread 2 cups of sauce in a thin layer on the bottom of a 9 x 13″ baking dish.  Layer with 4 lasagna noodles.  Top the noodles with half of the cheese-spinach mixture and spread evenly to a thin layer.  Top with about a third of the remaining sauce mixture, and sprinkle with 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.  Layer again with 4 more noodles and the remaining cheese-spinach mixture.  Spread half of the remaining sauce mixture over the top, and sprinkle with 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.  The final layer will be 4 noodles, the remaining sauce, and a layer of shredded mozzarella.  
6. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and return to the oven for 10 minutes more.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

*I could only fit 3 lasagna noodles in my pan so I added an extra layer of sauce and noodles.

Garlic Bread (Semi-homemade)

A great tasting garlic bread brings your meal from bam to KABAM!  Ha! Can't believe I just wrote that! I haven't even been watching Emeril Lagasse :)  The pre-packaged garlic breads in the freezer section of the grocery store can be adequate but don't you sometimes feel a little let down with them?  I know I do.  Don't despair my semi-homemade garlic bread is super simple and easily adaptable to your families tastes.  At our house Matt wants lots of cheese on his garlic bread and I prefer just a sprinkling of Parmesan.  That is part of the beauty of making your own, you can personalize to be your favorite.

Semi-Homemade Garlic Bread  Source: An 'A' For Effort

Ingredients:

1 loaf French or Italian bread (I like to snag the loaves on sale at the bakery)

Butter

Garlic powder

Parmesan Cheese

Shredded Mozzarella

Parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Cut bread into thick slices.

3. Generously butter both sides of the bread and place on a baking sheet.

4. Sprinkle side of bread facing up with garlic powder and Parmesan cheese (I like to do a pretty good amount of both).

5. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the tops are toasted.

6. Pull out the tray, flip all slices of bread over and sprinkle this side with garlic powder and Parmesan.  If you would like cheesy garlic bread add the shredded Mozzarella now.

7. Put back in the oven for a few more minutes until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted.  I love the slightly browned look of the Parmesan.

Layered Chicken Broccoli & Rice Bake

I almost don't know where to start on this casserole.  We LOVED it!  I have a thing for cheese, broccoli and rice dishes so I knew I'd be a fan.  What I didn't know was how much Matt (remember the man is against all veggies) and my two little ones would enjoy this too! The topping on the casserole is out of this world!  Unbelievably good!  I can't comprehend that the original recipe dictated this topping as 'optional' it is not, don't leave the topping off!  If your New Year's Resolution is to make more homemade meals or eat more vegetables, put this on the dinner menu pronto! 

Layered Chicken Broccoli & Rice Bake  Source: The Changeable Table

Ingredients:

3 C chicken, cooked & diced
4 C cooked rice

2-3 C broccoli florets
1/3 C onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 1/2 soup cans of milk
2 C shredded cheese

Topping:

1/4 C butter
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
3 C cubed bread (I used the crusts and all)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350- 375 F.
2. Cook rice. 

3. While rice is cooking, steam broccoli for about 5 minutes.
4. Melt butter in a pan, add diced onion and cook until translucent.
5. In a large bowl, stir together the two cans of soup and milk until smooth. 
6. Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Place rice evenly in bottom.
7. Sprinkle with broccoli florets, then with diced chicken.

8. Sprinkle with half the grated cheese, then distribute the soup/milk mixture evenly over the top.  Sprinkle with the last half of cheese.
9. Make the topping: Melt butter for topping, then add seasonings.  Stir in cubed bread and toss till evenly coated.  Spread over the top of casserole.
10. Bake at 350° to 375° (depending on how quickly you need it on the table) for about 45 minutes to one hour.  Mixture should be bubbling and hot, with the bread cube mixture browned.
11. Allow to stand about 10 minutes before serving to set.