Famous Twice Baked Potatoes

My good friend Bethan is an amazing cook. She always does large dinners for 10-20 people and doe an awesome job. Recently she has given up some of the power in the kitchen and allowed for others to help. My contribution is always to make the potatoes for the meal.

My favorite kind are twice baked potatoes. Although this receipe usually calls for them to be dished back into the shell, I put my own twist on the recipe and I think it makes them better anyways.

Start with some large potatoes. I like to judge about 1 potato for each person. If they are super big ones, go with 1 for each 2 people. Wash them real good and then wrap them up in tin foil

Set your oven to 350 degrees and throw them in the oven for about 1 hour, or until cooked. Once they have cooled slightly, unwrap, cut the tops length ways and scoop out the insides. You can try to save the shells, but I like them better without. Your choice.

This is where they get real good. Mix in the butter, sour cream, bacon bits, milk, cheese and green onion is you choice. I don't like green onion so I don't use it. Mix it up real good. I like mine a little lumpy, but whatever consistency you like then go for that! Then either scoop it back in the shells, or into a casserole dish. Throw it back in the oven just long enough to reheat.

 
Take it out and serve. Whatever is left over put in the fridge, as this makes some great leftovers!

 Recipe (makes 8 servings)

Ingredients

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 8 green onions, sliced, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
4. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
5. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Birthday Wishlist

My sister started this in her "Birthday Month" a few weeks ago. Since we are now in my "Birthday Month" I figured I would start a few of these posts myself.

I seen these the other day on The Pioneer Woman and thought that they were so cool. This is my favorite use for them.

You can find the placemats at b.a.Friend

Lack of Posting

I have to apologize for the lack of posting lately. I used to try to get most of my post up/written during the day. However, we have officially been banned from using Firefox at work, and since our email is all Google based, as is Blogger, it makes things tough. Hard to justify logging out of email just to write a blog.

I will try to get some scheduled so that you have lots to read about in the upcoming weeks!

Hotel Tour: Red Deer Sandman

While we were in Red Deer for the bull sale a few weeks ago we decided to stay in town rather then going back and forth from the farm. 

I had never stayed in the Red Deer Sandman, but it had always looked like a nice hotel from the outside. I am a big Moxie's fan, and that is connected right to the hotel so the amenities were great.

I was actually pretty disappointed with the hotel. The lobby is all newer and renovated, but the rooms themselves leave a lot to be desired. They were small and very out dated. Everything from the green carpets to the bedding seemed to have not been replaced for years.

I didn't find the beds that comfortable either. The bathrooms were alright. Clean and a hot shower. Nothing fancy, but after the bedroom portion I can't say I was expecting much.

farm stuff

I have been lacking on some farm/cattle posts lately. Here are a few that I snapped last time I was home.

Pen of 2yr old cows

Calves off the 2yr olds. This pen is almost all black

Calf on the left is Elle's, on the right is Dream Date's

One of my favorite Revolution bull calves

One of my favorite cows, Queen of the Nile

Pad Thai Cooking

I really enjoy cooking. The problem is when you get home at 5:45PM your lack of motivation does not help. I decided that I was going to crack open my Thai cookbook and make some good food this week. First dish- Pad Thai

When I was in Thailand we took a cooking class one night. The school was called the Thai Orchid Cooking School. As part of the class we all got a little cook book to take home with us.

Pad Thai is really easy to make. The hardest part is just finding all of the ingredients needed. I have had luck at Wal-Mart, but there is also a Chinese grocery store in the city that has helped me out a few times as well.

I will post the full receipe below, but here is a quick play by play of what you need to do. Before you begin you must soak the rice noodles over night.  This allows them to soften and be ready to go the next day.

I like to lay out all of my ingredients before I begin. This dish does not take a long time to make so it makes things easier to have everything close by. For this you will need sugar, vegetable oil, chili's or chili spice, chives, peanuts, bean sprouts, fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, eggs, vegetable or chicken stock and some chicken.

In a wok combine the chicken, rice noodles, vegetable oil, chili's, your sause and stock. Cook on a low to medium tempture as you do not want the noodles to stick together.

While this is cooking get your peanutes, bean sprouts and chives ready. When all of the stock has evaporated combine into the noodle mixture and let the sprouts get warm.

True Thailand Pad Thai has eggs in it although most North American places has removed them. This is optional, but I love it with. Push all your ingredients to one side of the wok. On the other side crack 2 beaten eggs and let them cook. No not mix with the pasta misture.

One the egg is cooked serve! Try to get the egg on top of your noodle mixture. I placed it on the side so you can see what the Pad Thai actually looks like. You can make it your own serving with Tofu, or in this case I chose some chicken.

Ingredients:

200g Rice Noodles

3.5 tablespoons cooking oil

1 tablespoon dried shrimps (optional)

40g of tofu or chicken

2 eggs

1 cup stock or water

20g chives

100g bean sprouts

2 tablespoons peanuts

1 teaspoon reserved radish (optional)

20g shallot (optional)

Sauce:

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoon tamarind paste (or can use viniger)

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon chilies or chili powder

Instructions:

- Heat cooking coil int he wok over low heat, add meat/tofu and shallots fri until turned golden brown

- Put preserved radish and dried shripm in and fry for a few seconds

- Add rice noodles and water/stock. Add sauce. Fry until noodles are wilted and ingredients mixed well

- Add chives, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Fry quickly until sprouts are warm. 

- Make room for egg by pushing all noodles to the side of walk

- Add 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil into the wok, and add beatten eggs to wok and let cook.

- Serve!

Times are a Changing!

We have been having a lot of changes happening around the house lately. Yes the snow is finally starting to melt, and spring cleaning has been happening, but we have also been seeing some new faces around the place.

Last May we had a 3rd roommate move into the house. I grew up with Kristen and danced with her for years, and Brett knew her through mutual friends (crazy how small this world is). We have had lots of fun having Kristen in the house. She is in her last month of medical school, and will be a full doctor in just a couple of weeks! It has been great having a resident doctor (literally) as both Brett and I are not so fond of hospitals....

As we spend the last month with Kristen in the house, we have welcomed a new roommate into our ever growing house. Brett's younger sister Jenna was selected to be part of the 2011 Edmonton Eskimos Cheer Team! Jenna is just finishing up her schooling in Red Deer, and is moving stuff into the house each week. Our basement is officially being transformed into a livable space not just storage...

Brett and I have been living vicariously through Jenna as she is pretty much a rock star now. The stories that she has from the cheer team already are pretty cool. Yesterday she had her first official photo shoot as an Esks girl!


Looking hot Jenna!