BUFFALO CHICKEN TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Who amongst us does not love a twice baked potato? Team it up with the makings for Buffalo Chicken and you will be doing a two-step around the kitchen shouting "OLE!"

4 russet baking potatoes
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Buffalo-style hot sauce
1 lb. skinned and boned chicken breasts-cut in chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons Buffalo-style hot sauce
2 tablespoons butter
Toppings: Sour cream, chopped green onions and diced cooked bacon

Bake potatoes on a baking sheet at 425 degrees. Cut in half lengthwise; spoon out pulp into large bowl, leaving shells intact. Stir together pulp, 3/4 cup of the shredded Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1 tablespoon hot sauce.
Spoon mixture evenly into potato shells; sprinkle tops evenly with remaining 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Return potatoes to baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and chili powder; cook in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 7 minutes or until chicken is browned, stirring often. Stir in vinegar, 3 tablespoons of hot sauce and butter; stir until blended and chicken is well coated. Cook 1 minute; remove skillet from heat. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over potatoes. Serve with desired toppings.
Serves 8

"Twice baked potatoes make me smile, and this particular version can be a meal in itself with a side of green salad."~Adele Forbes

HONEY MUSTARD KIELBASA & POTATOES

The flavors of this dish are wonderful. Use two red potatoes and two sweet potatoes if you would like as opposed to all red potatoes.

3/4 cup beer, chicken broth, or dry white wine
1/4 cup Grey Poupon Savory Honey Mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 l. kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, sliced


Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended. Combine remaining ingredients in roasting pan Drizzle with wine mixture; toss to coat. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.
Serves 6

1 potato 2 potato 3 potato 4

OVEN-FRIED ZUCCHINI

Zucchini may not be the most loved vegetable on the planet but it has its place on the table...this is one of my favorite ways to prepare it.

3 cups (1/4-inch) sliced zucchini
2 tablespoons fat-free Italian dressing
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine zucchini and Italian dressing, tossing to coat well. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and paprika in shallow dish. Dredge zucchini in breadcrumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet which has been lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes.
Serves 4

OVEN-ROASTED BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Sinful is what I call these bundles of spring time pleasure. Enjoy paired next to beef tenderloin or a leg of lamb with rosemary roasted potatoes.

2 lbs. small asparagus spears, ends trimmed with vegetable parer
1 lb. good bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar/Splenda blend
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Divide the asparagus into 12 bundles. Wrap one slice of bacon around the center of each bundle, slightly overlapping as you go from about an inch from the bottom of the tips, secure with a toothpick. Place in a baking dish.

Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the asparagus and roast in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the asparagus begins to weep and the bacon is cooked.

Remove the toothpicks before serving. Serves 6 (2 bundles per serving)

SPINACH ARTICHOKE BAKE (Submitted by Ricky Allen Fortune)

THIS IS GREAT SPINACH-ARTICHOKE BAKE U WILL NEED 2{10-OUNCE} PACKAGES OF FROZEN CHOPPED SPINACH 1{141/2-OUNCE} CAN ARTICHOKE HEARTS. UNDRAINED 1/2 CUPS FINELY CHOPPED ONION 1/4CUPS OF BUTTER OR MARGARINE. MELTED 1{8-OUNCE} OF SOUR CREAM 1/4 TEASPOON SALT. 1/4 TEASPOON PEPPER 1/2 CUPS OF FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE. ...DIVIDED. COOK SPINACH ACCORDING TO PACKAGE DIRECTIONS DRAIN WELL. PRESSING BETWEEN LAYERS OF PAPER TOWELS TO REMOVE EXCESS MOISTURE; SET ASIDE. DRAIN ARTICHOKE HEARTS. RESERVING 1/4 CUP OF LIQUID. CHOP ARTICHOKE HEARTS SAUTE ONION IN BUTTER IN A LARGE SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HEAT UNTIL TENDER. GENTLY STIR IN SPINACH. ARTICHOKES HEARTS, RESERVED LIQUID, SOUR CREAM, CREAM, SALT, PEPPER, AND 1/4 CUP PARMESAN CHEESE SPOON INTO A LIGHTLY GREASED 1/1/2-QUART CASSEROLE; DISH SPRINKLE WITH REMAINING 1/4 CUP PARMESAN CHEESE. BAKE UNCOVERED, AT 350FOR 25 TO 3O MINUTES. MAKES 6 SERVINGS IT IS SO GOOD. U NEED TO TRY IT,

BAKED ARTICHOKE RISOTTO

Artichokes can be intimidating, but don't allow that to happen in your kitchen. They are actually easy to prepare in the end, and the result is always worth it. This recipe uses fresh or frozen hearts of the artichoke. Frozen makes it way easy. Use what you have.

1 small onion, finely chopped.
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
8 oz of mushrooms, quartered.
2 cups of Arborio rice.
12 oz of artichoke hearts (fresh or frozen), quartered.
5 cups of vegetable stock.
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a suitably sized skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms; sauté for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and 1 cup of hot vegetable stock. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pour the rice mixture into a shallow 2 quart baking dish. Add the remaining broth and stir to combine.

Bake for 1 hour, checking occasionally for dryness. If needed, add a little water to moisten the rice.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, then bake another 10 minutes.

Serve hot.
Serves 4 to 6

“Remind me to tell you about the time I looked into the heart of an artichoke.”~
Bette Davis as Margo Channing in 'All About Eve' (1950)

SNOW PEAS WITH PINE NUTS (Dated Dec. 7th, 2009)

A delicate, sweet vegetable , one of my very favorites. An excellent accompaniment to FUZZY NAVEL CHICKEN.

1 lb. fresh snow peas, trimmed
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add snow peas then add water; stir and cover. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Add pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper and cook a little bit longer, until snow peas are crisp tender.
Serves 4.

"Being pretty on the inside means you don't hit your brother and you eat all your peas - that's what my grandma taught me."u r 2 sweet~Lord Chesterfield

EGG NOODLES with CABBAGE and ONIONS

This simple dish makes a great side for pot roast or roast chicken.

1 1/2 lb. cabbage,cut crosswise into 1/2-inch wide strips
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups chopped sweet onion
5 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4-oz. wide egg noodles (about 2 1/2 cups)

Toss cabbage with salt in a large bowl and let stand, tossing occasionally, 45 minutes. Squeeze cabbage by handfuls to remove as much liquid as possible. Cook onion in 4 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cabbage, sugar and pepper, then cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove heat and increase heat to medium high, then cook, stirring frequently, until onion and cabbage are golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

While cabbage is browning, cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well and add to browned cabbage along with the remaining tablespoon butter, then cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is completely melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4.

"Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep."~Carl Sandberg

ONION SHORTCAKE

“The onion and its satin wrappings is among the most beautiful of vegetables and is the only one that represents the essence of things. It can be said to have a soul.”~Charles Dudley Warner, My Summer in a Garden (1871)

2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/2 stick butter
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (8oz.) pkg. corn muffin mix
1 (15-oz.) can cream-style corn
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 egg
4 drops Tabasco sauce

Saute the onion in the butter in a skillet until translucent. Stir in the sour cream, dill weed, salt and half the cheese. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour into a buttered 8X11 baking dish. Layer the onion mixture over the corn mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until heated through.
Serves: 8 to 10

MASHED POTATO CASSEROLE

Serve this delicious potato casserole with your next steak or roast. Delicate layers of mashed potatoes, sauteed onions, mushrooms and sour cream make it extra special. I have been making this for 28 years and it has never failed to please.

4 medium baking potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup hot milk
1/2 cup sour cream
melted butter
paprika

Peel potatoes and cut in large pieces and boil.

Saute onions in butter until yellow. Add drained mushrooms (reserve liquid) and cook about 2 minutes. Remove onions and mushrooms, leaving butter. When potatoes are completely cooked, drain and whip lightly with mixer. Add mushroom juice, butter left in skillet, and enough milk to make the right consistency of mashed potatoes. Season to taste.

In a shallow 10X6 buttered casserole, spread a thin layer of potatoes, cover with a thin layer of onion and mushrooms, and a layer of sour cream. Repeat. End with layer of potatoes. Brush top with melted butter. Sprinkle with paprika.
May be made ahead. Can be frozen before cooking.

When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes until heated through and bubbly.
Serves 6 to 8.

"Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat." ~Fran Lebowitz

SPICY TATER WEDGES

Have been making these since my children were little and that has been awhile back. They are crisp and spicy and delicious.

6 medium to large potatoes
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Mix flour and spices. Scrub potatoes, leaving the peel on. Cut into wedges. Put 4 or 5 wedges in a plastic bag with the flour mixture and coat. Melt butter in a pan and add coated wedges. Bake for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees. Turn after 15 minutes.

“Pray for peace and grace and spiritual food,
For wisdom and guidance, for all these are good,
but don't forget the potatoes.”
John Tyler Pettee

HOW TO COOK AN ARTICHOKE

It is said that a person who goes from love affair to love affair has a "heart like an artichoke," scattering leaves right and left. Eat this vegetable slowly, as there is something ritualistic about the process of stripping the artichoke, and removing its leaves one by one to dip them in a dressing of oil, lemon, salt and pepper and then share them with your lover.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim the chokes. Cut off the stalk, right to the bottom of the bulb part.
Now cut off the top thistle ends, about one-fourth to one-third down from the top.
Open in the flower, spread the leaves out. Next place the choke in the boiling water, cover with lid, reduce heat to simmer, and steam for 30 to 40 minutes (depending on size) -- they are done when the leaves pull away easily. Drain and then cool. They are best when served cold.


Peel off a leaf, dip the bottom, inside (grayish pulpy) into the sauce lightly. Place it practically all the way to the hilt in your open mouth.
Close mouth, with teeth lightly together on the leaf, and pull the leaf out, scraping the soft underside of the leaf off so it stays in your mouth, while the fibery rest of the leaf comes out as you pull. Now move it around in your mouth like a good wine, make full on contact with your taste buds, chew, and swallow, and you're doing it!

Continue around, leaf by leaf, as they get smaller, and you come to the inedible hair like thistles. Take those out, just lift them up and out of the button bottom.
Eat the bottom. Break off pieces, and dip. Some claim this is the best part.

Sauce: Mix olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper together. This is very exquisite when eating an artichoke. Also, set out a small bowl of good mayonnaise.

OVEN-ROASTED ASPARAGUS IN WALNUT OIL

I love asparagus any way that you cook it, but I especially love it roasted. Nut oils are very flavorful as is toasted sesame oil. Either will work well in this enthusiastic dish.

2 dozen asparagus spears, washed & dried on paper towels
walnut oil
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Trim the lower third of the ends with a vegetable peeler, as you would a carrot. Toss them on a baking sheet in enough of the walnut oil to cover. Place in a single layer on same sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes or until just crisp-tender. Do not over cook, no one likes for his spear to be wilted.
Serves 2

"He who boils asparagus and then fries them in fat, adding egg yolks and powdered condiments, and eats this dish daily, will see his desire and his powers considerably fortified."~Sheikh Nefzawi from 'The Perfumed Garden'

BOURBON SWEET POTATOES WITH PECANS (Dated Nov. 25th, 2009)

Jolene Carpenter wrote: Adele; here is one of my fav recipes I make every year for my friends and they can't do without it! It's delicious, but sweet, so I cut the sugar a little and sometimes use pine nuts, sunflower seeds and other nuts in addition to pecans. Enjoy! Jolene

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes With Pecans

Either the light pale or darker variety of sweet potatoes can be used. (If you prefer, you can drink the bourbon and add 1 tablespoon of water.)

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), unpeeled and scrubbed

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

¼ cup water

¼ teaspoon salt

1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon or water

¼ cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prick the potatoes with the tines of a fork or the tip of a sharp knife several times. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. When cool, peel and slice lengthwise into quarters. Place in a lightly sprayed or oiled 8-by-10-inch baking dish.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-heat, combine the remaining ingredients except the bourbon and pecans and stir until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the bourbon. Pour the mixture over the potatoes. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Turn and sprinkle with the pecans. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Serves 6.

This recipe was submitted by one of my dearest friends EVER Ms. Jo Carpenter. Her brother is Mike Carpenter, who graduated in my class of 1974. Jo now lives in Eugene, Oregon, and makes me homesick every time I see her pics for a land I have never seen. We went to France together also in 1974 with the French Club, and ended up 'buddying up' and the rest is history. I've said it before and pardon me while I say it one more time..."Precious memories how they linger!"

Thank you Jo for sharing your special, and I do mean special, sweet potato casserole with all of us. But most of all, thank you for the special friendship we have shared through all these golden years.

"A friend is a gift you give yourself."-Somebody said that before me

PRALINE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

If you love a rich, silky praline as i always have, then you will most definately love this take on the sweet potato casserole.

4 cups mashed cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup half-and-half
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. brandy extract
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. each of ground cinnamon and ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine first 11 ingredients; spoon into a lightly greased 11-X-7-inch baking dish.
Combine the 1/3 cup brown sugar and remaining 3 ingredients; sprinkle evenly over potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serves 8

"I'm at last able to stretch out on my patio in southern Germany on an afternoon of rare sunlight on the Swabian Alb, and have opened your book like a box of fine pralines, full of anticipation and the sure knowledge that I have made an excellent purchase!" -Gabriele Glang, artist and writer; the book: "Tea with Sister Anna: A Paris Journal", by Susan Gilbert Harvey
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MUSHROOM STUFFED LETTUCE IN BROTH

I personally think that this is one of the best things I have ever had the pleasure of eating in my entire life. If you are a vegetarian use vegetable broth instead of meat.

1 lb. shiitake mushrooms
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh marjoram, or 1 tsp. dried
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large head romaine lettuce
4 cups meat broth
4 slices crusty bread, toasted in oven and brushed with olive oil

Finely chop the mushrooms in food processor. Fry in the olive oil with garlic and marjoram for 10 minutes, over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Mash ricotta with eggs, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, mixing well.
Discard outer leaves of lettuce and separate the rest. Place in boiling water for just a few seconds until they soften, then drain. Open each carefully, put a heaping tablespoon of filling at one end and roll up towards the end where the rib is thickest, tucking in the sides so the filling does not fall out.
Pack rolls in large pot. Bring the broth to a boil and pour over the rolls; simmer for 10 minutes. Serve in soup bowls on the toasted bread with some of the broth poured over the top. Yum Yum eat um up.
Serves 4

"He is of the race of the mushroom; he covers himself altogether with his head."-Platus

NACHO POTATOES

Very easy and deliciously satisfying.

5 lg. potatoes-sliced
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. butter-cut into cubes
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
1/2 cup each of remaining ingredients:
chopped mushrooms
chopped green onions
chopped green bell pepper
shredded Cheddar cheese
shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
sour cream
guacamole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a shallow baking dish.
Neatly arrange, overlapping if necessary, potato slices in the baking dish. Add water, dot with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil and bake 20 minutes.
While potatoes are baking, heat oil in large skillet and saute mushrooms, onions, and green pepper until softened but not mushy. After the potatoes have baked for 20 minutes, sprinkle the cooked vegetables over them and sprinkle with the cheeses. Continue baking, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Serve with the sour cream and guacamole on the side.
Serves 6 to 8

"Let the sky rain potatoes."-William Shakespeare

BEV'S GARLICKY GREEN BEANS

My neighbor and friend Bev Staring has shared with us another wonderful recipe, anything she cooks is good but if she tells you it's really good; it is really, really, really good!

1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium head of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 (14.5 oz. cans) green beans, drained or fresh
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)

Melt butter in large skillet, stir in olive oil & garlic, saute over low heat until garlic is slightly browned.
Stir in green beans & season w/ salt & pepper. Cook until beans are tender,
turn off heat & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

SO YUMMY! My brother in law thinks this is all about the fresh beans I have in the garden..........I've given him the canned before....not a clue...still a hero!
Even Jaymason, mr picky...loves these..

COOKS NOTE: Thanks again Bev for sharing and don't be shy, keep sending these excellent recipes.

"The friend is the Woman who knows all about you, and still likes you."~Elbert Hubbard, The Notebook, 1927

BEV'S WAY WAY YUMMY CORN CASSEROLE

Like I've said before, Bev is my girlfriend and we are neighbors and partners in crime alot of the time. She can cook as mean as me, put us together and 'bar the door' Katy! She explained to me that this is 'extremely awesome'...her words, and requested over and over..I haven't had the pleasure yet, but you can bank on it that I will.

2 cans cream style corn
1 (8oz) carton sour cream
half cup melted butter (1 stick)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 pkg. Jiffy cornbread mix
salt & pepper to taste

In large bowl, combine all ingredients except for half of the cornbread mix...3/4 cup. Stir together, and pour into a buttered 9x 13 dish. Sprinkle remaining half of cornbread mix on top. Bake 350 degree's for 30 to 40 minutes or until top is golden brown on top. Makes 6 to 8 servings

“Neither the Internet nor cyberspace will ever be a safe haven for individuals who attempt this type of cyber crime. The Secret Service, along with our law enforcement partners, will hunt you down, keystroke by keystroke.”~Brian Marr

SAUTEED ONIONS AND MUSHROOMS

Serve these onions and mushrooms over cube steak or a big fat juicy rib-eye.

2 large sweet onions, sliced
1 lb. whole fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
soy sauce to taste
garlic powder to taste
Italian seasoning to taste
pepper and seasoned salt to taste
sherry to taste (optional)

Cut each onion slice in half. Place mushrooms on cutting board, cap side down; cut into quarters through stems. Heat large skillet over high heat; add butter and onion; saute quickly until onions are soft. Add mushrooms; add all other ingredients to taste. Stir quickly over high heat. Cook until done, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6.


"When I behold a fashionable table set out in all its magnificence, I fancy that I see gouts and dropsies, fevers and lethargies, with other innumerable distempers lying in ambuscade among the dishes. Nature delights in the most plain and simple diet. Every animal but man keeps to one dish. Herbs are the food of this species, fish of that, and flesh of a third. Man falls upon everything that comes in his way; not the smallest fruit or excrescence of the earth, scarce a berry or a mushroom can escape him."~Joseph Addison