Baked Potato Casserole

I love twice-baked potatoes but have never actually made them. I found this recipe for potato casserole, which is basically just the easy version of twice-baked potatoes, in casserole-form (with my additions in italics).

Baked Potato Casserole (from simplifysupper.com)

6 Small baking potatoes *I used 3 regular russet potatoes
.75 cup cottage cheese *I don't like cottage cheese, so I did 1/2 cottage cheese, 1/2 cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup sour cream *I used fat free and it worked just fine
1/2 cup cheddar or favorite mixed cheeses *I used cheddar and monterey jack
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika, optional

Scrub potatoes with a brush and pat dry. Pierce with a fork and cover each individual potato with aluminum foil, matte side facing out. Bake at 425 40 to 60 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Allow to cool slightly until they are cool enough to handle. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Then add cottage cheese, sour cream, garlic salt, and paprika. Mix well and add to a greased casserole dish. Add shredded cheese to top. Bake uncovered at 325 for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden.


It was delicious! When I showed my sister the recipe, she suggested using cream-of-whatever soup instead of cottage cheese (we both dislike cottage cheese - guess it runs in the pants!). Of course cottage cheese is slightly better for you than creamed soups, so I just decided to mix the 2 on a whim. You could still see the cottage cheese in the casserole but you couldn't taste it. And my husband suggested adding a little more sour cream because "sour cream is good on potatoes." (It was really good just how it was, but more sour cream probably wouldn't hurt either.)

Ruth's Casserole

Named Ruth's Casserole after my great grandmother, Ruth, whose recipe this is. Some people say it's like Shepherd's Pie, my husband called it Poor Man's Casserole, or Peasant Casserole...anyway, seems like a fairly popular recipe, and this is just one variation, but I love it and always have.

1 lb ground beef
3-4 potatoes (I usually use russet, but used red tonight and they worked just great)
1-2 cans green beans (My mom always used 2, I always use 1. I think 1 is plenty)
2 cans tomato soup (or, as discovered tonight, 1 can tomato soup and some milk. Not as flavorful, but still yummy)

Brown the beef while cooking the potatoes, either by boiling or in the microwave. Once they are cooked, peel (optional) and chop potatoes (bite-size chunks, not super small). Combine all ingredients and eat!

Makes 3-5 servings

Italian Chicken

Super easy.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast(s)
Italian dressing (I used low-fat)


Partially cook chicken in frying pan. Pour a little dressing over the top and finish cooking.

I served it with some rice on the side. It was delicious, and can it get any easier?


Nutrition Facts:

Serving size: 1/2 chicken breast

• Calories: 154.7

• Total Fat: 1.4 g
• Cholesterol: 65.7 mg
• Sodium: 1,033.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 6.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 26.2 g

Tomato-Cream Penne for 2

Super quick and easy, and delicious.

1/2 jar tomato pasta sauce
1/4 cup half-and-half
3 cups hot cooked penne

Mix and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese!

Twice Baked Potatoes for 2

2 potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 can cream of broccoli soup
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 2 hours. Remove, slide in half longways and scoop out insides. Mash with butter, sour cream, soup, and half of cheese. Add salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. Refill skins and top with remaining cheese. Return to oven for 15 minutes. Serve.

Hot Fudge Sauce

It's not really fudge, because it's rather thin, but it's yummy. (Summer has had it before, so she can be a witness. I love this stuff.) I got the recipe from my mom, who I think got it from her mom...I don't really know where it came from. Absolutely delicious on ice cream.

1 cup sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
dash of salt
2 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp white corn syrup
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients (except vanilla) in pan and cook 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla.

Ramen Shrimp and Vegetables - 20-Minute Recipe

Makes 4 servings

1 lb uncooked peeled deveined medium shrimp, thawed if frozen and tails peeled
2 cups water
1 package (3 oz) Oriental-flavored ramen noodle soup mix
1 bag (1 lb) fresh stir-fry vegetables (I use frozen and thaw them before use)
1/4 cup stir-fry sauce

Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp in skillet 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pink and firm. Remove shrimp from skillet. Keep warm.

Heat water to boiling in same skillet. Break up noodles from soup mix into water; stir until slightly softened. Stir in vegetables.

Heat to boiling. Boil 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in seasoning packet from soup mix and stir fry sauce. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot. Stir in shrimp.


210 calories per serving
4 g fat
160 mg chol.
1160 mg sodium
21 g carbs
22 g protein

Only takes 20 minutes to cook!

(I added a "nutrition facts" label and a "quick" label)

From Betty Crocker Cookbook, Bridal Edition