Loaded Potatoes: Pink Ribbon Recipe

Loaded Potatoes: Pink Ribbon Recipe

Hi everybody :)

The name alone grab my attention to this recipe. I LOVE loaded potatoes. Comfort food at it best. These loaded potatoes are made using red potatoes topped with mushrooms, ham, green onions, sour cream, and cheddar cheese so they are fully-loaded, for a main dish in minutes :)

This recipe may be a good choice for cancer patients because it is great for nausea, constipation, and for mouth sores without the onions and ham; three of the side effects of cancer treatments.

Loaded Potatoes adapted Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook

Prep Time: 15 Minutes      Start to Finish: 20 Minutes      4 servings
4 medium unpeeled red potatoes
1 package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms (3 cups)
3/4 cup chopped fully cooked ham (not shown) (I used packaged diced  ham)
8 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)(I use Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb Seasoning)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese (2 oz.) ricotta or mozzarella. (I used mild cheddar cheese)

1. Pierce potatoes with fork. On paper towel in microwave oven, arrange potatoes about 1 inch apart in circle. Microwave uncover on High 8 to to 10 minutes or until tender. (Or bake potatoes in 375 F oven 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.) Let potatoes stand until cool enough to handle.

2. Meanwhile, spray 4 Quart Dutch oven with cooking spray; heat over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in ham, green onions and red pepper. Cover, let stand 4 minutes. 

 














3. Split baked potatoes in half lengthwise; fluff with fork. Spread  1 tablespoon sour cream over each potato half. Top each with ham mixture and cheese.

High in potassium} excellent source of fiber

1 Serving Calories 300 (Calories from Fat 70); Total Fat 7% (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g): Cholesterol 30mg Sodium 550mg Potassium 130mg; Total Carbohydrate 41g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 16g % Daily Value Vitamin A 6%: Vitamin C 15%; Calcium 15%; Iron 15%; Folic Acid 20%; Magnesium 15%  Exchanges: 2 Starch, 2 Vegetable, 1/2 Lean Meat, 1/2 High-fat Meat Carbohydrate Choices 3

 



















What I Did and/or Think:
The only change I did to the recipe was used Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb Seasoning instead of cayenne pepper and mild cheddar cheese instead of sharp.

This Taste: Like I so before I LOVE loaded potatoes! Fully-Loaded, with diced ham too, makes this dish a GREAT REPEAT!

ENJOY! Come again...

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Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday! 
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen # 13 
Skip To My Lou: Made by you Monday 
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Pizza-Stuffed Potatoes: Pizza In A Spud

Pizza-Stuffed Potatoes: Pizza In A Spud

Hi everybody :)

Still working on my cookbook mission I mentioned in my earlier post here; I bring you another recipe from my collection, Pizza-Stuffed Potatoes. Similar to a pizza dough made using cooked potatoes in its crust, in this recipe, the potato itself served as the crust. Therefore, eliminating the dough out of pizza :)  hee..hee... When I saw this, I thought it was such a great idea I had to share it. So here we go...

Pizza-Stuffed Potatoes From: CREATIVE COOKS' KITCHEN COOKBOOK

You Will Need

FOR THE POTATOES
4 large baking potatoes
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced pepperoni, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small green pepper, cut in thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese ( I also added about 1/4 cup cheddar cheese)
2 tablespoons grated
Parmesan cheese

SERVES 4

PREPARING THE POTATOES
1. Preheat oven to 450°F Scrub the potatoes; pierce with a fork and rub with vegetable oil. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until fork tender, about 45 minutes.

 

 
2. Halve potatoes lengthwise and scoop out flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell with skin. Set flesh aside.

Hallowed -Out Potato

3. Chop 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni. Cut remaining slices in half; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, mash together the potato flesh, sour cream, salt and pepper; add chopped pepperoni.( I add about 1/4 cup cooked ground beef to this)

Potato Filling

5. Spoon potato mixture back into shells and arrange on baking sheet.

Potato Halves with Filling

6. Top potatoes with tomato sauce, mushrooms, green pepper snips, remaining pepperoni, mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. (It took me about 8-10 minutes)

Potato Halve Toppings

Variations:
Just as on a traditional pizza, you can vary the toppings on these stuffed potatoes for a whole new taste sensation.Try one of the following combinations:

TACO PIZZA: Browned ground beef, taco seasoning mix, salsa, diced green chilies, shredded Monterey Jack cheese

POLYNESIAN PIZZA: Pineapple chunks, ham or prosciutto, coconut 

VEGGIE PIZZA: Chopped roasted red peppers, eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes, grated Parmesan cheese

GOURMET PIZZA: Arugula, sliced artichoke hearts, sliced portabella mushrooms, sliced fontina cheese

GREEK PIZZA: Mini-shrimp, sliced Greek olives, crushed rosemary, crumbled feta cheese

PESTO PIZZA: Pesto, chopped fresh garlic, crumbled chevre cheese


What I think:
THESE WERE DELICIOUS!!! So glad I made them. I did add some ground beef to the potato filling and sprinkled a little cheddar cheese on top with the other cheeses. So this is definitely a repeat! You can also use this method and make Pizza-Stuffed Potato Skins!!!

UPDATE: These were soooo good I made them again, later tonight.

 


ENJOY! Come again...

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Gardening - Potatoes In A Barrel

Gardening - Potatoes In A Barrel

Potatoes In A Barrel

Hi everybody :)

Do you love gardening? I do. The only thing I don't love about gardening is weeding. While pinning on Pinterest, I  stumbled upon a solution ...Drum-roll: container gardening! For example, did you know you can grow potatoes in a barrel? I sure didn't. When I saw this Easy Gardening System I knew I had to give it a try. 


 UPDATE NEW PICTURES:
Luckily I had an barrel, so all I have to do was clean it,  and get the PVC pipe.  To start, drill circles in your barrel about the mouth of a small drinking cup, making sure to space them out.(Unlike  hubby did in this picture, we learned the hard way)

Next, you will need a PVC pipe about a few inches taller than your barrel, make sure to get one with a circumference wide enough for a water hose.

Drill holes in your PVC pipe so water can reach your plants. Place pipe in the center of barrel. Add soil to hold the pipe in place. Do not put any soil inside the pipe.  Start adding potatoes seedlings thorough the holes as you continue to add the soil.

You now have your very own easy garden system ! No more weeding, YEAH!!!

about 3 weeks old

I decided to plant White Superior and  Russet Potatoes. I bought my potato seedlings and soil. And went to work. I was so excited to see how this would turn out. The picture above is how it looked after about a few weeks.

2 months old

As the weeks and months went by ...my potatoes grew.... and  GREW! Soon it was so big and bushy. I had to get something to help me prop them up. I was afraid some of the plant would get so big that the weight from it hanging from the barrel would cause them to break.  Some of them did : (  This is how it look after about 2 months.

potatoes in about 4 months

Freezing Potatoes

freezing potatoes

 Freezing potatoes is very simple. To keep the potatoes at it best, you would want to blanch them as soon as possible.  According to Wikipedia: Blanching is a cooking process wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process. After blanching, you would want to put them in freezer bags or containers. I think the bags are better because you can squeeze out the air before closing them or you can vacuum-sealed them. 

freezing potatoes

For more info about freezing potatoes go here.

ENJOY! Come again....