Baked Potato Casserole

This is my version of a recipe I got from my grandma. It had a few too many calories for my liking (not that this is too much better!!) Baked Potato Cassrole 6 -8 Yukon Gold potatoes cut in chunks, cooked until tender Water (this is replacing the milk you would use in regular mashed potatoes) + 2 tsp chicken bullion 4 oz low-fat Cream Cheese, softened 1/2 c Sour cream (can also substitute fat-free greek yogurt) 1 bunch Green Onions, Chopped 5-6 slices of bacon, cooked (I used turkey bacon) 2 c Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Grated 1/2 t pepper 3 tbs Butter, melted Cook bacon and cut fine. Set aside. Cook potatoes on stove until tender. Mash (you can leave some chunks if desired). Add water, chicken bullion, cream cheese, sour cream, and 3 tbs butter. Stir in green onions, bacon, and 1 cup cheese. Place in baking dish. May dot with additional butter if desired (I skipped this part), and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in 9X13 pan 45 min at 350'. May also warm in crockpot for 2-3 hours.

A Side Dish! It's POTATOES!!

I realized that I mostly post main dishes or desserts....but we can't just have a main dish without something to serve it with, right? And if our "main dish" is something simple or semi-boring (like hamburgers, or grilled chicken) it is nice to excite your dinner by adding a yummy side-dish. So, here are a few of our favorites:

Roasted Parmesan Potatoes
4 medium potatoes, peeled (can use red potatoes, or any kind you like)
1 tbs vegetable oil
3 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Slice potatoes in half, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place potatoes in medium bowl and toss with oil (or in a zip lock bag). Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Add herb/cheese mix to potatoes and toss to coat potatoes evenly. Arrange potatoes on prepared baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until potatoes are lightly browned and easily pierced with a knife, about 25 minutes.

Microwave Cheesy Potatoes
4 cups potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbs butter
3 tbs cornstarch
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (Cheddar, Colby or Monterrey jack)
1/2 cup sour cream, optional

Mix milk and cornstarch until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. Put in 2 qt glass microwave dish. Cook 15-20 minutes on high in microwave, stirring every 5-7 minutes. Add cheese, and sour cream if desired, and let stand 3-5 minutes to allow cheese to melt.

Scalloped Potatoes
6 potatoes, peeled and cut into disks
1/2 onion, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
shredded cheese, to taste

Place potatoes and onion in pot of water with a pinch of salt. Boil until barely tender, but not done. Mix potatoes with soup and desired amount of cheese. Microwave until bubbly.

Amish Breakfast Casserole

I got this one from the Tasteofhome website. My husband hates breakfast foods and he ate this all week for breakfast

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Amish-Breakfast-Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound sliced bacon, diced
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped ( I only put a 1/4 of an onion and it was good)
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
• 1-1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

Healthy Potato Salad

It's SUMMERTIME! Did you notice?! That means it is time to BBQ! Hooray! In honor of BBQ season, what are some of your favorite things to take to a BBQ?

I know one staple at BBQ's is Potato Salad. It's not my favorite thing, I'll be honest, but lots of people LOVE it! My cute next door neighbor invented a healthier version of potato salad...and it's delicious, so I thought I'd Share it with you!

Healthy Potato Salad
1 mini bag yellow or red Klondike Potatoes
1 Container 0% Fat Greek Fage Yogurt
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 1/2 TBS Dijon Mustart
1 Cup diced celery hearts
1/2 cup green onion
2 1/2 Tbsp. Frontier Bac'Uns (veggie bites)

Boil potatoes 8-10 minutes. Cool and slice into small thin circles, leaving the skin on. In a large bowl, mix all other ingredients and then add potatoes. Let chill in fridge one hour.

Ranch Potato Casserole

Sorry this only took me 2 months to post, Mindy!
But here it is!!

Ranch Potato Casserole
6 to 8 large red potatoes
1 C. sour cream
1 C. ranch dressing
1/4 C. bacon bits
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

topping:
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 C. crushed corn flakes

Directions:
1.) Peel and cut potatoes into 1" squares and boil until tender.
2.) Combine sour cream, dressing, bacon bits, parsley and cheese in a large bowl.
3.) Place potatoes in and gently toss.
4.) Top with the cheese and then the corn flakes.
5.) Bake at 350 for 35-40 min.