We were out of town for Christmas, so we had it a little late. :)

A lovely brunch of mimosas, hashbrown casserole and Brunch Egg Casserole.

(I forgot to snap a picture before I started serving!)

I also got Twain’s Feast for Christmas!

I hope everyone had wonderful holidays and a fantastic New Year.  In 2011, hopefully you’ll see more posts!

So, I made my baked potato soup last night (and had more for lunch today) and I’ve decided there is something just not quite right with it.  It’s certainly not bad, but there is something a tiny bit off.  I keep coming back to the basil & thyme.  Maybe it just doesn’t need them and the salt & pepper is enough?  Throw in some celery with the onions & garlic to add a bit more in the aromatics department to offset any “loss” from the basil & thyme?

I’ll have to keep that in mind the next time around.  And to cut the recipe in half because it makes WAY too much for two people!

FROM SCRATCH!!!!!!!!!!!  This is not something that has worked well for me in the past, which is why I’m so excited.  They were AWESOME.

Took 2 russet potatoes, peeled & chopped up into SMALL pieces and put them in boiling water. (I had thrown some onions and crushed garlic in the water before bringing it to a boil.)

Brought it back to a boil and then boiled for 10 minutes.

Drained them, threw them back into the pot for a few minutes to steam off any leftover liquid, and then put them through my nifty potato ricer.

Mixed in about 3Ts of butter and a couple spoonfuls of sour cream.

Put it all in a casserole dish and put it back in the microwave for about a minute and a half (the sour cream cooled things off.)

Topped with some cheddar jack cheese and put it under the broiler for a few minutes.

Awesome.  REALLY AWESOME.

I really do.  When I gave my brother a choice of baked or fried potatoes with dinner and he chose baked, I certainly couldn’t argue it.

So easy, so simple, so good.  Prep time of a whole 2 minutes of washing them off, poking them a couple times with a fork and tossing in a pan. An hour in the oven at 400 degrees and that’s that.  Even twice baked are easy, another 5 minutes of mashing them up and a couple minutes back under the broiler.

They’re healthy (even with toppings – just don’t use an entire pint of sour cream) and easy and one of my favorite sides.

All hail the lovely baking potato!

online casinoBacon Wrapped Potato Bites

How on earth could I have not thought of this before now????

Thanks, Apartment Therapy!

The pot roast is in the oven, but not without some minor worries.

The searing went OK, next time I need to use the larger skillet I have.

Rubbed it in S&P and some minced garlic before searing. Into the dutch oven, added the potatoes, carrots & onions.

Added about 1/2 bottle of beer (Guinness) and then equal parts chicken & beef stock, until the meat was about 1/2 covered. Could be too much liquid, we’ll know for sure later!

Into the oven at 250 degrees (yes, you’re reading that right.) Decided to go with low & slow. (I have a friend that does his at 200 degrees for most of the day with the veggies in from the start. However, given my relatively late start, I figured 250 would speed it up somewhat, but not make it too fast.) Mainly, I wanted to put all the veggies in now rather than trying to guess at when a good time would be to put them in.

The biggest problem is that I couldn’t get the meat thermometer to sit properly in the pot with the lid on… So, I’ll check the temp in an hour and then every 30 minutes. Given that it’s only a 2# roast, hopefully we’ll be eating before 8PM.

More than anything, I just want it to taste good and be as good as Mom made.

The original is over at Allrecipes.com, and below is my version. It’s more of a thick soup consistency to me, and great in the winter. Though I normally eat it “naked”, I’m betting it’s one of those soups that would be good with a dollop of sour cream on top. There is a nice heat to it, but not to the extent that you won’t be able to taste anything else for the rest of the evening. The jalepeno cornbread I snagged at the market worked well with it, but I think plain cornbread would be perfect for the next time.

Also, if chopping onions and garlic while standing next to open containers of crushed red pepper and cumin doesn’t clear your sinuses – you need to see a doctor.

It really hit the spot, and will be making a repeat appearance tomorrow evening. (It’s just as good, if not a touch better the next day!) A small container has been stashed in the freezer for future colds. ;)

Full recipe and another pic after the jump.

1.5-2 T butter or oil for browning
1.5# chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 c. chopped onion
1-1.5 c. chicken broth (divided, need 1 c. minimum)
1 4oz can chopped green chiles*
1-3 15oz cans Great Northern Beans (depends on how much you like beans – I start w/1 can and add if needed)
1-2 small white potatoes, diced (optional – if you don’t like potatoes, then go with more beans)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 t ground cumin
1.5 t dried oregano
1 t cilantro
1/2 t crushed red pepper

Brown chicken in melted butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cook over medium low heat until onions are translucent/tender. Transfer to colander and let drain.

Add 1 c. of the chicken broth & the chiles to the pot, bring to a boil.

Stir in the spices, 1 of the cans of beans (with the liquid), the potatoes and the chicken/onion/garlic. Bring to a boil again and let boil for 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 30 minutes.

Check it at about the 15 minute point, if too thick, add some of the remaining chicken stock, if too thin, add some of the remaining beans. If after 30 minutes it’s too thick/thin, you can still add the beans or broth then and just let it go another 15 minutes or so. Thick/thin is totally your call – just get to the consistency you like. If you think it’s too spicy, add more of the beans.

Tonight when it hit the 15 minute point, I decided it needed more liquid, but also wanted it a touch thicker – but it had plenty of beans in it already. So, I defrosted some frozen stock I had in a small saucepan, added more spicing to it, and whisked in some cornstarch and added all that to the main pot. Result: more liquid and just the right thickness.

Any leftover chicken broth can be frozen and used later.

*Whole green chiles are fine, just make sure you realize you’re getting whole ones so you’re not doing a mad dash slice & dice when you open the can and realize they’re not already chopped. :)

Bubbling goodness:

3 T butter
1 c diced onion
1-2 cloves minced garlic
2 T AP flour
4 c chicken broth
2 c water
1/4 c cornstarch
1 1/2 c instant potato flakes
1 t salt
3/4 t pepper
1/2 t basil
1/8 t thyme
1 c half & half
2 potatoes
1 can corn (optional)
1 c diced ham (optional)
Garnish
Shredded cheddar cheese
chives, chopped
Bacon, cooked & crumbled

Bake potatoes @400 degrees for 1 hour, let cool and chop into bite sized cubes. (Skin on/off, your choice)

Melt butter, saute onions & garlic until tender, add flour for roux.

Add everything except the potatoes, half & half, ham and corn.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add potatoes, half & half, corn & ham, bring to a boil again, reduce heat to low and let simmer another 15 minutes.

Garnish with the cheese, chives & bacon