Twice Baked Potatoes

Alright, first off, you need to bake your potatoes the first time. Clean you potatoes well, poke holes in them, and then bake them. Baking times and temps may vary but I bake at 350 for about an hour and a half.

When they are done baking, pull them out of the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes.

When they have cooled enough that you can bare to touch them, cut a hole in the top. Be sure not to cut too deep.

Peel off the potato skin and scoop out the insides into a bowl.

Add milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste, as though you were making mashed potatoes. You don't want it too runny, though. Go for creamy, yet a little thick.

Mix well with a hand mixer, or however you do it. I really don't know any other way to do it, but I'm sure there's some tribe in Africa that mashes their potatoes some other way...

When the potatoes taste right, add cheese and mix it again. This is the best part!

Then scoop the mixture back into the potato skins, ever so carefully. If the skins ripped, it's ok, this mixture kind of sticks things back together...

Then top with cheese and back into the oven again. The temp and time depend on what else you've got cooking. This can go in and cook along with anything. Just watch it until the cheese is melted and beautiful...

And if you are under 2, this is how you eat it..."Show me how the piggies eat..."

Biscuits

OK - for those who wanna try making your own here is a classic recipe. No need to use a muffin.

Biscuits Ingredients:

Two cups of flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of sugar (can add more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 stick of butter, cold (8 tablespoons)

3/4 cup of buttermilk, cream or half-and-half

Method:Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Cut the stick of butter into pieces, and work into the flour mixture with your hands or a pastry blender until it resembles pea-sized crumbs. Add the liquid, mixing until a bit loose and sticky. Pour dough out on a floured surface, and knead for a minute. Dough should be smooth and no longer wet.

You can sprinkle more flour on the surface if you find it’s sticking. Take dough into a ball, and hit it with a rolling pin, turning it and folding it in half every few whacks. Do this for a couple of minutes.

Roll out dough until it’s 1/4 of an inch thick, and then fold it in half. Using a round cutter (can use a glass or a cup if don’t have a biscuit cutter) cut out your biscuits from folded dough. Place on a greased baking sheet close together (so they rise up not out), and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.Makes 10-12 biscuits.
If you don’t want to roll and cut them out, after kneading and beating the dough you can drop the dough onto the baking sheet with a spoon. They’re not as symmetrical (dropped biscuits are also known as cat head biscuits) but they’re no less delicious.

Golden Rod Eggs

This is my ultimate comfort food-and all the pictures are mine! This was a favorite breakfast item from my childhood, that I just figured out how to integrate it into my dinner menu, cause that's how I roll...

First you need to get some eggs boiling. The number depends on how many you are feeding and how big their appetites are. In my family of 4, I cook 4 eggs. Most people know how to hard boil eggs, but for those with questions, I boil for 15 minutes. Works every time.

Next you need to get your biscuits in the oven. The eggs and the biscuits take the longest to cook. I cheat and use the store bought, put in the oven kind...

(Watch out they POP!)

For you over achievers, I'm sure you can make biscuits homemade, you just won't find those instructions here...

Next we'll work on the gravy. I cheat here too. I know that white gravy is simple to make, but I've never mastered gravy at all, so when my sister told me about packets you can buy, I'm thinking why not...

You do have to be sure to stir well, so you don't burn the bottom and I do add salt and pepper to taste. When I was done with it, it tasted just like my dad used to make...

Next after checking that your biscuits aren't burning, your eggs should be done. When they are, after enough time has elapsed, run cold water over them so you can shell them. When you shell them, separate the yolk into a bowl, and the whites get cut up and mixed unto the gravy.

Smash up yolks with a fork and get cheese. As I've admitted a few times I'm a cheater, I buy my cheese already grated, if this isn't the case at your house, then you've got more work to do...

Now comes the best part of all and that's assembly... Take a biscuit, split it in half and set it on your plate. Put some gravy on each side. Put some cheese on that, and sprinkle some egg yolk on that, and you get the finished product...

My husband said this was the happiest I've looked at dinner time in a long time...

Iron Chef Ramen

The following is a blog I did on 360 called Iron Chef, which was basically a recipe sharing blog. this is the first one I did.

Ok...by now everyone knows my love for reality TV...even if some of you HATE it! But this is my little, tiny tribute to my favorite cooking show.

I would like to know if anyone has any recipes they would like to share with my secret ingredient. Now being a single mother, you won't find any Alaskan King Crab here in my stadium kitchen.(also a seafood hater!) But please if you have a recipe to share I would appreciate it.

Now this ingredient is loved by college students and single moms nationwide, what else can you buy by the case for under $4.00. My mom gave me this kick ass recipe and I am not sure if it is Thai...I do know it is vegetarian and delicious. So first I will reveal my secret ingredient...and then my mom's recipe.

My secret ingredient is:

Ramen Noodles!!

Allez Cuisine!

Now Here Is My Mom's Recipe:

Spicy Peanut Sauce and Ramen

2 pkgs. Ramen (throw the spice packets away)

1 pkg tofu (don't ask me what size...I am assuming small, I never buy it...my mom makes it and I eat it.

Peanut butter. (to taste)

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Just a little soy sauce (to make it more "saucy", or you can use water)

chopped cucumbers and green onions (to serve as a topping)

I am sure you all know how to cook the noodles, so I will leave that alone. (Just remember to drain them :)

In a sauce pan on medium heat you add the tofu and half a jar of peanut butter...let cook , adding the soy sauce or water to break it down a little and let simmer.

While simmering add peanut butter and cayenne pepper to taste. Remember this is to be kind of spicy.

When it's saucy baby, pour over cooked noodles and sprinkle on the chopped cucumber and green onion. YUMM!

Ok, if you don't think this sounds good, just try it. I am not a vegetarian...just a wannabe but hey, I love this. I'm so cheap I eat it at my mom's house!

If you have a creative, original Ramen noodle recipe give me a holla...cuz times is hard! Times is hard! lol

PS-if you post it on your blog let me know, so I can link it or you can post it in the comments.

Wow! You people are awesome, so here is a list of the recipes in the comments so far;

• Rala with Ramenroni and Cheese
• Kimmie with Top Ramen Pizza
  
  
  
• AL with Chopped Hot Dog and Ramen Stew, of course!
• Mrs. K with Cheesy Ramen with Chicken and Veggies
• Alissa with her brother's Secret Ramen Omelette
• bigdaddycc with Better Than Sex Homemade Brownies (Sans Ramen Noodles mind you!)
• Janelle with Oriental Salad...it looks good.
• Jeff with Ramen Noodles, with Veggies and Scallops
• I knew if I begged Joe he would come up with a masterpiece so here is the chef of 360's Ramen Frittata with Ham and Cheese
• Miss T with an Unnamed Authentic Greek Noodle Recipe
• Karin, "Miss 12 steps Ahead of Me"...already posted one in her blog so click on it to try -Poor Folk Recipe #1, Ramen with Assorted Goodies.
• Eddo's Famous Lazy Noodles with poached egg and milk (in comments)
• And check out whip's link to 101 recipes.
  
  
  
  
• Any in blogs I will link.

free hit counters

See the recipes here

Braised Lamb Shanks with fresh Rosemary

O how I love Lamb in all it's incarnations. Any serious thought to becoming a vegetarian goes out the window at the prospect of giving up Lamb. I buy frozen New Zealand shanks and in some places you can find fresh ones. They are expensive.

Here is a simple but O so yummy way to make shanks.

Browning and braising lamb shanks renders this delightful piece of lamb into a tender meal. The slow roasting tends to remove the lamb aroma some find offensive. Serve with rice or mashed potato to soak up the wonderful sauce.

4 lamb shanks (about 1kg)
salt and pepper
flour for dredging
oil for sautéing
2 onions chopped
10 cloves of garlic, halved, sprout removed and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
750 ml red wine
1 large can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 can each chicken and beef stock
3 stalks fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Salt and pepper the lamb shanks and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat oil in heavy bottom Dutch oven.
Brown shanks on all sides and remove .
Add onion, carrots and garlic and sauté until browned and softened.
Add wine tomatoes and stocks.
Add in rosemary and thyme.
Add shanks back into Dutch oven.
Bring to boil, cover and transfer into a 300 degree oven.
Slow roast in oven for 2 hours
Remove shanks from pot and keep warm.
Bring sauce to boil and reduce for 10 to 15 minutes (this will intensify the flavour and thicken the sauce)
Spoon sauce over lamb shanks and serve with rice or mash potato.

Some people hate Lamb.. all I can say is "all the more for me"!

Bannock

This is a huge resource of many Native versions of Bannock plus some other interesting tid-bits. Pictures and everything.
Bannock Awareness
Printed In Celebration of National Aboriginal Day

Indian Tacos from the lil Indian Girl

Sorry to repost this on yet a third blog, but I really feel the need to contribute something here.

Before I start...let me say this. If you are on a diet, don't attempt. If you don't eat meat..don't attempt. If you avoid carbs...bye. If you don't eat beans...see you later. If you are watching your cholesterol level...keep blog hopping.

Now because I blogged my whole blog yesterday and it went poof in thin air...bear with me and try not to comment. I am blogging this is pieces. I also have to warn, I don't use measuring cups. I have some, but I just make my bread, tha way I do. So...this is very untraditonal for a very tradional recipe. Ok that was a lie, it's not traditional at all. Fry Bread was invented after Indians were forced on to reservations and were issued rations of flour, lard, etc. And the taco part, c'mon...not traditional. Just the most wonderful invention ever (besides Derek S. Jeter.)

OK Neddy, I will shut up and get on with it.

First this pic is everything you need for the bread part of the recipe. This is what makes the Indian in Indian taco.

See how easy that was...I didn't have to write down anything.

Now this is everything you need for the Taco part. Note the avacado, not needed, I love them. The sour cream, black olives and hot sauce, are up to the eater. The 6 pack was just mine to make the experience more enjoyable. Also there was some game on at the time. I forget who was playing though.

First off you mix half the bag of flour, 4 palmfuls of instant milk, 2 palmfuls of sugar (forgot that in the pic) and 2 pinches of salt. Mix it well then make a well in the center of the flour mix. I use the bottom of a glass to do this.

Next pour warm water in the well. I don't know what temperature, if you work with yeast you should know. I just know really warm not too hot. something you would bathe in. I added 2 and 1/2 coffee cups which 1 coffee cup equals 1 1/4 cup in your world...do the math.

Next you mix 2 packet of yeast in the well of water. Stir this carfully as to not get any flour from the sides into this. I also put a capful of vegetable oil in this, a sort of FryBread Softener. Stir the yeast well. then you wait for it to activate.

It took one whole inning of the baseball game for me to wait until the yeast activated. If you don't know how it looks activated just think of the foam on top of beer when it is poured in a glass. Next you mix in the flour slowly from around the side. There will not be enough water to make a good dough, so you have to add more warm water. this part always ends up different, every time i make it. So I add more water to make the mixture more sticky at first. When it gets to the point of being too sticky you can then add flour. Don't add too much, but just enough to make it look like this. (This pic was kneaded a little and put in a bowl that I coated with veggie oil.)

Too much flour will not allow the dough to rise correctly so remember less is more. And yes your hand will be full of the dough. this is where the beer comes in. I watched about 5 and 1/2 innings of baseball before my dough was ready. I covered the above pic with a dish towel and put it in my oven (the oven was not on.) After 5/12 innings of baseball, it looked like this.

You will need to add more flour as you knead this time. you can choose to let it rise again, i don't know what that does but my kids were hovering and I had to cook them. Now I rolled mine out pretty thin, because I trusted my dough. I knew they would fry up thicker. I don't know if you can see in the pic, but the dough looks bubbly, that is when you know you have good bread and it will fry thicker. I make mine plate size and will show a pic of one frying. Remember your shortening has to be hot before you start. As for how much let me show you a pic. It is alot, if you think it's gross then you never worked fast food.

You will know it is hot enough when you throw a little flour in and it sizzles and disappears. Here is the bread frying...hence Fry Bread.

I don't know how long you cook them, to about this color. the hamburger mixture was easy, brown it, add the taco seasoning and chili beans. My kids grandma soaks her beans all night and has them ready the next day...me I don't have time. I add two cans of chili beans.

My sous chefs...uh I mean kids did all the slicing, dicing, and chopping.

And Alas...there it is....The Infamous Indian Taco

So not healthy for you...but your family will be nice to you, their bellies full, their faces shiny, greasy and happy!

It took me years to develop this recipe for the bread, a little of this woman's recipe, a little of my in-laws, a little of my aunt's. But Halleluah I got it right! So if your great grandma who was a Cherokee Princess didn't make it that way, fine stick to your own recipe!

Thank you and have a good day!