The Crazy Cooking Challenge... and Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

I'm backkkkkk! I missed last month's Crazy Cooking Challenge, because my chocolate chip cookie recipe didn't turn out so well so I had to drop out at the last minute. But I'm back this month, baby! With a tasty one, too.



This month we all had to post about a mashed potato recipe. I was all over that.... as you know I'm a potatoes kinda gurl. I love mashed potatoes, so it was so much fun trying to find the perfect mashed potato recipe to make. Man, I saw so many good ones. One day, I asked PJ which recipe he wanted to make... and listed like 5 mashed potato options which had made my final cuts, and he said he wanted to make all of them!!! (I agree!). But he ended up picking this delicious mashed potato casserole.

It's everything you love about a loaded baked potato... in mashed potato and casserole form. Plus I used evaporated milk, which made the mashed potato very creamy. And you guys already know my affinity for bacon. So this was a perfect side for us. We also didn't peel the potatoes due to laziness, but there's nothing wrong with a little potato skin in some mashed potatoes. And we seasoned the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste, once served. The recipe makes plenty, a full casserole dish worth, so we had some for leftovers the next day, too.

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

from Simple Daily Recipes

• 8 medium red potatoes (about 2.5 lbs total), cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup Carnation evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (8 oz package) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled, divided
• 5 green onions, sliced

Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes or until tender; drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Return potatoes to pot; add evaporated milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Beat with hand held mixer or mash by hand until smooth. Stir in half the cheese and half of the bacon. Spoon mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining cheese and bacon, and green onions. Bake for an additional 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Printable Recipe

*Note: the original recipe says that this can be assembled ahead of time up until the point of baking and refrigerated. When time to cook, cover it with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, top with cheese, bacon and green onions and then bake for an additional 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Shout out to Tina from Mom's Crazy Cooking for hosting this great challenge. Thanks for all you do... we couldn't do it without you! 


And if you would, please vote for your favorite (ahem) so the ultimate mashed potato recipe can be determined. Just click on the "like" button on my recipe your favorite mashed potato recipe in the blog hop below :) I'm #71!! (Yes, that means I am a procrastinator and finished my post later than most people).





And feel free to join in next month's Crazy Cooking Challenge... the theme for December is fudge! Oh yay, I have been in a fudge kinda mood lately. Won't you join me?


Peace, and bacon grease!

Sloppy Joe Squares

I've got a great recipe for you, and it's not difficult at all! Don't you love those kind? I sure do, especially on week nights. This recipe is a bit time-consuming, but doesn't require much effort to make. And the parts that take the most time - simmering and baking - are steps that don't require you to stand there and babysit it so you can go about your business and get other things done.

Yep, it's a sloppy joe.... in square form. I love this idea of turning sloppy joes into a casserole. You can skip the usual buns because the rolls on top make the 'buns' in this dish.

We made some changes to the original recipe, such as upping the onion amount, cuz we are onion folk. We added minced garlic, cuz, well, garlic makes everything better. We also didn't have any brown sugar so we just substituted Sweet Baby Ray's honey bbq sauce. And we also didn't have red wine vinegar so we used apple cider vinegar instead. The mixture, while cooking in the skillet, was a bit too liquidy since we used bbq sauce, so you may want to stick to the original ingredient and use the brown sugar instead of the bbq sauce (or cut back on the water). Since we didn't like how liquidy it turned out before simmering, I've kept the original ingredient of brown sugar in the recipe below. Top those bad boys with some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream, and you're good to go.

Sloppy Joe Squares

adapted from Life as a Lofthouse

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cans of Pillsbury Big & Butter crescent rolls
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese + more for garnish
• sour cream, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, melt the butter and then add in the chopped onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the beef and cook until browned. Drain the grease.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. In a 9x13 ungreased baking pan, roll out the first roll of crescent roll dough. Press into the bottom to completely cover and also press 1/2 inch up on the sides. Pour the hot sloppy joe mixture on top and spread evenly over dough. Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese evenly over the mixture, and then cover with the other roll of dough. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before eating.

Printable Recipe

We enjoyed this twist on sloppy joes. It was a nice way to spruce up the old tried and true sloppy joe recipe. If you want the more traditional sloppy joe, then check out this recipe!

Peace, and bacon grease!

Chicken Taco Lasagna with Cilantro Lime Sauce, for Cinco de Mayo!

I'm baaaaaaaaaack! It's strange, right? You usually don't see me this often in one day. But it's for a good reason... to post some yummy Mexican recipes in celebration of Cinco de Mayo!

If you just saw my homemade taco mix, you also saw that I said I would be sharing a yummy taco lasagna recipe, which we used the taco mix in. So here it is! Brace yourselves!

The original recipe called for black beans only, and no meat. Well we are meat eaters at our house, (plus we had some chicken in the fridge to use up!) so we decided to turn this into a Chicken Taco Lasagna with Cilantro Lime Sauce. We just cut down on some of the black beans and subbed in some shredded chicken instead. But if you wanna be all vegetarian on me, then do only use the black beans. And I guess we can still be friends :)

I also used more tortillas, to make another layer. I like my lasagna to be stacked! Oh, and try to find larger sized tortillas. We used what we already had - fajita size - and it wasn't quite large enough to fully cover the lasagna. So buy a larger kind if you can!

Chicken Taco Lasagna with Cilantro Lime Sauce

adapted from Sweet Peas and Pumpkins

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1/2 of a green bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon jalapenos, chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 1.5 cups), cooked and shredded
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 recipe of Homemade Taco Mix
• 1/4 cup beer (I used what I had on hand - Bud Lite Lime)
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
• 8 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, bell peppers, and jalapenos. Cook for 4 minutes or until veggies are browning slightly.

Add black beans, shredded chicken, and corn and stir well. Add in the taco mix and beer. Stir and bring to a heavy simmer. Reduce to a slow simmer until beer evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 

In a bowl, mix the sour cream, mayo, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, and then layer two tortillas on the bottom layer. Add 3/4 of the black beat and meat mixture. Top with 3/4 of the cilantro lime sauce and 3/4 of the cheese. Repeat two more times, creating three layers of lasagna. Top with the last two tortillas and sprinkle with cheese on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Printable Recipe 

We served this with some yummy Mexican Sour Cream Rice, recipe coming soon! And it definitely makes enough for leftovers!

Linking up to:

Twisted Thursdays

What's Cooking Thursdays

It's a Keeper Thursday
Tip Day Thursday 
Simple Lives Thursday
Ultimate Recipe Swap
Full Plate Thursday 
Tasty Traditions
Recipe Swap Thursday
Foodie Friday @ Designs By Gollum
Family Friendly Fridays
Friday Potluck
Food Trip Friday
Friday Favorites
Fat Camp Friday
Fun w/ Food Friday
Food on Fridays
Food Friday
Foodie Friday @ Little Brick Ranch

Don't you love those cute little plates? I do! They were a gift from my future-mama-in-law, she knows my love of food blogging and picked out some adorable 'tomato' and 'pepper' appetizer plates. They are perfect for displaying small portions of food, and the peppers and tomatoes (and Spanish!) go great with the Cinco de Mayo theme. Thanks, Mama!
 
Hope you guys are having a fiesta of a good time!

Peace, and bacon grease!

Chicken Divan

My dear blogging friend and inspiration, Krista, never ceases to amaze me. Her recipes never let me down. I knew when I saw this one that I would love it. And boy was I right! I mean, we love all of these ingredients. It has been a little while since we made this, and I am craving it again! This baby may make it's way into one of my meal plans very soon....

Yes. It is Chicken Divan. And it is divine. 

I used two boneless skinless chicken breasts specifically. The original recipe calls for 4 cups but I just used two breasts without measuring them in cups. I boiled the chickens because I knew I would be shredding it once finished cooking, and I knew baking might make it too hard to shred. I like the method of boiling chicken whenever I need to shred it, so I will stick to that.

While those chickens were boiling, I microwaved my bag of broccoli. I buy the kind that comes in a bag already rinsed, and you can microwave the broccoli right in the bag! So easy and quick! So I microwave steamed the broccoli and then chopped it all up into smaller pieces. Then I spread some vegetable oil on the bottom of my glass baking dish to prevent sticking. You can use cooking spray if desired, I just didn't have any at the time. Once the oil was on the bottom of the dish, I sprinkled all of the chopped broccoli on the bottom layer and spread evenly. Then I seasoned that broccoli with some salt.

Once the chickens were finished boiling, I shredded them with a fork and then seasoned it with some garlic powder. Then I added the shredded chicken to the baking dish, covering the broccoli and then spreading evenly.

For the mixture, I combined the soup, mayo, lime juice, curry powder, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder in a bowl and mixed well. I used cream of mushroom soup rather than chicken soup like the original recipe called for. I also used lime juice rather than lemon juice because that's what I had at the moment. Then I poured the mixture on top of the chicken in the dish and spread evenly.

And of course any casserole wouldn't be complete without some cheese on top. So I sprinkled 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top of the soup/mayo mixture. Then I tossed the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkled on top of the cheese....

and baked at 350° for 30 minutes...

and out popped deliciousness!

Chicken Divan adapted from Krista's Kitchen

Printable recipe

• 12 oz. package of pre-rinsed broccoli
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, plus a bit more
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• vegetable oil or cooking spray

Boil chickens for about 20-30 minutes until cooked through.  Once finished cooking, shred them with a fork and season with garlic powder.

Cook broccoli - (I microwaved mine in the bag, but you can steam it if you like). Cut up into small pieces. Spray a casserole or baking dish and then cover evenly with the broccoli pieces. Season the broccoli with salt. Then spread the shredded chicken evenly over the broccoli.

In a bowl, combine soup, mayo, lime juice, curry powder, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder and mix well. Then pour the mixture evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle cheese on top. Then toss bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle on top of the cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

*Note: I liked the addition of curry powder, but I think that next time I would use less. That 1/2 teaspoon goes a lonnnnnng way!

We served this with some delicious and flavorful Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad.

I am linking this Chicken Divan recipe to Foodie Friday.

I decided I need to link to more blog hops, so I am stepping outside of my normal Foodie Fridays and Martha Mondays to link up to some others  :) Linking up to...


Recipe Swap Thursday 
Family Friendly Fridays
Friday Potluck 
Seasonal Sunday
 
Can you say DELISH?

I did!

Nacho Chicken Bake

I have already shared with you my love of a particular seasoning, and this recipe was a great place to use it. Well really, any recipe is a good one to use it if you ask me. Yes you guessed it, that delicious Grippo's seasoning! I wanted to use it in this Nacho Chicken Bake recipe that I discovered from my fellow blogging friend (and inspiration!) Krista. 

I made some modifications to Krista's original recipe. One of those was that I didn't use canned chicken. Instead, I had three bone-in chicken thighs with the skin on, so I seasoned them with the Grippo's seasoning before cooking.

Then I baked them at 350° until fully cooked and then diced them into smaller pieces. You can remove the skin if you would like, or use canned chicken or even boneless skinless chicken breasts. This is just what I had on hand. I probably would prefer the boneless skinless chicken breasts because the skin is useless in this recipe.

Another modification I made was that I halved the recipe, since I was making it just for the two of us. So I spread out 4 or 5 cups of cheesy Doritos on the bottom of a greased casserole dish instead of the 8 cups of Doritos that the original recipe calls for. You can grease the dish with butter or cooking spray. I'm pretty sure I used butter because I didn't have cooking spray at the time. I feel like I should have a picture for this step, but I don't. But you get the gist.  Doritos spread on bottom of dish.

Then in a large bowl, I combined a 10 3/4 oz. can of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of salsa, 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (I didn't half the cheese amount), 1/2 of a diced onion, 2 oz. diced jalapenos, and the cooked diced chicken. I mixed well and then poured it over the chips and spread evenly to cover the entire casserole dish.

Then I sprinkled some additional cheese on top of the uncooked casserole and then baked at 350° for 35 minutes. The finished product was delicious! You can eat it as is, or like PJ who ate it in a tortilla. 

He is a creative one, that man! I just ate mine as is, with a fork and a smile  :)

Nacho Chicken Bake adapted from Krista

Printable recipe

• 4-5 cups cheesy Doritos
• 3 bone-in chicken thighs with the skin on
• Grippo's Seasoning
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 2 oz. diced jalapenos
• additional cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350°. Season chickens with Grippo's seasoning, and then bake at 350° until fully cooked. Then dice chicken into small pieces.

Spread Doritos evenly onto the bottom of a greased casserole dish.

Combine soup, salsa, cheese, onion, jalapenos, and cooked chicken in a large bowl and mix together. Then spread the mixture over top of the chips, spreading evenly throughout to cover everywhere. Sprinkle the top with additional cheese.

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.

**I am linking this one to Foodie Fridays.

Enjoy!

Chicken Lasagna

As soon as I saw this recipe at Krista's Kitchen, I knew I had to make it. I love lasagna, and PJ had never tried or even heard of a chicken lasagna. He has started a "menu" of all of the delicious new recipes I am making that he would love for me to make again and again. And guess what? This chicken lasagna definitely made it on the menu. We will definitely be making this again. Another successful recipe, yay!

So first I diced 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts into small cubes. Then I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Next I melted 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 cloves minced garlic in a skillet, and then added the chicken to the garlic butter mixture once melted and cooked until done. Once the chicken was finished cooking, I removed it from the skillet.

Next, I added 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 4 oz. of cream cheese, 1 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of milk to the same skillet that I cooked the chicken in and stirred, then adding the chicken and stirring that in as well. I turned the heat down and let the sauce simmer until thickened.

On the bottom of a casserole dish, I spread some of the sauce mixture so that the noodles wouldn't stick. Next I added a layer of cooked lasagna noodles (cook 1/2 box of lasagna noodles as directed on package) followed by a layer of sauce, and then a layer of cheese. Repeat the layering process until the sauce is used up and the casserole dish is filled to your likings.

Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes and voila, your masterpiece is ready for eatin'! I love this variation of lasagna without the traditional spaghetti sauce. I think you will too!

Chicken Lasagna adapted from Krista's Kitchen who got it from Better Than Burgers

Printable recipe

• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 box of lasagna noodles, cooked according to package instructions
• 4 cups grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar Cheese

Melt butter and garlic in a large skillet. Then add cubed chicken to the skillet and cook until no longer pink. Remove from skillet.

In the same skillet, add cream of mushroom soup, cream cheese, sour cream, and milk and stir together.  Add chicken to the sauce mixture and stir well. Turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer until thick.

Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish, then the cooked noodles, then sauce, and lastly the cheese. Repeat layering process until sauce is used up and dish is full.

Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes.  

Cheddar-Mashed Potato Casserole [and seafood]

So... I tried a new recipe called Cheddar-Mashed Potato Casserole from Kraft Foods website, of which I am a member. I think my recipe turned out delicious, even though I had to improvise with what I had. 

...and here is the original recipe:

Cheddar-Mashed Potato Casserole (from Kraft Foods website)

2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 6), peeled, quartered

2 Tbsp.  Butter

1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

6 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled 

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water in large saucepan 20 min. or until tender; drain. Return to pan.  

2. Heat oven to 350ºF. Add butter and sour cream to potatoes; mash until smooth. Spoon half into 1-1/2-qt. casserole; cover with layers of cheese, remaining potato mixture and bacon.   

3. Bake 30 to 35 min. or until heated through.

Like I said before, I did not use exactly what the recipe called for. I used 6 small red potatoes rather than Yukon gold potatoes, and I left the peel on and boiled them. Next time, I think I will peel them like the recipe says. I did not beat the potatoes in the pan as to not cause damage to it, so I just beat them in a large mixing bowl. Then drain. 

I also did not use that exact brand of sour cream, just a basic Kroger brand. The main difference was that I used 1 cup shredded hot pepper cheese instead of cheddar cheese. While the flavor is great, it did not look like the picture because I didn't have the contrasting orange color of the cheddar. I also did not have a real mashed potato whipper, so I just smashed them. Therefore, they weren't nearly as 'mashed' as they should have been, but still tasty. 

  

I did use Oscar Mayer center cut thick-sliced bacon, which is the best bacon I have encountered, and I am the bacon queen! I probably didn't have as much bacon topping as I should have, since I couldn't resist and kept sneaking little nibbles of the bacon. Sorry, I just can't resist!

But be sure to pat down the bacon with a paper towel, to get some of that grease off.

I love bacon so I gotta take some of the grease off at least :)


Before......

and after...

Still some grease but not nearly as much. I'm sure I saved some calories :)


Finally, I layered it all together in a casserole dish and baked as directed. And don't forget to add salt and pepper for flavor!


Here is the finished result.... (not exactly like the original recipe!)

 

And for all of you health fanatics who watch your calorie intake, 
here is the nutritional information for this delish side dish!


***per serving (1/2 cup)***

170 Calories, 30 mg Cholesterol, 1 g Dietary fiber,
6%DV Vitamin A, 0%DV Iron, 10 g Total fat,
190 mg Sodium, 2 g Sugars, 4%DV Vitamin C,
6 g Saturated fat, 16 g Carbohydrate, 5 g Protein, 10%DV Calcium



Well obviously this isn't the most healthy side dish, but hey, I never claimed to be a health freak! See my name?! LOL! Anything with bacon, cheese, and sour cream in it can't be TOO healthy, but it is pretty much guaranteed to be delish!



My main dish was pan-seared scallops with butter poured on top...

(Pictured Raw)



And some mini shrimp cocktail along with homemade cocktail sauce
served as an app...

 

Overall, this was a great meal... seafood and potatoes = yummy!