As my last recipe before the Christmas holiday, loaded potato skins are in the house. Perfect for a holiday party due to the easily scalable recipe, your guests are sure to enjoy this treat.

I cut the recipe in half since I was the only one eating these bad boys. Keep that in mind as the way the recipe is written will only make four potato halves.

Ingredients

• 2 large potatoes, washed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Extra shredded cheddar for toping
• 2 slices of bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 pound sour cream
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce cleaned potatoes with a knife and bake for about 45 minutes or until tender. You may also prepare in microwave. Allow to cool before handling.

Once potatoes are done, place bacon on baking sheet and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crispy.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees once bacon is done.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop potato filling into a mixing bowl.

Mash up potatoes to personal liking and add in green onions, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix together.

Drizzle inside of potato skins with olive oil and fill with mix being careful not to over fill.

Sprinkle top with cheese and bacon.

Bake in over at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

After much delay and a day outside of being part of National Pancake Week, Elisabeth and I finally got around to making some fresh blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes. Inspired by National Pancake Week, we thought now would be a good time to break away from the Bisquick and bust out the 1970s Joy of Cooking. To quote Elisabeth, “The results – magic.”

Ingredients:

Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
• In our case, blueberries and chocolate chips
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Eggs & bacon

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• Splash milk
• Thick cut bacon

Directions:

Pancakes

• Sift flour and combine with other dry ingredients. Sift again.
• Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Quickly mix liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.
• Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, spoon batter onto hot griddle or pan.
• Flip pancakes once you see bubbles forming along the top and sides.
• Test with toothpick or fork for doneness. No batter should stick if cooked thoroughly.

Eggs & bacon

• Break four eggs into mixing bowl and whisk.
• Add in any seasonings that you desire and add a splash of milk.
• Scramble in pan over medium heat and add cheese once eggs are cooked and cover pan so cheese melts.
• For bacon, place strips on griddle set to 350 degrees or medium high heat pan. Cook flipping occasionally until starting to brown.
• Place bacon on paper towel to remove any excess grease.

This week marks the very first episode of Cuisine Made Quick. We could have played it safe with a recipe we felt very comfortable with but we wanted a challenge. In this case, that challenge came in the form of a four cheese mac with chicken. With a fairly long list of ingredients and some substitutions in hand, we set out to determine the fate of this recipe (directions below). Cuisine Made Quick, Weekend Cuisine or Cuisine Dud?

The recipe (serves 2 – 4)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz package macaroni (use whatever variety you enjoy)
• 1/8 pound diced bacon (about 2 strips)
• ½ medium diced onion
• 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¾ cup grated Mozzarella
• ½ cup grated Swiss
• ½ cup grated Medium Cheddar
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• 1/8 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees and butter a medium size baking dish
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain
• In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, sauté the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to preserve bacon drippings.
• Sauté onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 2 ½ tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter.
• Using a whisk, add the four and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly. Add salt and cayenne pepper and let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.
• Strain the hot mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in ¾ of the Mozzeralla, Swiss, Cheddar and Parmesan, bacon and parsley. Stir until cheese melts.
• Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to a prepared baking dish and mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.