Fully Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

This past Sunday was the April Sunday Dinner. We had quite the motley crew at the gathering. Aside from eating I also challenged our adult brains with some creative Easter egg decorating. The outcome was a lot of really colorful hard boiled eggs.

For dinner this week I made the Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork, Fully Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole, baked beans and Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Bars. Guests brought other items that were delicious and fit with the meal perfectly.

First the Pulled Pork. I won't bother retyping the recipe on this blog. You can find it here.  I didn't use a full can of chipotle chilis because I knew I had several spice challenged folks coming. I only used 2 and think I should have used a couple more. There was ultimately no spice to it and no real flavor of chipotle.  I couldn't taste any Dr. Pepper flavoring either. The pork was good, don't get me wrong, but the flavoring I expected wasn't what I got.

As one of my side dishes I made a mashed potato casserole.  I've had this recipe since 2001 and have never made it. Super simple. And OMG sooo good. You really should try it.

Fully Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
(This is from memory)

• 5lbs russet potatoes
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 c milk
• 1 egg
• 1 c sour cream
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3/4 c green onions, chopped
• 2 1/4 c grated cheddar cheese

Basically make mashed potatoes. Boil your potatoes, mash them with the butter and milk. I start by adding the butter and mashing, then slowly add the milk in parts. I don't like overly waterly mashed potatoes. Once those are incorporated I scramble up the egg and toss it in. The original recipe called for 2 eggs, but I only used one and it was fine.

Once that's all mashed together and smooth, add most the bacon (keep some aside for topping), add most the onions (keep some aside for topping), add 2 cups cheese.

Mix. Season with Salt and pepper to taste.

Put in a 3 quart baking dish. I used a 9X13. Top with remaining bacon, onions and cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

If sin were in the form of a cookie, this would be it. Such a sinfully easy recipe too. Almost too easy. I made these last night and could not believe just how good these were.  I'm usually a much more "by scratch" girl when it comes to cookies, but this recipe broke all my previous perceptions of simple cookies made of box cake mix.

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

The recipe says it makes 3 dozen. We got 2 dozen and 3 extra cookies. And that's with minimal eating of the raw cookie dough.

• 1 package Devil's Food cake mix
• 1/4 c water
• 1 egg
• 3T vegetable oil
• 36ish Rolo candies (Get extra if you have Blueberry helping you cook. I'm just sayin.
• Chopped hazelnuts

 
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, egg and oil. Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls. Press a candy into each; reshape balls. Dip tops in hazelnuts.

Place 2-in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until tops are cracked. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Country Pork Ribs

I'm sure I've mentioned before that my dad is an expert BBQ'er...his speciality, to me, was always his BBQ ribs.  We used to joke that his ribs would be my dowry.  Anyhow, I've tried, unsuccessfully, to BBQ ribs. I have no patience for it.  Until last night.

Last night I decided to turn the heat down and let the ribs cook.  I had two distractions; and my favorite taste testers, Claudia and Blueberry.  They both gave two very enthusiastic thumbs up for this recipe BTW. Of course it could be because I starved them...

Anyhow, enjoy.

Country Pork Ribs
Makes enough marinade for ribs for 8 people

• 1 cup grapefruit or orange juice (I used orange juice because it's what I had on hand. But grapefruit would be good with this now that I've tasted it)
• 1 c ketchup
• 1/2 c cider vinegar
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T prepared horseradish
• 2 T prepared mustard
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 pounds country-style pork ribs
• 1/4 c honey
• 2 T brown sugar

In a bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients; mix well. Pour 1-1/2 cups marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the ribs. Seal and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Drain and discard marinade from the ribs. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 20 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the honey, brown sugar and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Baste ribs with some of the sauce. Grill 15-20 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, turning and basting occasionally. Serve with the remaining sauce.

Green and White Lightening Chunky Chicken Chile

I'm a big fan of tomatillos. Their tangy flavor with lime always reminds me of my days in Mexico.  Tonight's recipe calls for a green tomatillo salsa - store bought. And as I was dumping this store bought salsa into my pot of goodness I thought, "I totally could have made tomatillo salsa cheaper."

This recipe gets 5 stars on simplicity. Super easy to throw together. A little chopping up front and you're good to go. I'd put another can of beans in next time I make it. Seemed like there wasn't enough beans to me.  I'd also read the recipe and not dump the entire bottle of tomatillo salsa into the pot, but just put in the 1 cup as the recipe says. I almost burned my mouth off.

This recipe has potential to be warm. The salsa I did buy is mild, but it had a bigger kick to it then I thought mild would. So just be aware of the heat in this recipe.

Green and White Lightening Chunky Chicken Chile
Serves 4 (really it's more than 4 I think. You'd have to have 4 very starving people)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 cup tomatillo salsa (mild or hot)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans or 1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans
• 2 -3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 -3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lime, juice of
• shredded Monterrey jack cheese or shredded Monterrey jack pepper cheese
• corn chips

Heat a soup pot over med-high heat with the vegetable oil; add in the chicken to the hot oil; season with salt and pepper.

Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often; add in onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and coriander; cook 3-4 minutes, continuing to stir.

Add in the tomatillo salsa and chicken broth; bring to a simmer. Add half of the beans; with a fork thoroughly mash the other half of the beans, then add to the chili. Simmer for 10 minutes; remove chili from heat and add in cilantro, parsley, and lime juice.

Serve each bowl of chili with a little shredded cheese on top; crush up some chips and stir.