Hello everyone. Happy Leap Day!!!! Last day of the month - it is very chilly but sunny here. Not a bad way to end. There will still be many, many days of up and down temperatures to come in the next month or so, I guess we need to just get used to it!
Earlier in the week, I was eating light and quick meals - it was warmer and I didn't feel like anything heavy. Yesterday, well I wanted comfort food!
One of my favorite side dishes is Harvest Potatoes (some call them funeral potatoes). I love potatoes and I love, love cheese! I had everything here to make them. BUT, I wanted it to be more like a meal - so I upgraded it. It sure did come out tasty.
This is just a good reminder that you don't have to always follow the recipe!! Most times I do not - I kind of wing it most of the time.
Generally, the 'recipe' would be:
1 - 32 oz. bag of frozen hash browns
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C sour cream
1 C shredded cheese
1/2 C melted butter
Diced onion if desired
salt and pepper
Well, I found a couple bags of hash browns when inventorying the freezer last week. I had a very old can of cream of chicken soup (I don't buy anymore - I make my own). I had sour cream and cheese - so boom ready to go.
I ALSO added a drained and chopped a can of carrots. I had approx. 1 - 1 1/2 C of chicken in freezer. I mixed in both of those items as well. I am sure I added more cheese than called for - I just emptied the container I had in the frig! Instead of the normal topping of corn flakes/butter - I had a jar with the remnants of cheesy nacho chips in it. A few pieces and lots of crumbs (from Jan/ get together). I crushed all of those and used as a topping.
So I mixed everything together except topping and poured in a 9 x 13 and baked at 350 for about 35 - 40 minutes - added the topping and baked 10-15 minutes longer.
So, I had potatoes, carrots, chicken, cheese, and side veggies all in one meal. Only one pan needed!
Last week I made this. I had a jar mix for blue berry muffins. I added the last few fresh strawberries (chopped) and just poured it all in the pan instead of making muffins. Turned out super tasty. I baked about 10 minutes longer than was called for with muffins.
It was a complete meal. You could add carrots, broccoli, green beans, just about anything. Also, I used chicken I had in freezer - but I am thinking it would be good with ham, bacon, leftover chopped pork chops, smoked sausage or even cooked ground beef.
You can different types of cheese - whatever you have on hand. Also, you could jazz it up with ranch or onion dip sour cream instead of plain.
Sometimes we just have to play with our food! You may find that new family favorite.
Honestly you do not have to play by the rules. Make things that sound good to you.
So, when you get in the mood for comfort food - upgrade it! You can make a lovely meal and/or dessert just a little different from the norm.
Have a wonderful day and make it a good one!
SMILES
I make these potatoes all the time and add chopped ham and a can of chopped jalapeno peppers. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteOh yum - that sounds really delish to me. Will try that next time. Thanks
DeleteLooks great Cheryl. I was craving comfort food yesterday too with the latest cold spell. I made mac and cheese and added beef sausage, broccoli, red onions and sliced red peppers. It hit the spot.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful! I love upgrading our regular common comfort foods. Mac and cheese and cheesy potatoes - can be jazzed up in so many ways.
DeleteThose potatoes and that bread look just yummy!
ReplyDeleteTo add to yesterday's thread on glass jars - I avoid using them in the bathroom because of possible breakage and bare feet. That's where good clear plastic jars come in handy for me. :)
MaryB
Thanks.
DeleteThat is probably a smart idea. The two I have in there - one is in a basket and the other is up on a high shelf. Don't want to have broken glass in the tootsies!
:) Do you remember when shampoo came in glass bottles? They were slick as snail slime in the shower. When they hit the floor they shattered and then what? Ooooops. I decanted my shampoo into plastic as soon as I could find a plastic bottle that would work - like a dish detergent bottle. Never again to pick up slivers of glass from the shower floor!
DeleteMaryB
Now that you mention it, I do remember shampoo in glass bottles. How crazy! Yikes that would be awful to drop in the tub.
Delete
ReplyDeleteEverything looks delish. I had some yogurt to use up so made some cornmeal pancakes today. Sunny and started the day at minus 5 Fahrenheit.
Have a good one.
Thanks. I just love hearing how other folks use things up in different ways. It gives us all new ideas.
DeleteWow - that is cold. Stay warm!!
Your potatoes look yummy! Cheese makes everything better! I think I can adapt that to our current keto diet. Adding other veg to it would be good also. Probably use turnips or jicama. We had fried jicama yesterday with the meatloaf the Farmer made.
ReplyDeleteThe sun is always welcome! It's going warm up quite a bit in the next few days. Enjoy your weekend! See you Sunday!
Thanks. Yes cheese makes everything better! I really like jicama. I used to shred and make it like hash browns or just eat it raw with salt!
DeleteEnjoy the sun!
My friend in AZ calls them "June" potatoes after the GF that made them. So that's what I call them! I've been thinking about them too I have ham pieces that I could add too. I always have a zillion leftovers but normally not these. We have been working on leftovers a lot. I try to reinvent as much as I can but even hubby gets tired of them too. I'm usually only main meal and one day later for leftovers. Then I want something new. Hard to learn how to cook for two.
ReplyDelete*I checked out the price of 2 lb brick of Tillamook cheese yesterday' I was flabbergasted 10.98 for 2 lbs. We use a lot of cheese here so I'll be watching for sales. Last time I bought it I paid 4.99 for 2 lbs.
Hey, the name doesn't matter - just the yummy potatoes.
DeleteGlen loved these and we rarely had any leftover. I think this is only the 2nd time I have made them since he passed.
4.99/2lb. would be dirt cheap! I don't buy that brand, so I usually catch sales. On sale I can get for about 3.50/lb.
10.98/2 lb. sounds like a lot to me too. It is good - but that is a bit pricey.
Oh, your potatoes made my mouth water!!! And the muffin cake? Yum! Those funeral potatoes are always made by our church ladies for well, funerals. There are NEVER leftovers. The other salad that is emptied is the Watergate Salad. That's the pistachio fluff one. I think both are delicious and perfect comfort foods.
ReplyDeleteThere must be something in the air because I'm making a cheesy potato dish tonight with kielbasa.
I don't know if anyone will know what I'm talking about, but maybe I'll get lucky lol. We were given an office desk from the 1940s. Secretarial, as it has the coolest side door mechanism that lifts up a typewriter! We use it for the printer. The desktop is an odd thing. It feels like brushed paper, but it isn't. It's not leather or vinyl. It always looks dusty, which is my issue. Does anyone know of this mystery top and how to clean it properly? It's black. Like a blotter covering the whole thing.
I can believe there is none left ever. Same with the Watergate Salad - of that stuff is so good. I think we all must be in the mood for comfort food!
DeleteCould it be original old felt? They did have blotter papers/sections on desks back in the day. Not sure how you would clean it. It sounds neat. I remember having used one with the typewriter lift!
I make a dish we call Dirty Lasagna with a layer of funeral potatoes, then a layer of ground mince bolognaise ( can be anything beef, chicken, turkey) a layer of shredded cheese, then another layer of potato. It’s a meal everyone likes and all ingredients can be pulled from my freezer/ pantry.
ReplyDeleteIt also makes a great topping on a gravy beef base for a quick and easy Shepherds pie.
Funeral potatoes is a great recipe that lets you build on. It’s a valuable recipe for those just starting out to have.
And I agree cheese does make everything better.
Have a great weekend Cheryl. Take care, Louise
My, my - my mouth is watering. That sounds incredible.
DeleteDang you gals are creative. That is smart for a Shepherd Pie as well.
It is a good basic recipe for someone just learning. It doesn't get much easier. Just dump the ingredients - mix and pour into a pan. It is so forgiving.
Thank you!!!
Cheryl, your dish looks delish, as do everyone's variations. Comfort food is on the menu here today as well. It will be chicken pot pie soup, only I will be subing some leftover turkey for the chicken and a pound of cauliflower for the pound of potatoes. It's amazing that the cauliflower will thicken the soup just as the potatoes do. I had a little leftover oat flour and millet flour that I'd made for another project and said, what the heck, I'll mis them together and use them as a sub for the ingredients of the no-roll cassava crackers I usually make and see what happend. Success!! So that's what's on the menu for tonight. I'm anticipating extras to go in the freezer for another meal for us. Win, win. Have a blessed day. Cookie
ReplyDeleteYou gals sure do make some yummy sounding dishes. I truly love the creativity of using what you have - this is just what we need to showing young ladies/men starting out.
DeleteA recipe is just a base - you make it what you want with what you have.
Thank you!!
Ooh strawberries and blueberries my favorite
ReplyDeleteIt is very tasty too! Good combo.
DeleteI usually try a recipe once and then start to tweak it or add things to it. Got to love how they turn out so yummy most of the time.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I pretty much do that too. ONCE! After that I am always just winging it. They can become favorites - just by tweaking them.
DeleteEvery few months, I have a blueberry muffin mix that I make. In addition to the nasty little nuggets that come in the mix, I add about a cup of fresh or frozen blueberries and bake it in a 9x9 pan. It works well and I don't have to fool with muffins.
ReplyDeleteI am always subbing items. And, adding cheese or even more cheese is a good idea.
I hadn't had blue berry muffins in ages - so the 'cake' was good. I really enjoyed making it this way too - no extra mess. Subbing becomes a fun way to jazz things up.
DeleteThis looks so good! I bet your house smelled wonderful! I think that's why the older people said just a little bit of this and a little bit of that a lot!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I bet you are right. A pinch, a smidge, etc. LOL! That is how mom cooked - guess it was catching!! LOL
DeleteYum, one of my favorite recipes and foods to eat. I'm with you, potatoes and cheese are some of my favorite foods. Just a plain baked potato with cheese is delicious to me.
ReplyDeleteNothing like potatoes and cheese - 2 basic food groups!!! LOL
DeleteYep, just good old comfort.