Monthly Archives: April 2011

The Good Stuff

Stuffed Potatoes

The stuff of life can sometimes be a lot like a potato. Most people, experiences and events can have a nice outer skin. It’s after you dig into the inside that you know what you’re dealing with.

I ran across this quote saying,

“Sometimes good things fall apart so that better things fall together”

While a potato may be good plain, when you open it up, take it apart and put it back together again the outcome will surely be better.

Recipe:

3 large baking potatoes

3 slices pepper bacon

1 cup sweet white corn, fresh or frozen

2 tbsp butter, unsalted

3/4 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup milk, warm

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 2% or low fat

2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash and dry potatoes. Pierce a few times with a knife, then wrap each potato in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven, unwrap foil and let cool for about 30 minutes.

Carefully cut potatoes lengthwise and scoop out the meat of the potato. Leave a little bit of the potato attached to the hollowed out skin so that they will stand up to the filling.

Add butter to the potato and mash with a fork or potato masher until butter is melted and incorporated. Then fold in sour cream and warm milk.

Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and cook until crispy. Remove from pan, place on paper towels to drain excess fat. Wipe leftover fat out of pan and place back over medium-high heat, add corn and saute for about 2 minutes.

Stir bacon, corn, fresh chives and cheese into the potato mixture. Season well with salt and pepper. Once the mixture is well combined, carefully fill the potato skins with the mixture.

Bake stuffed potatoes in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Backstage Pass

Backstage Pass

This has to be one of the coolest jobs around, feeding the crew of Sugarland. Three meals a day, rolling into different towns, setting up a mobile kitchen and hitting the ground running the minute you get there takes one organized chick to get it done.

My sweet friend, Peanut, is just that girl. She hops on a bus after a show and begins planning her menu for next show. Before getting to the new venue, she calls ahead her shopping list to a runner, gets off the bus, does a little more shopping and then gets to work with the catering crew. 

Breakfast is done, lunch is out and now it’s time to prep beef tenderloin for tonight’s menu featuring filet mignon with béarnaise sauce.

Ready for dinner, grilled halibut with olive tapenede.

The dinner menu for the Nashville Sugarland show. Yum!

Ready to eat!

Peanut and Jack living like rock stars!

Thanks to all for a fun, stress-free day, love and support,

Lolleigh

Old Faithful

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

“It’s not that chocolates are a substitute for love, love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let’s face it, more reliable than a man.”

- Miranda Ingram

For better or worse, in sickness and in health, these little gems are tops on my list of comfort foods. Since I can remember, a batch of this 5 minute miracle can make even the worst day seem a bit more bearable.

Next time you are faced with a broken heart or a bad case of PMS, head straight to the kitchen and in 5 minutes you’ll be on your way to a happier place!

Recipe:

2 tbsp butter, unsalted

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 1/4 cup oatmeal, quick cooking

Over medium-high heat, combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir well until butter is melted. Stirring occasionally, allow to come to a rolling boil. Once a rolling boil starts, let cook for exactly 2 minutes.

After the mixture has boiled for 2 minutes, remove from heat and immediately stir in vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal.

Quickly drop spoonfuls of mixture onto wax paper. The cookies will harden as they cool.

Notes:

In the event of a chocolate emergency, don’t even bother dropping onto wax paper, just dive in with a spoon.

If you can wait until the cookies cool, top one with a spoonful of peanut butter.

Need more chocolate, this recipe can easily be doubled.

 

The Blindside

Roasted Carrots

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking”

H. Jackson Brown

When I was little I hated carrots. My mom would pile them on my plate and I would just stare at them. I was never one of those kids that snuck them under the table to our dog, instead I was hard headed. I made up my mind and decided that carrots were not for me.

Now that I am older and wiser, roasted carrots are one of my favorite veggies. I am still hard-headed and credit the carrots for building my character!

Recipe:

1 lb bag of carrots, washed and peeled

1 tbsp olive oil

coarse kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash and peel carrots. Then slice on a diagonal into 1/2″ to 3/4″ slices.

Toss carrots in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and then place carrots on a baking sheet.

Roast for 20-30 minutes according to if you prefer them lightly roasted or slightly burnt. Makes 4 servings.

Notes:

Roasted carrots are delicious. They develop a sweet flavor similar to sweet potatoes.