Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes – Only my favorite childhood food.

It’s hard to beat good mashed potatoes as a side dish and really easy to make.

Gather the following ingredients:

Potatoes – regular ones not the yellow and not the red ones
Milk
Butter

Optional toppings:
Butter
Sour Cream
Cheese
Bacon
Salt
Pepper

Large pot with lid
Mixer
Potato peeler
Paring knife
Cutting board

Fill pot with cold water. Leave room for the potatoes.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters the long way. Rinse and place into pot.

Potatoes

Turn stove on to a medium high heat. Cook for 30 minutes and then check the potatoes by sticking them with a fork. The fork should pierce the potato easily, but not completely fall apart. If the potato is very firm cook for another 5 minutes. If it almost seems right try another couple of minutes. You need to find the perfect medium. Stop cooking them too soon and your potatoes will be lumpy. Over cook them and all you will have is mush.

Drain the potatoes using the lid and pot holders. Be very careful of the steam and do not pour the water into your pants (it happens).

Remove the lid and add between 2 and 4 tabs of butter depending on the amount of potatoes. Pour some milk over the potatoes. Start with 1/4 of a cup. You can always add more. Too much milk can make it overly creamy. My grandmother used to make it without milk at all because I am lactose intolerant. I loved her so much for doing that I didn’t have the heart to tell her a little milk wouldn’t kill me.

Use the mixer to smash the potatoes until they are nice and fluffy.

Toppings:
Add one or as many of the suggested toppings as you wish. I like to start with the butter and then the cheese, bacon crumbs if I have them, sour cream on top of that, and then salt and pepper for taste. I do not promote sour cream on mashed potatoes, but it can be good.

Macaroni, Cheese, Corn Casserole

Macaroni, Cheese, and Corn Casserole – Sticks to the Ribs

This make a really great side dish. It is simple, but takes a while to bake.

Gather the following ingredients:

1 cup uncooked macaroni
1 can sweet corn nibblets with liquid
1 can cream corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter

9×9 glass pan
aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix the macaroni, both corns, and the cheddar cheese in the glass pan. Add the butter to the top.
– Do not drain the corn you need the liquid to help cook the macaroni.
– Cut the butter into 9 tabs the place them evenly in the pan
– If you forget and add 2 cups of cheese it’s ok. It might even be better.

Prepared Mac 'n Cheese with Corn

Cover the pan with foil and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and cook for another 30 minutes.

This is a good side dish. I also like to put it over mashed potatoes.

Meatloaf

Meatloaf – Hold the Onions – Always Good This is one of the best and easiest meatloaf recipes you will ever make.

Gather the following ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
9 twists fresh ground pepper
2 pinches fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp.
dried thyme
1/6 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/8 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. tomato paste
2 1/2 lbs. ground beef 93%
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 large egg
ketchup

medium sauce pan
very large bowl
deep metal baking dish (not your favorite one)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a sauce pan mix the olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken broth. Heat on medium and stir for a few minutes.
– It is easiest to tear apart the fresh thyme, but you can pull off the leaves and try to chop them.
– Use a 1/3 cup and fill it as close to half as you can for the Worcestershire sauce. – Use a 1/4 cup one time and then filled half way for the chicken broth.
– The tomato paste sticks to the measuring spoon, but you just need a small scoop of it so pull some out with a spoon and stir it in the sauce until it comes off.

In a very large bowl add the eggs, beef, bread crumbs, and the sauce pan mix over the top. Knead the mixture together with your hands. Make sure your hands are clean and rinsed. I always find the meat is too cold for my hands, but if it is fresh and sits out while you make the mixture it isn’t as cold. Try to make sure the bread crumbs get mixed through and use the egg and mixture to help it all stick together.
– Crack the first egg into your hand and pull it apart tossing half of it away. I do this next to the trash for easy disposal. Then add the second egg. You can crack the egg into a separate bowl first to make sure it is ok to use.

Meatloaf mix

Transfer the meat mixture from the bowl to the deep baking dish and form it into the shape of a loaf. Try to make it as uniform as possible with the same height and same width all the way across.

Bake the meatloaf for 1 1/2 hours. The internal temperature of the meatloaf should be 160 degrees when it is done. Start soaking the pan as soon as you can.

Serve with ketchup. Honestly as long as you buy good beef this will be the best meatloaf you have ever had and as a bonus no onions.

Linda’s Chili

So I created this chili recipe from what I had in my pantry one day and it turned out so good I keep making it this same way, or at least with the same ingredients.

Gather the following ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
4 tbsp. minced garlic
12 (1/2 tsp.) chili powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes lime juice & cilantro
2 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 can light kidney beans with liquid

Very large pot with lid

Option toppings:

Red pepper
Cheddar cheese
Fritos corn chips
Corn bread
Cinnamon rolls

Chili ingredients

Brown the hamburger with the garlic over a medium heat.

Sprinkle the chili powder, salt, and oregano over the meat and stir. Then stir in the tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Try to break up the larger tomatoes. Heat all of this to boiling and then reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pot. Cook for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
– why 12 1/2 tsp. instead of 6 tsp.? Because the 1/2 tsp. fits into the jar.
– the salt does not need to be exact. Sprinkle some in for flavor.
– if you do not have the Rotel tomatoes 2 more cans of the stewed tomatoes will work, but it won’t have the same bite.

Chili mix

After 1 hour add the beans. Simmer uncovered for an additional 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
– If you added the beans with the other ingredients it isn’t going to ruin them, but it is better to add them later.

Toppings for your bowl:

Add red pepper if you want a little more kick.
Add cheddar cheese if you like.

Chili is good over or under Fritos or corn bread.

Use the cinnamon rolls to soak up the juices and when the roll is gone then add the cheddar cheese.

Video Link: Linda’s Chili