Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream Potato Casserole

If you are bored with making baked, fried or whipped potatoes for dinner, this is the recipe for you! Except from peeling the potatoes (peeling potatoes comes in at a close second to things I hate to do, ironing is still number one).This recipe is really simple to do and you can make it ahead. Just reheat when ready to serve to save you time when preparing dinner(see tip below). I served with dinner, but also found that leftovers freeze well and ended up using it with breakfast too.

Ingredients:

• 2 Lbs Potatoes (about 5-6 medium to large potatoes)
  
• 1 Can cream of chicken soup, 10 oz. can
  
• 1/2 Cup chopped onion
  
• 1 Teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 Teaspoon pepper
  
• 1 Pint sour cream
  
• 2 Cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  
• 2 Cups crushed corn flakes(see tip below)
  

Peel potatoes and boil in pot of water until potatoes are firm (usually if fork goes into potato easily, they are done). Set aside to cool.

In the meantime, butter 13x9 casserole dish and then combine together in a separate bowl the soup, onions, salt, pepper, sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Shred potatoes when cool and then put them into the buttered casserole dish. Pour mixture of soup, onions, etc. over the potatoes and top with crushed corn flakes.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a pan and then pour over the corn flakes.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

TIPS:

Rather than crush corn flakes the hard way, I found that Kellogg has "Corn Flake Crumbs" already done in a box. They can be found them in the baking isle.

If making this recipe ahead, cut cooking time 15-20 minutes. Before serving just put them in a preheated oven and bake to serve warm.

Freeze leftovers. When ready to use just thaw out, put in covered casserole dish and reheat.

Peach Crumb

My family loves peach pie, cobbler, you name it and they will like it if it has peaches in it. What I am about to tell you might sound weird, but I have a phobia with touching peaches. It's the fuzzy skin on the peaches that I hate to touch. I know it sounds strange, but it's the truth. Anyway, to make a dessert with peaches, I had to find a way around my phobia, so I came up with an idea...use can peaches! You must be thinking "WHAT" but honestly, it works and it's easy. This recipe is for what I call Peach Crumb. I only came up with this because I was too lazy to make a pie crust or run to the market to buy a pie crust. I had the can peaches in the pantry, mixed up a crumb topping and the Peach Crumb was born. Serve with ice cream or just alone, trust me, everyone will love it.

Ingredients for filling:

• 3 Large cans of sliced peaches -- drained
  
• 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
  
• 1/3 Cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
  
• Dash of salt
  

Drain the peaches well in a colander (I usually drain them for 1-2 hours). When fully drained, add other ingredients in a large bowl, stir together and set aside.

Ingredients for Crumb Topping:

• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 cup firm butter
  
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar -- packed
  

Mix crumb topping ingredients together in a separate bowl until crumbly, set aside.

Then, butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Pour the filling in the casserole and top with the crumb topping so that the entire filling is covered.

Bake uncovered in a preheated 425 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Cover topping with aluminum foil last 10 minutes of baking if you notice the top browning too quickly. Serve warm.

Oops, almost forgot, make sure you put the casserole dish on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil to catch any overflow drippings from messing up your oven.

Linguine With Shrimp Scampi

We had planned to go out to dinner on a Friday night, but I thought since I hadn't seen my family and friends in awhile, it would be nice to just stay home for dinner. Sometimes restaurants can get noisy and I wanted everyone to be able relax and enjoy each others company. I have to admit that I did go into a panic when I realized that most of my guests didn't eat meat on Friday because it was during Lent. My husband really doesn't eat fish, so I didn't really have alot of recipes that were without meat. I almost made a Vegetable Lasagna, but in going through my cookbooks I found this recipe for Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. I had made it once before but not for alot of people. It is a recipe that you can make easily while your guests are there and they can help. I got all the ingredients during my weekend shopping trip including the shrimp (I did cheat and used jumbo frozen cooked shrimp)and did all the chopping prep before my guests arrived(I was able to get out of work a little early). My cousin who was visiting for the weekend got the table set and helped clean up the kitchen, so all we had to do was make the scampi and linguine when everyone was ready to eat. I did forget the lemon slices, but dinner came out great anyway and leftovers the next day were even better. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil
  
• Kosher salt
  
• 1 1/2 Pounds linguine
  
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
  
• 5 Tablespoons good olive oil
  
• 3 Tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
  
• 2 Pounds large shrimp (about 32 shrimp), peeled and deveined **see note below**
  
• 1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 3/4 Cup Chopped fresh parsley
  
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
  
• 1/2 Cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
  
• 1/2 Lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
  
• 1/4 Teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  

Drizzle some vegetable oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. I personally like pasta "al dente" (firm but tender), but just cook linguine the way you and your family like best.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch) heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily. Add the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of salt and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well and serve. Serves 6

**NOTE**
If using frozen cooked shrimp instead of fresh shrimp, you will have to adjust the recipe as follows.
Approximately 15 minutes before preparing meal, we place frozen shrimp in a colander and ran cold water over it for a few minutes(do not soak). Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and set aside. Because the shrimp is already fully cooked and already pink you will have to adjust the scampi cooking time. I put everything together per the recipe instructions, but didn't add the shrimp until the last couple of minutes. You just want to warm the shrimp, not recook. Thanks Lorraine for the tip!!
Source: Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style, 2002

Roasted Eggplant Spread

When one of my former co-workers told me she and her husband were going to stop by for a visit, I started to look for a new appetizer to go with cocktails and I came across this recipe from one of my Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks. It was really easy to make and everyone enjoyed. It's something different and healthy too. We served it with pita bread per the suggestion in the cookbook, but it would be good on crackers too. Now I have something new to serve along with my old standby appetizers. This one's for you Mary.....a new appetizer to serve at your next pool party!

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium eggplant, peeled
  
• 2 Red bell peppers, seeded
  
• 1 Red onion, peeled
  
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
  
• 3 Tablespoons good olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons kosher salt
  
• 1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the eggplant, bell peppers and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing once during cooking. Cool slightly.

Place the vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the tomato paste and pulse 3 or 4 times to blend. Taste for salt and pepper.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, 1999