we're not big fans of "plain." everything from our pancakes to our mashed potatoes general has some kind of fixer to enhance flavors or to dress up the mundane. i'm the first to admit that sometimes some combinations don't work out, but here is a combo that we love love love. in fact, we don't serve our thanksgiving potatoes any other way.
Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes
yields about 8 servings
4 cups hot mashed potatoes
1 envelope knorr or lipton dry vegetable soup mix
3/4 and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar or swiss cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1) preheat oven to 375*.
2) in lightly greased 1-1/2 or 2 quart casserole dish, combine all but 1/4 cup cheese.
3) bake, uncovered for 40 minutes. top with remaining cheese and return to oven to bake for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
*NOTES* this recipe doubles easily, but does not freeze well. you could add cooked crumbled sausage or chopped ham to this. we sprinkle french fried onions on with the last bit of cheese as well. this recipe works as well with both mashed real potatoes and instant potatoes. it makes a great breakfast, if you're into hearty potato breakfasts, that is. enjoy.
03 December 2008
01 December 2008
the birthday girl
it is december first. it's a special day in our house. you see, we have a dog. and when we found our trixie, she had been shuffled from one shelter to another. they say she was about 18 months old when we got her, but there was no way to know for sure when she was born. so we arbitrarily chose december first for her birthday bash.
today i got a little silly and baked her a cake. not a people-cake. a dog-cake. of course i googled. i found several sites touting recipes for dog cakes, that were, um, people cakes without sugar. "there's no way my pupperoo can eat that garbage; it'll make her sick," thought i. so, i kept searching.
i found one. yay!! i followed the recipe, sort of. the prep instructions were pretty vague, but i managed to get it mixed. and although the batter had the consistency of puke, and smelled a lot like puke with butter in it, i think she'll love her little cake. after baking it, i decided the recipe needed a little modification...for example ½ cup each butter and oil was far too much. so here is an updated version. if you have reason to celebrate with your dogger, feel free to rip off this recipe i found somewhere and revised. and i'm pretty sure you can sub-in cat stuff for felines. not sure.
1 cup dog food, processed into powder
½ cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup softened butter
¼ cup oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten, room temp
2.5 oz jar of meat baby food (any flavor)
4 bacon treats, chopped into smaller squares
1) combine first four dry ingredients.
2) beat butter until creamy and add oil, eggs, and baby food. add dry ingredients and mix until combined and barfy-looking.
3) pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan and lightly press bacon treats into batter. (make sure they sink under or they will burn.) bake for 35-45 minutes at 350*. cool on wire rack.
4) frost (if desired...we didn't go that far) with plain yogurt or cottage cheese.
*NOTE: do not let your dog eat the whole cake at once. refrigerate leftovers, with or without frosting. you can make these into cupcakes, but remove paper cups completely before serving; dogg-o will likely snarf down the paper and not know it. you can add carob chips as a "chocolate-chip" addition.
and i baked a spice cake so us peoples can celebrate with her.
today i got a little silly and baked her a cake. not a people-cake. a dog-cake. of course i googled. i found several sites touting recipes for dog cakes, that were, um, people cakes without sugar. "there's no way my pupperoo can eat that garbage; it'll make her sick," thought i. so, i kept searching.
i found one. yay!! i followed the recipe, sort of. the prep instructions were pretty vague, but i managed to get it mixed. and although the batter had the consistency of puke, and smelled a lot like puke with butter in it, i think she'll love her little cake. after baking it, i decided the recipe needed a little modification...for example ½ cup each butter and oil was far too much. so here is an updated version. if you have reason to celebrate with your dogger, feel free to rip off this recipe i found somewhere and revised. and i'm pretty sure you can sub-in cat stuff for felines. not sure.
1 cup dog food, processed into powder
½ cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup softened butter
¼ cup oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten, room temp
2.5 oz jar of meat baby food (any flavor)
4 bacon treats, chopped into smaller squares
1) combine first four dry ingredients.
2) beat butter until creamy and add oil, eggs, and baby food. add dry ingredients and mix until combined and barfy-looking.
3) pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan and lightly press bacon treats into batter. (make sure they sink under or they will burn.) bake for 35-45 minutes at 350*. cool on wire rack.
4) frost (if desired...we didn't go that far) with plain yogurt or cottage cheese.
*NOTE: do not let your dog eat the whole cake at once. refrigerate leftovers, with or without frosting. you can make these into cupcakes, but remove paper cups completely before serving; dogg-o will likely snarf down the paper and not know it. you can add carob chips as a "chocolate-chip" addition.
and i baked a spice cake so us peoples can celebrate with her.
happy birthday to my trixie-loo!
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