OT Lazy Cooking with Cat!

[Gary]

We often take baked potatoes and let them cool scoop out the potato and mix with cheese, bacon bits, broccoli, etc and return to the shell and nuke them or even put in the oven. They even freeze pretty well when done this way. Don't put the salt and pepper on them until you get ready to eat them for some reason it seems to be neutralized by the freezing.

My wife used to make them for me to take to work. They don't need to be wrapped in tin foil either (you cant take tin foil into a correctional facility) I got sick of having sandwiches every day and after awhile all the food made inside got to taste the same. A baked potato will freeze pretty well but you cannot freeze them raw. Too much water in them they will rupture and they taste awful even if the are cooked.

[SalpalSally]

Or make beef hash! Yummy!

[stillstANNding]

Sally, I believe Agate is a vegetarian.

[Cat Dancer]

Slice them thin and brown them in just a bit of oil or butter in a frying pn. Start with a bit of oil in the frying pan, add some onions, cook until soft, add the chunks of potatoes, green peppers, leftover beef or chicken, make a hash. A little salt, pepper, and other seasonings of your choice: oregano, basil, chili powder, cumin, all are good (but maybe not at the same time)>

Bake the whole potato, eat what you want baked, then mash the rest (you can do this with a fork). When ready to reheat (I'm assuming you have a microwave?) put them in a bowl, stir in a few pats of butter, some milk, mashing with a fork or spoon to the consistency you find in mashed potatoes...some like them real smooth, some lumpy ... then heat for 3 minutes or so, and serve with other sides. Or stir in sour cream, or plain yoghurt, and heat.

Or simply put in a microsafe dish, cover, and reheat. Or cut them in meal size chunks, wrap the unused pieces tightly in plastic wrap, and bake tomorrow. Very versatile, no need to waste them.

Or after they're baked, cut into chunks and stir into almost any soup.

[Cat Dancer]

I personally think cold potatoes are yucky....

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((agate)))))) ~

We're having baked potatoes tonight, and tomorrow, I'll make twice baked potatoes, very similar to the ideas already posted. Scoop out the potato, and save the skin, mash potatoes w/milk (we use coconut milk), add whatever you have on hand or like ~ green onions, cheese, peppers, etc. Place in the oven at 325 for about 10 minutes. (Check them at 5 minutes, as ovens vary.)

Or, you can cut up the left over potato, and make your favorite potato salad dressing, stir it up, and voila potato salad!

Hope that you find just the right solution for your palate!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Love & Light,

Rose

[Gary]

Oh I forgot about the onions!! The chopped green onions are a must. I have started using garlic salt and or Lawrys season salt. I mix a bit of the 2 of them and then I dont need as much salt compared to how much plain salt I would normally use.

[SalpalSally]

Agate, put onions, eggs, mayo, sour cream n celery in and call it potato salad!

[Virginia]

Gosh, I should not have read all this right before time to eat. I am so hungry now.

I am going to try Agate's Tacos and Cat's guacamole. I already make my salad about like Linda except that I use Feta.

I like soups of almost all kinds. One I like to make and eat on for several days is:

1 lb ground beef (I always use Angus - taste better)
2 bags frozen soup vegetables
1 large (46 oz) bottle V-8 juice
1 fist size potato

Cut potato in small pieces, put in large pot and just barely cover with water. Brown ground beef, add to potatoes, add the bags of frozen soup vegetables and V-8 juice. You can add pepper and salt if you like. Let it cook for about 30 or 40 minutes and it is ready to eat.

Another really easy one:

2 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 pkg dry onion soup mix

Place rice in baking dish and pour water over it. Put in dry soup mix. Lay chicken on the rice mixture. Dot with butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until all the water is absorbed.

[Gary]

I never would have thought of using V-8 juice. While I hate fresh tomatoes I like tomato juice and stuff with cooked tomatoes in it.

Onion soup is good to simmer mushrooms in and my favorite onion soup dip!!

I am getting hungry!

[Lazarus]

Quick...Beer Batter Bread
Lots of room to play with different flours and/or different beers
The key seems to be to not over mix it. Lumpy is better than smooth.


BEER BATTER BREAD

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the beer all at once, mixing as little as possible; the batter should be lumpy.
Pour the batter into a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan and brush with the melted butter. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
Recipe adapted from New Tastes from Texas by Stephan Pyles, © 1998 Clarkson Potter

[SalpalSally]

I never would have thought of using V-8 juice. While I hate fresh tomatoes I like tomato juice and stuff with cooked tomatoes in it.

Onion soup is good to simmer mushrooms in and my favorite onion soup dip!!

I am getting hungry!

Sounds delish!


I always used V8juice in veg soup!!

[Parsi]

Quick...Beer Batter Bread
Lots of room to play with different flours and/or different beers
The key seems to be to not over mix it. Lumpy is better than smooth.


BEER BATTER BREAD

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the beer all at once, mixing as little as possible; the batter should be lumpy.
Pour the batter into a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan and brush with the melted butter. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
Recipe adapted from New Tastes from Texas by Stephan Pyles, © 1998 Clarkson Potter

Hmmm. I wonder if that would work with non-alcoholic beer.

[Catdancer]

I dont think so. Maybe. Has to be something about the bubbles, and natural yeast in the beer. Once the bread is baked, the alcohol content is gone, if that discontent.

[renee]

Alcohol would be entirely cooked off, si?