Son of Magazine Challenge: Cheesy Hash Brown Bake

So.
I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned in the past that the only thing my husband makes when I'm here is chili.  He likes to start with the Wick Fowler 2 Alarm Chili Kit and "makes it [his] own" by having me chop an onion to toss in along with a drained can of kidney beans.  It's really good, and thankfully makes enough for a couple of meals plus lunch for me for a couple of days.
The last time, however, I asked J if we could make this with the leftovers of the chili, and we actually ate this the next 2 days for lunch.  It's that good.  Trust me.
So if you're looking for something to do with the leftover chili from your last tailgate, and want a new twist on something delicious, might I suggest this?  It won't be the last time we try it around here.
From the March 2007 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Cheesy Hasbrown Bake:

Secret Recipe Club: Gemista

So.
It's that time again...time for a Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!
I love getting an email once a month that sends me to explore a new foodie blog, or this month one that I have enjoyed before.
This month, I was assigned Francesca's delightful blog, Della Cucina Povera.  We've been here before, faithful readers.  In September, I volunteered to make a recipe from an orphan blog...you guessed it, Francesca's.  I made Cinnamon Rolls.  They were awesome.
You would think that I would try something that I had considered last time, and once again falafels made the short list, but then I saw these.
When I lived in France, I had a host mother who made stuffed tomatoes that were a mostly ground beef and garlic stuffing.  They were awesome.  I saw these and got nostalgic.  They had rice in them, and mint...but it might be the same as the tomatoes of my memory.  They weren't, of course.  But they were darn yummy.  J told me he was "pleasantly surprised".  I'm not sure what exactly he was expecting, but apparently what he got wasn't quite it.  No worries.  They were happily consumed by all.
I present to you now Della Cucina Povera's Gemista:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Crispy Oven Fries

So.
Sometimes I just don't know what to add to my meal plan that will be good for 1 night.
With so many things that I make feeding 4, we get 2 nights out of many meals.  But with all schedules, there's often 1 night in the week left over, and I don't know what to make.  It's at that point we whip out something really simple that if we don't get to it and go out, it won't really matter.
One of those simple, one night meals that we often rely on is broccoli, potatoes or a rice packet and grilled steak.
We buy our steak at Costco, and cut them in half when we repackage into smaller portions.  So a tray of steaks makes a whole lot more servings than the 3 that originally start on the tray at the store.  With the current decision to use up everything in the freezer (or a good portion thereof before defrosting), steak is definitely on the menu.
Usually, I make mashed potatoes because all I need to do is chop, boil and mash to make a side.  But when I saw this recipe in the October 2006 issue of Everyday food, I thought that they might be a nice change of pace.  I was right.  We loved them.  J has requested that I make them again sometime.
They're not for a quick night, but they're different.  I present to you now from the October 2006 issue of Everyday Food Crispy Oven Fries:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Potatoes Vinaigrette

So.
It's no secret that I'm suspicious of cream sauces and dressings.  I'm not a fan of creamy salads or spreads on sandwiches.  Frankly, I prefer things I've made myself so I know exactly what's in them.
Summer salads often run into this problem for me, especially at a BBQ or picnic.  I would prefer to add my own dressing, and I skip the salads for the raw vegetables that I'll often eat without the dip (I'll also eat salad leaves straight out of the serving bowl.  I like plain raw vegetables)
J sometimes talks about his mother's potato salad, and how she'd use mustard and little to no mayonnaise.  I never make potato salad, so when I saw this it reminded me of J's talking about a mustard based potato salad.
It also reminded me of France, where I had a host mother who would take leftover boiled potatoes and cooked haricots verts, and toss them in a dijon vinaigrette for lunch on Sunday.  Frankly, it reminded me most of eating outside on a sunny day in France.  Good times.
I present to you now from the June 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Potatoes Vinaigrette:

Brunch: Ham and Potato Frittata

So.
Being home for the summer, I need to make lunch everyday.  Who thought that was going to happen?  I'd like to be going more meatless, but we do what we can.
While browsing, I read Beth over at Budget Bytes and she'd made a frittata.  Now we all know how well I do with baking eggs, but this looked easy, filling, and simple.  I used her ingredients, but tweaked things slightly to make less.  J and I got 2 meals out of this.  With a salad, it was a perfect lunch.
I present to you now, as inspired by Beth and her yummy things, the Ham and Potato Frittata:

Yummy Side: Twice Baked Potatoes

So.
J has been asking for a few weeks if we could have Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Twice Baked Potatoes.  I've been putting him off.  It's not that either of these things are difficult or things I don't like, I've just been putting him off.  That finally changed when I realized how much we've been spending eating out while work was crazy.  I finally got around to making these for dinner.
A few years ago, I was part of a cookbook exchange where I received a couple of books that I use quite a bit:  Tom LaCalamita's Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook and Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals 2.  This recipe is a riff on Rachel's recipe.
I have a love/hate relationship with Rachel Ray.  Her stupid little cutesy words bug me, and her smoker's voice gets to me.  I do, however, use some of her recipes regularly.  We love her Italian Wedding Soup, and her suggestions around mise en place are fantastic.  We love these potatoes too.  I need to get that cookbook out.  There are some fun menus.
This is a take out at home menu of twice baked potatoes (Super Stuffed Potatoes), buffalo chicken sandwiches and orange sherbet freezes.  I've never made the drinks, and I have followed the recipe for the sandwiches (which are great), but I make them faster and easier:  Cook a small chicken breast for each person in a frying pan, cutting in half to make more like cutlets.  When mostly cooked, pour Frank's Red Hot Sauce over the chicken, coating well.  Continue to cook, allowing the sauce to thicken.  Turn several times.  Slice fresh crusty rolls and place 1 breast per bun.  Drizzle with ranch or bleu cheese salad dressing.
But the side.  Yum.  I present to you now my adaptation Rachel Ray's Super Stuffed Potatoes:

Magazine Challenge: Ham and Potato Bake

So.
I don't know why I'm trying again with something that is described in the notes as a "crustless quiche".  I think I proved in December/January that I'm not really a good judge of all things baked with egg as a filling.  Yet when I decided to have people in for dinner and served ham, I saw this in the March 2005 EDF and knew it would be a good way to use up the leftovers. 
J and I eat a lot of broccoli.  It's one of the few vegetables we agree on.  We've taken to buying large bags of it frozen at Costco.  The fact that this contains simple ingredients that I had on hand made it even easier to make.  Easy and pantry staples.  It was worth a shot, even if I can't judge how long it takes to get eggs to set in the oven. 
I present to you now The Ham and Potato Bake from Everyday Food March, 2005:

Pintertest Kitchen: Loaded Baked Potato Soup

So.
As I look back over my past few Pintertest Kitchen posts, I've made some okay but not great things.  I want to make something great from Pinterest again.  Great like the Mexican Shells.  Great like discovering the easy way to shred chicken.  I had high hopes this month with this gem of a pin:

I love potato soup.  I'm always looking for a great recipe because the California Dreaming one I have is amazing...and scary when you look at the heavy cream.  This recipe came from Cooking Light, so it should be better, right?
I present to you now Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Handle the Heat:

Grillmistress: Foil Potatoes

So.
J believes that there should be starch with most meals.  He has this bizarre love/hate relationship with carbs that I totally don't get.  He might not want pizza at dinner because there are "too many carbs", but then will add 3 packets of sugar to a cup of coffee.  Although it's kind of the pot calling the kettle black...I just know I don't need the number of refined carbs that I eat in sugar or flour form.
Ahem.  But, he expects either potatoes, rice, or pasta as a side when I make dinner at home.  Here's what we like to do with potatoes in the summer when we're grilling.  I present to you now Sarah's foil packet potatoes: