Baked Potato Casserole! **Bonus Some Family Photos!

I cherish the memories of days gone by and time spent with loved ones.  

I am started to update a lot of my previous posts.  The recipes are the same but since I have so many cherished recipes I felt it was time to go over them and share them again with those who have possibly just started to follow my blog.

Old recipes to some are new to others.  Please enjoy the recipe and some great memories from 7 years ago.  M.j. 

Today we celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary with our children and grandchildren at our home for an easy family  dinner.. I made our family favorite dish Porketta and I also decided to try a new recipe for a side and I was super pleased at the results!  Baked Potato Casserole!!  It was posted on Facebook a few days or so ago and I thought today was a good day to try it since we were having an easy, very relaxing, anniversary dinner with the children and grandchildren.  

Super delicious and special were peanut butter and chocolate fudge and marbled brownies were our dessert along with fresh fruit salad.  It was a great day! A lot of laughs and funny jokes from the grandchildren as well as good conversation.  A plus were looking through old photos.  That is bound to get a chuckle or two or three or four!  
Here is the recipe along with some photos of the beautiful day spent with family.

July 22, 1967

June 2004

June 25, 2013

Baked Potato Casserole

8 medium potatoes (about 2 ½ to 3 lbs total weight, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)

1 cup 2% milk

½ cup light sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)

6 slices bacon (cooked until crispy and crumbled)

sliced green onions
Eliminate bacon if you want a meatless dish.

Place the potato chunks in a large pot. Fill with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F. Grease a 2 ½-3 quart casserole dish. Return potatoes to the pot. Add evaporated milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Beat with a hand held mixer until smooth. Stir in 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese and half of the bacon. Spoon the potato mixture into prepared casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining ½ cup of cheddar cheese, remaining bacon, and green onions. Bake for an additional 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Family Favorite....Porketta

7/21/13

11/15/14

Peanut Butter Fudge made with Organic Peanut Butter

 I've posted this recipe before so it's for those who haven't had the chance to copy the recipe.  Please do!  It's my pleasure!!:)It is updated!

Update:  the above fudge was made with Jif peanut butter…
Delicious!

It's a very rainy day so "Let's make fudge"!!

My girlfriend Cheryl would make this wonderful easy fudge when a few of us would get together with our families.  She would use chunky peanut butter for her recipe. Now her recipe is a family favorite!  Hint:  This fudge is a BIG hit when you bring some to a picnic or also a Bake sale!  We have sold out immediately when someone realizes there is HOMEMADE FUDGE! :)

I used organic smooth peanut butter(regular is fine) because the kiddo's aren't fond of peanuts,  Costco's (Kirkland Brand). Feel free to use your peanut butter of choice.  It does not have to be organic.

Note: Store in airtight container in refrigerator preferably.  I store in layers using wax paper in between layers. 


It is really raining in buckets so what a better day to stay inside (I do have to go and pick up my grandson) but after that I'm in for the duration of this miserable rain. This easy fudge is the answer to my sweet tooth craving.  I ate a few pieces.  Perfect!  It really was wonderful and it takes very little time and effort to put together.

  It sets very quickly so make sure you have your pyrex dish all buttered and ready to go. 

Note: I've bought Costco's Organic peanut butter before and it is very good.  You  must stir it well (oil settles on top).  It did just fine with this fudge recipe and with 2 cups of sugar in this recipe cutting back a little bit on sugar is a good thing.  It is plenty sweet.  Jif, ( is the peanut butter I usually use) is sweeter, but we are using plenty of sugar in this recipe so I am confident this will do fine. Yummy!!!!


2 cups sugar
1/2  cup milk( I used whole milk)
Bring above to a rapid (full boil)stirring constantly for **exactly 3 minutes..(you should use a timer)no less!

Remove from stove add 1- 12 oz. chunky or regular peanut butter (organic works out fine) and 1- 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream.  Stir really well with a large spoon until blended and then quickly place in a buttered dish.  (I used a 8 x8 glass dish).  Refrigerate.  Cut after completely cooled.  About 1 hour.  Note:  After reading the ingredients on back on Kirklands organic peanut butter  label.  I found it to be much much lower in salt and lower in sugar and fat than regular Jif.
 p.s. I'd definitely use this peanut butter again.

Happy Baking and Cooking from my kitchen to yours,
 

M.J.

So good!  Satisfied my sweet tooth..Big time!

First I folded in peanut butter then marshmallow

Today I made the fudge using Jiff Peanut Butter.  Same amounts, same results.  I decided a dark chocolate drizzle would definitely be a nice change.  Who doesn't like peanut butter and chocolate? YUM ** For the drizzle a small amount(maybe 1/4 cup) semi sweet chocolate morsels melted slowly and stirring (30 second intervals) in microwave until soft.

Spread mixture quickly into well buttered pan..Refrigerate until completely cooled and then cut into pieces.

Note:  I added a drizzle to some today.  I used semi sweet chocolate morsels melted slowly in microwave until soft.

All recipes and their respective images are the sole property of I Like to Bake and Cook2013, all rights reserved. All content herein is meant for your personal enjoyment only and is in no way to be used for commercial purposes. Use of this site automatically constitutes your agreement to these terms.

Updated 10/25/2020

12/6/12 original 
7/10/13 
10/22/15
3/22/16
3/23/17

Goulash

I pretty much followed this recipe for the exception of two things.  I did not use Italian seasoning (I used basil and parsley instead) I personally don’t care for Italian seasoning.

The second thing was I used a different pasta.

It was so good.  I felt it was a cross between chili and macaroni soup.  I’d make it definitely again!

Enjoy!

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning **

1 tablespoon tomato paste

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

One 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

8 ounces cavatappi pasta**

4 ounces sharp Cheddar, shredded on the large  holes of a box grater (about 1 cup), plus more for serving

2 tablespoons chopped parsley 

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, a few grinds of pepper, the paprika, and Italian seasoning to the beef and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, until the paprika begins to toast and become fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir the tomato paste into the beef mixture to coat, then cook until the paste thickens and deepens in color, about 2 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire and beef broth to the beef mixture and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the cavatappi. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Remove the pot from the heat. Gently stir in the parsley and Cheddar until combined and the cheese starts to melt. Divide the goulash among 6 bowls and top with more shredded Cheddar and chopped parsley.  

Food network recipe

Lemon Ricotta cake

Hi everyone:

This is an easy from scratch cake to make and very similar to one my grandmother and mom made for the exception of the pan size and they used less sugar and only egg yolks.

I have made my family recipe before but thought it was time to try another person's recipe. 

Both hubby and I really enjoyed it.




I  used a 9” springform pan.

Basic ingredients plus whole milk ricotta.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup butter, softened ( 1 stick plus 1/2 of a stick)
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs(room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups flour
• powdered sugar for dusting top of cake (optional) 

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan using butter and powdered sugar; set aside. 
• In a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until combined. Add in the ricotta cheese and blend until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. 
• Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add in the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine. In the same bowl, stir in the baking soda and salt. Lastly, add in the flour and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of bowl to full incorporate all of the ingredients. 
• Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. 
• Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing the collar and base of the pan. Cool on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

You can also serve a slice with a little whipping cream on the side.

***Note:  Use caution when baking.  Make sure when you put toothpick in center it comes out clean.  I was fooled and although I did it twice the center was slightly wet when I cut it.

Also completely cool before slicing.

Enjoy!

Adapted from The Italian kitchen

Fresh Roma tomato sauce

I had fresh Roma tomatoes so I decided to try my hand at a small amount of fresh sauce for pasta fagioli.

8 to 10 Roma Tomatoes washed

Boiling water

Place tomatoes in boiling water.  Allow to remain in water until you see skin start to peel.  

Remove tomato skins snd core .  Place olive oil in a deep pot.  Allow olive oil to start to sizzle, add two cloves of minced garlic and simmer slowly making sure not let garlic burn.

Crush tomatoes with your hands and place in garlic oil.  Add some salt, a fresh basil leaf or two and Simmer on low for about an hour.  Remove tomatoes and put through a sifter or foley mill to strain any remaining seeds.

I added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to help thicken the sauce.

Enjoy!

It's a pasta fagioli kind of day.