Twice Baked Potatoes First real recipe for you

I would like to thank everyone to has taken the time to check out this blog and leave comments or e-mail me with your thoughts.  Especially all of my colleagues; it was because of you that I started this.  My goal is really to help all of you who struggle with meal planning find a few ideas to make this chore a little easier.

So today I am going to post my twice baked potato recipe.  This is the one I prepared on Saturday.  The real beauty of this recipe is that you can change it up to include ingredients your family likes.  It's easy and freezes really well.  I always make at least 8 - 10 potatoes when I make this and freeze the rest for future meals.

                                                                                 

 

CAROL'S TWICE BAKED POTATOES



4 large baking potatoes
1 beaten egg
1 8oz. container of sour cream - I use low fat or fat free
1 cup cubed ham.  (Buy a ham steak, use what you need and freeze the rest for  another meal or ham and eggs for breakfast)
1 box frozen chopped spinach  (defrost and drain well)
1 cup shredded cheddar plus more for topping
salt and pepper

Scrub potatoes and pierce with a fork.  Put them in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.  (I do not preheat the oven, why waste energy.  I only preheat when I am baking cake, bread, or cookies)

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop  the insides into a bowl. Be gentle and try not to break the skins because you need them! Break up the potatoes with a fork or masher.  I like them kind of chunky.  Add the sour cream, egg and salt and pepper.  Just a few shakes, you can leave out the salt if you wish.  Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Now comes the fun part.  Add the ham, spinach and cheddar.  Now if you don't like these ingredients or you are vegetarian, add what you like.  Try chopped broccoli instead of spinach.  Try ham, swiss cheese and 2 Tablespoons of dijon mustard for a completely different flavor.  Use your imagination, think chili, salsa and green peppers for a tex mex flavor.  Most importantly, make what you know your family will like. 

Once you have added the ham, cheese and spinach, mix well and spoon the filling back into the potato skins.  Top with reserved cheddar.  Put in a pan lined with foil to make clean up easier.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  My family likes to add additional sour cream when we eat them, but the choice is yours. 

Depending on the size of the potato and the size of the person eating them, (the kids usuallly only eat half of a really large potato)  this meal will serve four.  If you want to double it, use 8 potatoes, 16 ounces of sour cream and 2 cups of cheese. 

Have fun with this and let me know how it turns out!