JANET'S CHEESE POTATOES

Growing up, this was a favorite dish that my mom made (and still makes) for every single dinner event.  Lori's birthday, cheese potatoes were there.  My birthday, cheese potatoes were there.  Thanksgiving, cheese potatoes were there.  Christmas dinner, there they were again.  You get the picture.  So, if this doesn't count as comfort food, I don't know what does. 

Janet's Cheese Potatoes
Makes 8 servings

5 pounds russet potatoes
1/4 cube butter, melted
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Boil and peel potatoes.  Cut into cubes and place in large mixing bowl. 

Combine potatoes, butter, cheese sour cream, and salt.  Place in baking dish and cover with foil. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake and additional 10 minutes to brown top. 

Note:  An easier way to make these is to microwave the potatoes.  Don't forget to poke holes in them to vent with a fork before microwaving.  Combine all the ingredients and instead of baking them, microwave until the cheese it melted.  You miss out on the golden brown cheesey top layer, but it still tastes the same!

CANTALOUPE & PROSCIUTTO SALAD

When plain old, run-of-the-mill fruit salad won't do, this is a fancy alternative. Meat and fruit?  Who knew you could combine them like this.  It'll shock and awe your guests.  Yet it's easier to make than it looks. 

Cantaloupe & Prosciutto Salad
Makes 8 servings

5 slices prosciutto
1 cantaloupe
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
mint leaves, chopped
salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake prosciutto 10 minutes, or until crisp.  Break into small pieces.

Cut cantaloupe into wedges and shave off ribbons from each wedge, using a vegetable peeler. 

Toss cantaloupe, prosciutto, mint, and olive oil together.  Season with salt.

CAPRESE SALAD

What do you bring to a potluck when you have less than an hour to not only cook something, but to get ready as well? (This is what happens when the neighbor lady tells your husband and he forgets some minor details, like what time it starts). You could cop out and buy something pre-made, but to avoid any embarassment, this is an easy dish.

Caprese Salad

Makes about 18 servings

1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

4 roma tomatoes, sliced on the diagonal

Basil Leaves, chopped

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Drizzle tomato slices with balsamic vinegar.  Arrange one tomato slice on each mozzarella cheese slice. Sprinkle with chopped basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: For an even easier caprese salad, use grape tomatoes and mini-mozzarella balls. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and serve.

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Tater tots and cream of mushroom soup for dinner? So odd, yet surprisingly so good. Growing up I was convinced that only my mom could have come up with a random recipe like this. That and tuna casserole.

So odd, that surely we were the only family that ate this. And then I married a Minnesotan.   I came to the realization that this is what everyone in the midwest eats everyday. Hot dishes as they're called over there. Casseroles to us on the west coast. This is comfort food at it's best.

Tater Tot Casserole

Makes 8 servings

4 pounds frozen tater tots

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degress. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, place a layer of tater tots down. On top of this layer add ground beef and onions, season with salt and pepper.

Spread layer of condensed cream of mushroom soup on top. Add final layer of tater tots on top.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until meat is cooked through.

Note: This dish holds up well throughout the week, making it great for leftovers.

LUCY'S HAM & CHEESE SLIDERS

I've been dying to get my hands on this recipe ever since I tasted one of these tasty treats in Minnesota.  My mother-in-law's good friend, Lucy, is known for this signature sandwich.  And thanks to Siri, one of my sister-in-law's good friends, who got her hands on the recipe, I now have the recipe!  Thanks Siri, you made my day when you posted this recipe!

Your guests will love these sammies.  You'll love these sammies.  You'll love them until you figure out just how much butter is in each individual sammie.  Don't do the math.  You'll never enjoy one of these the same way if you do...

Lucy's Ham & Cheese Sliders
Makes 12 sandwiches

1 stick of butter

1 T mustard

1 T worcestershire sauce

2 T brown sugar

1 T poppy seeds

12 dinner rolls

12 slices black forest ham

6 slices Swiss cheese

Assemble sandwiches and place in a baking dish. Use 1/2 slice of Swiss per sandwich. 

Bring butter, mustard, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and poppy seeds to a boil in a saucepan.
Pour sauce over the sandwiches. Marinate sandwiches for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes covered,  then 10 minutes uncovered.

Note:  Hawaiian sweet rolls are tasty, but if you're making this in bulk and want to save money, Costco's dinner rolls are the way to go.

BIRTHDAY CAKE 2.0

Round 2 of the birthday cake dress rehearsal.  This one was made to celebrate the half birthday party for all the babies from our birthing class.  Seven 6-7 month old babies all in a room, along with their first-time parents.  Chaos.  But tons of fun! 

Lessons learned from this attempt:

1.  Hire a bakery to bake and frost the cakes.  It's so much more fun to decorate it than bake it. 

2.  Cakes are heavy.  Be sure to use wood dowels and cardboard in between layers. 

Yeah, it may look like I got a little lazy and didn't use the dowels.  That's why this cake is sinking under its own weight on one side.  Not that I didn't try, those things are hard to cut with a knife.  After one attempt and one injured finger, I decided it wasn't worth it.  Next time I think I'll make Mike cut the dowels with his table saw. 

VEGGIE SAUCE WITH CHICKEN MOZZARELLA RAVIOLI

Here's another recipe from the back of a pasta package. Thank goodness. If it weren't for these recipes, Mike would only ever be eating pasta paired with canned spaghetti sauce.

Veggie Sauce with Chicken Mozzarella Ravioli
Makes 4 servings

17 oz (1 package) chicken mozzarella ravioli
1/2 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 eggplant, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Parmesan cheese
Prepare pasta as directed. While pasta cooks, prepare sauce.

Saute onions and garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil and set aside. 

Cook yellow pepper, zucchini, and eggplant in 1/4 cup olive oil until tender.  Add can of tomatoes (use about 1/2 of the tomato liquid in the can), salt, onions and garlic.  Let simmer for a few minutes.   

Add cooked ravioli.

Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled over top. 

Note:  Pairs well with pinot gris.  This is a great meal to get rid of any veggies laying around in the fridge.