Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Ok, I am not even sure where to start.  This dip is amazing! Sorry for the strange picture, this was the only bowl I have and I was too anxious to eat it and forgot to wipe down the edges! haha..

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Bake frozen waffle fries extra-crispy for our dippers

Yield:  Makes about 4 cups

1 (2.1-oz.) package fully cooked bacon slices
1 (16-oz.) container sour cream
2 cups (8 oz.) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup sliced fresh chives
2 teaspoons hot sauce

Garnishes: cooked, crumbled bacon; sliced fresh chives; freshly cracked pepper

Serve with: waffle fries

Microwave bacon according to package directions until crisp; drain on paper towels. Cool 10 minutes; crumble. Stir together bacon and next 4 ingredients. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours before serving. Garnish, if desired. Serve with crispy, warm waffle fries. Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 7 days.


Jenna's Notes:
I did not have chives so I left them out.  I also only bought an 8 oz. container of sour cream so I modified everything a little bit, just to taste.  I used this for the hot sauce:

(Salsa from Sonic- Since this was all I had!)

I added fresh cracked pepper:

And instead of serving with waffle fries, I used Walmart brand ridged potato chips.

Oh, and an important note....I did not wait for this dip to chill and I already went and bought more ingredients to make it again. Because it did NOT last for 7 days.

try it!

Grammy's Easy Grilled Delights

Here are the ingredients that I used.  For the jam, I used packets of grape jam that I got from Chick-fil-a.

Grammy's Easy Grilled Delights

1 can biscuits

fruit preserves or jam

butter

sugar-optional

Grease and preheat indoor grill.

(good in a sandwich machine too).

Roll each biscuit out to about a 3-4 inch circle.

Put jam, preserves, or pie filling in the middle

of the circle (not too much-about a teaspoonful).

Brush a little milk around the outside of the circles.

Fold one side over the other and, using a fork,

press the edges together. You want this to look

like a thin fried pie.

 Brush the pie with butter and

grill until golden brown and done in the center.

 (I brushed the whole pie in butter and then rolled it in white sugar- Then I grilled it.  I don't have any powered sugar.  The white sugar gave the pies a caramel taste. Very good!)

Roll the pie in powdered sugar as soon as it

comes out of the grill. This is great fun to make

with your grandchildren; they love to help.

I was not expecting them to look like this.  I was pleasantly surprised! They turned out almost like pancakes!

My friend Jen had some syrup so we tried that inside a few.  It was runnier than the jam so it was a little sticky, but still tasted good.  It reminded me of a McGriddle from McDonald's!

Sweet Tea

For my birthday, I received an iced tea maker!  I LOVE sweet tea so I was so excited! This works great because you just add water, and Lipton tea bags, and the machine steeps the tea--- you don't have to add sugar (but I do) and place the pitcher under the spout and before you know it you have tea! When it is finished brewing, just fill with ice up to the line and voila!

Recently, I have been making 3 quarts, so I add 1.5 cups of sugar.  I like my tea pretty strong and after experimenting quite a big, I find it works best when I use 7-8 tea bags for 3 qts.  When I drink it, I add a splash of lemon juice (I have lemon juice from the potato recipe) to my glass.

I haven't tried flavored tea bags but I am sure it would be good.  Our old neighbor would add a few lemon or raspberry tea bags along with some regular ones.  I used to love it to visit her house for the tea- and other reasons too :D

French Onion Soup

I was able to use my crockpot yesterday! Isn't it the cutest thing?

When I was home for break, my mom and I went shopping and came across this little deal.  Can you believe it??? $2.48 ---for a crockpot! I am so excited to try out a few things. 

 I did something really simple with canned soup, but found a little way to spruce it up!

Here is what I used.... Plus a little garlic power sprinkled in: Salt, Campbell's French Onion soup, pepper, and Evoo.

I just added all these things to the crockpot, along with a can of water, like the soup can says, and let it cook/warm up on low for 2 hours... it was ready before then, but it was about 2 hours before I sat down and ate it!

I found a few recipes online that said to add just a splash of olive oil to give canned soup the flavor of being simmered.  It tried it and as it warmed, it mixed it and did taste like it was real french onion soup!

I don't have any bowls so I had to eat out of a storage container, but it still was tasty and easy!

California Pizza Kitchen- BBQ Chicken

So--- This is not exactly "cooking" in college, but I had to share anyways!  I was at Target the other day and cam across these.  I bought the mini one, the kind that can be microwaved. 

This was very good and only took 4 minutes!

It was amazing how crisp the crust came out and the chicken--- well, it was seasoned perfectly and tasted like real chicken!  The BBQ was tangy and sweet. There are red onions and two different kinds of cheese on the pizza. Very yummy.

French Onion Dip

So, the other day, I was hungry for chip dip.  I went to Walmart and picked up a 6 oz. container of sour cream and a box of onion soup mix.

I like my dip flavorful, but I still didn't add one whole package... I just dumped a little seasoning in the container, stirred, tasted, and repeated until I liked the taste!

Grilled Garlic Herb Potatoes

Another success! Can I just say, I am grateful for my friend George!

So, this recipe says "you can adjust it accordingly." So- that's what I did! I bought two baking potatoes, and they were huge! I just sliced up one. Actually, all I have is a little paring knife so the poor potatoes weren't exactly sliced the best. I sliced them in thin circles so they would cook quicker.

-As you can see, the potatoes are all different shapes! Oh well, still tasted great!

Since I only cooked one potato, I made up my own measurements for the spices. I added a sprinkle of this and a sprinkle of that. They turned out excellent! I put an extra splash of lemon juice. I would say I put a 1/2 tsp of each of the seasonings with a little less salt.

So, I guess I didn't really follow the recipe to a ''tee'' but it was still a success! I did place all the ingredients in a little Tupperware bowl, since that is all I had, and let them ''soak'' for about 20-25 minutes. I think that helped add flavor too.

I did not have any herbs so I left this out. I left the skins on the potatoes.

I also found out when I didn't touch them, they got pretty grill marks!

Here are the ingredients I used:

Grilled Garlic Herb Potatoes

6 potatoes, un-peeled and sliced
lengthwise, about 1/3" thick
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
(or any other herb you like)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Rinse the sliced potatoes and pat dry.
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes
with remaining ingredients and toss
well. Allow to marinate for about 1/2
hour.

Grease and pre-heat grill. ( I didn't grease the grill since there was EVOO in the marinade. I had no trouble with them sticking)

Grill potatoes in batches for 5-7 minutes
or until done. (I wanted them to be soft yet still crunchy so each batch took a good 10-12 minutes)

You can keep the cooked potatoes warm
by placing them on an uncovered plate
in a 200*F. oven. Just keep them in a
single layer.

This recipe serves 6 people, but you
can adjust it accordingly.

I think you should try this, even if you aren't at college. :D A great recipe and fun to make too! I even had enough for leftovers!

Silverware

I went out the other day and bought some silverware. I ended up getting a four place setting set (the sounds funny!) for $7. I thought that by the time I kept buying disposable silverware, I'd get the value out of these. It is kinda nice having real silverware too!

Grilled Onions

I sauteed up some onions to go along with the quesadillas.  I sliced the onions and added a little olive oil, eva's salt and pepper. Again, I like the onion's crispy, so I cooked them about 4 minutes until they were quite brown. They tasted exactly like the onions you get with fajitas at Mexican restaurants! Very good!

Quesadilla

This was a quick and easy dinner! or lunch, or just a snack!

I just took a tortilla and added a little shredded cheese, folded it in half and placed it on the grill! It took about 4-5 minutes. I like my quesadillas to be crispy!

You can serve it with salsa and/or sour cream!

Yum!

Grilled Bacon

My friend Jen and I decided what better way to start off Saturday morning than with some bacon!  My grandma sent a pound of bacon back to school with me so we pulled it out of the fridge and away we went! It turned out extra crispy and very flavorful.  I was only able to fit 4 on the grill at a time.  The cooking time was about 7 or 8 minutes.
                                

-Helpful Tip: When sharing one fridge with 7 other people it is important to put your name on everything.

Voila! Perfectly crisp and cooked bacon every single time.  What a great way to start any day!  Thank you Gramma Johnson for supplying the bacon for this fun breakfast!

My Friend George

I have a feeling that George and I are going to become great friends this semester. The possibilities are nearly endless to what can be made on this little machine.  I am so excited about this project to see what I can make on the grill.  I have been searching around for recipes and my momma has sent me some too.  Did you know you can cook biscuits on a George Foreman?  Me either.  But you can bet I'll be trying it soon!

Here is my buddy.  You'll be seeing much more of him soon. (hopefully)


                                                    (Doesn't George look mighty friendly? )

Lean and mean, that's for sure :D

Something different

So, I admit- sometimes it is easier to just run a fast food restaurant and try not to think about what you are eating. I am guilty of doing that more often than I want to admit. However, I love to cook. It is so hard to be in a dorm room not being able to cook and eat what I'm in the mood for. This semester however, George Foreman grills are allowed. I just so happened to receive one for Christmas! I'm so excited to try some new things and good food right in my room. I hope you follow along on the great college cooking journey! Because, face it- all these foods really aren't good for us. Just think about all the sodium that a Big Mac contains... but by cooking yourself, you can control what goes into a meal!

Happy Cookin'