Ham and Scalloped Potatoes Using a Slow Cooker

During the winter months, a good hearty meal is something the whole family looks forward to. Ham and potatoes prepared with cheese in a slow cooker is a great meal.

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cooked ham
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place sliced potatoes in slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix together shredded cheese, onion and ham. Mix with potatoes in slow cooker. Using the same bowl, mix together condensed soup and water. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the potato mixture.
Cover and cook on High for 4 hours.

Delicious Potato Skins

Potato Skins are absolutely wonderful as an appetizer. I have added spicy ground beef and turned them into meal.

Give them a try.

Ingredients

• 6 potatoes
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/8 cup bacon bits
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high until they are soft; approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Cut the potatoes in half vertically. Scoop the inside out of the potatoes, until 1/4 inch of the potato shell remains.
4. Heat oil to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C) in a deep fryer or a deep saucepan. Place the potatoes in hot oil, fry for 5 minutes. Drain potatoes on paper towels.
5. Fill the potato shells with cheese and bacon bits. Arrange them in the prepared baking pan.
6. Bake for 7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with sour cream.               

Notes
Add ground beef or spicy sausage and you have a wonderful meal. I have also used beef with taco seasoning and adding Pico de Gallo.

Creamy Mushroom Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• Water
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Mushroom Soup
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut up

Directions

1. Place the potatoes and onion into a 4-quart saucepan and add water to cover.  Heat over medium-high heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Drain the potatoes and onion well in a colander.  Return the potatoes and onion to the saucepan.
2. Stir the soup, milk, heavy cream and butter in a medium microwavable bowl.  Microwave on HIGH for 2 1/2 minutes or until the mixture is hot.
3. Mash the potatoes and onion with the soup mixture until smooth.

Recipe for Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

Last night, I cooked up a wonderful dinner that had no leftovers. I prepared sausage medallions with over roasted red potatoes and fried apple and pears as my sides.

Here is the recipe for the Oven Roasted Red Potatoes.


OVEN ROASTED RED POTATOES

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. red potatoes, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon thyme
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place potatoes in a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil. Add spices to coat potatoes. Stir potatoes around.
3. Place half of the Parmesan cheese on the potatoes and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
Check potatoes, stir (add more olive oil if the potatoes are getting dry) and add remaining Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 30 minutes or until they are roasted to the desired color and texture.

Let stand for 3 minutes and serve warm.

What's for Dinner? STEAK, BABY!

What's for dinner? Steak, baby! That's right. At the Johns household, chicken, pork and seafood are good. But, if you are looking for something special. Steak is what's for dinner. You add a big bake 'tater that is fully loaded to that and maybe some sauteed mushrooms and onions with some Southwestern seasoning and you have got all of the makings for a perfect meal.



In this case, the meal was a ribeye steak that I had purchased on sale in bulk. If you find meat on sale, you need to buy and break it down yourself. By doing that, you save money and you can have steak almost every night. I know. My doctor is probably rolling his eyes and about ready to send me a dirty note about my cholesterol. (It is sad when you are able to spell "CHOLESTEROL" and the names of most of your medications.) Oh, well. Back to the steak.



Take a close look at the steak. You see the diamond sear marks on the steak. You can do the same thing. It just takes a little practice. When you put your steak on the grill. A very hot grill is an absolute must. How hot is hot? 500 degrees or better. Do not take your burner all the way up with the lid down. You will cause damage to your grill. When I preheat my grill, I set the controls to about medium. That will get you there. Once you open the lid to start cooking, you can put the spurs to her and turn your gas jets to wide open. You can then put the steak on the grill at a 45 degree angle and after about 3 minutes or so, you can rotate it to 45 degrees in the opposite direction. That will give you the sear marks you are looking for. Your friends will think you are a chef.



As for seasoning, I have made my own and tried a ton of different ones. The one I'm using now is the Chicago style blend from Webber. It has some bite to it and it gives the steak a great favor. If you ask me what do people love consistently on their steaks, I would say salt, pepper and some butter. If you are a purist, that's all you need.



Some people have asked about the potato. My daughter loves a good baked potato and my wife loves a good baked sweet potato. Well, there are some secrets to that, pilgrim. Let me tell you how to bake a great potato. First, select a good solid potato for baking. When I look, I look for fairly good sized potatoes. The other thing is that all of the potatoes should be the same size. Don't pick big ones and small ones. That will throw the cooking time off. Next, wash them good and dry them with a paper towel. After that, poke a few holes in them. Place each potato on a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Rub them down with cooking oil and salt them. If you like your potatoes to have a crispy skin, you can forget the foil. If you use the foil, wrap them up semi-tightly and place them on the grill. If you are preheating for your steaks, a good 450 degrees would be perfect for both the steak and potatoes. Place them on the warming rack and close up the grill. It will take about 1 hour to cook most potatoes. Use a knife to check for doneness. If it goes through the potato without resistance, you are done. As for the sweet potato, you can do the same to it except you don't need the full hour. I usually give the sweet potato only 45 minutes and I do use the aluminum foil. Since it has a higher sugar content, it burns easily. So, use the foil. Plus, the skin comes off easily when you use the foil method.



There you go. One top-notch steak dinner. Remember, you don't need a lot for seasoning when it comes to a steak. Salt, pepper and butter are great.

Omaha Steaks

This evening I cooked some Omaha Steaks Filet Mignons for dinner. My wife, Karla, and I celebrated our 17th anniversary of our first date this evening. So, I decided to cook some steaks to celebrate the special occasion. I also prepared Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions. Since my wife is on a diet, I prepared a baked sweet potato for her.

When preparing the sweet potato, I use a little vegetable oil on it to keep the skin moist. The other thing to remember is that it takes about 45 minutes to cook a large sweet potato. If you cook it for the same time as a baked potato, you will burn the sweet potato. Remember, sweet potatoes have sugar and will burn easy. I set my Weber grill for medium for about 15 minutes. That will take the temperature up to about 425 degrees. This is a great temperature for pototoes. I wash my potatoes and then dry them. I rub them with vegetable oil and then salt the skin. My daughter loves it and eats the skin. Put the potatoes in heavy duty aluminum foil to keep them moist. You can cook them without the foil, but the skin dries out a bit. You have watch them carefully. Once the temperature is at 425 degrees, you can now add your baking potatoes. After about fifteen mintues, you can add the sweet potatoe.

Once the potatoes are in the grill, you have time to prepare the mushrooms and onions. I usually cook enough for myself. My wife and daughter aren't big fungus fans. So, I cook just enough for me. Now, if I have time, I like to cook with fresh mushrooms, but I usually just used canned. I use 2 small cans and 1 small white onion. I drain the mushrooms and put them in a plastic bag and them cut the onion into julienne strips. I add about 2 cloves of garlic to the mix. Then add 2 tablespoons of Worchestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a little salt and a little pepper. Depending on my mood, I might add about 1 tablespoon of chipotle sauce to the party. In the words of Emeril, I'll use the sauce "to kick it up a notch." Once done, I squeeze out all of the air from the bag and seal it up and let it set for a bit to marinate.

About 20 minutes before you are ready to grill, take the thawed steaks out and begin preparation. I used the Weber steak seasoning (Chicago Style) for the meat. I recommend that you season the meat and then add some vegetable oil on the steaks. These steaks are very lean and need a little oil to make sure they don't stick to the grill. Remember, your grill is fairly hot at the point. Let the meat sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Cover it with some plastic. Don't worry about spoiling the meat. The salt in the seasoning will kill anything on the surface.

Once I have checked the potatoes and we are close to done, it's time to do some grilling. I will take a cast iron skillet with me, the steaks, my Grillslinger Sport, a grill mitt, about 2 tablespoons of butter and a platter. I'll set the skillet on my sideburner and set it to high. Once that bad boy is hot, I'll add the mushroom and onions. BE CAREFUL! You have oil and liquid in the mix. When it hits that hot, hot skillet, it will splatter. So, be careful. You don't want to go to the emergency room or have to pencil in facial features. Once it starts to steam up a bit, you can start moving the mushrooms and onions around. Not too much. Remember, we are looking to saute the mushrooms not sweat them.

Ok, time for the steaks. I lift the lid on my trusty Weber and put the spurs to her. I turn the burners from medium to high. I want HIGH heat for the steaks. Remember, grill marks are good. So, I will then add the steaks to the grill. I will point them in a 45 degree angle. After about a couple of minutes (2-3 minutes), you should have a good set of grill marks. Use the tongs and turn them to the opposite direction. 45 degrees in the other direction so you can get a great set of grill marks.

Remember, the mushrooms! Check on them. When the liquid has reduced down, it's time to add the butter. Turn the temperature down to about medium. We don't want to burn the butter. Mix it into the mushroom and onions. By now you should have them nice and brown. Carmelized! BINGO! Lower the burner to low, just to keep it to warm for dinner.

Time to flip the steaks! Do the same thing. Point them in the same direction 45 degrees for a couple of minutes and then in the opposite direction. You will have great grill marks. When I'm cooking a tenderloin. I don't go any higher than medium rare. Just a little red in the middle. My mother loved her steaks well done. OUCH! Don't do it! If you want to incinerate good meat, well done is the way to do it.

Once all done, you should be ready to serve and eat. I took everything in to the family and everyone was happy. I tried something a little weird with my potato this evening. I forgot to pick up some green onions for my potato. I love fully loaded. I added some fried onions I had from a green bean casserole recipe. WOW! It was fantastic! You might give it a try at your next steak dinner.

In May, we will be having some friends over for fajitas. Stay turned. I love to grill and share my recipes and tips with everyone. If you are interested in the steaks that I used you can order them through amazon.com.