Cheesy scalloped potatoes.

My dad used to cook a  lot when I was growing up, if he didn't know how to make something he would make up the recipe in his head with his own ingredients and make it his own, this is his version of scalloped potatoes.

I once took it to a family Easter dinner last year it was such a hit that they beg me to bring it every single time, Christmas, thanksgiving, birthdays etc.. it's my signature side. The Secret? Cotija cheese!  now this is not the time to get picky or scared about trying new things, cotija is delicious. When you open it it's kinda stinky not a lot though and not gross stinky just different, however don't judge it just yet.. the flavor is actually that of a salty Parmesan or a feta, you could replace with either of those if your store does not carry cotija but trust me, you will miss out.

Ingredients

10 potatoes
sour cream
1/2 cotija cheese (you can use the other half for my upcoming lasagna post)
shredded jack cheese
salt
pepper


Boil about 10 medium potatoes, you want to boil the potatoes with skin and everything, if you don't it'll be very difficult to slice them, also you want to poke them ever so often with a fork  to make sure they are soft enough to poke yet still a bit hard.

slice them into circles once they cool. The skin will come off and if it doesn't completely then leave it in! the skin actually works with the dish.

butter a pan, it could be a glass pan, a loaf pan, my favorite to use is a cake pan, especially a spring form cake pan because you can take the sides off and it looks like a beautiful potato pie, commence your assembly, do one layer of potatoes...

add sour cream, salt and pepper to taste, the shredded jack cheese as well as shredded cotija cheese.

keep layering, potato slices, sour cream, salt and pepper, jack cheese and cotija cheese, and again.. I did 3 layers I could have fit another layer but I ran out of potatoes. :)
bake in oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes then move to broiler for 2-3 minutes (watch your broiler so it wont burn) you just want the top cheese to brown a bit creating a bit of a crunchy top layer.

 you can make this ahead before you warm rolls in the oven etc.. it needs to cool a bit so the slices wont fall apart.

enjoy! <3
post by Tanya E.

Mashed Potato Tacos.

Looking for something to do with the leftover mashed potatoes from thanksgiving? Want easy, budget friendly food you can whip up for family and friends without slaving over the kitchen? then this is for you!

Every time I have friends or family over I make this dish, it's simple (I am the queen of simplicity when it comes to the kitchen) it's a definite crowd pleaser, and you can make it ahead and not slave over the kitchen which means more time to enjoy with your guests. I dare you to try these! ;)

all you need are mashed potatoes (any way you make them) if you are using leftover mashed potatoes and don't have enough double the size of the batch by incorporating steamed cauliflower, I do it anyway as it is a waist friendly and easy way to hide veggies in this meal :)

You need tortillas, oil, and toppings such as chopped lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, salsa.. whatever you would add to a regular beef taco.

get your mashed potatoes (these look a different color because I add seasoned salt to them but you can do whatever you want, that easy!)

heat some tortillas (microwave, griddle etc however you like just to make them pliable) and add a spoonful to them fold them and set aside.

make a stack of them as many as you need, or don't need ..the beauty of this is you can refrigerate and make the next day, you can set aside until your guests arrive , you can even freeze them!

As you chop your toppings you can start frying!  love using my cast Iron skillet for this...

As your guests  or dinner time arrives you can lay all the toppings on the table and bring these babies out! your job is done! everyone can build their own tacos!  fun fun fun!!

How easy was that??
Enjoy with some Mexican salsa

post by Tanya E.

Shepard's Pie by Christy

Shepard's Pie is one of those ultimate comfort foods, at least for me it is.  The hamburger, the potatoes, the cheese, YUM!
Its not really a pie in the traditional sense as it does not have a crust but who knows, maybe somewhere down the line it did and people tried it w/o and liked that better.

My hubby and I jokingly call it "poor people food" sometimes, not because we think we are better than anyone who struggles but because we ARE part of the struggling class.  We call it this because its a real budget friendly dish.  It costs pennies when you break it down to individual servings.  The entire meal is around $4-5 total to make.  Divide by 5 mouths (in our house) eating it and its less than $1 a person.  You can't get much better than that!  When money flow is low we have this a lot, thus its nickname in our home.

What You Will Need:
1 lb Hamburger
3-4 medium potatoes (for mashed potatoes, you can use instant if you like)
1 can French Style Green Beans
2 (8 oz) cans Tomato Sauce
1/2-1 cup Shredded Cheese (any variety you like)

Step 1: Make the Mashed Potatoes-
Ok, so mashed potatoes are simple and who really needs to be told how to make them right.  I am including this for anyone who may be a cooking novice and has never attempted home made mashed potatoes before but would like to try.  You can use instant, I jusr prefer making them myself.
Peel 3-4 medium potatoes, cut up into small pieces.  The smaller the pieces the faster they will cook.
Boil in pot of water about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft and easily mush apart when squeezed.

Drain water from potatoes.  Reserve a tiny bit of the starchy potato water, maybe 1/8-1/4 of a cup, to combine with the potatoes
With a potato masher or electric hand mixer combine potatoes, some of the starchy water, a tiny splash of milk, some butter and pepper.  I eyeball all of this.  Maybe 2-4 Tblps milk, 2-4 Tblsp butter and 1/8-1/4 teasp pepper.
I like to use an electric hand mixer, growing up that's what my grandma always used.
Set potatoes aside until ready to assemble the "pie".

Step 2: Brown Meat and Mix Bottom Layer of "Pie"-
Brown the hamburger, season as desired-I use some garlic powder and onion powder and just sprinkle a little on, no measurements.
Once it is done strain excess grease and put into a large mixing bowl-to save time and dishes I rinse the pan out and use it to mix everything in.

Open up the cans of sauce and green beans, add them to the bowl(pan) with the hamburger and mix well. 

Step 3: Assemble "Pie" and Bake-
Preheat oven to 350
Spread the hamburger mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 dish or casserole pan
Spread mashed potatoes on top of the hamburger mixture
Sprinkle cheese on top of this.  I use Colby/Jack and just shred directly on top.  I like a lot of cheese and probably use close to a cup.  You can use whatever type and amount of cheese that you like.
Bake at 350 for 15ish minutes or until cheese is all melty and gooey.

Serve and enjoy.


This will kind of look like a big helping of "slop" on your plate but trust me it is SOOOO YUMMY!  Honestly, all of the best comfort foods look like big piles of "slop" when dished up hehe.

Love,
Christy

P.S. Jess will be posting her version of Shepard's Pie soon so be on the look out for that.