Twice Baked Potatoes are for Lovers

They are also for adventurous types who do not mind being burnt while cooking. I qualify, on some level, in both of these categories.

When I made my meal plan for the week, sipping on a blueberry iced tea and surrounded by the ambient sounds of my local Starbucks, it didn't really bother me that I've never made a twice-baked potato before. I hardly considered the fact that I've probably only eaten them two or three times in my life. No, here was a culinary challenge!

...And then I had to scoop the hot potato out of the hot skin, leaving one-eighth of an inch of flesh around the edges to create a nice little potato-boat.

I have survived the ordeal, however, and this first attempt was quite a success. I'm going to explain what I did tonight, and what I think will make the recipe better next time... once my fingerprints grow back, that is.

Twice-Baked Sour Cream and Chive Potatoes

2 large baking potatoes
4 Tbsp. light sour cream
3 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
2 Tbsp. chives
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

1. Clean potatoes, poke holes and wrap in tinfoil. Bake at 400*F for 1 hour.
2. Remove potatoes from foil wrappers, retain wrappers. Laying each potato on its side, slice across to remove about 1/2 inch of the side of the potato; discard. Using small spoon, carefully scoop soft potato from the skin, leaving about 1/8-inch of potato attached to the skin to create a boat-like shell. Place soft potato into mixing bowl.
3. Coat insides of potato shells using 1 Tbsp. margarine. Place shells back on tinfoil, keep in heated oven while completing next step.
4. Add light sour cream, remaining margarine, pepper, garlic powder, dried minced onion, and chives to mixing bowl. Mash potatoes well, until very smooth.
5. Remove shells from oven. Spoon heaping amounts of mashed potato mixture into each shell. Top with grated cheddar cheese, sprinkle with chives. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until mashed potatoes are golden brown and cheese has melted.

Notes:
- I'd like to add maybe 1/2 c. grated cheddar and 1/2 c. skim milk to step #4. I think it would make the mashed potatoes even creamier and more delicious.
- The minced onion flakes are pretty much optional; I used them to bring out the bite that you'd get if you were using fresh chives. Dried chives (what most people have on hand) don't retain their flavor very well, so adding the onion gives a little extra kick!

Meal Idea:
- We had this with peppercorn marinated steaks and a fresh carrot-green bean mixture with dill.

Enjoy!!

Peeling that pound of shrimp was SO worth it.

Tonight we revamped a recipe that I originally found on Kraft Foods dot com. I love taking the ideas from this website and making them healthier and less product-driven. In other words, more pretentious interesting.

Tonight's dinner was originally deemed "Bow-Thai Pasta," although I find that to be slightly cheesy and would welcome suggestions for a renaming.

This dish I can only describe as Thai-Italian fusion, and it is actually quite delightful. It is low in calories overall- go for a nice walk after the meal to make up for the carbs in the pasta, as we did this evening. Aside from the shrimp, it is extremely affordable. Buy shrimp on sale from your local seafood counter, or simply substitute chicken- I haven't tried that yet, but I'm sure it's just as good!

"Bow-Thai Pasta"

8 oz. farfalle pasta
3/4 lb. steamed shrimp, cleaned
1Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, julianned
1 large carrot, coined
1/2 c. peas, fresh or frozen
4 Tbsp. sesame-ginger salad dressing

1. Cook farfalle pasta as directed on package.
2. Heat olive oil and garlic in a medium skillet. Add carrots, cook on medium heat until slightly tender.
3. Add red pepper, continue cooking over medium heat until tender, stirring frequently.
4. Add peas and cleaned shrimp. Reduce heat to medium-low, cook for one minute.
5. Pour sesame-ginger dressing into skillet, maintain heat and stir frequently until vegetables and shrimp are coated with dressing.
6. Pour pasta and vegetable-shrimp mixture into large bowl. Mix well, until farfalle is coated in dressing. Add additional dressing if needed, to taste. Serve hot.


This is very easy to prepare, serves two to four people (depending upon your appetite), and is easy to adjust for a larger crowd. Plus, it's colorful!

A few notes:
- You could try adding diced onion.
- Ask the seafood counter attendant to refrain from using Old Bay or any other seasoning when steaming your shrimp. The flavor profiles will clash!
- Newman's Own sesame and ginger dressing is the best flavor I've found so far. Let me know if you find better!
- Snow peas also work well. I just dislike the pods.


Have you tried "Bow Thai Pasta" yet? Perhaps you've come up with a better name?