Posts Tagged ‘potatoes’

We've had a very busy week here--lots of stuff going on at school and work and home. I've had a sinus infection which has slowed me down a bit and made it harder to keep up with all that's going on.

Rob was out of town all day on Saturday at a foreign language teacher's convention--he had to leave the house at 5 AM! Nora and I spent the morning and early afternoon at her bridal shower. It was lovely and her friends truly showered her with their love and many beautiful and thoughtful gifts. I will try to post a few pictures later if I can get some from her friends. I was so busy talking that I ended up taking only a couple.

The wedding invitations have been mailed, three of the four bridesmaid's dresses are ready for their final fitting, the wedding gown is being altered, the honeymoon has been booked, and of course there are still lots of other tasks to be checked off of our lists.

So, with all that's going on we are having a very low-key Valentine's Day at our house. We had Mark and Katie over for lunch today. We are all eagerly awaiting the birth of their little boy in just a few weeks. He's actually due the same week as Nora and Topher are getting married! Here was today's menu:

Ham Loaf
Deviled Eggs
Mom's Potatoes
Vegetables
Frozen Cranberry Banana Salad
Valentine Cupcakes

I have posted all these recipes in the past except for the potatoes. I don't know the real name for potatoes cooked this way. There really isn't a "recipe" for them, so I'll just tell you how my mother used to make them. They are one of Rob's favorites and I really should make them more often.

Mom's Potatoes
small red potatoes, 1-2 per person
cooking oil
salt and pepper

Scrub the potatoes and then boil until tender. Let cool and then peel the potatoes. At this point you can refrigerate them until about 20-30 mins. before the meal. Heat a skillet until hot and then add enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are browned and warmed through. They should develop a nice crust on the part on the bottom of the skillet before you turn them to another side. Keep turning until they are warm and browned well. Salt and pepper to taste. We like these with ham but they would be good with just about any meat and they are quick and easy when you have some boiled potatoes on hand.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Becka

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I have been fighting some kind of infection in my lungs for nearly a month now that has left me with a terrible cough and very little energy. I have taken some time off work and have been trying to get extra rest, drink plenty of fluids, etc. I finally went to the doctor this week and am now on antibiotics and have an inhaler. I'm feeling slightly better after a few doses of the antibiotic and hope to soon be feeling back to normal.

When one is not feeling well or having a busy day it's good to have an easy meal idea. One that I like is these little individual meat loaves and oven baked potatoes. Since it's just the two of us when I mix up a meat loaf mixture I divide it into individual loaves which I freeze on a tray and then slip into a freezer bag. This particular batch of meat loaves I made using a recipe from Kraft Food and Family magazine. It contains dried stuffing mix and barbecue sauce, but any meatloaf recipe will do. These small loaves easily thaw overnight or during the day in the refrigerator. To bake you just put them in a baking pan and top with catsup and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. Here they are ready to pop into the oven:

A really good side dish for the little meat loaves are these oven baked potatoes. To make these you melt some margarine in the bottom of a baking pan (I use about 1 Tbsp. per potato). Sprinkle the melted margarine with paprika (you can also add garlic powder, chili powder, or other seasonings of your choice) and then place the potatoes which have been cut in half lengthwise, cut side down in the melted margarine. These also bake for 30 mins. Here are the potatoes ready for the oven:

While the meatloaves and potatoes are baking you can cook a vegetable or make a salad and set the table. This makes a nice, satisfying meal with very little effort. Keep this meal in mind when you are having a busy day or feeling a bit under the weather.

Becka

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