Welcome Home Dinner

As I said, my hubby has been away for two weeks training with the National Guard, so this is my welcome home dinner menu for him. I am adding the recipes here, so you all can try them out too!

NY Strip Marinade:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsps. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a heavy-duty, resealable plastic bag, combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Add the steaks to the bag, press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn several times to distribute the marinade. Place the bag in bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally. Overnight is best.

 

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large Idaho potatoes ( I get the ones in the bulk section, because I can usually find really big ones there)

2 packages of bacon ( use your favorite kind, but don’t use a super cheap brand)

2 packages of shredded cheese (you can use any kind of cheese you like, I usually use mind cheddar)

1 stick of butter

1/3 cup of milk ( I use whole milk because it makes the dish richer)

1 pinch of salt (go easy on the salt because you will be adding bacon and it is salty!)

2 dashes of black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake the potatoes for an hour, your oven might take longer or shorter to bake the potatoes depending on how it cooks.  While baking the potatoes cook the bacon on the stove top according to package directions. Drain it on paper towels and let it cool.

When the potatoes are soft enough to squeeze slightly and you can feel them give, remove them from the oven. Set aside for 30 minutes to an hour to cool so you can handle them.

When potatoes are cool, slice them length wise, so you have two halves and they look like boats. Take a spoon and spoon out the middles being careful to leave about 1/2 inch along the sides. Spoon the middles into another bowl.

Set the potato skins aside and use the middles in the bowl. Add the butter and the milk to them and using a potato masher or fork make mashed potatoes. Don’t worry if they are not totally smooth, they are supposed to have some lumps.

Add one package of cheese and all but 4-5 slices of the bacon to the mashed potatoes. When adding bacon, cut or tear into smaller pieces. When you  have all the cheese and bacon into the mashed potatoes, stir with a spoon, mixing well. ** I like to make this up to this point the night before. I just put this mixture and skins in the refrigerator to chill. It is easier for me to put these together using my hands when the mixture is cold. **

Using the mixture in the bowl, you can either spoon it into the skins or use your hands to fill them. You want the skins to be heaping with the mixture, so keep adding it to the skins until the mixture is used up. Turn the oven down or on to 350 degrees while you put these together.

When the skins are filled, use the cheese from the other package to sprinkle on top of the potatoes and top with the remaining bacon pieces. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is brown and bubbly on top. Serve right away.

**** You can use the basic recipe here and add anything you want to make twice baked potatoes, this is easily customizable with all kinds of additives.****

 

Garlic Butter & Bacon Green Beans

I usually make these from my head. There is no exact recipe for them. If you want to know how to make them, you can find me on FB.

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups of butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 (20 oz) can pineapple slices

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 2/3 cup butter, stir in brown sugar.

Spread in bottom of 12-inch cast iron skillet or a 12x9x2 pan. DO NOT GREASE

Arrange pineapple slices over sugar mixture.

In large bowl, cream sugar and remaining butter; beat in eggs and vanilla

Combine all dry ingredients; add alternately with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition

Pour carefully over sugar mixture

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick tests say its done. Immediately invert onto serving platter.

 

Well, that is my menu. I am adding frozen rolls and a salad as well.