{"id":11470,"date":"2014-11-13T22:26:05","date_gmt":"2014-11-13T22:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/?p=11470"},"modified":"2019-01-25T14:45:29","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T14:45:29","slug":"busy-weeknight-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/13\/busy-weeknight-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"Busy weeknight dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tonight was one of those nights when I needed to scramble for dinner.  Eva didn&#8217;t have school since it is conference week and workers were in the house so we headed out for a movie.  We saw <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Book_of_Life_%282014_film%29\">Book of Life<\/a>.  Super cute- especially since it was about Mexico \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>Anyway we came home to workers and I looked around the kitchen trying to figure out what we would have for diner.  Blake had his guitar making class and Austin had running and I knew they would come home starving.  But I had planned meals all week and now we were at Thursday&#8230;. Eva and I were both hoping for a night out. <\/p>\n<p>But it started to snow.  And was super cold.  And I had a puppy to snuggle.<\/p>\n<p>Soon I realized we had the stuff to pull things together.<\/p>\n<p>So this is what we had.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/damndelicious.net\/2014\/09\/19\/garlic-parmesan-roasted-broccoli\/\">Garlic Parmesan Broccoli<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/IMG_9409edit.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_9409edit\" width=\"650\" height=\"987\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/IMG_9409edit.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/IMG_9409edit-600x911.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/IMG_9409edit-197x300.jpg 197w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>    24 ounces broccoli florets*<br \/>\n    3 tablespoons olive oil<br \/>\n    4 cloves garlic, minced<br \/>\n    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste<br \/>\n    1\/4 cup grated Parmesan<br \/>\n    Juice of 1 lemon<\/p>\n<p>Instructions<\/p>\n<p>    Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.<br \/>\n    Place broccoli florets in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.<br \/>\n    Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tender.<br \/>\n    Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon juice<\/p>\n<p>Then for the grown-ups I made this<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/realhousemoms.com\/bacon-jalapeno-popper-twice-baked-potatoes\/\"><br \/>\nBacon Jalapeno Popper Twice Baked Potatoes<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bacon-Jalapeno-Popper-Twice-Baked-Potatoes_Real-Housemoms.jpg\" alt=\"Bacon-Jalapeno-Popper-Twice-Baked-Potatoes_Real-Housemoms\" width=\"600\" height=\"906\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bacon-Jalapeno-Popper-Twice-Baked-Potatoes_Real-Housemoms.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bacon-Jalapeno-Popper-Twice-Baked-Potatoes_Real-Housemoms-198x300.jpg 198w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Bacon Jalapeno Popper Twice Baked Potatoes combine the amazing flavors of bacon, cheese, jalapenos and potatoes! How could you go wrong?<br \/>\nAuthor: Aubrey<br \/>\nRecipe type: Side<br \/>\nServes: 8<br \/>\nIngredients<\/p>\n<p>    4 tbsp butter<br \/>\n    4 large baking potatoes<br \/>\n    2 tsp seasoned salt<br \/>\n    6 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped<br \/>\n    8 oz. cream cheese<br \/>\n    2 jalapenos, deseeded and finely chopped<br \/>\n    1 c cheddar cheese, shredded, divided<br \/>\n    1 tsp salt<br \/>\n    \u00bd tsp pepper<\/p>\n<p>Instructions<br \/>\nFirst Bake<\/p>\n<p>    preheat oven to 425 degrees<br \/>\n    place baking dish in oven with 4 butter to melt it<br \/>\n    clean the potatoes and prick them with a fork on all sides<br \/>\n    place them the hot baking dish with the melted butter and carefully roll them around to coat in the butter<br \/>\n    sprinkle them on all sides with the seasoned salt<br \/>\n    bake for 45 to 60, until a fork can be inserted and removed easily<\/p>\n<p>Second Bake<\/p>\n<p>    once the potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm but them in half length wise<br \/>\n    scoop out the center of the potato being careful to leave some of the center attached to the skin of the potatoes for stability<br \/>\n    place the potato centers into a med mixing bowl and mash up<br \/>\n    add in the cream cheese, jalapeno, and most of the bacon leaving some behind for garnish<br \/>\n    mix in \u00bd c of the cheddar cheese, salt and pepper<br \/>\n    stir until all is combined<br \/>\n    spoon the mixture back into the potato cups (skins)<br \/>\n    top with the remaining cheddar cheese and place back into the baking dish*<br \/>\n    bake for 10 to 15 minutes until all are warmed through and the cheese is melted on top<br \/>\n    garnish with the remaining bacon<br \/>\n    *if store for later, wrap tightly with plastic wrap after topped with remaining cheese and place into a freezer zip top bag.<br \/>\n    when ready to cook make sure you let them defrost completely in the fridge and then place in 475 degree oven for 30 min covered with foil<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foodnetwork.com\/recipes\/ree-drummond\/twice-baked-potatoes-recipe.html\"><br \/>\nAnd regular ones for the kiddos<br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/6c40b7c35bd6e8890534c2442ab1a2ec.jpg\" alt=\"6c40b7c35bd6e8890534c2442ab1a2ec\" width=\"616\" height=\"462\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/6c40b7c35bd6e8890534c2442ab1a2ec.jpg 616w, https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/6c40b7c35bd6e8890534c2442ab1a2ec-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/6c40b7c35bd6e8890534c2442ab1a2ec-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 616px) 100vw, 616px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Ingredients<\/p>\n<p>8 baking potatoes, washed<br \/>\n3 tablespoons canola oil<br \/>\n2 sticks salted butter<br \/>\n1 cup bacon bits ( fry your own!)<br \/>\n1 cup sour cream<br \/>\n1 cup Cheddar or Jack cheese (or a mix of both), plus more for topping<br \/>\n1\/2 cup whole milk<br \/>\n2 teaspoons seasoned salt<br \/>\n3 green onions, sliced<br \/>\nFreshly ground black pepper<\/p>\n<p>Directions<\/p>\n<p>Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.<\/p>\n<p>Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub them with the canola oil and bake for 1 hour, making sure they&#8217;re sufficiently cooked through.<\/p>\n<p>Slice the butter into pats. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the bacon bits and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F.<\/p>\n<p>With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small rim of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet.<\/p>\n<p>Smash the potatoes into the butter, bacon and sour cream. Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and black pepper to taste and mix together well. (IMPORTANT: If you plan to freeze the twice-baked potatoes, do NOT add the green onions.)<\/p>\n<p>Fill the potato shells with the filling. I like to fill the shells so they look abundant and heaping. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop &#8217;em in the oven until the potato is warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Read more at: http:\/\/www.foodnetwork.com\/recipes\/ree-drummond\/twice-baked-potatoes-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback<\/p>\n<p>To round it out I made homemade mac and cheese- which really doesn&#8217;t need a recipe&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Hope your Thursday was warm with as much comfort food as mine \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tonight was one of those nights when I needed to scramble for dinner. Eva didn&#8217;t have school since it is conference week and workers were in the house so we headed out for a movie. We saw Book of Life. Super cute- especially since it was about Mexico \ud83d\ude42 Anyway we came home to workers and I looked around the kitchen trying to figure out what we would have for diner. Blake had his guitar making class and Austin had running and I knew they would come home starving. But I had planned meals all week and now we were at Thursday&#8230;. Eva and I were both hoping for a night out. But it started to snow. And was super cold. And I had a puppy to snuggle. Soon I realized we had the stuff to pull things together. So this is what we had. Garlic Parmesan Broccoli 24 ounces broccoli florets* 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1\/4 cup grated Parmesan Juice of 1 lemon Instructions Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray. Place broccoli florets in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine. Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon juice Then for the grown-ups I made this Bacon Jalapeno Popper Twice Baked Potatoes Bacon Jalapeno Popper Twice Baked Potatoes combine the amazing flavors of bacon, cheese, jalapenos and potatoes! How could you go wrong? Author: Aubrey Recipe type: Side Serves: 8 Ingredients 4 tbsp butter 4 large baking potatoes 2 tsp seasoned salt 6 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped 8 oz. cream cheese 2 jalapenos, deseeded and finely chopped 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded, divided 1 tsp salt \u00bd tsp pepper Instructions First Bake preheat oven to 425 degrees place baking dish in oven with 4 butter to melt it clean the potatoes and prick them with a fork on all sides place them the hot baking dish with the melted butter and carefully roll them around to coat in the butter sprinkle them on all sides with the seasoned salt bake for 45 to 60, until a fork can be inserted and removed easily Second Bake once the potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm but them in half length wise scoop out the center of the potato being careful to leave some of the center attached to the skin of the potatoes for stability place the potato centers into a med mixing bowl and mash up add in the cream cheese, jalapeno, and most of the bacon leaving some behind for garnish mix in \u00bd c of the cheddar cheese, salt and pepper stir until all is combined spoon the mixture back into the potato cups (skins) top with the remaining cheddar cheese and place back into the baking dish* bake for 10 to 15 minutes until all are warmed through and the cheese is melted on top garnish with the remaining bacon *if store for later, wrap tightly with plastic wrap after topped with remaining cheese and place into a freezer zip top bag. when ready to cook make sure you let them defrost completely in the fridge and then place in 475 degree oven for 30 min covered with foil And regular ones for the kiddos Ingredients 8 baking potatoes, washed 3 tablespoons canola oil 2 sticks salted butter 1 cup bacon bits ( fry your own!) 1 cup sour cream 1 cup Cheddar or Jack cheese (or a mix of both), plus more for topping 1\/2 cup whole milk 2 teaspoons seasoned salt 3 green onions, sliced Freshly ground black pepper Directions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub them with the canola oil and bake for 1 hour, making sure they&#8217;re sufficiently cooked through. Slice the butter into pats. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the bacon bits and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F. With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small rim of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet. Smash the potatoes into the butter, bacon and sour cream. Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and black pepper to taste and mix together well. (IMPORTANT: If you plan to freeze the twice-baked potatoes, do NOT add the green onions.) Fill the potato shells with the filling. I like to fill the shells so they look abundant and heaping. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop &#8217;em in the oven until the potato is warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes. Read more at: http:\/\/www.foodnetwork.com\/recipes\/ree-drummond\/twice-baked-potatoes-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback To round it out I made homemade mac and cheese- which really doesn&#8217;t need a recipe&#8230; Hope your Thursday was warm with as much comfort food as mine \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/6c40b7c35bd6e8890534c2442ab1a2ec.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11470"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11477,"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11470\/revisions\/11477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elisalou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}