loaded baked potato soup

this is a great meal on a cold day. it'll fill you up while it warms you up!

4 large potatoes, baked, skinned, and cut into chunks
2/3 c butter
2/3 c flour
6 c milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 green onions, chopped
12 slices bacon, crumbled
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar
8 oz. sour cream

make a white sauce of butter, flour, milk, salt, and pepper. add green onions, bacon, cheddar, and sour cream. crumble in potatoes. heat and eat.

twice baked potatoes

8 medium potatoes, baked
2 tablespoons butter
1 c sour cream
2 1/2 c shredded cheddar
1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper, to taste
4 strip bacon, crumbled
3 green onions, chopped

slice off top 1/3 of each potato lengthwise. sollow skins, leaving 1/4 inch inside. mash potato w/ butter, sour cream, 1/2 c cheese, cream, milk, salt, and pepper. stir in bacon and onions. fill skins w/ mixture and top w/ remaining cheese. bake 15 minutes. serves 8.

* for vegetarian, omit bacon or substitute soy-based bacos

funeral potatoes

this has got to be one of my favorite dishes. this is the compilation of many different recipes and in my opinion, the best. enjoy!

1 bag frozen GRATED has browns, thawed (diced aren't nearly as good)
2 cans cream of chicken
2 c grated cheddar
1 pint sour cream
1/4 c chopped onion
1/2 c melted butter
2 c crushed corn flakes

mix hash browns, soup, cheese, sour cream, and onion together and spread in 9x13 inch baking dish. mix melted butter w/ crushed cereal and sprinkle over potatoes. bake at 350 for 1 hour. serves 12.

* for vegetarian, use cream of celery soup on place of cream of chicken,

shepard's pie

almost everyone i know has tried some variation of this, but this is my favorite way to make it, so here you go:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 eggs
1/2 c italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 jar/can spaghetti sauce
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1 can yellow sweet corn
6 servings of your favorite kind of mashed potatoes
1 c sour cream
1 c shredded cheddar

mix meat, eggs, bread crumbs, spaghetti sauce, parmesan, and corn together by hand. press into loaf pan. bake at 350 for 1 hour. press out grease and drain.

while meat is cooking, make your mashed potatoes. stir in sour cream and shredded cheese while still hot. spread over meatloaf. serves 6.

* for freezer: line pan w/ waxed paper before pressing meat into pan. freeze before baking. once frozen, you can remove the meat from the pan and store in a freezer bag. when ready to make, return to loaf pan and thaw 2 days in fridge. bake as directed above and make mashed potatoes while it's baking. (you can probably make the mashed potatoes ahead of time, but i've never tried it since i generally use instant potatoes and not the real thing)