Chorizo-topped Twice Baked Potatoes

A small salty twist on my version of simple twice-baked potatoes. 

You will need:

4 medium potatoes
1/3 cup grated cheese of choice
1/4 cup crumbled crispy bacon
1/3 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp butter/margarine
16 pieces of thin-sliced Chorizo sausage
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

1. Preheat oven to  350F/175C.  Wash potatoes, repeatedly stab them with a fork to vent, and dry them.

2. Place potatoes on a large baking sheet and bake for approximately 1 hour, longer for larger potatoes of course.

3. Remove potatoes from the oven and slice neatly in half.  Allow them to cool slightly so that you can handle them.

4. Scoop the potato out of each skin and add to a medium bowl.  Be careful not to damage the shape of the skin.

5. While the potatoes are still warm, add the butter and combine with a potato masher.  Then add the sour cream and continue mashing until desired consistency.

6. Stir in bacon pieces.

7. Carefully spoon the potatoes back into their skins.  Top with a layer of cheese and two pieces of the Chorizo.

8. Return potatoes to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, keeping an eye on them as you do not want the Chorizo to dry out, just crisp up a bit.

9. Serve!

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Curry-spiced Carrot and Vegetable Soup

We have a blender!  Which can only mean one thing... soup!  Err, well also smoothies.  Two things.  But in this case... soup!  More specifically, an incredibly rich and filling curry spiced carrot soup.

You will need:
7 medium carrots
4 medium stalks of celery
1 medium white onion
5 cups water
5 chicken stock cubes
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 tsp curry medium curry powder
Pepper (season to taste)

1. Chop all vegetables into whatever size you suspect your blender is capable of handling.

2. In a large pot, heat oil and add curry powder and stir until aromatic.  Do not allow to blacken.

3. Add your chopped veggies and cook in the curried oil for 8-10 minutes.

4. Add lemon juice and 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add chicken stock cubes and stir.

5. Reduce heat and simmer for approx 10-15 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

6. Allow soup to cool until some of the oil has risen to the surface.  Do your best to blot it away with a paper towel to get rid of some of the fat.

7. Blend!  Add the mixture to the blender in workable amounts and puree.

Note: We served our soup with warm naan bread instead of our traditional crusty bread.

Yield: 6 servings

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Zero Prep Weeknight Chicken and Waffles

I am all about making yummy foods more accessible.  I'm not about to apologize for the simplicity of the suggestion that you heat up your favorite southern fried chicken and toast some waffles.  If you want the real thing, go to a restaurant or roll up your sleeves and follow this recipe.  I don't have a waffle maker, nor did I have time to fry up some chicken.  But manfriend and I are in love with this combo!

I'm not sure I'd count this as a recipe so much as a suggestion...  Also, I'd go with some fancypants waffles if you can find them in your grocer's frozen section (or bakery in the UK).  I used Kingsmill 'Love To Toast' waffles which, if I'm honest, are not the best... but I am on a quest to locate better waffles!  I served this with warm syrup and butter.

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