millionaires
Posted: January 30, 2023 Filed under: desserts | Tags: butter, caramel, chocolate morsels, milk, pecans, shortening Leave a comment
This recipe is dedicated to my oldest friend Scotty. We met in 6th grade
and he’s truly my brother from another mother. He’s literally one in a million so what better way
to celebrate the best of friendships than to park this recipe for him on his birthday!
~ 🥳️ ~
You Just Struck Gold
I’m not sure when I ate my first millionaire candy but this sweet treat is about as Texan as it comes.
I assumed millionaires were invented right along with chuck wagons, chili, cowboy boots, and big Texas hair. I was surprised to learn that these candies were originally created by chemist H.T. Pangburn in his Fort Worth drugstore in 1914. Pangburn’s original recipe included a bit of honey which I may experiment with on my next batch of these delights. You can read more about candy and its ties to Texas in this interesting Hometown by Handlebar article.
Millionaires are a perfect smash-up of chocolate, pecans, and chewy that you magically transform into what I’d call a Texas bonbon. I may not be a Texas millionaire but it sure darn tastes like a million bucks!
This recipe was a continuation of good luck – it was a part of a microwave candy cooking feature in a circa 1980 Southern Living magazine which was the inspiration for last month’s peanut brittle homerun recipe (the original scan is below).
Foodie Tips
❤ Often times sizes of food items keep getting smaller while prices keep on the incline. This is no different from caramel packaging! Noted below they were originally sold in a 14-ounce package but the ones I scored yesterday were 11 ounces. I purchased two packages and did a little math to arrive at about 48 caramel squares to arrive at 14 ounces the recipe calls for.
❤ I’m not sure if it was because of cheap wax paper but I had a heck of a time unsticking the millionaires from the buttered wax paper! I refrigerated them overnight and was finally able to free them with mild struggles. For the chocolate phase below I switched to a buttered cookie sheet (no wax paper) which did the trick just fine – no sticking!
i. Time
About 30 minutes prep and 90 minutes (or overnight if making ahead) for cooling.
ii. Ingredients
14 ounce package | caramels
1 ½ tablespoons | milk
2 cups | texas pecans, coarsely chopped
12-ounce package | semisweet chocolate morsels (I used Ghiradelli)
1 tablespoon | vegetable shortening
to coat | butter (my grandmother insisted on Falfurrias brand butter)
iii. What To Do
1. Prep: You may want to grab a helper when unwrapping the caramels! This recipe takes about 50 caramels – unwrapping them is the longest part of the millionaire preparation. I learned that I could go faster carefully using a serrated knife to free the caramels from their plastic wrap. Also, ready your cookie sheet (see tip above) or buttered wax paper and set it aside.
2. Making Caramel: Place the unwrapped caramels in a 2-quart casserole. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir well with a spatula. Add the milk to the caramel and combine. Return to the microwave on high for 1 ½ to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir again. Add the chopped pecans and stir well.
3. Forming The Millionaires: Drop the nutty caramel by rounded tablespoonfuls onto your buttered cookie sheet. I used a small cookie scoop that helped me go much faster and create candies that were similar in size. Once you’re done with the caramel drops place your filled tray in the fridge to cool for at least an hour. You can leave them in the fridge overnight or if you’re ready to complete the recipe, it’s time for the chocolate dipping!
4. Make Chocolate: In a 4-cup measuring glass, combine the chocolate morsles and the shortening. Microwave on medium heat for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until it’s smooth.
5. Dip It: Remove the pecan caramels from the fridge and dip them into the chocolate. I used a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the caramel to hoist the caramel into the chocolate. Lightly tap the covered caramel to remove any extra chocolate and place it on your buttered sheet. Continue dipping and tapping until done. Return your millionaires to the fridge so they can set.
6. Dig In: About 30 minutes prior to serving you can remove the millionaires from the fridge so they can soften up a bit. This will help them be chewier and easier to enjoy.
Yield: About 21-30 candies (depending on size)
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
Original scans of Mom’s 1980 Southern Living clippings.
Note: I found it incredibly interesting that it appears back in the old days, caramel packages included chocolate caramels as well! The recipe says when making these millionaires to reserve the chocolate caramels for another use. If you know why chocolate was included along with the typical caramel please contact me because I’d love the history of it!
11/30/21
peanut butter slice-and-bake cookies
Posted: September 30, 2021 Filed under: desserts | Tags: baking soda, corn syrup, flour, milk, peanut butter, salt, shortening, sugar Leave a comment
The Cookies With A Twist
This recipe hails from the August 1982 issue of Southern Living, so it’s been patiently waiting in Mom’s cookbook for almost 40 years. I had seen the recipe many times flipping through my Mom’s cookbook, but “slice and bake” never really motivated me to explore more… until I later had a hankering for peanut butter and then I found myself headed to the store to get some fresh milk.
This recipe was surprising for a couple of reasons: 1) “Slice and bake.” The bake part threw me because you *don’t* bake these in your oven – you nuke them in your microwave! Making cookies in the microwave is a new one for me but not surprising given that the microwave was a rage making its debut in most American kitchens in the late 1970s. 2) The end result tasted like a homemade nutter butter cookie which was one of my favorites growing up in the 70s and 80s. Enjoy some vintage nutter butter memories below!
I was quite leery that these cookies would turn out great, but boy they sure did, and after the final schmear of peanut butter tucked between two homemade cookies I was thinking I had just made a fresh homemade home run nutter butter cookie sandwich!
Foodie Tips
❤ You can reduce the recipe ingredients by half; we were on a diet that week but it didn’t stop me from diving in! We wrapped and stored some of the remaining dough in the fridge for a couple of days and it lasted just fine.
❤ If you’re in a hurry to dive in you can chill the “baked” cookies in your fridge ~10 minutes to reduce the on counter cooling time. I did this and the end result was surprisingly crunchy.
❤ I laughed when I saw instructions to manually turn the cookies. We are lucky to live in a time when the microwave does the turning for us! I was also curious if these might do well in an air fryer and will try that on the next adventure with this recipe.
i. Time
Total prep: About 3.5 hours, including a 2-3 hour chill timeout in the fridge.
ii. Ingredients
1 ¾ cups | all-purpose flour
½ cup | sugar
½ teaspoon | baking soda
¼ teaspoon | salt
½ cup | shortening
¾ cup (or more) | creamy peanut butter, divided
¼ cup | light corn syrup
1 tablespoon | milk
iii. What To Do
1. In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry cutter (or if you don’t have one try a KitchenAid stand mixer) cut in the shortening and ½ cup of the peanut butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the corn syrup and the milk.
2. Shape the dough into a long roll, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the roll in waxed paper and chill it in the fridge 2 to 3 hours, or until firm.
3. Unwrap the roll and cut the dough into ¼ inch slices. Place 6 slices at a time on a wax paper-lined plate, arranging them in a ring.
4. Microwave the slices at medium heat (50% power) for 2 to 4 minutes or until the cookies are dry on the surface. If you don’t have a rotating microwave dish, manually rotate the dish at 1-minute intervals to promote “even baking.”
5. Slide/transfer the wax paper with the cookies from the oven onto your kitchen counter and let them cool for 2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the wax paper and place them on a wire rack to completely cool. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough.
6. Here’s the magical part: spread half the cookies with a schmear of peanut butter. I was generous with my schmear! Top with a remaining cookie slice on each to form your cookie sandwich.
Yield: About 2 dozen.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
Let’s have a peek at some vintage ads:
A Scan Of Mom’s Original Slice And Bake Cookie Recipe Clipping
texas kolaches
Posted: October 6, 2020 Filed under: breakfast, desserts | Tags: apricots, butter, egg yolks, eggs, flour, milk, salt, shortening, sugar, water, yeast Leave a comment 
Where Old Meets New
In the golden days of past my Mom “Betty” subscribed to Southern Living magazine and to this day, so do I.
In SL’s most recent September 2020 issue they gave claim to the seven “Cooks of the Year” for their culinary innovations. I, too, love innovators for without them we’d be eating the same thing day after day… (fancy some porridge and toast?). But I will continue the foodie fight to honor those in the rear view mirror – the ones who fed our bellies when we were kids. Our Mothers, Grandmothers, and best of all – the ones likely before we can remember. These are the true culinary geniuses who made mealtime a favorite time without the aid of modern kitchen contraptions like microwaves, silicon utensils, immersion blenders, air fryers, and bluetooth ovens (I’m guilty of owning all these items)!
The Missing Piece
With more than 200 recipes here at BettysCookNook.com, the Southern Living kolache recipe fills a missing puzzle piece in my Mom’s culinary legacy; Mom’s kolache filling recipes (below) had been in her cookbook without their much needed pastry crust recipe until now! And since kolaches hold a near and dear place in the heart of Texans right up there with queso, big hair, and cowboy boots you have plenty of recipe ideas thanks to my Mom’s 3 filling recipes below – apricot, prune, and cottage cheese. In addition, there’s a streusel recipe to top things off!
Thanks to Southern Living Magazine I’m gratefully able to connect the past with the present. I hope you try and enjoy this recipe! Thank you, Lydia Faust, for sharing a slice of the great days with the rest of us! #HatsOff
While I usually veer off the I-35 interstate in the city of West, Texas for some of the world famous savory Czech Stop kolaches (bless you, jalapeño, sausage and cheese) let’s not forget their sweet kolache friends! I didn’t make all 3 fillings but the apricot filling was my first pick and it was dy-no-mite! I’d suggest starting with that one first.
This is a recipe for those with a little kitchen grit. I found kolaches much easier to make than homemade tamales (which had me sore for 2 days) or puffy tacos (Joe does most of that work) and you’ll have plenty of leftovers to share with friends and family. I’ll never bat an eye at how much these cost as I found hand making these to be a labor of pure love.
Foodie Tips
❤ This kolache recipe made 53 of the yeasty delights and ironically Mom’s apricot filling recipe filled them all to the last scoop!
❤ It’s customary for the kolaches to touch while baking; they often come out of the oven square-ish. I had giant stainless baking sheet pans so my kolaches came out round. Despite the tweaked shape they tasted the same!
❤ To form the hole we wrapped a spice jar with saran wrap to prevent the dough from sticking and pressed away (shown).
❤ I remember growing-up my Mom’s friend “Miss Joyce” called some savory pigs in a blankey “koblasniky.” Turns out she wasn’t kidding – the sweet treats are kolaches and the savory friends koblasniky. I was happy to confirm in this article. My Moravian ancestors would be proud I stand corrected! Here in Texas folks just refer to anything wrapped in the billowy dough kolaches and we all know what’s involved.
i. Time
Total prep: Your entire morning. (includes 60 minutes for baking)
ii. Ingredients
for the kolache pastry:
1 ½ tablespoons | active dry yeast
½ cup | warm water (105°F – 115°F)
¼ cup | unsalted butter (my Grandmother “Nanny” insisted on Falfurrias)
¼ cup | vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 ½ cups | lukewarm whole milk (100°F – 105°F)
6 cups | all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for the prep surface
¾ cup | evaporated milk
⅓ cup | granulated sugar
1 tablespoon | kosher salt
2 large | cage free eggs
1 large | cage free egg yolk
5 tablespoons (or more) | unsalted butter, melted
for the apricot filling:
1 pound | dried apricots
¾ cup | granulated sugar
3 tablespoons | unsalted butter
for the streusel:
½ cup | granulated sugar
½ cup | flour
½ cup | butter, melted
iii. What To Do
1. Sprinkle the yeast over warm water and stir to combine. Set aside. Place the butter and shortening in a large microwavable bowl, and microwave on high until melted, about 1 minute. Stir well to combine. Whisk in the lukewarm whole milk and yeast mixture.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Sift 3 cups of the flour over mixture. Add the evaporated milk, sugar, salt, eggs, and egg yolk. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the whisk attachment and replace it with a dough hook. Gradually add the remaining 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until dough is smooth, about 2 minutes. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes; then beat it on medium-high speed until the dough is elastic and very smooth, about 10 minutes.
3. Brush the top of dough with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and cover it again and let the dough rise until doubled, about 30 more minutes.
4. Generously flour a work surface. Gently roll dough out to a 1-inch-thick rectangle (about 18 x 14 inches). Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out circles, and place them 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Brush the tops with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, about 20 minutes.
5. While the dough rises, let’s make the apricot kolache filling. Prepare the apricots according to the package directions (I boiled mine in water for about 10 minutes then drained the water). Add the sugar and butter. I used an immersion blender to get things soft but I was careful not to over process it; you still want it a bit thick (not like apple sauce) and a few chunks here and there are OK. Set the filling aside.
6. Let’s continue on by making the posypka (streusel topping): Use a pastry cutter (suggested) or your fingers to combine the sugar, flour, and butter to form a crumbly texture. Store this in the refrigerator until ready to use.
7. Back to the kolaches! Make one small indentation in the center of each dough circle (see tip above or you can use your fingers), and fill each with about 1 tablespoon of the filling. Sprinkle each kolache with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the posypka. Let the kolaches rise until they’ve doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Position racks in top third and lower third of oven. Bake the kolaches until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating baking sheets between top and bottom racks halfway through the baking time. Remove from oven. Brush the kolaches with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter and transfer them to wire racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
You may be tired by this point so sit back and enjoy a few bites of the sweet life!
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Original Apricot Kolache Filling Recipe
A Scan Of Mom’s Prune Kolache Filling Recipe
A Scan Of Mom’s Cottage Cheese Kolache Filling Recipe
A Scan Of Mom’s Streusel Topping Recipe
lemon light drop cookies
Posted: April 30, 2017 Filed under: desserts | Tags: baking powder, baking soda, eggs, flour, lemon extract, lemon yogurt, lemon zest, salt, shortening, sour cream, sugar 4 Comments
the power of lemon
Those who know me well know my love for lemons.
I’ve grown a few lemon trees from seed, I make my own limoncello, and anytime I incorporate the bright, citrusy flavor into food or drink, I’m reminded of its amazing power.
puttin’ on the spritz
After mastering the simple art of the drop cookie, I was ready to raise the bar by trying my hand with my cookie press, which I recently discovered due to this cheese straws recipe.
My Mom “Betty” had a metal cookie press that I remember well, but where do pressed cookies come from? I wasn’t too surprised to learn they originate from Germany… all the way back to the 16th century. Spritzgebäck or “Spritz” cookies are pressed butter cookies that are made by squirting dough through disks that make a variety of cool-shaped cookies. The cookie press is like a baker’s version of everyone’s favorite childhood toy – Play-Doh!
Hungry for more cookie history? You can learn a lot of interesting facts about the origins of cookies at this website.
foodie tips
❤ If using self-rising flour, decrease the soda to ¼ teaspoon and omit the baking powder and salt.
❤ The original recipe (below) makes about 70 2 ½” cookies. That’s right, 70! Since we weren’t having a party I decided to cut the recipe in half, which still yielded over 30 cookies.
❤ For the second half of my dough I experimented with my cookie press and was able to churn out some fun-shaped cookies*. Whether you try this or go the simple “drop” route, I wouldn’t suggest hand-rolling the dough into balls; these lost some of their charm and looked more like mini biscuits than cookies. So drop or cookie press all the way!
* Note: To get my cookie press to best form the dough, I chilled the dough-filled press in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen the dough. I clicked the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet and voilà!
i. ingredients
to grease cookie sheet | shortening or cooking spray
1 ½ cups | sugar
1 cup | shortening, at room temperature
1 tablespoon | lemon peel, freshly grated
2 | cage free eggs
1 cup | sour cream or lemon yogurt (I used sour cream, my childhood BFF)
1 teaspoon | lemon extract
3 ½ cups | Pillsbury brand all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons | baking powder
½ teaspoon | baking soda
½ teaspoon | salt
to sprinkle | sugar
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Let’s make the dough! In a large bowl, cream the sugar, shortening, and lemon peel until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the sour cream (or yogurt) and lemon extract mix well. Lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup; level off. To the batter add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend well.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar before placing them into the oven.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a light golden brown around the edges.
Enjoy!
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Recipe Clipping
Here are some vintage Play-Doh commercials from me to you!
marion’s brownies
Posted: May 14, 2016 Filed under: desserts | Tags: baking powder, chocolate, eggs, flour, pecans, salt, shortening, sugar, vanilla Leave a comment
The Real Deal
Back in a time before baking on the quick, folks made things from scratch.
Sure, it takes a little more time but you might just find that the food tastes better – especially since you’re in full control of what goes into your creation. And more importantly, what goes into your belly!
All Aboard The Chocolate Choo Choo
As one who loves chocolatey greatness, my earliest creations used Hershey chocolate powder mixed into a cold glass of milk. But it wasn’t until the likes of Messy Marvin kicked his way into my life when my sights on chocolate really took off. Before we dive into Marion’s recipe let’s have a peek at some of my favorite vintage chocolate TV spots from the 50s – 80s:
So what’s makes these brownies so good? Real chocolate made with TLC. Thanks for the tasty treat, Marion! If you make a batch of these, let me know how you liked them. :)
foodie tips ~
❤ Don’t forget to let the chocolate cool after melting.
❤ I like my brownies soft and chewy. So if you’re making me a batch, you know what to do!
❤ A cold glass of milk or some ice cream is brownie’s BFF. Just sayin’.
i. ingredients
¾ cup | flour, sifted
½ teaspoon | baking powder
½ teaspoon | salt
1 cup | sugar
½ cup | shortening
2 | cage free eggs, unbeaten
1 teaspoon | vanilla
2 squares (2 ounces) | unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup | nuts. And in Texas “nuts” = pecans.
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. In a large bowl sift together the first 4 ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar).
2. Add the next 3 ingredients (the shortening, eggs, and vanilla). Beat for 1 minute, making sure to scrape the bowl to ensure a smooth blend.
3. Add the cooled and melted chocolate and the pecans. Beat for 30 seconds longer.
4. Pour the brownie mixture into a greased pan (about 8″ x 8″) and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
Cut brownies into squares while they are still warm.
~ Patrick
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
Who is “Marion”
After checking-in with my brothers, Tim and Roger, Tim knew who Marion was. Her name was Marion Praino Sands and she was married to Bob Sands.
I did some Googling and found recent obituaries for both. After reading a bit more into their lives I learned that they lived a few minutes from me where I lived in Dallas for 20 years! My heart sunk knowing that Marion’s brownie recipe was sitting in Mom’s cookbook within reach. And if I had researched this post a little sooner our paths may very well have crossed.
My hunch is that Marion and Bob met my Mom and Dad when they lived in San Antonio. The connection didn’t end there – I learned that Marion was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Dallas for over 50 years. And if memory serves correctly my Mom was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in San Antonio, where I was born… and I believe how I came into my name.
pineapple cookies
Posted: October 20, 2013 Filed under: desserts, The Best Of The Best Recipes | Tags: baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, egg, flour, nuts, pineapple, shortening, sugar, vanilla 2 Comments
Fabulously Fruity
I had never heard of a pineapple cookie before but when Joe found this recipe in Mom’s cookbook I was excited; we had all the ingredients in our kitchen meaning treat consumption was near. We just needed to get the featured ingredient – the pineapple.
A quick trip to the store and back we started cookie production … Lah de dah … I was following the recipe and noticed that it ended at the bottom of the page Mom tore out of a magazine and there was no continuation of the recipe – no extra page! Click here to hear the sound in my head when I realized the recipe was incomplete!
I scoured the front and back of the page (below) containing the recipe and noticed a small callout for folks to send their old-fashioned family recipes to “Southern Living” – and if their recipe was used they would receive $5/each. Note to self: Southern Living. I also noticed a Lemon Jell-O Peachy Cream Salad recipe with a copyright of 1979. Note to self: 1979. With these two data nuggets I should have been lucky enough to find the recipe but the interwebs did not produce; I couldn’t find any record of the recipe – not even on SouthernLiving.com. But I found this one, which helped me interpret and fill-in the gaps.
Pineapple is one of my most favorite fruits of all. I hope you give this recipe a whirl!
foodie tips ~
♥ I added the nuts. “Nuts” is an abbreviation for Texas Pecans, y’all.
♥ I read several online complaints about cookies like these being soggy and wet. Follow these instructions! Make sure and DRAIN the pineapple. I had no problems with soggy cookies!
♥ I recently purchased a cookie scoop which makes forming cookies a snap. Give it a squeeze and see!
♥ I’m confident iodized salt was used back in the day. Today I’m a salt lover and have five salt varieties in my kitchen. I used a kosher salt for these cookies and was treated to a little kick of salt in-between the pineapple nuggets. I liked.
i. ingredients
1 ¾ cups | all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon | soda
¼ teaspoon | baking powder
¼ teaspoon | salt
½ cup | brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup | sugar
½ cup | shortening
1 | cage free egg
1 teaspoon | vanilla extract
½ cup | crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup | chopped nuts (these are not optional says me)
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 375°F.
1. Combine flour, soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. Combine sugars and shortening in a large mixing bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid); cream until light and … [ here’s where I pick up with the rest of the instructions ] … chunky.
3. Beat egg and vanilla into creamed mixture.
4. By hand stir-in the pineapple and nuts.
5. Fold-in half of the dry ingredients from step 1 above into the creamy mixture. Hand mix until well blended. Add/mix/blend the last half of dry ingredients.
6. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake until light golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. If the first tray turns out a bit crispy, reduce the baking time on the next go.
Yields: About 24 cookies
blue cheese bacon potatoes
Posted: May 9, 2013 Filed under: sides, The Best Of The Best Recipes | Tags: bacon, blue cheese, butter, milk, pepper, potato, salt, shortening, sour cream Leave a comment
You Say “Potato” …
I Say … “Get out of my way, It’s mine!”
There have been some great “home run” recipes in Mom’s cookbook and this is one of them. While blue cheese sometimes makes my nose turn and run for the hills, this dish isn’t smothered with the sharp and salty taste.
With the arrival of the microwave to modern cooking, potatoes were often “zapped” because who wants to wait for an twice-baked potato!?
After I made this recipe, I’m reminded of the slow-baked potatoes Mom used to make … they arrive on your plate super soft all the way through! And well worth the wait.
Cheers To My New Spud Bud
to coat | shortening
4 | baking potatoes, medium
½ cup | sour cream
¼ cup | blue cheese, crumbled
¼ cup | milk
4 tablespoons | Falfurrias brand butter (per Nanny)
¾ teaspoon | salt
dash | black pepper, freshly ground
4 slices | bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 400°F.
1. Rub each potato with shortening. Place them in the oven uncovered or wrapped and cook for 1 hour, or until done.
2. Remove potatoes from the oven. Cut a lengthwise slice into each potato (the potatoes are hot so be careful)! Scoop out the inside of each potato and mash the innards (yup, I wrote “innards”) in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
3. Add sour cream, blue cheese, milk, butter, salt and pepper to the potatoes then beat with an electric beater until fluffy. Some remaining potato lumps are OK.
4. Spoon the blue cheese potato mixture back into the potato shells.
5. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and return them to the hot oven for 15 minutes or until heated through.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.
Yields: 4 Servings (or 1 meal, if you’re me)
foodie tips ~
♥ It may take some practice but try and keep the potato from breaking into 2 separate halves. 1. When slicing, don’t cut it all the way through top-to-bottom. 2. When scooping, you can leave about an 1/8″ of the potato’s inside with the skin to give it a happy but hollow foundation.
♥ This is a great sidekick for this steak diane recipe that I also made on the 2 year anniversary of BCN. It’s also a good side for this barbecue pork chop recipe. Come to think of it, it’s really just a great recipe all by itself!
♥ Note below that this recipe hails from Better Homes and Gardens, March 1968. Why, I was just a young tot of one way back then!
Betty's Cook Nook 