Stuffed Potatoes

Makes 12 servings



Ingredients
6 medium potatoes
1 big red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 chicken breast, cut in 1/2 inch pieces (I left this out this time)
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 tsp fresh lovage, chopped  (I used dill this time)
80-100g grated cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F). Scrub potatoes, pierce them with a fork and put them in the oven rack for 30-40 minutes until soft.

2.  Meanwhile prepare the filling. In a large frying pan heat oil or butter over medium high heat. Saute the onion with garlic for about 5 minutes until soft. Add red pepper and chicken small pieces and cook until meat has lost it's raw color. Stir in fresh lovage, salt and pepper an remove from heat.

3.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle cut potatoes in half lengthwise, scoop the interior out of each leaving about 1/4 inch shell of potato flesh and skin. Add the scooped-out potato flesh to filling mixture, and stir.

4.  Turn the oven to 250°C (480°F). Grease a baking sheet with oil. Fill the potato shells with the filling mixture and place them on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese on top. Bake for 20 minutes until potatoes turn golden brown.

Cheesy, Garlic Savory Cupcakes

*I didn't take pictures, but envision the savory cupcakes below, but a little darker, a lot cheesier and no chives.

2 Cups Flour
1 T Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 stick melted butter (1/2 stick = 1/2 cup)
1 Cup sour cream (I prefer restaurant style)
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar
1/2 Cup Shredded Reggiano
1/4 Cup Shredded Parmesean
Parsley to taste (I probably used about 2 tablespoons)
Paprika to taste (I probably used 3 tablespoons)
Garlic to taste (I probably used.... way too much lol.  Use as much as you're comfortable usuing.  I love Garlic so I over load everything with it).
Pepper to taste (Probably a tablespoon)
Sea Salt to taste (probably a tablespoon)
Oregano to taste (Probably a tablespoon).

Mix all of your dry ingredients together in one bowl.  Add the melted butter and mix, then add the sour cream, eggs and cheeses and mix together. Beat the mixture on medium speed, until everything is combined.  Sometimes, it's easier to beat for a little while, then use your hands to kind of knead the mixture.  It blends easier when you do it with your own hands, I find.  Once mixed together, (it'll be a sticky, clumpy mixture), put into a greased muffin tin.  At this point, I used my sea salt grinder, and put a little fresh sea salt on top.  I did the same with a bit of pepper.  Cook on a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I duplicated this recipe, and cooked it in a bread pan and sliced it up into a small loaf.

DELICIOUS!  You can add flavors you like and take out the ones you want.  I love the garlic, but some of my family didn't, so make it without (or less) if you're not a garlic fan.  Want to spice it up a bit?  Add more paprika!  You can switch it up by varying the cheeses and spices.

Cheddar & Chive Cupcakes

Cupcakes
2 Cups Flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp salt
2 Eggs
1/2 Stick butter, melted
1 Cup shredded cheddar
1 Cup sour cream
1/2 Cup chopped Chives
Pepper to taste
Parsley to taste

Directions

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add eggs, melted butter, and cheddar, and beat until combined.  It'll look like a crumbly, flakey mess. Add sour cream and chives and mix until combined.   Mixture will be light and fluffy.  Drop by spoonful into greased small muffin pan.  I used a regular sized muffin tin and got 12 decent sized cupcakes.  I added some parsley and pepper to the top of each once they were in the pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Best served warm or reheated in the oven.

Once cooled, I put a little bit of whipped cream cheese and some fresh chives.  They were delicious.  For those who didn't eat them with cream cheese, they were just as delicious with butter.