Mashing potatoes by hand is tiresome, but using a hand mixer usually makes the job much faster and easier. While you have to actively work on the potatoes to get them mashed, the results are really good. If you need a method that time shifts the mashing to a different point in your meal preparation, try our Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes. Also, when it comes to the step about … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Christmas Breakfast Casserole
This is a very festive looking breakfast casserole that is good for any day of the year. The red and green bell peppers give this a very Christmas-like look, so it's very appropriate for Christmas morning too. Be sure to thaw out your frozen hash browns prior to putting them in the slow cooker. We prefer shredded hash browns although cubed hash browns work just as well. … [Read more...]
Slow cooking a potato casserole
We usually make our potato casserole (with either shredded or cubed potatoes) in then oven. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes covered in foil, then uncover and back for 15-20 more minutes. My mother-in-law baked at 400F for 30 minutes covered, then 30 minutes uncovered at 350F. Either way, the casserole turned out great. But during the holidays, and frankly on a lot of hectic … [Read more...]
Draining Ground Beef
Buying ground beef is like rolling dice. If you don't know what you're doing, the results won't mean anything to you. Once you've bought your ground beef, the most common next step in cooking it is to brown it. While that's not really that hard, the next step is one that often gets overlooked...draining away the fat. If you don't drain the fat, not only is it less healthy, but … [Read more...]
Tonight’s Menu – Heading South of the Border
What's on the Hectic Kitchen table tonight? We're in that gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and every night there is some activity of another. If it's not a wrestling meet, it's sports practice. If it's not one of those it's a vocal music concert. Or an office meeting. Or even an office party. Not to mention the trips to get the kids traveling home from … [Read more...]