Jalapeno Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes

I woke up today (at 11am) and didn't even know if it was Sunday or Monday. What is happening to me? This whole having the summer off thing is great, but it really is turning me lazy! I guess the go, go, go from the past school year really wore me out because I find no greater pleasure these days than sitting on my couch searching Pinterest (yes, I am addicted). You know what the problem is with Pinterest? It makes me hungry. I spend hours looking through delicious recipes and instead of working out or getting off of my butt, I sit and dream about all the yummy things I want to get in my belly. Which, usually leads to my making all of these things, eating them, and regretting it afterwards. 

In all honesty, Ryan eats the majority of everything I make and then says it is my fault he is getting "fat". He claims I guilt him into eating more of what I make because I joke around about him not liking it. Men, they really are something else sometimes! However, I will start taking all leftover baked goods to our apartment office, so they do not linger in our kitchen. Living away from friends and family makes the whole cooking/baking hobby difficult - we have no one to give the food to, and we feel inclined to eat it ourselves so it doesn't go to waste. No bueno when you are trying to get slim for a wedding!

Oh yeah, Pinterest makes me hate my closet, my home, and my hair too! Okay, my rant is over. Time for twice-baked potato goodness!

Jalapeno-Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes

8 baking potatoes

2 sticks butter

1 cup crumbled bacon or bacon bits (I prefer Wrights Applewood bacon, it is the best)

1 cup sour cream

1 jalapeno, cored and chopped

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese + 1 cup for topping

Green onions (as many or as little as you want)

1 teaspoon seasoning salt (soul seasoning, or regular salt will work too)

1 teaspoon black pepper

Dash red pepper (only if you want a bit of a kick)

2 or more tablespoons milk (may need for mashing potatoes)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash 8 baking potatoes and place on oven rack. Bake for an hour and 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. 

Slice butter into square sections and place them into a large mixing bowl. Add bacon, sour cream, jalapeno, 1 cup cheddar cheese, seasoning salt, black pepper, and red pepper.

Once done baking, use a dish towel to hold hot potatoes while cutting them in half lengthwise using a serrated knife. Scrape insides of potatoes out with a spoon into the mixing bowl. Set shells of potatoes onto a cookie sheet.

Using a mixer, or potato masher (I used my mixer with the paddle attachment), mix ingredients together, adding milk depending on the texture desired. Fill potato shells with mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake potatoes for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf and Mama's Green Beans

Yesterday I only had 11 students come to school - it was a happy day. However, that happy day was short lived thanks to a swollen, sore ankle. By the end of last night, I could barely even walk. So, I decided to do what I do anytime something is wrong with me....and Google.

Let me just tell you that Google and WebMD are the internet devil when it comes to being sick and/or injured. You can take the common cold and convince yourself that you are dying from a foreign flu pandemic within a matter of 3 minutes. Thanks to Google and WebMd I was convinced I had a "Deep Vein Thrombosis" and was going to be dead by the end of the night. Of course, Ryan tried to tell me to get off the computer and stop diagnosing myself. Did I listen? Naturally not. I had myself in tears before all was said and done. And God knows I couldn't end the discussion with Ryan that peacefully. I had to throw in a "Well, when I die you can have it on your conscience!" I'm a brat, it is just how it is. I don't deny it, I embrace it. Some call it bratty, some call it a particular 5 letter word that starts with a B and rhymes with itchy. I prefer to refer to myself as sassy. It suits me. 

I woke up this morning thrilled to have made it through the night with such a life threatening illness. I was in the doctors office before I even got my morning coffee in, and if you know me...you know how serious that is. I don't function without coffee, but possible death is an exception. Ryan went into the doctors room with me, bless his heart. He was feeling the guilt after the "my death can be on your conscience" comment. He even drove me - winning! The doctor came in, I informed her I was near death with a blood clot. Her response? A smile, and a 30 minute biology seminar explaining how I have arthritis/tendinitis and why it isn't possible for a blood clot to be located in the spot of my swelling. Not to mention, the 15 minutes worth of personal life stories she decided to share with us.

Arthritis, tendinitis, not dying?...Great! However, my joy of surviving was suddenly ruined as I looked over to see the SMUG smirk growing on Ryan's face. He loves being right, and making me wrong. Lord knows he told me over and over again that I was not suffering from a blood clot and I was overreacting. He certainly hasn't hesitated to remind me of that fact about a hundred times today. If looks could have killed, he would have been 6 feet under in that office. I would rather be safe than sorry, thank you very much. 

Now I get to wear a rockin' ankle brace (looking all kinds of sexy) and take an anti-inflammatory medicine for awhile. 26 and my body is falling apart, seriously? I thought this crap happened at ages 50 and up? I now have had tendinitis in my thumb, hips, and ankle. Just call me grandma, because I'm about two years away from an electric scooter. I have to admit, those commercials make those things look pretty sweet. Moral of the story? Just don't Google when something is wrong. Avoid the search engine at all costs.

There is a point to all this rambling, I swear. The plan was to make a very time consuming cheesecake this weekend. However, given my current ankle situation, I wasn't exactly feeling the idea of limping around the kitchen on my feet all day today. I am happy to say that I will be making that cheesecake next weekend. 

You know I couldn't completely stay out of the kitchen, so I decided to make Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf and my mama's quick green beans. Allow me to take a moment to express my love for Paula Deen. She is my celebrity crush - don't judge me. In my heaven, Paula will greet me with a plate full of her Gooey Butter Cakes, from which I won't gain an ounce. She will then go on to be my personal chef for all eternity. I imagine it will go something like that. Hey, a girl can dream.

So here it is, possibly the greatest meatloaf you will ever in your life consume.

Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

1 pound ground chuck 
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 
1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated 
2 large eggs, lightly beaten 
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted 
1/4 cup mayonnaise 
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1/3 cup ketchup 
2 tablespoons prepared mustard 
1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions (I used the French's cheddar kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well.

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.

Press meat mixture into a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Garnish with special sauce (recipe to follow).

Special Sauce

½ cup Mayo

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons mustard

Splash of BBQ sauce or A1 sauce

Mix ingredients in small bowl.

Mama’s Quick Green Beans

2 cans grean beans (you can use fresh, but I wasn't in the mood)

Half an onion

3 pieces of bacon (uncooked)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Dice onion, add garlic powder and saute in a small pan until onion is clear. Open green bean cans and add onion, allowing it to soak for at least 15 minutes. In the meantime, cook bacon in a sauce pan. Once bacon is cooked, add green bean cans and cook on low-medium heat for 10 minutes.