Here we go again....Recipe #A7 Ultimate Mashed Potato Casserole

Well, after a long night of trying to figure out how to use/program my new cell phone, dealing with un-installing and reinstalling my new external hard drive, and then trying to download old photos and video from my old cell to my computer....I need a long nap!

But, as promised, here is my recipe for Ultimate Mashed Potato Casserole. I use some special ingredients, so I will list in ( ) where you can find it. Enjoy!

Mashed Potato Casserole

3 ½ cups allergy free chicken broth
5 large potatoes, cut into chunks
½ cup soy milk (I use Silk plain)
2 tablespoons butter (I use Blue Bonnet light)
½ cup allergy free sour cream alternative (Tofutti Sour Supreme Better than Sour Cream Green & Red label - in the Publix Greenwise section or at the Village Market in Collegedale)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons dried onion
¼ cup allergy free cream cheese alternative (Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese Plain blue label - in the Publix Greenwise section or at the Village Market in Collegedale)
salt and pepper to taste
Slices of allergy free American cheese alternatives (optional) (Tofutti Cheddar Cheese slices or Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheddar Cheese block - at the Village Market in Collegedale)
2 tablespoons soy butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat broth and potatoes in a large saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving broth.

Mash potatoes, adding ¼ cup reserved broth, soy milk, and soy butter. Adding additional broth to desired consistency.

Stir in sour cream alternative, bacon, onion, cream cheese alternative, salt and pepper. Pour into 9x12 baking dish. Top with cheese slices and dot with diced soy butter.

Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Next week, I will have a recipe for Moist and Crispy Chicken. This was a recipe that I had originally received from my mom, but made some minor changes to make it allergy free.

Also next week is Kevin's last baseball game. I will be posting pictures of his final game and receiving his trophy. We will all miss those games, but I'm sure we will find something else to fill our time.

Until next week.....

Trips, Trips and more Trips...

Well, I was finally able to get my external hard drive fixed. Actually, I had to purchase a new hard drive and have the old info transferred to the new one. FYI....back up your back up. I had moved all my photos, music and video files to my external hard drive just in case my computer ever crashed. I never even thought of making hard copies of the transferred items in case my external drive failed. I guess you need a back up for your back up and then back that up too. Whew....what a way to spend a day at the computer. But none the less, I was able to download all my pictures from our last adventure.

Panama City was a blast! We love going there because it's like our home away from home. We know all the great restaurants, back roads and out of the way places to see. We also have our traditions....like getting our picture taken at our "family tree" in St. Andrews State Park. I've had my picture taken in that tree almost every year since I was like 13. Now, Kevin is getting that tradition shoved down his throat. He actually is not that fond of the trek to the tree. He's always afraid that an alligator is going to grab him (the tree is located next to a lake with alligators and no fence). You can hear them squeaking and I have to admit, it is a little creepy. But, after all, it is a tradition. Plus the tradition of Ken and Kevin walking next to the ocean. I have a photo of every year of Kevin's life. It is so nice to see how much he is growing and changing. My next challenge is to have all those photos framed and matted and hung in the hallway. They always bring a smile to my face.

This is our must have vacation. Just laying on the beach, playing in the ocean and looking for shells. We are so relaxed after this trip, we are ready to head back to reality....kind of. As for our next vacation, I think we are going to need a vacation after our vacation. We have almost finalized the plans for the Disney trip. Who would have ever thought there would be so much planning involved in a trip to a theme park? But, with the dinner plan and Kevin's allergies, we have to submit forms, make reservations, contact restaurants, and place special orders for certain foods to ensure there will be safe things for Kevin to eat. Not to mention trying to plan dinners around all the many parades and fireworks shows that Kevin has already specified he has to see. We are going to be worn out....but we are so excited. We may never want to leave this place. I have to get up bright and early tomorrow morning and make the Advance Dining Reservations before the times fill up. Here's hoping we don't have to eat dinner at 4pm or 10pm!

But, back to the PCBeach trip. Here are some more photos......

This is our boat trip to Shell Island. FYI....if you get sea sick easily, do not take the Ashley Gorman trip. They take you out by the jetties where it is very choppy, so you can expect the boat to be rocking at at least 4 foot intervals. It was fun though....got to see lots of dolphins!

This is one of my favorite photos of Kevin. He loved the boat ride and is definitely a water kid. I tell you, Kevin and I need the ocean....that's were we belong!

Another tradition that Kevin and I do on every beach vacation is make a sand sculpture. This year, the theme was Disney. So naturally, it had to be Mickey. Since there were tons of seaweed just laying around, why not put it to good use. You could spot this Mickey all the way up to our room on the 14th floor. Everyone loved it...and it was even there when we left. Wonder if it still is (<:

One of our many trips to play miniature golf. Kevin is actually pretty good. We kept his true score and I barely beat him. He's getting better every year. Anything related to sports, he's into it.
Well, I'm off to the pool. I will be posting a new recipe tomorrow.....my own personal recipe "Ultimate Mashed Potato Casserole".

Here we go....Recipe #A6 Vegetable Hamburger Stew

Well, still having trouble with my external hard drive. I want to download my vacation pics, but I only keep them on my external so that my computer doesn't get bogged down. I will try to post some pics soon.

In the meantime, here is my latest recipe. This recipe has some special memories for me. When I was little, my grandparents always tried to keep the extended family together, doing things every Saturday night and going on weekend vacations....plus a very memorable vacation to Disney. What a blast!!! Anyway, every November, right around my birthday, we would load of several cars with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and my family, and drive to Gatlinburg. When we arrived, magically a picnic seemed to appear. As a little kid, we never paid much attention to the details of all the preparation for the trip. My grandmother would always bring along a huge batch of her Vegetable Hamburger Stew. I loved this stew! Sitting out in the cool crisp air next to a babbling brook, scarfing down fried chicken and stew! Maybe that's why I love this stew so much, but it is a good and easy dinner. This makes a very large batch, so be prepared to be eating on it for several days. I usually take half and divide it up and freeze for later. It's nice to grab a carton from the freezer and have dinner on the table quick....especially when I don't feel like cooking and make Ken do it! (<: Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Vegetable Hamburger Stew

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups allergy free beef broth
4 cups water
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chopped tomatoes
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) green beans
2 can (14.5 oz each) mixed vegetables (celery, potatoes, peas, corn)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup allergy free macaroni pasta

In a large stock pot, cook the beef, onion and minced garlic until meat is no longer pink.

Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Makes 3 1/2 Quarts

I usually serve this along side some Sweet Corn Bread. I will post the recipe for my cornbread in a few weeks. Next week, the recipe will be my very own creation.......Ultimate Mashed Potato Casserole. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Have a great weekend!

Back to the daily grind...

Well, we are back from our vacation and I miss it. I planned on posting a new recipe today, but it may be this weekend before I can get to it. The McKee company picnic is today at Lake Winnie, so we are heading out the door in a few. I am also having trouble with my computer on downloading the pictures we took from vacation. As soon as I get the problem fixed, I will post them on the site.

This weekend, it looks as though we will be working on the pool. Ken opened the pool Wednesday night, but there is still chemicals and levels to regulate before we can enjoy it, not to mention the weather. Hopefully the temps will get a little higher and Kevin and I will be lounging in luxury while Daddy works. Tough life, huh?

Hope everyone has a great weekend.