Favorite Ingredient Friday (Creamy Twice Baked Potatoes)

Hope all is well with everyone! Things have been busy around here and it doesn't look like they are going to slow down anytime soon! That being said, even with all the craziness - I always look forward to Favorite Ingredient Friday and I know a couple of girlfriends that would kill me if I missed it, so - here ya go! :) I know with the weather getting warmer and spring on us and summer just right around the corner - the grills will be coming out very soon. With Darren "manning" the grill - I usually take care of the salad and at least one of the sides while he takes care of the meat and usually grills some veggies.

Since he can leave what he is cooking for awhile - we like to grab a couple of glasses of vino, or a couple of beers and sit out back. The only way I know that I can do that - is by cooking something that doesn't require me to "babysit" it. Thus, twice baked potatoes entered our culinary world. They are creamy and lucious like mashed potatoes, but I don't have to watch a boiling pot.

Creamy Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 medium baking potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• Paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Pierce potatoes and bake for 1 hour or until tender.
3. Set potatoes aside to cool, and drop the oven down to 350 degrees.
4. When the potatoes are cool, cut a thin slice off the top of each potato.
5. Scoop out the pulp and place in a mixing bowl.
6. Add butter, milk and salt; beat until fluffy.
7. Beat in cream cheese and sour cream.
8. Spoon into potato shells.
9. Sprinkle with paprika.
10. Place on a baking sheet and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and tops are golden brown.

I preheat the oven, and take out my cream cheese and butter and put them on the top of the stove so they can soften with the heat, pierce the potatoes and throw them in the oven and then promptly grab us some drinks and go outside and hang out with my husband. I go inside, take them out of the oven, get us another drink, and go back outside. After about half an hour, Darren starts putting stuff on the grill and I go back inside, cut the tops off, scoop out all the potatoes, mix it together with all the other ingredients, stuff them back into the potatoes, throw them back into the oven, grab us another drink and head back outside. Just about the time my timer is going off, his meat and veggies are coming off the grill. That gives me a few minutes to get out some plates and throw the salad together - perfect timing and it doesn't take a lot of effort. These are great when you are cooking for a lot of people because the ingredients are pretty cheap and its just as easy to make 10 potatoes, as it is 2 - and it looks like you really put some effort into it (while you and I know that it doesn't take much time). Hope you like them as much as we do!