Favorite Ingredient Friday (Easy Cheesy Potatoes)

I know, I know I have been slacking lately. I haven't posted a Favorite Ingredient Friday in awhile and let me tell you something - everyone has let me know about it. :) I guess there are a few that actually read this thing (besides me).

Anyhow, let me first start by telling you that I first had these potatoes when we were at a family friend's house for Easter. They were delicious. Of course, I asked her for the recipe and she told all of us like 10 times and I just knew I would remember, and of course - I did not. My sister-in-law and I were talking about what we were cooking for dinner the other day (how exciting our lives have become since we both got married), and she was telling me she wanted to make them but couldn't remember the recipe. So, I e-mailed our friend and she gave it to me, yet again!

So, I made them last night for dinner with a delicious 2 pound meatloaf, by request of my dear husband. :) What can I say, the boy loves his meat.

Anyhow, the potatoes are quick, easy and very yummy and the recipe is fresh on my mind, so I thought that I would share it with you today.

I don't really know the "name" of them, so I'm just going to go with "Easy Cheesy Potatoes".

Easy Cheesy Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 6 medium potatoes
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• ½ onion, chopped
• 6 slices of bacon
• ½ cup of Velveeta cheese (about ¼ of the block), cut into cubes
• 1 cup of sour cream
• ¼ cup of milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Peel and cut up the potatoes.
3. Boil the potatoes until they are soft, but not completely done.
4. Place in a 13x9 casserole dish.
5. In a skillet, cook the bacon and onions until onions are translucent.
6. Drain the grease and add the cheese, cream of chicken soup, sour cream and milk until all the cheese is melted and you have a nice sauce.
7. Pour over the potatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese has set, but has not browned.

Enjoy!

And I will be the first to tell you that you do not have to follow this recipe to a "T". You really don't have to follow it at all. Just use all, or even some of the ingredients and you will be good to go.

Normally, the first time I make a recipe, I like to follow it exactly and then if I make it after that - I might play around with it and adjust it a little. But I threw caution to the wind last night and took the lazy, I mean easy way out. Because honestly, I was just so busy and had very little time to get supper together. And yes, sitting on the couch, in my pajamas, making smores with a lighter and playing Sorority Life on the computer, while catching up with Tori & Dean, pretty much constituted my busy schedule.

Anyway, I used red potatoes (because thats what I had), that I boiled whole because who really has time to cut potatoes when they are trying to attend "Spring Break in Miami" 57 more times, so they can win a swimsuit. When the potatoes were done, I drained them and put them in the casserole dish, hacked at them with a knife until they were in smaller pieces, then used the pot I boiled them in, to melt the cheese (I did cut this up, only because I was unsure of how long it would take a chunk of velveeta to melt but I was pretty sure it was longer than I had to wait), cream of potato soup (because that's all I had), milk and however much sour cream I could shake out of the container because I was too lazy to get out a measuring cup, or a spoon for that matter. I omitted the onions, because I didn't have "time" to cut them up and I almost forgot the bacon. Please excuse me. I will give you a moment to get back up in your chair. I know. But cut me some slack. I said almost. But, I have to admit - I opened the refrigerator and stared at the bacon and looked back at my game on the computer, and the game won and I closed the fridge. I know, I know. But, I came up with a plan. I scrounged around in the pantry until I found a package of Oscar Meyer Real Bacon pieces, and I threw some in the pot. Then, out of guilt, I threw in a little more. Then, I finally found a spoon and stirred it all together until it melted and then poured it over my poor hacked potatoes. I moved the meatloaf over and stuck the potatoes in and they baked until I finally won the swimsuit. I can't tell you how long it was, I was in a daze. I pulled both the potatoes and the meatloaf out of the oven, right as my husband was walking in from work and you know what - he never knew the difference! Shh - it will be our little secret.

Oh, and thanks Lesa for the recipe - its fool proof! :)