Cheesy Instant Mashed Potatoes

 This will be the easiest potato dish you've ever made! I promise. And it's just as delicious as it is easy and always a big hit no matter what kind of event you take it to or what kind of meat you fix to go with it!

I have never liked instant potatoes. I know they're real potatoes, but I just never liked the way they tasted. Believe me, though, when I tell you, that when you taste these mashed potatoes, you won't be able to tell they are instant! 

One of the best things about this recipe is that you don't have to go to the bother and time it takes to peel the potatoes. Plus I like the fact I don't have to whip the potatoes with my mixer or dirty up more dishes to wash. You do everything in ONE pot! This is very quick to make! At the most 15 minutes to heat the water and mix all the ingredients in. 

Cheesy Instant Mashed Potatoes

In the 80's, there was a senior citizens group at our church, called "Super Sixties" that gathered together once a week to visit and eat. There was always entertainment and a Bible study ready for them to enjoy. Occasionally, since I was the ministers wife,  I would help the ladies in the kitchen prepare the meal. They are the ones who taught me how to make these super easy mashed potatoes. An idea, is if you're going to take this to a potluck or dinner at someone else's house, would be to make a big batch and keep it warm in the crockpot. I think this could easily be baked in a dish if you want to do it that way. If you do that though, you'll need to add more milk and butter so it won't get too dry.

Instant Cheesy Mashed Potatoes         4-6 Servings

Note: to feed a larger group of people, double or triple this recipe. If I were making it for a potluck, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I would triple or quadruple this and keep it warm in my crockpot.

2 cups instant potatoes
1¾ cups water
3 Tablespoons butter
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
---------------------------------------
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese (Velveeta, Colby or cheddar). I use Velveeta.
2 Tablespoons Hellman's mayonnaise
1/3 pkt Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix  (OR makes your own with: (add to taste)
Dill weed
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Fresh or dry parsley

Directions
Cook potatoes in saucepan on top of stove, according to directions using first 5 ingredients.
After potatoes are done, add rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.  You can add more of all these ingredients if you think it needs more or to your taste.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you want a quick potato salad, use instant potatoes for that too! Just add the ingredients you normally would for a regular potato salad. My friend, Jean Parker, from Midland, Texas taught me how to do this and it's great!

Instant Potato Salad - Texas Style

(add everything to your taste)

Instant potatoes (any amount already prepared, as on the package)

Add the following to your taste:

Sweet onions, chopped

Celery, chopped

Sweet Pickles, chopped

Dill Pickles, chopped

Hard Boiled Eggs, grated (cook number of eggs you think you'll grate into the salad, plus 1 more egg to slice on top

Mayonnaise (I like Hellman's best)

Mustard, to your taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Green Olives, sliced

If you want to give it a little more taste, add some of the dill pickle / sweet pickle juice from the jar. Not too much. You dont want your potato salad to be runny!

I always put sliced hard boiled eggs and sliced green olives on top and sprinkle with Paprika

Tips on Teaching Someone to Crochet

My freshman year in College is when I learned to crochet. If someone tells me they tried to learn or someone else tried to teach them, but they just couldn't catch on or didn't stick with it, I'll ask them how old they were because, I know from experience and teaching lots of others to crochet, you really have to have a desire to do it.  Many people I know learned when they were 5. Maybe they did have a desire to learn but there's another factor. I've been in lots of groups where I or others have taught numerous kids and older people to crochet. I just came to this conclusion on my own. 

Beginner Crochet Purse / Bag  My Granddaughter Made at Age 12

My Thoughts On Keeping Them Motivated

Many grandmothers or anyone who teaches someone to crochet will teach the child (or grown-up) to do a chain and send them home to practice. I've even heard some say when they were young they made a chain the whole length of the house! And most of the time when someone teaches a child, they will help them start a potholder or something small they're not really excited about. SO,  I decided I'd start finding out some of the things they'd LIKE to make. Some may tell you they want to make something that is not a beginner project but  more advanced. I talk to them til we come to an agreement of something they're interested in that's for a beginner. For instance, if someone who just learned wants to make a purse, most teachers would say no, that that's too advanced for a beginner. Well, I had my 12 yr old granddaughter, Chloe, make a purse, but it was a very easy purse! It was basically a long rectangle which became the front and back of the purse, by folding it over. I can't remember if I had her do single crochet rows or whether they are half double crochet or double crochet, which goes faster. It's no harder than a single crochet-you just wrap the yarn around the hook before putting it into the stitch and this makes the stitch taller, so it's easy. 

Another Suggestion

Helping a beginner to do little things, will help them not feel as overwhelmed. 

I also helped her by making a flap to fold over and then she crocheted the long shoulder strap she wanted. I also helped her make tassels to put on the bottom but I let her design the whole purse by choosing the yarn and telling me exactly how she wanted it to look. I think I made a small flower to put on the front too, knowing she'd eventually learn to do a flower. But I knew the things I did to help wouldn't discourage her from crocheting & when she saw how cute it was when finished, it made her want to make more things. Since then, she's made scarves, bracelets and helped her mom crochet an Afghan. She's in college now and has even started a crochet group among her friends who either already knew how to crochet or wanted to learn. I have given her tons of yarn and lots of crochet books with easy projects to share with her friends. I also gave her about 25 crochet hooks in different sizes to share with friends. I collect crochet hooks and had over 100 of them!

But my point is that when they make something they're excited about and can actually SEE the results, they are much more likely to stick with it! But also helping them by making a flower or sewing the bag together for them, while they watch, gets them excited they'll actually be able to carry the purse and show their friends what they did. 

Another motivation for beginners is showing them small projects they can make as gifts for friends and family. Some suggestions for gifts that are quick would be:

Bookmark

Keychain

Hair accessories

Coin Purse

Cell Phone Case

Water Bottle Carrier

Coffee Cozy

Bracelet, Necklace, Ring or Earrings

Doll Clothes

Scarf or Cowl

Eye Glasses Holder

Pencil Case

You could probably think of 100's more small projects! And there are 1,000's of free patterns on the internet. 

Spinach / Mozzarella Bake

Deep Dish Spinach Bake

My family has loved this recipe since the early 1980's when Irene and Mike Coffey had us over to eat. My kids used to beg me to make it. A very simple but delicious meal! 

NOTE - The only thing I don't like to do is spreading the Biscuick in the casserole dish because it can stick to your fingers. Just keep putting dry Biscuick or flour on your fingers as you spread it. something that would make this quicker (but more expressive) would be to use Puff Pastry. I've used that before and it's divine!   Another idea would be to buy the Pillsbury All Ready Pie crust in the long box to put in a regular pie plate. Make sure to use the top and bottom crust. 

Ingredients

2 - 10 oz boxes frozen spinach

1½ lbs mozzarella cheese, grated (or more!)

4 cups Bisquick  (if you're in a hurry, use puff pastry for the upper and lower crust!)

1 1/3 cups milk

1 Tablespoon butter

2 tsp garlic powder (or more)

   Cook spinach in 1 cup water, in large frying pan on top of stove til tender (10-15 mins). While spinach is cooking, add the Tb of butter and  garlic powder. Cook til all water is absorbed. Turn off heat, then add mozzarella cheese; mix. In the meantime while spinach is cooking, make crust (4 cups Bisquick+1 1/3 cups milk). With Bisquick on your fingers, spread ½ in 13"x9" pan. When spinach is ready, spread on top of bottom batter. Then spread other ½ batter on spinach. Cook in 400º oven (or 350º) about 30 mins or till brown. Make sure batter is not gooey in center. 

Serve w/ salad.

Cheesy Tuna Rice Muffins

Cheesy Tuna Rice Muffins
with Lemon Butter Sauce

I don'tthink there's anyone on this planet who could love tuna more than I do! I love it any way I can get it. 

Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna Quiche

Tuna Melts

And one of my all time favorites is Tuna Rice Muffins! I found this tastey recipe in a Workbasket magazine way back in the 1970's. That small magazine had mostly knit and crochet patterns in it, as well as a few other crafts, but it also had several recipes in it that readers sent in. The first time I tried this recipe in the 1970's, I instantly fell in love with them and the lemon/buttery sauce you pour over them is what makes them one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten. By the way, I love black olives too. These muffins are a pretty quick meal to make along with a vegetable, such as corn or broccoli on the side. I hope you like this recipe!

Cheesy Tuna Rice Muffins (with buttery lemon sauce)

Ingredients

Tuna Muffins

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can 6.5oz tuna, drained
• 1-1½ Tablespoon sweet onion or green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 3 eggs beaten
• 2 Tablespoon milk
• 3/4 cup sliced olives 

Lemon Butter Sauce

• ¼ butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/8 teaspoon parsley flakes
• Note: you may want to make more of this sauce because in my opinion, it's what makes it! Somertimes I double it.
• 
  

Preheat oven to 375º (400 in my oven) . Mix first 9 ingredients in a bowl. Spray muffin pan (or pie plate if you want to make it into a crustless quiche). Fill each muffin cup to the edge. I get 7 muffins when I make this. Bake in oven 15-30 minutes till they are firm and starting to brown a little on top. Let cool and pour lemon sauce on individual muffins. If the butter sauce has congealed, that's ok. Just put about ½ tsp (or more) on top. Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken Curry with Mango

Coconut Chicken Curry with
Vegetables & Fresh Mango as a Garnish, Over Rice
My Own Recipe

I've eaten or prepared chicken curry dishes 100's of times in my life, but tonight is the first I've fixed this particular recipe. I wanted a curry recipe with potatoes & I'm aware some people may find that odd but you'll find many Asian curry recipes with potatoes and you won't believe how good it is. I looked at 6-8 different Chinese Chicken Curry recipes with potatoes, (including YouTube) and took ingredients from each one. It was the best Chicken Curry I've ever tasted or made and believe me, I've had just about every kind of chicken curry out there, including the recipe I have here on my blog that my mom learned to fix when we lived in the Philippines (1956-1959). This curry recipe is my all time favorite now and I doubt I'll ever make it any other way from now on. It's that good! This is a hearty meal and is good enough for guests. They will be impressed.

Mary Jane's Coconut Curry Chicken

Serves 5-6 People - depending on the portion Sizes (see notes below to double the sauce)

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (about 3 cups) sliced thin, against the grain (2" pieces)

1 Tb baking soda for tenderizing 

*Note - see below to tenderize chicken. This step is not essential, but believe me it only takes about 1 minute more to do this and it makes a huge difference. You won't believe how tender the chicken will be!

1-2 tbs avocado oil, coconut oil or any other oil 

1-2 cups white potatoes, peeled & cubed

½-¾ cups carrots, chopped

1-1½ cups onions, sliced

1 can water chestnuts, sliced

1½ tbs yellow curry powder

1½ cups chicken broth

½-¾ cup fresh green peas (or frozen)

2/3 cup fresh or frozen green beans, cut in 1½" pieces (you can substitute fresh pea pods)

½ sweet red bell pepper OR green bell pepper, sliced or cut in 1" cubes

1 tsp soy sauce, tamarni or coconut aminos - (GF)

1-2 tsps white sugar

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp powdered ginger

1 -13.5 oz can coconut milk (full fat-not lite)

White pepper powder 

1 tb cornstarch + 1½ -2 tbs cold water mixed together for thickening at the end

Garnish for Top

Chopped green onions

Fresh mango, cut into small cubes 

*Note - you can put the mango on top or even mix it in with the other ingredients, right before serving, as I've seen in restaurants. Do not cook it.

*Cooked rice - my favorite is basmati (I put this on to cook first)

*To Tenderize the Chicken*

After slicing the chicken into thin pieces, place it in a bowl & add 1 Tb baking soda or cornstarch. Mix til coated. If you have some Chinese Shooshing wine, add about a tsp & mix it in. If you don't have it don't worry, it probably won't make any difference. Let this set for at least 15 mins while you cut up the vegetables. After that, rinse the chicken 2-3 times to remove the baking soda. If it's not rinsed you'll taste the baking soda!

Curry Chicken made with Coconut Milk and Mango as a Garnish

Heat oil on med hi in large frying pan or wok. Add rinsed chicken & saute till ½ done. Remove from pan & set aside. Add cubed potatoes & carrots to wok & saute while frying for 5 mins; add more oil if needed. Do not remove potatoes or carrots from pan. (We're just partially cooking them bc they will continue to cook with rest of ingredients). Add  onions, water chestnuts & curry powder; fry for 2-3 mins. Add chicken broth, ginger, garlic powder, soy sauce & sugar. Add fresh peas & green beans (if using) Put chicken back into pan. Heat for a few minutes. Turn heat down and add coconut milk; heat til chicken is done. Add red bell pepper & salt to taste. Add white pepper if you like a little heat. 

To thicken sauce, add the cornstarch slurry (1Tb cornstarch+1½Tb cold water mixed) & stir sauce til slightly thickened. Taste the sauce to see if you need to add more spices to your taste.

*Note* Some people might want to add the mango mixed into the dish, because I've had it that way in restaurants.

Serve over rice. You can add mango, green onions to top. Even peanuts or cashews would be good with this. I love it! 

*Note* If your family likes a lot of sauce, you can make more by doubling the following to the pan.

Double these amounts as you add the ingredients for the sauce: curry, chicken broth, soy sauce, white sugar, garlic powder, ginger, coconut milk. At the end of cooking, to thicken sauce, double the cornstarch slurry and add to the pan.

Crochet Stitch Pattern Books - My Favorites

Stitch pattern books are fabulous for designers or anyone wanting to become a designer. I have at least 20 stitch pattern books and I'll post pictures of my favorites & will add others later.

Tip for New Designers on Crochet Stitches

A new crochet stitch (such as the different sts in the books below), that you or someone else comes up with, cannot be copyrighted. Example of the kind of stitches I'm talking about would be double crochet, bobble st, pineapple st, shell st, cluster st, puff st, double treble st, etc. You get the point. Anyone can make any crochet item with any of the stitches in a book without infringing on copyrights. 

BUT

I'm not talking about a written crochet PATTERN, such as a top, skirt, dress scarf, etc Those are automatically copyrighted because you came up with the combination of stitches, the number of stitches on each row, the wording and directions of how to put it together, formed into a particular shape.

This should be obvious to everybody, but the copyright laws in other countries are different from the laws in America. Its mind boggling to me that those countries allow people to steal another person's pattern, copy it and call it their own, which takes away from the original designers profits.

I attended a 4 hour session, conducted by a lawyer specializing in needlework laws at a knit and crochet conference a few yrs ago. She gave us so much info that was very helpful.

But something I was very surprised about is that you can copy up to 40% of someone else's pattern! Probably what that means is that you CAN copy a particular shape. For instance, a flair/peplum on the bottom of a top, flared sleeves, V-neck as opposed to a round or square neck, ruffle, open shoulder, high waisted babydoll top, pockets on a sweater. I could go on and on, but I think you can understand what I'm saying. I also think it's ok to look at someone's schematics (drawing of the shape-like a skirt) with how many inches there are on each side-width and height. Like maybe you want to have an idea of how long you should make a shawl when you're designing your own pattern. But the big no no is that you can't copy their words of how they put the stitches together, how many rows, number of sts on each row, whether you increased or decreased, etc.

Some of My Crochet Stitch Pattern Books

This is my all time favorite stitch pattern book, by Linda Schapper. There are 500 different stitch patterns in it. I have the vintage version of this book in black and white and was so happy when I saw this reprint! She also has 2 other books, which are a book of edgings/borders and a book of 500 squares.  I have spent hours at a time looking through these books. If you've never seen one, you really need to check them out. They really come in handy and it will change your world!

Another great book. This was my first one! It's not as big as the one above, but it is still good and has a few stitch patterns that Linda Shapper's book does not have. It also contains a few edgings and motifs. 

I did not buy this book till I had been designing for 10 years and it is well worth purchasing. Rita Weis told me that Jean (in the crochet hall of fame, and now deceased), was so facinated with finding new and unusual stitch patterns from other countries, so there are many in this one I had not seen before. It's a great book!

This book also has some new and unususl stitch patterns I had not seen before. And if it's cable crochet stitches you're into, you'll love this book. It also contains some edgings/borders and some beautiful motif squares. I just wish the pictures of the stitches and diagrams were larger, because I can't see them very well, even with my bi-focals!

This book is Margaret Hubert's first granny square book. And yes, she has several more! Margaret is a sweetheart and she's very creative, which shows in this book. Can you guess my MAIN reason for loving this book? Its because I LOVE the colors she used! 

 Encyclopedia of Crochet, by Donna Kooler, was also one of my firsts. It is unique in that the first half of the book has crochet patterns for projects. Not only are there very pretty and well photographed stitch patterns, but it also has borders and motifs as well. There is a newer updated version published 2-3 yrs ago. I have that one too and will post it as well. 

I really like this Japanese stitch pattern book, but it would not appeal to everyone. It does not have written instructions in English, but does have stitch charts you can follow. Another plus is that it has many stitch patterns I've never seen before. This is only one of many other Japanese books.

If you like the crochet shell pattern, you'll love this Shell stitch book by Darla Sims! It's fantastic for those of us who love any kind of shell or fan in crochet. Such a huge variety! 

If you do both knit and crochet, then this book, by Reader's Digest, is probably your best choice for  finding many unique patterns. Some of these patterns are exactly as some in the Harmony guides.

Another great book by Darla Sims. It's mostly open lace stitch patterns if that is what you are looking for. A great book!

I am a big fan of the Harmony Guides. This is # 7. These are not thick books but are full of stitch patterns. They have come out with an updated book that contains all their stitches together. I have that too and will post it.

Harmony Guide # 6 - a great book. These books also have edgings and motifs.

Here's my all time favorite crochet book of edgings by Linda Schapper. Such a huge variety. You won't be disappointed!

This is a much older book, probably from the 70's. I rarely use it because  thee are others I like better. I believe the stitches shown inside are all in black and white. I may have given this to a friend. 

This is a wonderful book by Sasha Kagen. I believe she's from the UK and I was privilaged to meet her at a TNNA conference in Columbus when this book was first released. There are several very pretty patterns for projects in the book too, but also many stitch patterns.

This is a much older booklet and it's both knit and crochet, but has some nice stitch patterns

This not only contains stitch patterns, but Jan Eaton included just about anything you want to know about crochet. This would be a great book for a new crocheter. It's colorful and just loaded with information! It would be a great book for a whole crochet class!

This one is much older snd doesnt have a whole lot in it. Stitch Patterns are in black and white.

This is a beautiful Border book by Edie Eckman. She has several others and I have those too. 

4 more beautiful books by 

Eddie Eckman!

This great crochet stitch pattern book is a combination of the Harmony Guides books. It has many stitches, but is a very heavy book to carry around.

This is a fun book if you're more of a beginner and want mostly basics without getting too fancy.

This is a small but very informative stitch Pattern book by a fellow designer friend, Bendy Carter. She also has some patterns for crochet garments in it and I believe there are also patterns for several edgings.

This is another good book of unique stitch patterns. It's lightweight, so is easier to carry around than the big heavy books.

This book is by Melissa Leapman, a well known designer in the crochet world. I took a class she taught at my very first Knit and Crochet Conference in 2006 and learned so much about publishers and ways to get their attention and make a good impression on them.

This book is perfect for a crocheter who loves cable patterns. Cables are a little bit more challenging and time consuming but the result is well worth the effort.

This stitch book has some new patterns I've never seen.

I'll be adding even MORE stitch Pattern books as I have the time. Can you believe how many stitch pattern books there are out there? There are so many more, but if you're just starting out with designing crochet, it can be very overwhelming to decide which one to get. If you're new I suggest you get one of the basic books. 

Read this blog post about crochet pattern copyrights! Good piot!

http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-pattern-copyrights/

Cheesy Ham and Potato Chowder

I've eaten many different soup recipes in my lifetime and this recipe is one of the best I've ever tasted. I'm not even crazy about ham, but the ingredients in this soup make the most delicious, satisfying comfort food! I don't even remember where I got the original recipe, but I have changed it up a bit to make it even better. There are other chowder recipes out there that are quick to fix with adding canned soups and they are pretty good, but making this recipe from scratch makes your time worthwhile and your family will love it.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Chowder

1/2 lb. bacon (or 10-12 strips)                       pepper to taste
1 large onion, chopped                                 1 cup diced carrots
3 Tablespoons flour                                      1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups cubed potatoes                          
1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained or 1 can cream style corn
3 cups milk (Vitamin D, heavy cream or evaporated milk)
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheese (cheddar, Colby or American. (I used half Velveeta and half Colby this time)
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

In large soup pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. In the bacon drippings, saute onion and carrots until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add water. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, corn, bouillon and pepper. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or til potatoes are tender.Add milk, cheese and ham; heat til cheese is melted. Stir in crumbled bacon. YIELD: 10 servings
Note: I hadn't made this soup in years but tonight I didn't have whole kernel corn so I used the cream style corn. I also didn't have enough regular milk so that's why I used evaporated and the heavy whipping cream. The original recipe said to add the milk with the water and cook the potatoes, but I didn't want my soup to curdle from boiling it, so that's why I added the milk later. I didn't have enough water in the pot to boil the potatoes so I added about 4 more cups water and 4 more teaspoons of the bouillon. I also added more ham, potatoes and cheese! This soup is SO good!