Hearty Twice Baked Potatoes

This is from Taste of Home Quick Cooking and was a 4th place winner. We really loved them. We used it as a main dish but are a great side, too.
8 large baking potatoes
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage (I used some pre-cooked patties and broke them up and browned them.)
1/4 C margarine, softened
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 C diced fulley cooked ham
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 C (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 C Italian salad dressing
Salt and pepper to taste

Scrub and pierce potatoes. Bake at 400 for 45-60 minutes or microwave, uncovered, on high for 12-14 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile in a skillet cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, drain.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4 in shell. In a large mixing bowl, mash the pulp with butter. Stir in the sausage, cheese, ham, bacon, sour cream salad dressing salt and pepper.
spoon into potato shells. Place on two ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. ( We were in a hurry so I popped them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until the cheese was melted and they were hot.) Yield 16 servings.

Easy to cut down. Example for 3 potatoes, I used one sausage patty, 4 strips of bacon, 1/3 C chopped ham, about 1/2 C cheese, a scoop of sour cream and about 2 T Italian dressing. I mixed these all together in a bowl and then added it all to the mashed potatoes and then filled the shells. Yummy.

Grandma Linda

Chow Mein Chicken (or Pork)

This is easy and quite tasty. Works with either chicken or pork. You could probably substitute beef broth and hamburger or left over roast beef or use cut up and browned steak.

2 celery ribs, chopped ( I used 4-6)
1 medium onion, chopped (I did slices and cut them in quarters)
1/4 C butter
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 C chicken broth (I used closer to a cup since I used more celery)
1 Tbs soy sauce (I used 2-3 T)
3 C cubed cooked chicken (I didn't measure & used what I had left over)
1/2 C sliced fresh mushrooms (not me, no way!!)
1 3 0z can chow mein noodles
1/3 C salted cashew halves

In large sauce pan or frying pan, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Stir in soup, broth and soy sauce. Add the meat (and mushrooms should you choose to). Heat through. Let it simmer down if it is too juicy.

Transfer to a greased 2 qt + baking dish. sprinkle with chow mein noodles and cashews. Bake uncovered at 350 for 15-20 min or until heated through. Serves 4. (What I made served 8)

I also cooked up a big pot of white rice and we served it over the rice. Good extender.

Grandma Linda (Taste of Home, The Best of Country Cooking)