Twiced baked baby potatoes

24 baby Yukon Gold or red potatoes, each about 2 inches across (2 to 2-1/4 lb.)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
 3 oz. bacon (about 3 thick slices), cooked until crispy and crumbled
 6 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

 Heat the oven to 425°F. Put the potatoes on a large baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the thyme, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and toss again. Bake the potatoes until they feel perfectly tender when pierced with a skewer, 20 to 25 minutes. ( It took my potatoes 45 to 50 minutes to be fork tender.)

Remove from the oven and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. You need to mash the potatoes while they are warm or they will be lumpy or turn into glue.  If you step away too long and they get cold, gently reheat the pulp of the potato in water on the stove-top, do not boil and then mash.

 If not working ahead, increase the oven temperature to 450°F.

Carefully hollow out each potato: Begin by slicing off the top; use a small spoon or a melon baller to scoop out most of the flesh inside, transferring it to a large bowl. Discard the tops. Mash the potato flesh with a masher or a fork, then combine it with the bacon, 1/4 cup of the chives, the crème fraîche, the remaining 1 tsp. thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Using a small spoon and your fingers, fill the hollowed potatoes with this mixture; it should mound a bit. Sprinkle on the cheese.

Return the potatoes to the 450°F oven and bake until the filling heats through, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining chives and serve warm.

 Make Ahead Tips You can stuff the potatoes up to two days ahead as long as you wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them; bring them to room temperature before the second baking.

 Recipe from: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/tiny-twice-baked-potatoes.aspx

Comments: I made 50 of these for my daughters high-school graduation party and by the time dinner was over there were only 5 left!  Needless to say, they are fun to look at and delicious to eat.  And really not that hard to make. I made them the night before.  The melon ball scoop is a must as the skin on a Yukon potato or red potato is fragile.  I let my potatoes get cold and had to reheat them.  I wasn't sure how this would work out, but it worked out fine.  If you love bacon, it could use a little more.  Rolling the potatoes in the kosher salt , pepper, thyme and oil made them extra delicious so don't skip this step.

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

4 Large Portobello mushrooms, stem and gill removed
2 TBSP canola oil, for brushing mushrooms

Stuffing:
1 cup pre-made pesto sauce (brand of choice)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes with oil
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pre-heat  the grill to medium heat, 

Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel to clean and dry well.  Do not rinse under water.  Brush the tops of the mushrooms with canola oil and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the pesto sauce, Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes and the bread crumbs.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and mix thoroughly.  Divide the mixture evenly into the 4 mushroom caps and top with some mozzarella cheese.  Put on the grill and cook until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Recipe: Food Network

Comments:  This was delicious! My family suggested that a slight balsamic reduction sauce drizzled over it would make it even better, but this recipe stands on its own without it.  These mushrooms make a beautiful presentation.  They are big, filling and hearty.  I think you could assemble them in the morning and cook later.   You could make them in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. If you like your cheese toasted, put them under the broiler before serving. Please note:  if you cook or broil these in the oven, use a pan with a lip around the edge as the oil from the cheese in the mushrooms will ooze out.

Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Fondue

Dippers:
Chicken Tenders, cut in half ( I used 3 packages)
olive oil or cooking spray
Buffalo Wing Sauce ( I use Frank's)
2 cups carrot sticks
2 cups celery sticks
2 cups red or orange bell pepper strips
12 ounces of French bread, cut into 1 inch squares

Fondue:
2 cups crumbled blue cheese
1 TBLSP cornstarch
1 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup 1% mild
1 block of fat-free or low-fat cream cheese, softened

Chicken can  be prepared in oven on cooking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Brush with wing sauce and bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees.  Turn over and brush with more wing sauce, and bake an additional 5 minutes or until done.   OR: Put one TBLSP olive oil in non-stick frying pan and pan fry chicken until done, add wing sauce. 

Cup up all dippers and set aside.

To prepare the fondue, combine the blue cheese and the cornstarch in a large saucepan or electric fondue pot.  Stir in wine, milk, and cream cheese.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 8 minutes or until mixture is smooth, stirring frequently. Transfer to fondue pot and keep warm over low flame.  Serve with dippers.

Recipe from myrecipes.com

Comments:  I made this for the Super Bowl this year and it was a huge hit!  It is a nice way to get that wing flavor without the calories and fat from true chicken wings. It went together very quickly. I pan fried the chicken in order to not turn the oven on and to get a bit of color on the chicken.  I will definitely make this again.

Fresh Tomato Tart

1 store bought or homemade dough for tart shell
8-10 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 TBSP chopped fresh basil
4-6 tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 black pepper
1/4 or less virgin olive oil
Basil , chopped for garnish

Preheat oven 400 degrees.  Line bottom of pan with dough, rolled 1/8 inch thick.  Spread bottom of pastry with shredded cheese and sprinkle with basil.  Cover with tomato slices, cover as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  Watch carefully.  when cheese is bubbly and crust is golden it is ready.  Garnish with fresh basil.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Thoughts:  I put my garden tomatoes, sprinkled with salt on a rack to drain some of the juices before putting them on this tart as they were very juicy.  I also used 2 pie crust and covered a cookie sheet to make a large tart.  This is very fresh and delicious!