There’s tomfoolery afoot! Mainly, there are impostors, loitering about online, claiming to hold the secret to the great ice cream baked potato. But theirs are recipes filled with the likes of yellow frosting (butter), green sprinkles and pistachios (chives).

Don’t be fooled, my friends.

Ice cream potatoes are a simple lot. Coming from the land of potatoes as I do, I should know. After all, these puppies were invented by an Idahoan–no doubt in an effort to sweeten those annoying potato jokes. 

So as summer winds down, should you happen to be hosting a party for children, a western themed BBQ, or maybe a spud convention, consider the ice cream potato. Just remember: go light on clever, heavy on taste.

And here’s a fine way to start …

Ingredients

• High quality vanilla bean ice cream
• Cocoa
• Chocolate sauce
• Fresh whipped cream {1 cup heavy cream, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar–and a sprinkling of cinnamon, for good measure}
• Chocolate wafers {Nabisco 100 cal. Oreo Thin Crisps, for example}, crushed

Directions

1. Take ice cream and mold into potato shapes; place on cookie sheet and refreeze for approximately 1 hour;
2. Take “potatoes” out of the freezer and cover them with cocoa; take a knife and make a slice down the middle; refreeze;
3. To serve: drizzle chocolate sauce on the bottom of bowl. Add “potato” and top with a dollop of whipping cream and cookies.

In the summer, when it comes to meals, less tends toward more. I’m perfectly content to munch on fresh veggies, fruit, and assorted cheeses. Or, another favorite: black bean tacos … which are typically little more than black beans, a hint of cheese, and avocado slices wrapped in a tortilla. That’s precisely what I was planning the other evening when I realized I had leftover rice sitting in the fridge. I also had a few green peppers, green onions, and mushrooms. What to do …

Now, if you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you realize I do not experiment. It’s for the best really, especially if I intend to ingest said food and live.

But desperate times call for desperate measures.

So, I worked up the nerve and started throwing things together–all while humming the tune of the Swedish Chef. And what do you know? It turned out delicious {unfortunately for us all, cooked rice tends not to be photogenic}!

Of course, when it was all said and done, I doubt it could still be called Spanish rice; for now we’ll just call it the rice previously known as leftover. And the exact ingredient amounts are iffy, seeing how I simply threw in what I had. Still, if you happen to have leftover rice, you might give this recipe a try.

And don’t mind me, I’ll just be sitting here, feeling smug …

The rice formerly known as leftover

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. butter

3 green onions, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic

3 cups of cooked brown rice

1 can fire roasted tomatoes, diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

Cumin, salt & pepper to taste

Taking it from there …

1. Heat butter saucepan; sauté onions and green peppers until softened—about 1 minute.
2. Add garlic; sauté a bit longer—let’s just go with a minute.
3. Stir in rice, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, cumin, salt, and pepper; simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
4. Share with those you love!

{let us not judge deliciousness by looks}

For Mother’s Day Brunch, my mom made bacon-wrapped-pecan-stuffed dates. Now, you’re probably thinking what we were thinking, “Huh, interesting … ” The key is continuing on, as did our friend Doreen, and say, “Well, I’m going to give them a try anyway.”

No doubt our first clue should be the bacon; after all, everything’s better with bacon. But a look in their direction inspires no greatness. Still, with much trepidation, I gave the sucker a go. Oh my … the perfect combination of sweet and salty, they are pure deliciousness … little crunchy delights. *whimper*

That’s why–despite their homeliness–I decided to share the love with  you.

First things first, choose your ingredients wisely.  Pick nice, moist, plump dates {pitted, naturally}; and thinly sliced bacon–then you can easily wrap one whole bacon slice around each date. Placing a sheet of foil of the dates–until the last few minutes–keeps grease from popping every which way in your oven. Because let’s be serious–that’s no party at all. And if you prefer even baking, turn the dates at the halfway point; not turning, however, allows the sugar to pool beneath the dates, allowing for crunchy sweet goodness.  *whimper*

Now, without further ado …

Ingredients

• Whole dates, pitted
• Pecan halves
• Bacon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F;
2. Slice dates and stuff with a pecan halve;
3. Wrap stuffed date in a bacon slice;
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes—or until bacon turns crisp.
5. Just try to hold yourself back.