Gramma's Restaurant: Holiday Spirit and Food for the Bling Bats

Busy, busy, busy!!! Cooking, cleaning and decorating! Trevell, Tashyra and I finally finished decorating the tree last night. I think it is beautiful...it sparkles and glitters! I am officially in the holiday spirit!!

The holiday parties are here. And of course, holiday parties mean lots of great, albeit fattening and decadent food!!! Thank goodness Christmas only comes once a year. I've been so disciplined with my new eating habits and I don't want to gain any of the 51 lbs back...but I don't want to miss out on all the goodies either. So I've been busy online figuring out the caloric, carbohydrate and fat content of various holiday foods so I can enjoy at least a little bit of most everything I may encounter.

Since I am over 50 now, I am a member of a chapter of the Red Hat Society - the Bling Bats in Red Hats. Tonight is the annual Christmas Party. I volunteered to help our Queen (Batty N Charming) with the food and I am busy preparing and cooking three of my yummiest dishes. One, Nancy's Loaded Potato Cassarole, was passed down verbally to me by my mom before she was stricken with Altzheimer's. It is oh so good but very high in calories (235 per half cup) so use some self-control. I'll post the other recipes tomorrow and the next day. I hope you try today's recipe and leave me a note telling me how you like it.

NANCY'S LOADED POTATO CASSAROLE

Makes 8 to 10 servings

9 medium russet potatoes
16 oz. sour cream
8 oz. cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup chopped green onion tops
2 Tbsp. real crumbled bacon (not bacon bits)
8 Tbsp. salted butter (4 tbsp frozen and 4 tbsp melted)
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Parboil potatoes and allow to cool in fridge overnight. Freeze 4 tbsp of butter (1/2 cube) - to be used in last step. Peel and shred potatoes (use large holes on grater so they look like hash browns). In a large bowl fold together the shredded potatoes, sour cream, red & green onion, crumbled bacon and 1-1/2 cups cheese (set aside 1/2 cup for the top). Stir in 4 tbsp of melted butter. Salt and pepper to taste (approx. 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper) . Spray a 13" X 9" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread potato mixture evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and the 1/2 cup of bread crumbs over the top. Grate the frozen butter evenly on top of bread crumbs. Bake uncovered on upper rack in a 350º oven for 20-25 minutes until heated through and top is golden brown and crispy. Allow to set for 10-15 minutes before serving. **This cassorole can be assembled and refrigerated a day ahead-- allow to come to room temperature before putting in the oven.