Please welcome my dear friend Jill McKeever of SimpleDailyRecipes.com.  We’re very happy to have her share her recipe for Duchess Potatoes here at CBSOP.

Take it away Jill!

Duchess Potatoes is an old recipe taken from a book our grandmothers would have trusted and relied upon for their dining dilemmas. Made from leftover mashed potatoes, this recipe transforms cold, thick mashed spuds into a light, fluffy, hard to stop eating, side dish. My kids could not get enough Duchess Potatoes. You should have seen their faces when the oven dish was empty. Oh wait, you’ll see the same expression on your kids when you make this dish.

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
2 egg yolks beaten well
1/4 cup fresh cream
grated cheese for topping (optional)

Heat oven to 425ºF.

Mix the mashed potatoes, beaten egg yolks and cream well. Pile lightly into a lightly greased shallow baking dish, top with grated cheese.
Bake in hot oven until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. It’s that simple.

Recipe and photo by Jill McKeever at SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Popularity: 4% [?]

Please welcome my lovely wife TSGT Jessica Russell who writes today’s guest post from Turkey.  Welcome, honey.  We’re glad to have you.

I want to thank my husband for letting me hijack his blog for a moment or two.

In my decade + years in the military I’ve found that good food brings a group together like nothing else in the world. If an army marches on its stomach then the Air Force soars on theirs. :) No jokes, please.

W. Drell was the wonderful guy who eased my way into the unique world that is Turkey. The country changes like the weather in Texas, and trust me, that’s often. People who were here five years ago barely recognize the area or the way we do business. In such a unique climate, having a group of people you enjoy working with makes all the difference. I’ll be sad to see Drell go, but he’s off to be with lovely wife in Germany. It’s a small world and even smaller career-field, I’m sure we’ll run into each other again. So from me and my husband…Thank you for all your help.

B. Gray and his lovely wife, C. let us take over their kitchen to make these delicious jalapeno poppers. Drell said he found the original recipe on Instructables and tweaked it to his liking. What follows are pictures and the recipe from the event.

The recipe was simple, easy, and makes a great quick meal idea for any game night. Since football season is in full swing, you know these little babies will be a hit (especially with toothpicks so you don’t have to get pepper on your fingers!). Note, the preparation involves direct contact with jalapeno peppers and the seeds, so make sure you’re careful to not rub your eyes. We had benadryll on standby just in case I had a reaction. ;)

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Popularity: 3% [?]

I’d like to take a moment to introduce our very first guest author Ben Herrera. Ben is the author of “What’s cooking?” a blog focusing on wonderful Mexican recipes. Please give him a huge round of applause! ~ Jerry

I have to admit that I got nervous when Jerry asked me to write a guest post for this blog. I wanted to write a post that would blow his readers away. I literally sat in front of a blank page for hours trying to come up with my greatest post ever. After all, this is not just any blog, we are talking about the Cooking by the Seat of my Pants blog.

However, I am not really good at complicated things and after several attempts and a bad headache I decided to keep it simple, just like the side dish I chose for this post. I love to cook. I learned about food and cooking at my parents’ restaurant in Mexico City where I literally grew up. I would spent a couple of hours after school every day helping with anything I could, from washing dishes to prep work and waiting tables.

I learned a good deal about food and restaurant management in those years, but when I am in the kitchen making dinner for my family I like to keep things simple. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring and flavorless. Using just a few ingredients, as long as they are fresh and of good quality, I have been able to come up with delicious dishes. A lot of single ingredients contain a lot of flavor, aroma or just that special kick that can make a dish memorable.

One of those ingredients is the humble, yet delicious, Poblano pepper. Poblano is a mild pepper and one of the most popular chiles grown in Mexico and the American southwest. Their flavor is so rich that they are perfect for chiles rellenos and just about any dish they are used in, like this creamy Poblano rice:

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Popularity: 2% [?]