White Cheddar Bacon Hasselback Potatoes Recipe + New Dinner Hacks

Have you ever noticed some of the best family recipes are passed down by mouth, without any real written directions or ingredients at all? Every family has at least one. You know, the recipe that only those lucky enough to have spent time in Nana's kitchen with Nana preparing can really replicate.

Their composition may be so deeply shrouded in mystery on the pretense of a secret ingredient, or a lively tale that dates beyond family written records- But you and I know the recipe will never be written down, or found on a card, or in a book simply because it's true success is not based on fine measurements or elaborate steps; rather a secret family cooking trick, or that one ingredient substitute you'd never think to try. Recipes that can easily be made with what one has on hand, and through pinches and handfuls of measurements.

Yes, the amazing cooking can be recipe-free and impressively flavorful when you know the right hacks to make a little magic happen.

Of course every magician needs a few powerful tools in their bag of tricks- which is precisely where NEW McCormick Pasta Seasoning Blends come in to play. Available in White Cheddar Mac n' Cheese, Sundried Tomato Basil, and Parmesan Alfredo these bold and flavorful seasons go beyond your typical spice rack hacks to bring delicious sauces to life (just add milk and butter) or to season up any freestyle dish with simply a few shakes. They're made without artificial flavors or colors and are easily located with the traditional cooking spices at your local Walmart.

One of my personal favorite 'recipe free' dishes, and family favorite, are Hasselback Potatoes. It's a dish that looks quite impressive, but can easily be pulled off with minimal ingredients and simple knife trick. I used to rely on a multi-step seasoning process for my potatoes but recently simplified my recipe even further by swapping out all other spices and seasonings in this recipe for McCormick White Cheddar Mac n' Cheese Pasta Seasoning.With it's bold aged cheddar flavor I don't need to fuss with anything else- I can dig right into preparing this delicious dish. Simply gather your favorite block of cheddar cheese, green onions, baking potatoes, a stick of butter, and some bacon.

We usually have pre-cooked bacon on hand at all times- but this is a recipe I especially like making a fresh batch for. You can customize your flavor and textures here by choosing the type of bacon your family most prefers- I typically go with a Hickory Center/Thick Cut. Half your bacon and place it in a single layer on a foil lined sheet and bake just until it begins to crisp at 350F. Then carefully remove your bacon and gently blot between double layered paper towels.

Next, crumble your bacon over a medium sized bowl and sprinkle about 2 tsp McCormick White Cheddar Pasta Seasoning (or really as much as you'd prefer) onto your bacon crumbles. Toss the crumbles in the seasoning until each piece has a light white coat, and set aside.

Prepare your green onions by dicing the greens, while you let your oven preheat to a new temperature of 450F. If you prefer a slightly different palette feel free to substitute the green onions with finer, more delicate, chives.

Wash and pat dry your potatoes with a paper towel or clean cloth. Inspect your spuds for any wayward eyes, and remove as necessary.

Beginning with one potato, on a cutting board, cut a thin, lengthwise, slice off of the bottom of each potato so as to create a flat surface for each to rest on. Next comes yet another genius cooking hack- one intended to make you look like a culinary artist without any special tools or skills.

Place 2 wooden utensils on opposite sides of a potato, on a cutting board. At a slight diagonal angle cut 20-24 slits into the potato, stopping when the knife hits the spoons. Repeat with remaining potatoes.

Place prepared potatoes on a microwave safe dish and microwave on HIGH for 12-14 minutes, or until potatoes are near tender. Remove from microwave and place on lightly greased, foil lined, pan.

Combine remaining McCormick White Cheddar Pasta Seasoning and melted butter and brush over the top of each potato, paying special attention to allow the mixture to permeate the cut seams. Bake potatoes for 15 MINS, or until tender. Remove from oven.

Your potatoes should be well cooked, and the McCormick White Cheddar Pasta Seasoning will have made a wonderful cheese like crust along the skin of your potatoes' ridges. Each slice should now easily peel apart, though the potato itself will maintain enough structure to still be handled.

Carefully insert bacon pieces alternatively with cheese slices. Be careful, the potatoes will be hot! Use a fork as needed to gently pry apart the potato slices. Sprinkle with McCormick White Cheddar Pasta Seasoning if desired and top with green onions. Return potatoes to the oven (broiler or top rack) for 2-3 minutes, or until topping has melted and begins to lightly brown. Remove from heat, cut in half, and serve.

Potatoes are a classic sidekick for many meals, and bacon-cheese covered potatoes rarely get better than this- Each slice not only oozes cheesy-bacon flavor but this beautiful dish is a sight to behold and is full of complex cheesy flavor thanks the addition of McCormick White Cheddar Pasta Seasoning. I especially love that I was able to cut any added salt out of this recipe, without a single complaint on flavor. We'll definitely be exploring the NEW McCormick Pasta Seasoning Blends even further- I've got a mind to try some homemade Parmesan Alfredo burger patties this weekend!

It's not always easy to find time for recipe books and precision cooking- why not try stepping outside your comfort zone with a little freestyle cooking thanks to the big flavor power of NEW McCormick Seasoning Blends? Do you have a family recipe that is passed down only by mouth, and learning?

White Cheddar Bacon Hasselback Potatoes

***Click here for printable White Cheddar Bacon Hasselback Potatoes recipe

How To Update Your Cat's Furniture (Successfully)

Truffles received product from Smiling Paws Pets for her consideration in the aiding of this article; regardless, all content, opinions, and photos contained below remain genuine to that of the cat and writer.

Anyone who's ever been owned by a cat knows that sharing a space with a feline can be a real challenge.

As humans we're limited to the space we can claim, and therefor out furnishings are generally limited to floor space. Cats, however, understand the only limit to where they can lounge, is where they will fit. (And, even then, there are some times where this rule goes out the window.)

If your brand new laptop is warm and smooth, it's the perfect napping spot- even better if the hard drive is humming with gentle vibrations and the keyboard is exposed offering a memory-foam like experience. If that cake carrier you just pulled out for your baking project is open and in jumping height, score- brand new cat bed. And when you've just spend several hours carefully organizing your holiday figurines for seasonal display on the mantle- it's suddenly the best view in the house.

You can't blame indoor cats, really- your home is the extent of their universe and it's only natural to want to scale and explore it as much as possible over time. And, it's not like you bothered learning to speak cat, so don't expect them to understand the finer points of English instructions such as "I just spend $2k on this new computer, please don't sit on it," or "It's hard to sleep when you're giving yourself an oral bath 4 inches from my face at night."

Yes, living in a cat's world can seem complicated at times but there are ways you can slowly begin to regain some of their space as your own again. Start by selectively integrating a few key pieces of pet furniture into inconspicuous places around their home. Since most felines are quite picky convertible furniture such as the 2-In-1 Cat Cube and Bed from Smiling Paws Pets is the perfect secret weapon to lure your cat away from their favorite hiding spot in your laundry basket/suitcase/kitchen cupboard.

When I first saw the 2-In-1 Cat Cube and Bed I thought, 'Genius! A soft warm, box! May cat is going to love this!' and promptly unpacked it and presented it to Truffles.

As a special thanks Truffles promptly returned the gesture by ignoring it entirely for several days. Well, not quite ignore it- she actually spent a fair amount of time lounging in the sun, on the floor and couch around the Cat Cube, perhaps purely to taunt me.

Whatever the reason, I decided the bed had been in 'her' territory long enough to be unassuming and have gathered some of her environment's natural scent. Taking advantage of the smart '2-In'1' feature of this unique bed I pulled the plush inner pillow out, smashed the top into the bottom and 'Viola!' instant open air car bed. I quickly tossed the pillow in the middle of the bed, and scurried away before the cat was any wiser.

Jackpot!  

The very next time I walked past my living room the 2-In-1 Cat Cube from Smiling Paws Pets had been definitely claimed by my feline housemate. In fact, Truffles seemed so content with her new property discovery that she refused to move for any of the traditional 'cat calls' such as rustling bags, the refrigerator opening, or a window being opened.

Needless to say I was ecstatic the stylish denim pet bed was at last fulfilling it's intended purpose as cat furniture rather than simply decor. Thanks to it's sturdy material this bed is entirely machine washable, and the luxury sherpa pillow offers a warm and comfortable napping experience that surely is steps above my laptop keyboard.

I wanted to convert the bed back into a cube, because I was certain Truffles would enjoy 'cube mode' even more than traditional bed mode- but left the bed as it was for several days to accumulate more of that 'cat ownership scent' that would help it seem less foreign once converted. I did, however, decide once I flipped the bed back into a cube again I would pull the sherpa pillow out to allow our 9lb cat more room to comfortably stretch and 'nest' inside.

Acclimating a cat to new furniture is a process that should be done over several days, if not weeks- remember that a cat's world is relatively small and any change can seem quite big. Cats, by nature, are curious but not necessarily quick to trust. And the less fuss you express over a change the quicker they will be able to accept it on their own, as something that is normal.

While you wait for your cat to acclimate to their new bed you might want to upgrade your home decor with a stylish DIY such as our Cat Scratcher Vase tutorial. Integrating cat friendly features into existing home decor is a great way to compromise a pro-feline environment with human design flair.

I wish I could say the exact moment things turned in Truffles mind- but in all honesty how I discovered she'd 'claimed' the cube as her own was on accident. In fact I spent a good portion of time tearing up the house looking for her before thinking to look in the pet bed I'd actually bought FOR her. As they say, the rest is history, folks.

Truffles loves her 2-In-1 Cat Cube And Bed from Smiling Paws Pets so much she wakes up every morning and migrates from the foot of my bed directly to the cube. Aside from a few hours of sun bathing in the afternoon, and some loud conversations with the local birds at sunset, she spends the majority of her day curled up content in the cube.

More recently I managed to sneak the sherpa 'pillow' into the bottom, and she seems to have found the upgrade quite agreeable.

Balancing style while sharing a home with a cat can seem tricky.

No matter how awesome the furniture is you buy for your cat there will always be those days where your arm, while typing- or the empty fruit bowl on the dining table just seems more logical. Shop stylish and smart multi-purpose pet innovations online with Smiling Paws Pets (they have stuff for dogs, too!) and give your cat plenty of time to decide they brought their new favorite bed/toy/accessory into the home, not you. For more smart pet innovations for your home follow Smiling Paws Pets on Instagram and Facebook- look for their new Litter Trapper Mat to be back in stock soon!

National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day- Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcake Recipe

Momma Told Me: You never know what's in store.


Today is the first day in weeks where I've taken a deep breath and felt entirely myself. After weeks of fighting this season's flu, and a few tumultuous days of work and social affairs, I've emerged to that 'New Year's shine' everyone is so buzzing about. I'll admit, I have not been myself these past few weeks; and that did make the holidays rough- but here I am fresh and once again invigorated for all that lies ahead. In fact, we're kicking off 2016 with our first installment of a new blog series covering entirely random, picked at whim, 'National Day of Celebration' posts. Every week in 2016 you can tune into Momma Told Me for a unique recipe or project celebrating something completely arbitrary based on a little known National holiday.

While I so very much wanted to make some Wookiee Cream Puffs for National Science Fiction Day and National Cream Puff Day (January 2, 2016) I only just recovered in time for today's post. It's my hope, as we move through the year, that I will get the scheduling in order enough to share these fun recipes and crafts with you days, if not a week, in advance of the holiday so that you can follow along and celebrate too. I'm a little late to the celebration this week- but these Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes will taste just as good any other day of the year as well.

I thought National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day (January 3rd, 2016) was a great fit for this week's feature because they are often associated with seasonal gifting. That is, you see them emerge on shelves early November for the holiday season, and find them appearing in heart shaped boxes come February. Now, there is some debate over what qualifies as a Chocolate Covered Cherry- most argue that cherries simply dipped in chocolate so not count, but we won't fault you for celebrating that if you wish.

Yes, the 'real' chocolate covered cherries are actually a liquor style confection that is actually quite impressive to make. The technique for making such a candy with the perfectly liquid center, and sweet Maraschino core is actually rather frustrating- Believe me, I'll show you some time, I promise. The first Chocolate Covered Cherries, however, were introduced to the modern world in 1929 by Cella's Confections in New York. And the original recipe is still very much alive and in production 85 years later, surprisingly by Tootsie Roll.

When it comes to chocolate covered cherries, themselves, you either love them or hate them. I, personally don't care for liquid, or cream, center chocolates and find the Maraschino cherries featured inside this confection are too syrup sweet for my tastes. But the combination of chocolate and cherry? A classic winner without a doubt. Black Cherry Chip ice cream remains one of my all time favorite 31 Flavors varieties. There's something about the tart bite of real cherry juice that plays up the bittersweet notes of cacao that I find intoxicating.

So, I offer you this Chocolate Covered Cherry cupcake recipe, which reminds me of my Cherry Cola Cupcake recipe- but has an entirely different flavor and sophistication. The secret's in the real Organic tart cherry juice, reduced down to a syrup for a heavenly buttercream frosting that's every bit as surprising as the center of a real chocolate covered cherry. Of course, we added some cherry to the cupcakes as well- but it didn't quite draw out as much beautiful color as I'd liked. In the interest of cutting back on artificial colors, we kept this recipe au-natural.

If a decadent dark chocolate devil's food cherry infused cupcake topped with a mountain of tart cherry buttercream frosting isn't enough we've added a cherry on top (quite literally) with a simple semi-sweet ganache and stemmed Maraschino cherry. I'd made this recipe prior with a  liquor sponge style base- but find this alcohol free variation is just as moist and actually draws the cherry flavor out more than the original.

Does the world really need a Chocolate Covered Cherry day? No- but all of those boxes of cordial cherries sitting on holiday clearance shelves might argue yes. For now, I'm content enjoying the celebration with a foil wrapped and some chocolate crumbs. This would be a wonderful Valentine's recipe *hint, hint* but really, it's just a deliciously fun way to dress up a classic devil's food cake. You can even use the boxed cake mix as a base- I'm not telling! Now dish- Do you like chocolate covered cherries or are you more of a chocolate dipped cherry fan?

What Daughter Says: Life may be like a box of chocolates, but these cupcakes never disappoint!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes

***Click here for printable Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes recipe.