Potato Skins

There comes a time in every wannabe chef''s life, when your small concoctions here and there make you realize you can do anything.  You can make that pesto instead of buying it, you can make your brownies from scratch and add nuts and peanut butter chips to your heart's content.  And this year, we realized we could do more than just buy potato skins as we celebrate New Year's Eve.  We wanted to make this awesome appetizer from scratch.   Unlike the boxed version which makes only 8 potato skins that are small and often not even that crispy, these home made potato skins really bring this bacon and cheesy treat to a whole new level.  Best part of course is that these do not cost $4.99 for a box of 8 halves.  We estimate the cost to be about $2.00 for 8 halves.

Start by preparing the baked potatoes. Microwaving them is an option however we recommend throwing them in the oven, the potato is easier to work with.

Make sure to coat the potatoes in olive oil and wrapped in tin foil. Bake the potatoes for 60 minutes at 400F.

While the potatoes are in the oven becoming delicious, grate some cheddar cheese.

We used bacon bits for these appetizers but if you want to use the real thing cook the bacon and let it cool during the hour cook time. Then cut them into small pieces.

Once the potatoes are cool to the touch cut them horizontally, in half, and then scoop out the inside.

Ashley's Tip: use a melon scooper to carve out the middle.  However try to leave 1/4 inch of potato around every edge.

Coat both sides of the potatoes in canola or vegetable oil; try to avoid olive oil as we want the edges to get crispy and smoke.

Aubree's Note: We didn't have a brush to coat the potatoes so we became resourceful and used a spatula.  It worked really well, you never know what tool can be used for multiple purposes. 

Sprinkle on some salt and place the potatoes on a baking sheet.  Try to use a heavy duty sheet in order to avoid warping.

Bake the potatoes for 10 minutes at 450F.

Flip over the potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.

Once the potatoes are done cooking, flip the potato skins right side up and place cheese and the bacon bits into opening.

Sprinkle with pepper and return to the 450 oven for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

These potato skins are best eaten with ranch dressing.  Please consume immediately and enjoy these delicious appetizers.

Recipe

Medium to Large Potatoes
Olive Oil
Canola Oil
Salt
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
Bacon Bits
Pepper

Bake the potatoes by rubbing in olive oil and wrapping in aluminum foil.  Bake for 60 minutes at 400F.
Once cooled, cut potatoes in half and scoop out the middle of the potato.
Coat in canola oil and salt.  Bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 450F.  Flip potatoes and bake for another 10 minutes.
Once cool enough to touch put cheese and bacon bits into middle of potatoes.  Sprinkle with pepper.  Bake for another 2 minutes.
Add a scoop of ranch dressing and enjoy!

The Best of 2 Broke Bakers: Our 10 Most Favorite Posts

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.  Well this blog has had some lack luster posts.  But then, we hit the jack pot.  That is as this blog has progressed we have decided to become blog post geniuses.  From witty one liners, to a plethora of eye catching images, to an insurmountable number of movie references we have found our stride.  Here's our 10 favorite posts-- we came, we made, we posted.

1.  Jeanie's Banana Bread

2. Our Favorite Books Cake Pops

3. Tri-Color Pasta Salad














4. Aebleskivers














5. Cake Pops 101

6. Fresh Raspberry Homemade Ice Cream

7. Mediterranean Grilled Cheese Sandwich

8. Strawberry Banana Angel Food Cake

9. Pumpkin Cupcakes

10. Cake Pop Greatest Hits

The Best of 2 Broke Bakers: The 10 Most Popular Recipes

As 2012 comes to an end we wanted to do a roundup and look at all the favorites posts throughout the year.  Since we've only been around for less than a year it's been quite the journey.

10. Cake Pop Greatest Hits












9. Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

8. One Eyed Monster Cake Pops

7. Dark Chocolate Banana French Toast

6. Not Quite 7 Layer Dip

5. Cake Pops 101

4. Strawberry Banana Angel Food Cake

3. Peacock Cake Pops

2. Hippo Cake Pops on the Prowl

and the most popular post on 2 Broke Bakers in 2012 was.....

1. Elephant Cake Pops

It's been a great year for us and we look forward to more in 2013. Up next is our personal favorite posts of 2012.

Gingerbread House

Tis the season!!...
 for amateur architects like ourselves to make wonderful structures of  candy and icing.  Normally we go full amateur using graham crackers and frosting, which don't get us wrong is still super fun.  But this year we opted out for a kit.  Yes we may not have baked anything for this post, but making cute designs with candy is something we like to do.  And oh, we did like making this epic gingerbread house for the holiday season.  Its great practice decorating with candy and a great activity for the whole family!

This kit was purchased from Joann's and it is found everywhere.  Usually these things fall down after a short time  (at least ours did).  We found the trick: after you put together the three walls let it sit for 30 minutes.  Then put on the roof and decorate.

           Aubree's Note: The icing in the kit hardens after a         period of time  which helped.  If you make it by scratch, the      frosting may remain lose so keep that in mind as you pile on                                the candy decore!

The rest is all fun.  Everything in the pictures are from the kit.  We stuck to the box.  To make the snowman eat some of the peppermint candy; the road is made of crushed peppermint.

We're quite proud of our little house.  We're still baking so our next post will be up soon!

Great Grandma's Cream Cheese Frosting

Our Great Grandma Kate had an amazing cream cheese frosting. Finger-licking, fighting over who gets to lick the spoon type of frosting.  WWIII over the spoon type of frosting.....okay maybe not that intense, but still its that good.  Plus, we've been able to use it for a bunch of recipes like pumpkin cupcakes (shown above), carrot cakes, red velvet cakes, you name it.  Its super easy to make and with only four ingredients, there's no excuse to not make this cream cheese frosting from scratch.

Here at 2BrokeBakers, we have a personal vendetta with store bought frosting.  Its good when you're low on ingredients or with cake pops, but when possible, go home-made.

Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl.

Ashley's Tip: It can be difficult if both items are cold, so let them soften by either microwaving them for a few seconds or letting them sit on the counter.

Aubree's Note: I'm notoriously impatient so sometimes I grab the cream cheese (still in package of course) and hold it in my hands for a bit so as to quicken the process with body heat..haha win! 

 The result is this nice fluffy mix.

Add in the teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

And last but not least throw in one package of powdered sugar also known as 16 oz.

Once all mixed together the frosting is ready to go.

This also means you can consume instantly.

The only thing we ask is that someone lick the mixer, the bowl, and the spoon so that none of this delicious frosting goes wasted.

Cinnamon graham crackers also serve as a fine utensil to consume this frosting.

 P.S. If you're wondering that cupcake recipe is shown here its our Pumpkin Cupcakes.


Recipe

8 oz Cream Cheese
1 stick Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
16 oz or 1 package Powdered Sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Mix in vanilla extract.
Beat in powdered sugar.

Frosts 24 cupcakes or 1 cake.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

We're back! We were abducted by martians...

Just kidding! Actually just Aubree was abducted.  She decided to go off to college far away leaving Ashley, who is now working full time and being a slacker part time, to fend for herself on the baking front.  It's been a tough battle thus far, but that ends now! Nothing like the holiday season to get you out of that no-baking blues.  These pumpkin cupcakes with home-made cream cheese frosting are an excellent choice given the time of year.  They taste heavenly, so much so that Ashley wanted to ship one to Aubree (sadly it probably won't survive) and they only cost $5 for 24 cupcakes (that means its 21 cents a cupcake).

                                 Aubree's Note: It also means I'll be demanding 

some when I get back for the holidays!

This recipe was adapted from the book The Frugal Foodie Cookbook which has many different interesting ways to cook on a budget.

It requires oil, pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, sugar, milk, salt, baking soda, and flour.

 Mix 1/2 cup milk, 2/3 cup oil, 2 eggs beaten and 1 1/3 cup pumpkin puree in a large bowl.







The mess above should become  that on the left.  (looks much more appetizing now!)

In a separate bowl mix 2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 2 cups flour.

Once all the dry ingredients have been combined,

slowly add the dry into the wet ingredient mix.

The oven should be preheated to 350F.

Add approx. 1/4 cup mix to every cupcake holder.

Bake for 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

Now comes the guilty pleasure addition: home-made cream cheese frosting.  This part of the baking creation is a family recipe, and we've sure used it during a great number of baking adventures.  So, the recipe is listed below but a more in-depth view of this frosting is here.

Happy Autumn!

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Eggs Beaten
1 1/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree
2 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
2 Cup Flour

Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix oil, milk, eggs and pumpkin puree in a bowl.  Set aside.
Mix sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour in a bowl.
Fold in dry ingredients into pumpkin mix.
Fill cupcakes 2/3 full.
Bake 20 minutes.

Actually yields 24 cupcakes.


Home-made Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Small package cream cheese
1 Stick butter or margarine
1 Box powdered sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

(Optional: Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to frosting for a delicious twist!)

Cream together cream cheese and butter.
Mix in sugar and vanilla.
Frost onto cupcakes.

Enjoy!