Deluxe Twice Baked Potatoes with Shrimp

Courtesy of Paula Deen.
This recipe was so yummy. I added more cheese then the recipe calls for.

Cook Time:1 hr 30 min Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
4 (6 to 8-ounce) russet potatoes, scrubbed and pricked all over with a fork
Vegetable oil, to coat potatoes
4 slices bacon
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
4 green onions, thinly sliced, white and light green parts; dark green parts chopped, for garnish
1 cup grated Cheddar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Rub the potatoes with vegetable oil and put them on a baking sheet. Bake the potatoes until tender, about 1 hour.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer the slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of bacon grease from the skillet.

Cut the shrimp into thirds. Reheat the bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, Cajun seasoning, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the shrimp are opaque, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes.

When the potatoes are done, let them cool slightly (leave the oven on). Slice off the top third of each potato and carefully scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Scoop out the potato from the top third, and add that to the bowl, then discard the skin. Leave about 1/4-inch border of potato inside the skin. Mash the potato flesh with 1 teaspoon salt, the green onion, cheese, butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, and black pepper. Stuff the potato skins with the filling, mounding any extra on top. Divide the shrimp on top of the potatoes and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. Return the potatoes to the oven on the baking sheet and bake them until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven, sprinkle with the reserved chopped green onions and serve.

Blueberry Muffins

Makes 9 yummy Muffins

Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 stick butter
1 egg, beaten, plus 1 egg yolk
2/3 cup milk
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a muffin pan with nine large paper muffin liners, or about 12 in a regular size muffin pan.
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter, cut into cubes, in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, egg yolk, milk and lemon rind together well.
4. Pour the egg and milk mixture into the flour mixture, add the blueberries and mix gently together.
5. Divide the mixture among the cake liners and cook for 30-40 minutes, until they are risen and brown.
6. Check with a toothpick in the center of the muffin, if the toothpick comes out clean they are done.

Welcome!

I love baking and cooking. The recipes I'm going to post are recipes I have tried, and of course have enjoyed. I hope you all enjoy! Bare with me, some weeks I will post more then other weeks. It just depends on how much time I have to bake, and how much room I have in my freezer. In the next couple months I will be baking a lot with summer fruits and veggies so I can freeze them to enjoy them in the winter! Please feel free to take the recipes I post and try them out for you and your families. I will be trying and posting recipes from my families recipes, cook books I have, and recipes I find on the internet.