Adventures in Cooking

My Dad is an excellent cook. Before reality set in and we had to start eating healthy (big fat "Boo" to that crap), my Dad would cook the most amazing New Orleans-inspired dishes that could rival the best restaurants in NOLA. From mussels with white wine sauce to shrimp etouffee to cheese soup, those wonderful years solidified my love for all things culinary. And butter. Mostly, all things butter. Sorry, I think I hallucinated. Where was I?

Ah yes, butter. Well, his Thanksgiving feast is legendary (remember the time he and my Uncle Tom dangled a frozen butterball from a basketball hoop to deep-fat fry it and in the process almost burnt said uncle's garage down? Anyone?). He's made 3 turduckens, complete with three different types of dressings. My favorite is still the oyster. Who would have thought? He's spent the last 20 or so years refining his Thanksgiving meal down to an art. He starts cooking at least a week before hand. Yep, that's right-- a week.

Well, this Thanksgiving will be slightly different. I am having my first holiday celebration with Gene's family and I'm pretty excited about it. I'm always looking for new holiday traditions and I'm gearing myself up for some new treats. One tradition that I MUST bring with me is the twice-baked potato. My affinity for this particular spud was started when my grandma prepared them every Thanksgiving and Christmas. In spite of all the magical food listed above that my Dad works his butt off to prepare, the crowning glory for me was always the potatoes. My grandma would make extra because she knew I'd eat at least 4 and wanted another plate to take home with me.

So, because I'm not with my family this Thanksgiving I am making my own twice-baked potatoes. I got the recipe from my mom a few days ago and had a small panic attack when I noticed bacon wasn't one of the listed ingredients. After a quick IM to my mom, she reassured me that she always adds bacon from the recipe following the basic one she sent me. Phew. I almost overreacted. Almost.

Tonight I will attempt to make enough twice-baked potatoes for 20 people. But there's only 10 coming to Thanksgiving. That's right. I want to maintain my own separate stash at home. They're that good. If anyone wants the recipe, here it is. Since my grandma passed away a few years ago we had to taste test quite a few different recipes and here is the best one we've found. Enjoy. Happy Eating!