Blue Cheese & Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes | Castello #BluesdayTuesday

I am officially outnumbered by men in my household. We started out 50/50 when we moved in together many moons ago. Then we added on a fur-baby who tipped the balance in favor of testosterone. And now, the addition of our son has really pushed me into the minority.

My mother-in-law, who also lived in a male-dominated household in her child-rearing years, promises that it's not so bad. She even confided that most times it's nice to be the queen among kings. I'll take her word for it.

So far, all I'm seeing is a heightened tolerance to foul smells and a growing commitment to meatier meals. {Though currently, we're still testing out the waters with fruits and veggies for Cole. But I see what's coming up ahead.}

It is no secret that I'm not a huge meat eater. I could happily subsist on meals like cheese and crackers, seasoned veggies and the occasional bowl of cereal. You know, "girl food." But a girl's gotta adapt, which is how I got into all this cooking business to begin with. {Still no red meat for me.}

Whether I'm cooking something to please the "hims of the household" or to indulge my own palate, there is one great equalizer: cheese. Yes, I try to use it sparingly but it just goes so well with so many things. {And it's so darn delicious.}

Case in point: Blue Cheese & Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes. I mean, who doesn't love cheesy potatoes?

Tangy, creamy Castello Extra Creamy Danish Blue shines in this easy side. If you are a lover of blue cheese, your mouth will do a little happy dance and rejoice. That sharp blue cheese "bite" is unmistakable, but mellowed by the creaminess and richness of this decadent rendition. Combined with crispy, smoky bacon there's a little love in here for everyone.

Give this crowd pleaser a try... it'll impress boys and girls alike!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Castello Cheese for Summer of Blue; I have been compensated for this post. However, as always, the opinions you read here are all my own.

Blue Cheese & Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes
Makes 6 servings

3 russet potatoes, scrubbed & dried
Olive or canola oil
Kosher salt
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
5-6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2.5 ounces {approximately} Castello Danish Blue Cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

1. To bake potatoes: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub potatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place directly onto center rack and bake for about 1 hour or until tender. {A knife should easily pierce the potato.} Remove potatoes from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

2. Once cooled, cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the insides leaving a thin wall of potato so that they are sturdy, taking care not to puncture the skins; place in a medium-sized bowl.

3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place potato boats on a baking pan and bake for 8-10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, to the potato in the bowl, add Greek yogurt, butter, salt, garlic and onion powders. Mash until smooth {or use a hand mixer, but don't overmix or you'll get gluey potatoes}. Gently fold in 3/4 of bacon {reserve some for crumbling on top} and Castello Danish Blue.

5. Scoop filling into each potato boat, dividing evenly among each one. Top each potato with reserved bacon and extra blue cheese.

6. Return to oven for another 15-20 minutes until heated through and the top just begins to brown.

Serve hot.

Smoky Blue Cheese Grits

Confession: Food bloggers get stumped about what to make for dinner sometimes, too.

Don't get me wrong, I usually have a multitude of recipe ideas swimming around in my head. But most days when I get home from the office or finish a long day of working or recipes, the last thing I want to do is think about what to make for dinner. Those are usually the nights when I say, "Honey, you're on your own." Then I chop up some tomatoes and avocado, throw them in a bowl with a sprinkle of sea salt, and call it a day. {For the record, this a delicious, albeit lazy, thing to eat.}

Ruts happen; Pork chops with a side of rice. Pork chops with a side of quinoa. Pork chops with a side of sweet potato mash. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I am lucky that my sweet husband has taste buds that almost never tire of eating whatever is set in front of him. He's one of those people that can happily eat the same items for breakfast every day for a year without blinking an eye. Meaning, he's not much help when I'm trying to be creative and ask "What should we have as a side?"

His request is usually some form of greens -- a salad, sauteed spinach or kale, etc., etc., -- along with some form of starch. But the starchy element of dinner {which, honestly, I could most times do without} is usually the same response over and over again. A girl can only make so any versions of rice, quinoa and sweet potatoes before she loses her ever-loving mind.

A few weeks ago, after a long day and a firm refusal to eat the same.darn.thing again on a day when pork chops were {once again} up to bat, I decided to get a little creative.

Grits.

Smoky blue cheese grits. Because most of the time, my creativity is fueled by a constant desire to use up the tiny bits of things that end up rolling around the pantry and the fridge without a purpose. I happened to have half a box of grits sitting abandoned on one side of the pantry and a small chunk of blue cheese left over from my wine & chocolate tasting party that didn't look particularly inspiring. And so, smoky blue cheese grits came to pass.

If I said that the quick cooking time of grits didn't have something to do with my decision, I'd be lying. But the twist on a food that 1. Is usually thought of at breakfast time, and 2. Can be sort of bland if not properly seasoned or condimented {that's a legitimate word today, ok?} made for a thrilling new side dish.

Even though the husband wasn't so sure about the thought of pork chops over grits, he sure seemed to get on board quickly after a bite.

These grits are creamy and pungent with the blue cheese, and finish with a smoky richness from a few dashes of liquid smoke {an ingredient that I often tend to forget exists}.

It's an unexpected taste of something familiar; a "rut-breaker." And if nothing else, really yummy stuff.


Smoky Blue Cheese Grits 

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grits
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled -- extra for garnish if desired
1 1/4 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon butter

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water and half and half to a boil {watch it carefully as dairy has a tendency to bubble over when boiled.} Add salt.

2. Slowly whisk in grits. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to whisk continuously until substantially thickened, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add blue cheese, liquid smoke and butter and continue to whisk until smooth and thickened to desired consistency. {I like my grits on the thicker side, but if you prefer a runnier texture you can add more liquid to achieve that.}

Serve hot with crumbled blue cheese over top.