why wii love the kollers

is there anything better than cheese and bacon on a potato?

yeah, that was a trick question.

(the answer is no. well, today it is anyway. i'll have a different answer tomorrow!)

we have some awesome friends named john and sara koller. sara and i started to hang out and really get to know each other about a year and a half ago. we would go out for coffee (and breakfast sammiches) at LAs Cafe once a week and talk. (and talk, and talk) gradually, our bass playing husbands started hanging out, and they now go out once a month together to talk guy stuff. then we started double dating with them. and now, we have matthew/koller pizza night once a month at Pasainos.

our friendship with them is a beautiful thing. truly. sara and john are expecting their first baby in may. and it's been awesome to be pregnant with her. (michael just reminded me  last night, that with all three of my pregnancies, i've been pregnant with one of my best friends. is that weird?)

they had their ultra sound this morning (YAY!) and mystery baby koller is a GIRL, they got to actually see baby, which is such a miracle in and of itself. mystery baby is reminding me right now (via some very strong kicks to my ribs), that he-or-she is a miracle too. (momma knows, mystery. calm down!) what a beautiful journey the kollers have in front of them. there are just some people you know are going to be wonderful parents, and they are those people.

back on track now! last night was matthew/koller pizza night. instead of going out, they brought the pizza over and we ate here, and then played mario kart on the wii. it was fun. although i admit i was a bit rusty. there is one thing you must know about john and one thing you must know about me. he absolutley LOVES potato skins. and i absolutley LOVE to feed people. so, i made potato skins for our pizza night. they were a hit (although i'm not sure who loved them most, sara or john!). here's the recipe!

you'll need:

russett potatoes

cheddar cheese (1/2 lb block)

canola oil

salt

1lb of bacon (thick sliced)

preheat your oven to 400 degrees

scrub your potatoes (thanks mike!) unless you like to eat dirt. then i guess you could skip that part...

brush your potatoes with canola oil and stick them in the oven for 45-60 minutes. (until fork tender) only fill your baking sheet half full! you'll be cutting your potatoes in half later, and you don't want to run out of room!

once the potatoes are baked, slice them in half and scoop out the middle with a spoon. leave some potato around the edge. for the love of everything tasty, save the middle! yummy mashed potatoes!

next, brush both sides of the skins with oil and sprinkle with salt.

return to the oven, cut side down for 7 minutes. then flip them up and bake for another 7 minutes.

while you are waiting, grate your cheese.

fry your bacon and give it  a rough chop.

when your skins come out, load on the bacon and cheese!

return to the oven until the cheese melts (about 4 minutes)

serve with sour cream. or ranch. if they even last long enough for you to top.


bacon is  your best friend,
-k