Baked Potatoes with Cheese & Chives by Chef Pol-Tex

This recipe was 'invented/developed' by myself. The potato dish can be served as an appetizer or a side. It is quite tasty and we really like it.

What you need (for two persons):

• 3 or 4 medium size potatoes,
• shredded cheese,
• chives (cut into small pieces),
• salt and black pepper,
• some canola oil,
• baking dish.

What to do with it all:

• Heat oven to 400F/ 200C.
• Peel potatoes and cut them into halves and then in halves again - you will have little 'potato boats'.
• Grease baking dish slightly with some canola oil.
• Place potato boats in your baking dish.
• Season the potatoes with salt and black pepper.
• Sprinkle the potato boats with some oil.

Potato 'boats' - ready to be put into the oven

• Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes.
• After that, take the baking dish out of the oven and turn the potatoes.
• Bake for 30 minutes again.
• Take the dish out of the oven - sprinkle the potatoes with shredded cheese and pieces of chives.
• Bake them for 5 to 10 minutes.

Have a nice meal! 

 

Baked potatoes with cheese and chives

Banana Bread from Aldi

Of course, banana bread made from the scratch is the best but the one we have found at Aldi's is quite good too. Especially considering that the bread comes 'from the box'.

The bread mix contains real bananas. You only need to stir it/combine  with some water, oil and eggs. No mixer needed, just a spoon. I also add some raisins and chopped pecans to the bread mixture.
When baked, it tastes really nice so it can be served as a party treat (with no risk of being ashamed of its quality). If you prefer muffins, you can bake them using the mix and a muffin tin.
The bread is very easy to make and it is inexpensive too. We like to have it from time to time.

My Decorated Cutting Boards

I created my first decorated cutting board when I was 13 or 14. Then, there was a long 'no board' break. After quite a long time, I painted some more and another break came. I was busy with work and other projects. Recently, I have decided to decorate wooden bread boards again but, this time, in a totally different way.
The cutting board you can see in the picture below is just a sample of what I intend to do/make.

Let me explain what the paintings are:

1. Chef Pol-Tex. Since I moved to Texas, I have been the chef of our Polish-Texan kitchen (I am Polish, my husband is Texan). I make Texan and Tex-Mex dishes, cakes and pies with a touch of my Polish soul. Or the opposite: I prepare Polish meals, seasoned in a Texan/Southern way. We call it Pol-Tex food. 
2. The character painted on the board was created by myself when I was around 16. Since then, the little 'girl' and quite a band of similar characters have lived in my notepads and on pages of my notebooks. In a way, the drawings are part of me. Inspired by my husband, I thought it is time to show them/myself to the world. 
3. The flowery motifs are symbols of our Polish-Texan home. Some of them are elements of the traditional Kashubian folk pattern (Kashubia is the region of Poland I come from). Bluebonnets are, of course, the State flowers of Texas. 

As I mentioned above, this board is just a sample.

MORE PATTERNS TO COME!

If you would like to order a board with similar paintings, please contact us using the online form on the side of this page.

Please note: 

• I decorate the boards by hand, that is why the pattern on the board you get may slightly differ from the one presented as a sample. 

• The board is meant to be a decorative item only. It must not be used as a kitchen cutting board due to the layers of paint and varnish which cover the wood.

 The price of a board depends on its size and the pattern included on it.

MORE PATTERNS TO COME!