I've done pinwheel appetizers for potlucks, pretty easy. Can do any type of sandwich filling like refried bean, lettuce, cheese and salsa, or hummus and cukes and lettuce, or ham or turkey and swiss, with some fancy mustard, vegetable cream cheese, etc. Spread on a large wheat tortilla, mix colors if you like, roll up and then slice into short sections, turn on the side for the pinwheel effect. Is easy to make and usually a hit. Here's my bean/cornbread crockpot casserole recipe. Note: the cornbread part which bakes on top of the stew takes at LEAST an hour so make sure you allow enough time for that. Serves 6. 1 med. onion--chopped 1 med. green pepper--chopped (can use a roasted skinned poblano) 2 cloves garlic or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 16oz. can red kidne beans, undrained 1 16 oz. can pinto beans undrained (I don't like pintos, I use black beans) 1 16oz. can diced tomatoes 1 8oz. can tomato sauce 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard 1/8 tsp. hot sauce or use chopped jalepenos if you have them, probably 2 TBLSP or to taste. Top with 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup milk (can use soy) 1 egg beaten 1 TBLSP plus 1 1/2 tsp. veg. oil 1/2 cup (small can) cream style corn. Grease the crock pot. Cook the onion and green pepper and any fresh jalepenos if you are using them, in a small amount of oil in a skillet. When finished, transfer to the crock pot. Stir in all the other ingredients, including the seasonings. Cover and cook on high until it comes to a boil and then reduce to low and cook for 1 hour. You can cook it on low for as long as 8 hours. Meanwhile, mix together the other ingredients including the creamed corn. When the stew is boiling away, spoon on the cornbread topping and cook on high for 1.5-2 more hours. Could also cook on low for a longer time. Note: you could brown some meat and add to this if you wanted to, along with the onion and pepper, but drain it first. Adjust the chili recipe part to your own particular tastes. For example, I would probably add fire roasted tomatoes and some V8 juice for body and flavor, which is how I make my chili most of the time. You can double the recipe if you have a bigger crockpot.

GREAT thread--there's a lot of good recipes here so thanx for starting it! these were a summertime treat when i was growing up in central NY and might be sort of an acquired taste: Salt Potatoes Put 5# of small potatoes into about 2 quarts of water Add about 2/3 C of salt Boil until the potatoes are fork tender Serve with plenty of butter For a variation, cut the above into halves Pan-fry over low heat in olive oil to which you have added 8 or 10 bay leaves cut in half, turning several timeswhen they are crispy and browned, serve or, add a tablespoon of sugar and a little chopped basil and cook for another minute or two (can also be wrapped in foil and grilled). The differences in flavors is really quite good! this is from daisy--very tasty but the color of the finished dish is a little dark... Spiced Potato and Basil Gratin 6 medium boiling potatoes 2 cups loosely packed fresh sweet basil leaves 2 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds 1 teaspoon each salt, black pepper, mace and allspice 125g Swiss or domestic provolone cheese, grated Preheat oven to 190C. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins and cut the potatoes into 3mm slices. Arrange one-third of the potato slices in a thin layer on the bottom of a round 22cm baking dish rubbed lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle one-third of the basil over the potatoes. Cover with half of the remaining potatoes and the remaining basil. Finally, top with the remaining potatoes. Combine the cream and spices in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle the mixture over the potatoes. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the cream is thick and the potatoes are very tender. Sprinkle the cheese over the top; bake for 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. i'm sorry i didn't make a note at the time i copied these recipes quite a few years ago but i believe they probably both are from one of the frugal gourmet's books. in any case, they certainly are T & T in our household! swedish hasselback potatoes 6 medium baking potatoes 1/4 C melted butter 1/4 C grated parmesan 2 T dry bread crumbs salt & pepper paprika place the potatoes on a large spoon and cut partway through them in 1/4" slices. place cut side up in a greased, 11 x 7 baking dish, brush with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. bake @ 375 for 45 minutes (or bake with a roast for 1 hour @ 325). mix together the cheese and the bread crumbs and sprinkle onto the potatoes. bake until tender--another 20 or 30 minutes. Portuguese herbed potatoes 6 new potatoes 6 whole bay leaves 2 T olive oil 2 T butter 1/2 tsp salt a few grindings of pepper pare a strip of skin off from the center of each potato. add potatoes and bay leaves to about 1" of boiling water. return to a boil and reduce heat, cover and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes. drain. heat the oil and butter in a 10" skillet and then return the potatoes and bay leaves to the skillet. stir and add salt & pepper. cook uncovered over medium heat until browned, about 10 or 12 minutes. serve. this is loosely based on a recipe from epicurious-- Potato Latkes ("sort of") Use leftover, mashed potatoes. If not, boil 5 or 6 red-skinned potatoes until tender and then roughly chop them, adding a little milk. Stir into the potatoes: 2/3 C of chopped leeks or shallots or onions Mix together and then add to the potato mixture: ½ C parmesan 1 egg 1 ½ to 2 tsp dried mint 1 tsp dried oregano ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper a package of chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry To the above, stir in: 1/3 C feta and enough bread crumbs so that the mixture will hold together lightly Form the above into small patties. Pan-fry them in a skillet on medium heat, lightly coated with olive oil for 5 or 6 minutes per side. if you like "oven french fries" or even plain oven roasted potatoes, just drizzle on a little truffle oil a few minutes before taking them out to serve. delicious! also, i don't make "gravies" very often. but i do like sauces and that includes salad dressings. if you have a sauce that you enjoy, just pour it over plain old boiled potatoes. you just might have a new dish that you really like!

Lemon Horseradish New Potatoes 4 servings. 1/4 cup butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1-1/2 pounds small new potatoes, unpeeled Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt butter in a 2 quart casserole dish in the oven. Stir in salt, pepper, horseradish and lemon juice. Place potatoes in dish and toss to coat with butter mixture. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender. Source: Posted by Daffodil at rec.food.recipes *********** Jalapeno Potatoes Ingredients: 3 lbs red potatoes (about 6) 1 chopped bell pepper 2 oz sliced pimiento 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 Tbsps butter (or margarine) 1 Tbsp All purpose flour 1 cup milk 6 oz jalapeno or garlic cheese Directions: Cube cheese. Cook potatoes in boiling water to cover for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4 inch slices. Layer potatoes and next 4 ingredients in a well greased 12 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish; set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan; add flour and milk and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese; stir until melted and pour over potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Source: "Progressive Farmer", January 1992 ********* Pommes de Terre a l'Huile (Potatoes in Oil) from The Hemingway Cookbook by Craig Boreth. Ingredients: 1 pound potatoes 6 tablespoons very fine olive oil 2 cloves garlic Salt Pepper 2 tablespoons dry white wine 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon beef broth Directions: Wash and peel the potatoes. Place in a saucepan with enough cold salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and cut into slices as soon as they're cool enough to handle. Put the sliced potatoes into a medium bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. In a small saucepan, heat the wine, vinegar, and broth until hot. Pour over the potatoes and toss gently. Be sure to include plenty of bread for mopping up the sauce. Makes 2 servings. *********** Olive Potatoes Ingredients: 3/4 cup evaporated milk 3/4 cup water 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, diced 1/2 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 4 cups diced cooked potatoes 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives 1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs 2 tblsp. melted butter or margarine Directions: Combine milk and water; stir well, and set aside. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk mixture. Add cheese and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper. Combine potatoes and olives; spoon into a lightly greased deep 1-1/2 quart casserole. Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes. Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter, stirring to coat breadcrumbs. Sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake at 350 deg. for 35 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden. Yield: 8 servings Source: Southern Living, May 1980 ********** Oregano Potato Casserole Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes 1 cup cream-style cottage cheese 1/2 cup sour cream 3 eggs, seperated 2 tbps. minced fresh oregano or 2 tsp. dried oregano 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley or 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt 2 tbps. butter or margarine Directions: In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cottage cheese, sour cream, egg yolks, oregano, parsley, and seasoned salt. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into potato mixture. Transfer to a lightly greased 2 1/2 qt. baking dish. Dot with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for one hour or until lightly browned. Yield: 6-8 servings Source: 1999 Taste of Home Annual Recipes

I think you can do it any way you want and it turns out pretty good LOL yes there are generic potatoes obrien and there are ore ida, mine were the store brand, they are diced up potatoes with bellpeppers and onions in the bag with the potatoes. Not the shredded but diced potatoes. I add the extra fresh onion especially when we have some of the good sweet Vidalias. If you use the smoked sausage you really do not need to cook it first it comes fully cooked and cooking it in the oven for an hour is fine if you brown it first that is a lot of cooking it may dry out. I do however (if I am not being lazy) saute the onions. this is what the they look like In searching for a picture to show you I found a ton of recipes using them LOL I created this one out of desperation one night, I started taking out stuff to see what I could make for dinner and that was what was available.LOL