twice-baked potatoes

in my whole life of cooking i've never made anything I am 100% impressed (by default on my part) with the exception of a batch or two of sugar cookies that i'm sure my mom probably helped me with. I just seem to be no good at cooking. last summer I finally decided I would learn to cook, each week I would make a new cup cake recipe (I thought I might as well cook something I like, so of course I chose sweets) even with cup cakes it seemed to be impossible to make it look as good as the book, my expectations are set, the food must look good as well as taste delicious. well i still haven't quite made it, but at least tonight I had motivation to try something new. it turned out better than just edible, I wouldn't even feel horrible making someone else eat it. unfortunately my husb (husband) wasn't even home yet to eat dinner with me so I taste tested without him to make sure it was alright (or else I might have even thrown it out before he got home so he wouldn't have to sit through another meal telling me lies about how good it tastes.

anyways for any of you who don't already have a recipe like this and want it i'll share...

it comes from the Better Homes- cook book, bridal edition.

1. scrub 4 medium potatoes with a brush to clean, pat dry. prick potatoes with a fork.

2. bake potatoes in a 425 degree F oven for 40-60

minutes, wrap your potato in foil if skin is thin

let cool for about 10 minutes

3. cut a lengthwise slice off the top of each baked potato (discard skin and place pulp in a bowl)

4. mash potato pulp with masher or electric mixer, then add in the following....

1/2 half cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

milk (optional)

3/4 cup finely grated cheese

1 tsp. freshly cut chives (optional)

5. bake uncovered in a 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until light brown. sprinkle remaining cheese on for last 2-3 min. of cooking

*do not laugh, at least I tried. something I skipped over in my reading the recipe was "discard skin from slice" apparently I wanted to get the most out of my potatoes so I put the sliced piece back on top...