I am this excited to share today’s Week of Thanksgiving Favorites recipe with you, but first I have to share the workout you’ll want to squeak in before you make it. You butter better believe you’re going to need it – muwahaha! 
So, back story, I’m working on a big recipe page update project for the blog (pumped!) and every night I’ve been taking an hour or two to go back through my old posts and categorize/reformat all the recipes I’ve made over the past 2 1/2 years.
Blerg.
Although it’s tedious, it’s also kind of fun to weed through my past life and take note of what’s changed over the years.
For one, I use far less exclamation marks in my posts these days. (I can’t believe!!! I used to type!!! LIKE THIS!!!!! )
Also, I was a hard core gym rat last year! Like, regularly spent an hour there on cardio alone. Who was I?
It’s not like I phone it in these days, but I’m at a weird point between saying goodbye to outdoor running, and embracing the gym for the winter season, and am certainly not putting in the kind of hours I was last year…which probably explains the extra “winter padding” I’ve accumulated over the past couple weeks.
Double blerg.
(Help, I can’t stop saying blerg!)
Anyways, yesterday I found this 30-10-20 Cardio Workout that I described as “fun” and proclaimed to “love” last winter, so I decided to give it a shot again today to see if I still felt the same:
30 Minute Treadmill Run (including 1 minute on either end for warm-up/cool down)
| Time | Speed |
| 0-1 | 4.0 |
| 1-6 | 6.5 |
| 6-11 | 7.0 |
| 11-16 | 7.5 |
| 16-21 | 6.5 |
| 21-26 | 7.0 |
| 26-31 | 7.5 |
| 31-32 | 4.0 |
| Total: | 3.7 miles |
10 Minute Treadmill Walk
| Time | Speed | Incline |
| 0-10 | 4.0-4.2 | 4-5% |
| Total: | .7 miles |
20 Minutes Stair Stepper
| Time | Steps Per Minute |
| 0-3 | 60 |
| 3-5 | 80 |
| 5-6 | 100 |
| 6-9 | 60 |
| 9-11 | 80 |
| 11-12 | 100 |
| 12-15 | 60 |
| 15-17 | 80 |
| 17-18 | 100 |
| 18-20 | 60 |
The last 10 minutes of the stair stepper routine kind of dragged on, but yep – totally doable and I felt great afterwards. Kind of got me excited to get into more of a routine at the gym.
Plus, now I feel a little bit butter better about the over-the-top awesome potato dish I devoured at dinner tonight. Oh yes, The Week of Thanksgiving Favorites continues with my absolute, hands-down favorite side dish on the Thanksgiving table:
Party Potatoes Deluxe
I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!!! (Hey, there’s a time and a place for multi exclamation points, and this is definitely it! )
Party Potatoes Deluxe is my Mom’s specialty potato dish that she serves every year for not only Thanksgiving, but also Christmas, Easter and every special occasion in between. I can’t remember a single holiday over the last 25+ years where it hasn’t been served.
In case you hadn’t picked up on it, butter puts the deluxe in Party Potatoes Deluxe. And the party, for that matter. It gives the creamy dish a rich and decadent flavor, and the crushed cornflake crumbs on top an audible crunch.
While mashed potatoes & gravy will always have their place at the Thanksgiving table, my family will always make room for Party Potatoes Deluxe!
Party Potatoes Deluxe
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, divided
1lb country-style frozen hash browns, thawed
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup crushed corn flakes
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1/4 cup butter in an 8×8 casserole dish in the oven while it heats.
2. Meanwhile, combine hash browns, green onion, sour cream, cheese and soup in a large bowl. Transfer mixture to the casserole dish after the butter has melted. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
3. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in the microwave, then mix with crushed cornflakes. Sprinkle on top of the potatoes evenly and bake for 15 more minutes.
This ultimate potato dish is definitely a bit high on the calorie scale, but for a special holiday, it’s worth the splurge. Hope you’ll give it a shot (I know Iowa Mom Eats would be very pleased! )
Talk to you tomorrow with another sweet treat! 
~~~~~
How was your life different now than it was 1 year ago?
I tried it with brummel and brown, fat free sour cream, low fat cheese, healthy choice cream of celery, and fiber one flakes. It was STILL sooo good. Thanks for an awesome recipe! I also added parsley and garlic for extra flavor (since I booted the fatty flavor lol)
[...] Party Potatoes Deluxe (my savory fave…) [...]
This is almost the exact recipe of my fave brunch/potluck potato dish. My recipe happens to have the addition of cream cheese and doesn’t use the cream of chicken. UBER YUMMY! (Just made them today for church as a matter of fact). Think I’ll have to try this recipe too and compare.