A Homemade Mash

 One of the best comfort foods is a plate of home made mashed potatoes. There's something soothing about a plate of them with a side  puddle of butter or gravy. It's home cooking at its' best.

I decided to try the old school method of making mashed potatoes but with a few tweaks. It's starts off traditionally  - with Russet potatoes.I used a whopping five pound bag of them.

There's a method to my madness. Leftover mashed potatoes make excellent puffs  -a kind of home made Tater Tot  - with the addition of eggs and chopped onions, then fried.

I soaked them first because this ensures a fluffy texture.

They were then drained and put to cook into a pot of boiling salted water. They have to be cooked for about twenty - to  twenty-five minutes. 

I like Russets. They are delicious with an earthy flavor  however, they're hard to cook.

The next step was draining them and adding the mix of hot milk and butter. 

I made this vegan with two cups of almond milk and six tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. You're supposed to heat it on the stove top but the microwave does a good job too.

This was added to the drained Russets and then it was mashed with an electric mixer. Doing this will ensure a light fluffy texture. Again it was hard because Russets are really dense in texture.

The end result was pretty good.

The mash also got a good sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. You could add parsley or garlic if you wanted to. 

Homemade mashed potatoes is the ultimate comfort food. They can be as easy cook, albeit labor intensive. Yet all that work is worth it for a side of creamy goodness.

Marie Kondo Your Fridge

By now every one has heard of Marie Kondo, the cute perky queen of organizing. Due to her Netflix show, hundreds of Americans are reorganizing their closets and thanking the items of apparel for sparking joy. Any home chef can do this with their fridge as well. This one did.
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To be honest nothing I threw out sparked joy, especially the ones with thick layers of mold. (I know,  I know) I had more science experiments in my refrigerator than a biology lab and enough penicillin to cure half the East Coast. Not good. As anyone will know , it's so easy to buy stuff and then forget about it , thanks to the busy lives we all lead. To prevent this buy small. If you need sour cream for a recipe and you don't normally eat it, buy the smallest cup. All of it will usually get eaten. Even a medium sized tub can wind up be forgotten.You can buy bigger sizes of ketchup and mustard. One, these are used , and two an opened bottle of ketchup can last up to two years while an opened jar of  mustard can still be eaten after two to three years. Honey is another foodstuff that tends to get put at the back of the shelf. It can last six to eight months after its' jar is opened. Remember that it's not just for sweetening drinks, but can also be used to neutralize the acidity in tomato sauce and chili.

Another part of fridge clutter is leftover something. Too many times, we're guilty of even putting a mouthful of soup in the fridge, not wanting to waste a drop. Yet days pass, there are better leftovers to eat, that container gets forgotten. Next thing you know it's a month later and there's a layer of green gook on top of it. If you know you're not going to eat it after two or three days, then toss. Certain leftovers can be repurposed. Leftover chili can be slathered on hot dogs and burgers. Leftover rice can be refried with veggies for a main or side dish. If you've made egg noodles or spaetzle, then have what's left with just butter the next day. It makes for a filling  yet light lunch or dinner. The remainder of that Sunday roast can easily be refigured into not just sandwiches but also salads.Nothing beats a tomato and roast beef salad or a roast chicken laced Caesar one.Leftover ham and its' bones can be easily added to homemade pea soup.Any uneaten mashed potatoes lying around? If there's enough , then dip in beaten egg, dredge in breadcrumbs and fry for a tasty snack or meal.Just keep reminding yourself that leftovers need to be thrown out after a few days. Don't leave a bowl of something in the fridge for weeks. You'll never  eat it.

Konmari your fridge. Getting rid of all those uneaten or never eaten foods will make you feel better. They may not spark joy, but dumping them will give you some satisfaction.

The Versatile Mashed Potato

Nothing is as staple as the mashed potato. It is a great plate filler, helping to absorb gravy as well introduce picky eaters to veggies. It;s also one of the easiest sides to make . You can make it by using real spuds or flakes. Either way they're versatile.

Plain mashed is great . Of course they taste the best with any kind of roast beef, turkey or chicken gravy. This is one of the richest way of eating it .You can mix in  some  low calorie sour cream along with herbs as a nice extra to grilled chicken or even fish. Adding roasting garlic is another plus and goes well with steak or pork.Even left over mashed potatoes can be tasty . Form balls, then dip them in beaten egg and breadcrumbs. Fry up the potato ball  in oil or butter and serve with ketchup as a fun alternative to French  fries.


Mashed potatoes are also a great ingredient in leftovers.Cooks from Paula Deene to locals make excellent pancakes with leftover mash .Add flour, and  eggs to day old potatoes and fry in bacon grease as well s adding bacon as decoaration. These go great with eggs sunnyside up and some ham slices.The English add cabbage to make the famed bubble and squeak which is a crispy kind of skillet cake while others add Parmesan cheese.You can also add mashed spuds to crab and fish cakes along to chicken croquettes to give them body.Regular dessert cakes also benefit from a cup of mashed potatoes.They give them a wonderful consistency that plain flour doesn't .


Mashed potatoes aren't boring as most people think. in fact they're versatile and fun to cook with . Use them in everything from skillet cakes to desserts for something delicious.