Baked Potato Mashed Potatoes

"Those were the best mashed potatoes I've ever had." Sister-in-Law
"Those were the best mashed potatoes I've ever had." Brother-in-Law
"These are the best mashed potatoes I've ever had." My Amazing Husband
 "Oh my goodness, these are the best mashed potatoes I've ever had." Me

They don't need gravy.

Who has ever met a mashed potato that didn't need gravy??

I'm always trying to find the holy grail of the mashed potato. Roasted garlic. Cream cheese. Roasted red peppers. Caramelized onions. Cheese of any kind. Or all of the above.

I've tried 'em all. And they always taste like spruced up mashed potatoes. Yes, they were really good, but they're all just variations on the theme of the plain kind.

And they always needed gravy.

Until now.

I don't have a picture, because who thinks to take a picture of mashed potatoes? They don't look any different than your ordinary mashed potato.

[Insert your idea of what a mashed potato looks like here.]

But the flavor is radically different from your ordinary mashed potato. I'll say again: they don't need gravy.

Note: I never measure when I'm cooking unless I'm baking or trying a strange new recipe. So these measurements are rough and approximate.

Baked Potato Mashed Potatoes
a.k.a. Don't Put Gravy on these Mashed Potatoes

1 medium potato for each person (Russet or Yukon Gold)
butter: 1-2 Tbsp. per potato
cream: 1 Tbsp. per potato
sour cream:* a dollop per potato
chopped green onion* / chives: 1-2 Tbsp. per potato
bacon grease*: 1/2-1 tsp. per potato
salt and pepper to taste
garlic and onion powder (not garlic or onion salt) to taste

*These are the secret weapons of the recipe.

Boil your chopped potatoes (skin on) in salted water as usual. Mash and add the rest of the ingredients.

Prepare to hear "these are the best mashed potatoes I've ever had in my life."

Could you add bacon itself? Probably, but I don't like how bacon gets soggy when you add it to other things.
Could you add cheese? Yes, but why complicate matters? They're already rich enough.
Could you bake/roast the potatoes instead of boiling them? By George, I think that might be brilliant... but it will require more research.

What are you making?

Monday Musings

 
Right Now:  It's about 11am. My nieces are doing Reading and Phonics. It's downright cold outside but I'm in denial and am keeping the windows open anyway. I'm also hoping the neighbors won't complain that we still have 27 chickens in our garage, though Howard the rooster keeps crowing and betraying our secret. They're going to go out to the farm soon, to their spacious new digs... really!

This Weekend:  Was not blissful as usual. My husband and his brother are planting some new hay fields, but it's a massive undertaking. For the past five months I was slowly getting used to having him gone 16 hours a day, 6 days a week and only coming home to eat dinner and go to sleep, but now he had to work on Sunday as well. It was "necessary" labor, and of course we still went to Mass, but I don't feel refreshed and like I can face another week of this, having been robbed of a Sabbath.

Some Plans for the Week:  In a moment of weakness enthusiastic zeal I volunteered to play the piano for the Sunday "youth Mass." Our first rehearsal is tonight.

I need to bake bread (this is a weekly happening now that we're not buying it) and pick up the slack to do the chores my husband does, since he's away every waking hour (and many sleeping hours, too). I know I can operate a lawn mower, but we're just going to have to go without weed-eating around the fence, as that contraption makes me wrists hurt. Time to take out the trash, too.

If I Find Some Time for Myself, I Want To: write a letter to my sister. I've been neglecting her far too long.

Some Prayer Intentions: for the hay project to be successful and quickly finished.

  
Something that Makes Me Smile: Sunlight through windows, and grapes about to be frozen.

Monday Musings are hosted by Nadja at Patch O' Dirt Farm.

Either/Or or Both/And?

I just made caramel and it's absolutely delicious. But the stuff has 10x more bonding power than extra strength super glue.

I also just discovered that my dishwasher is broken.


I can either go stick my head in a hole and cry, or I can offer up this housewifery suffering for the success of my husband's endeavors and the conversion of poor sinners.

*thinking pause*

Actually, I think this is a both / and proposition.

Our Love Story, Part V

[Catch up on Parts I-IV here]

Yes, I waited almost until the end of the reception and there had been no offer to dance from My Miriam's Brother. I'd tried to remain lively company for my friends, but I couldn't help it... I was sulking. Oblivious to my infatuation, Mr. Amazing had now shunned me three times, and that was unpardonable.

I went back to the house where Mr. Amazing's family was staying, because (dance stealer) Diana was lodging there with Miriam. We talked and laughed for a good while; I chided her for making a move on my man (I could be quite free with Diana since she wasn't a member of his family as Miriam and now Meg were). Then the family came back. They were carting bottles of champagne (the wedding reception had been a teetotaler event) and were in lively spirits.

I threw my most chilling Gorgon glare at Mr. Amazing but it was wasted because he turned to close the door just as it would have hit its mark. At least now it was out of my system.

Miriam's father and uncle poured a round of champagne for us all and we toasted and sipped and laughed for the next hour while they entertained us with stories from their youth. The champagne put me in a more forgiving mood, and I even condescended to smirk at one of Mr. Amazing's bad puns.

At last the merriment died down and the wiser generation said their goodnights. There were a few ounces of bubbly left, so Mr. Amazing split it amongst us and Miriam, Diana and I somehow began talking about My Fair Lady.

I contended (and still do), that no self-respecting woman can feel happy with the ending of that movie (although I don't call into question the timelessness of the beautiful costumes and unforgettable music). In the play, Eliza leaves the no-good misogynist flat and marries Freddy, but the Hollywood ending is unbelievable and unsatisfying because without his undergoing any substantial change she goes back to Henry Higgins. Yes, he's had an awakening that perhaps he hasn't treated her in a way that respects her dignity as a human person to put it mildly, but all the proud blackguard can say is that he's "grown accustomed to her face." Disgraceful!

"And why should Henry Higgins have to change for her?" came a booming voice from the corner that I had forgotten was there.

Hm. So Mr. Amazing was finally acknowledging my existence... for the first time in four years.

What ensued shall go down in my personal history as one of the happiest and loveliest evenings of my life. Mr. Amazing and I talked and debated and sparred and laughed until almost dawn. The others had long tired of our philosophical conversations about substance and accidents and essences and principles and had fallen asleep. But it was truly electrifying. I credited it all with the two ounces of champagne I'd had many hours earlier, but of course the lightheaded dizzy ambrosia giddiness was love.

Pardon me the cheesiest line in all of blog-dom... but I can't resist...

♫♪ "I could have talked all night, I could have talked all night, and still have begged for more. I could have spread my wings, and done a thousand things, I've never done before. I'll never know what made it so exciting; why all at once my heart took flight. I only know when he began to talk with me I could have talked, talked talked... all night!" ♫♪

I still smile and blush a little when I think about the sweet joy of that evening. When I discovered that on top of his movie star good looks, solicitous sweetness, and saintly piety, that Mr. Amazing's mind was sharp, agile, and quick... I was hopelessly smitten.

I spent the night upstairs with Miriam and Diana, and the next morning my awkwardness around Mr. Amazing was gone. I could look and smile at him without timidity or shyness. We'd had a true meeting of the minds.

I flew home more on air than in a plane and promptly did what I knew how to do best. I cooked. Lemon poppyseed muffins, banana nut muffins, and chewy chocolate chip cookies, airmailed to Mr. Amazing's whole family with little notes to each of them. It would have been far too obvious if I had just sent a note to Mr. Amazing, so I had to write everybody and tell them how much I enjoyed the wedding. Without indicating my adoration in any way, I wanted to make sure that he wouldn't forget me this time.

I had never thought to ask if he was seeing someone else. The thought of it never even occurred to me; he was so plainly perfect for me. So a month later when I got a call from Miriam, my whole world turned upside down.

Mr. Amazing had just announced his engagement.

Readers... for the first time since early childhood, I sobbed uncontrollably.

To be continued...

Saints of October Printouts

Being thrifty, I didn't buy my nieces a coloring book for their breaks in between classes this year. I feel like a rotten teacher, and an even more rotten Aunt.

So I'm trying to make up for it by making them some coloring pages. I made St. Therese first because her Feast Day was fast approaching at the time, and then St. Francis... you can tell he's a pretty rough drawing... and then I got hooked and couldn't stop. I did almost all of the saints of October, some whose Feasts even fall on a Saturday or Sunday this year.

I'm certainly no artist; hands scare me and my creepy hands on the drawings scare me more, but little kids don't seem to care about such artistic blunders license.

If you want to use them for your kids, for CCD, or for any other private use, feel free to browse them here, or check out the right sidebar of the blog for printable versions. (Just please don't try to rework them in any way to sell.)

If the girls enjoy them I might keep going through the year.
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St. Therese of Lisieux, October 1st

St. Francis, October 4th

St. Faustina, October 5th

Bl. Marie Rose Durocher, October 6th

Our Lady of the Rosary, October 7th

 Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman - October 9th

St. Teresa of Avila, October 15th

St. Gerard Majella, October 16th

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, October 16th

St. Ignatius of Antioch, October 17th

St. Luke the Evangelist, October 18th

 The North American Martyrs, October 19th

St. Anthony Mary Claret, October 24th

St. Jude Thaddaeus, October 28th

St. Simon the Zealot, October 28th