Hi guys! My second challenge of the day is Banana Sprinkle Cupcakes

Why? See, one of my friend, Taro, is here in Brissie and staying over for a night with his friend, Midori. They’re leaving to Perth tomorrow night and I offered to drive them to the airport. And while they were playing around with Guitar Hero, Taro said he was craving for a banana cake. and so, I made that as my second challenge!

I love making cupcakes and even tho I don’t like eating them, I like making them for people to eat and it is a happy thing to see and know when someone appreciated my cakes It brings smile to my face. And so today, I have two assistants, Taro and Midori

 This is Taro, smelling the delicious scent of a fresh banana cake. Trust me, it was that good.

 This is Midori, Taro’s friend (and my friend’s now!) posing with the cuppies~ so kawaii ne~

So these are the freshly baked cupcakes looked like. Very nice golden brown. And the paper cups are so Christmas!

And we waited until they were cold enough so we can put the icing on top of them.

And the final look! Ta Da! looking to delicious!

The verdict: Taste Awesome! very delicious! They kept on eating them before they even cooled down, I had to tell them to back off! seriously, that good  

The recipe were inspired from a book called “500 cupcakes-the only cupcake compendium you’ll ever need” by Fergal Connolly.

But as usual, I found my own recipe to make them prettier, puffer and less oily

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes

• 224g butter, softened
•  230g caster sugar
• 226 self-raising flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 228g mashed ripe bananas

For the Icing

• 175g icing sugar sieved
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 150g butter, softened
• chocolate sprinkles and 100s+1000s for decoration

How to make:

1. preheat the oven to 180 degree C. Place 18 paper baking cases in cupcake tins.
2. combine all the dry ingredients together – flour, sugar, nutmeg and baking powder.
3. combine all the wet ingredients together – butter, eggs and mashed bananas.
4. combine the two of them together and mix well.
5. spoon the batter into the cases.
6. bake for 20 minutes.
7. remove tins from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
8. then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.

To make the icing:

1. mix the softened butter and sugar together.
2. then add the lemon juice, mix.
3. add the vanilla essence, mix well
4. swirl the icing onto the cooled cupcakes.
5. garnish each cupcake with the decoration as you desire

Happy trying guys~

xoxo,

Aby

Well one of my all-time fav’s is Shepard’s pie.  I know some people make it with a can of tomato soup, or some other additives, but I like to take it Back to Basic’s- kinda. 

First up, I used 93% Ground Beef (actually thought it was turkey because I portion and freeze from a bulk, oops!) and browned it with one onion.  While that was cooking I took a large pot and poured a 1/4 inch of chicken broth (what I had, for added flavor-you can use water if you want) in the bottom of the pan, bringing it to a boil.  Once boiling I dumped in a 16 oz. bag of frozen cauliflower, covered it, and “fake-steamed” it.  I let the cauliflower soften, and all the liquid evaporate out of the cauliflower, getting it as dry as possible before it changed the color of the cauliflower-don’t want any burned cauliflower!

When they were done, I used my food processor and dumped those all in with a nice handful of shredded cheddar.  Mind you my 6 year old son has hands bigger than mine, so I would call it about a quarter cup. Here’s what it looked like:

About to become Cheesy mashed fauxtatoes

 I then layered the layers-browned beef and onions, diced yellow peppers, then smoothed the cauliflower on top.

Again, I like some crunch.  My mom used to make these with bread crumbs on top.  I had already put the cheese inside, so I topped with some parm and something in my cupboard I had called Soy Crunchies.  You know I will freely admit, I don’t even know what they are exactly- I don’t know if they’re dried, freeze dried, or what, but they are some concoction of a whole soybean. They are crunchy but not exactly flavorful, so I smashed em up and used ‘em as bread crumbs atop, and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes. 

Guys, for real- TRY THIS.  It was so absolutely incredible, the cheese in the fauxtatoes gave it a decadence and creaminess, and it was absolutely wonderful.  The peppers were GREAT in place of the corn, too. 

Heres the finished product:

Shepard's Pie, right out of the oven

And last but not least, I could barely get a picture without snagging a bite.  YUM!!!

Shepard's Pie- Supportive and Delicious!

My leanKitchen “test kitchen” loves this recipe, and it was quick and easy. 

Now guys, who says comfort food can’t also help you achieve your fat loss goals?? 

Now when you look outside and see your kids building a snowman, hopefully you get the urge to try this, instead of making a big, starchy casserole.  Just one of the 12 ways leanKitchen helps you get through the Holidays!!

I’m sure this recipe is nothing new to the culinary world. I’ll bet there’s even a fancy name for it. At the time that I was madly giggling my way through inventing this recipe, I was not aware that generations have gone before me on this one.

See, we humans just love our potatoes. We’ll find any and every way possible to cook them. Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew. Or, as in this case, boil ‘em, mash ‘em, form ‘em into little patties and pan-fry ‘em.

Best. Side dish. Ever.

Also, a couple of them make a pretty satisfying lunch the next day. Not that I would ever recommend eating just a pile of cheesy, buttery, creamy taters for a meal. (do it)

Tatercakes (prep time: 5 minutes, cook time: 20-30 minutes, cost: negligible)
4 large russet potatoes
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (depends on how cheesy you wants it)
1/2 cup milk (whole is best, 2% if you must, never ever 1% … heavy cream if you have it)
1/4 cup butter

Let us begin with the noble potato.

Pre-washing required. No joke. Taters are dirty. Literally.

Wash your taters, then chop them into 1/2-inch chunks. Peel them if you must, but I prefer to leave the skins on. The only real nutritional value in a potato lives in the skin. Leaving the skins in the mix helps me to balance my dietary karma. Also, they give a nice texture. But hey, unless you’re cooking these for me (which would be awfully nice of you) I don’t get a say in your skins-or-no-skins debate. Do what you will!

Once they’re hacked up, drop the pieces into a big pot of very salty boiling water. Neglect to photograph any of this.

Boil ‘em until you can easily slide a fork into the center of a big chunk, and the skins are starting to fall off. Then drain off the water and drop your steaming hot taters into a mixing bowl for the mashing.

I cheated and used my stand mixer. My carpal tunnel hands feel that I'm justified.

Do whatever you need to do to make the mashing happen. Hand mixer, stand mixer, potato masher, fork, big rock, whatevs. The taters don’t care, they’ll mash regardless. Just don’t fiddle with them too long, lest they get all gummy on you.

I recommend adding your butter and milk (or cream) at this stage. The liquids will help with the mashing process, keeps things smooth. Personally, I prefer a few chunks in my mashed taters, so I didn’t go quite as smooth-n-creamy as some folks might.

Once you’ve got a big bowl of mashed potatoes, add the cheese.

Cheese! Glorious cheese!

By the by, while I was cooking these taters Mother Nature conspired to rob me of my natural lighting by rolling in some pretty ominous stormclouds. This seems to happen alot when I’m cooking. Perhaps the two are related? Anyway, I apologize for the glaring yellowness of the flourescent-lighting pictures. I did the best I could to fix them.

We move on! Stir the cheese into the taters. Given the thickness of the taters, probably your stirring is more like “folding”. Semantics! Just make sure the cheese is evenly distributed.

By now, the mixture should be just cool enough to handle. Which is good, because you’ll be scooping up handfuls of the mixture and forming it into patties. You will not be taking pictures of this process, because you do not have a clean hand available and you love your camera too much to smear it with taters.

Once you’ve got your tater patties, heat up some oil or butter (or both!) in a non-stick pan. Just a thin layer to coat the pan so the notoriously sticky taters don’t .. ya know .. stick. When the oil is hot, carefully place your tater patties and let them sizzle.

Give them plenty of room, lest they join forces and unite against you.

Fry ‘em up on the first side for maybe 2-3 minutes. Just long enough to get them golden brown and heavenly. Then flip ‘em!

This right here is why scratch-n-sniff internet needs to be invented. ... And I just thought of a thousand reasons why it SHOULDN'T.

This four-potato recipe yields maybe 10 tatercakes. Which fed my family with leftovers to spare.

With a dollop of sour cream, alongside chicken and broccoli!

Lunch the next day! Don't you judge me.

Hot, creamy, cheesy, mashed taters in a perfect portion size with a crispy pan-fried exterior. This is everything that is good about potatoes all in one spot.

Next time I make these, I’m adding bacon. JUST TRY AND STOP ME!

I made quite a few side dishes for Thanksgiving.  We always have too much food left after dinner.  Sometimes we give it to an uncle, other times we eat the same thing for a week.  It’s sickening, most of the time. 

Amazing Mashed Poatoes
5 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1.25 cups whole milk
.5 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons butter
salt
Boil potatoes until tender.  Drain and cool slightly.  Return potatoes to pan.  Mash with a potato masher or electric mixer.  Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes to dry out potatoes.  In a separate pan, heat butter until melted.  Add milk and heat on low until hot.  Pour the milk and butter mixture into the potatoes and mix until smooth and completely absorbed.  Season with salt.

Sweet Potatoes
5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1.25 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1.125 cup superfine sugar
.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
.25 teaspoon ground ginger
.125 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
.125 teaspoon ground allspice
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 400.  Boil sweet potatoes in a large pot until tender.  Drain; transfer potatoes to large bowl and add butter.  Using electric mixer, beat until smooth.  Add egg, sugar, spices, and salt; beat to blend.  Transfer mixture to baking dish.  Bake potatoes until beginning to brown around edges and slightly puffed; about 25 minutes. 

Cole Slaw
.5 cup mayonnaise
.25 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
.75 teaspoon sugar
.5 teaspoon salt
.5 teaspoon black pepper
1 head cabbage, shredded
1 bag carrots, shredded
Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Toss with shredded cabbage and carrots.  Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Turnip Gratin
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2.5 pounds medium turnips, trimmed and unpeeled
1 Tablespoon chopped thyme
1 chopped sage leaf
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
rounded .215 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 450.  Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan.  Slice turnips very thin with a mandolin and toss in pan with butter, thyme, sage, salt, and cayenne.  Cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until turnip starts to brown.  Add cream and cook until tender, about 30 minutes.  Pour into casserole dish.  Sprinkle evenly with cheese and bake, uncovered, for 10 or 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. 

Pasta Salad
12 oz box tri-colored rotini
1 pound farfalle
1 brick sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
3 bottles of Italian dressing
1 pound hard salami, cubed
1 bag frozen broccoli and cauliflower
1 can sliced black olives, drained
Cook the pasta until al dente, or to your preference.  Rince and cool.  Boil the cauliflower and broccoli on the stove, but not until soft.  Vegetables must still be slightly firm, or else they will turn to mush in the salad.  Drain.  Toss the pasta with the vegetables, and mix in the cheese, olives, and salami.  Pour the three bottles of Italian dressing over the pasta.  Don’t worry if the salad looks too wet.  The pasta will absorb a lot of the dressing while it chills.  Cover and refrigerate.  Serve cold. 

Dinner Rolls
3 Tablespoons warm water (105-110 degrees)
3 Tablespoons sugar
2.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk 
2 cups sifted flour
1.5 teaspoons salt
1.5 to 2 cups flour
Stir together warm water, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Melt .75 stick of butter in a small saucepan.  Add milk and heat until lukewarm.  Stir together yeast mixture, remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar, butter mixture, sifted flour, and salt in a bowl until well combined.  Then stir in enough of the unsifted flour until it creates a slightly sticky dough that forms a ball.  Butter a large bowl.  Knead on a lightly floured surface, kneading in more dough if it seems too sticky, about 10 minutes.  Form into a ball and put in buttered bowl.  Turn to coat with butter, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch down dough and divide into 20 pieces, then roll into balls.  (If you need to, refrigerate the dough at this point, if you’re making this a day ahead.)  Butter a 13×9-inch baking pan.  Arrange balls in 4 rows of 5, and let rise in a warm place, loosely covered, for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled.  Make a deep crease down the middle of the ball using the back of a floured butter knife.  Preheat oven to 375.  Let rolls rise for 15 minutes longer.  Melt and cool the last 2 Tablespoons of butter.  Brush tops of rolls with butter and bake in the middle of the oven until golden, about 20 or 25 mintues.  Let rolls cool in pan for 5 minutes before serving.

small documentary of our day today :O)

hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving!

(update: my current theme only shows the first photo, so i’ll set up an album or another page so you all can see the entire set of photos!)

1)  You get hammered at dinner and talk about how the American Indians were screwed out of Manhattan island during the War of 1812..

2) Make your daughter cry because you tell her that OBAMA chopped the head of Tom Turkey on the front lawn of the White House because he thought it was Bill O’Reilly…

3) Talk incessantly about how you played high school football and that during the 1974 Thanksgiving Day game vs your rival Teaneck that you threw a touchdown pass to your best buddy, who stole your 8 track player from your 1967 Chevy Nova…

4)  Make statements like  “  You think the recession is bad now on Thanksgiving, wait until Christmas hits kids…Trust me it will be brutal “…”  Just being honest people”….

5) Keep bringing up deceased members of the family at dinner  and what FOODS they DIDN’T like when they were ” with us”…  ex.  POP POP ( Grandpa) hated sweet potatoes, or “remember how Aunt Sylvia used to hate gravy”….

    Oh well you get it  …Let’s hear  some of your Worst things scenarios !

Fried salmon on mashed potato in sauce. Scrumptious!

OK, let’s face it. Mashed potatoes are one of those basics that everyone loves and for which we all have our own standards. I like mashed potatoes, before this batch I didn’t LOVE them. I do now. The potatoes themselves are just standard issue mashed potatoes. I think the difference is in the topping. See, what had happened was…

I wanted to make confit (I did, post to come) and in order to make it I needed to render some fat. I got some pork fat and rendered it, I was left with what I’m guessing are cracklings. That’s the topping. OMG! You could sub bacon for the cracklings, so don’t freak out.

5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
1-1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cp heavy cream
1/4 cp butter (yeah, I know)
black pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg
1/3 cp cracklins or bacon
1/4 cp onion brown butter sauce

Peel and quarter the potatoes and put them into medium size pot. Fill with cool water just to cover the potatoes, add salt and bring to a soft boil. These potatoes are very tender, a hard boil may cause them to break apart. They will need to cook for about 20 minutes or until a knife goes through easily.

Once they’re cooked, drain the potatoes. Place the pot back on the burner with the butter and cream, until the butter begins to melt. Put the potatoes back in the pot and begin mashing them immediately, stirring in the cream, butter and onion butter sauce. Check the salt, add pepper and nutmeg. Stir and serve topped with the cracklins and some more of the butter sauce.

I know I don’t need to say this, but I will anyway. ENJOY!

ASL. Yell. Signs. Fef. Scream. Swingers. Team. Family. Good game. Win. North Division Champions. Hoarse. Mashed potatoes.

I finally took Dre on an Amish adventure to Lancaster County complete with a stop at Shady Maple Smorgasbord. I regret that I went to one of my favorite places to eat and didn’t take any pictures! Shame on me! We did, however, make a few farm stand stops on our scenic ride home where I picked up a beautiful head of  Cauliflower.  I knew I’d have to transform it  into a tasty creation though, if anyone was going to enjoy it as much as I would!

I recalled an episode of 30 Minute Meals where Rachel Ray make a quick batch of her Smashed Cauliflower with Cheese. I stuck to the basic parameters of the recipe but impressed myself with the addition of  shredded Smoked Gouda (from the never ending wedge in my fridge). The smokiness really enhanced the depth of flavors in such a simple dish. It was so good, I didn’t even have to pass it off as mashed potatoes, though you know I tried!

Farm Fresh Cauliflower & our Jack-o-Lantern

P.S. We also picked up a pumpkin on our Amish adventure that Dre & I carved for Halloween. BOO!

CHEESY SMASHED CAULIFLOWER
adapted from Rachel Ray’s Smashed Cauliflower with Cheese

• Cauliflower – 1 large head cut into florets
• Chicken Stock – about 3 cups, 2 cans, or enough to cover Cauliflower
• Butter – let’s say 2-3 T of the REAL stuff, no oleo here!
• Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Mozzarella, Parmesan, etc. – (1)+ cup of your favorite shredded cheeses
• S&P

1. Place Cauliflower florets in a medium pot & cover with Chicken Stock.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then cover & reduce heat to a simmer until Cauliflower is tender, about 15 min total.
3. Drain the cauliflower once tender, reserving the stock. (You could also turn up the heat and reduce the stock instead of draining, but who has the time?!)
4. Add the butter & cheese. Smash with a potato masher, adding in stock until you reach desired consistency. Think “thick grits”!
5. Season w/ S&P and serve. It reheats really well, too, so feel free to make a double batch to enjoy all week!

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into uniform one-inch pieces
1 tsp. salt (for boiling the potatoes)
Salt and white pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1/4 cup salted butter, cut into eight pieces
1/4 cup homogenized milk
1/2 cup whipping cream

Put potatoes in a medium pot and cover by one inch with salted water. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium high, boiling until potatoes fall apart, about 40 minutes.

Drain in colander 2 minutes. Return to pot and dry, shaking lightly over medium high heat, until all liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds.

Heat cream and milk in a small pot on medium heat, being careful not to boil.
To potatoes add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Using a medium whisk with medium stiffness, press down on the potatoes, moving from one side of the pot to the other, breaking them down completely. You have to crush them well to get the lumps out but DON”T OVERMASH or you will overwork the starches in the potato so much that they turn into a gummy mess.

Add half of the butter and half the cream and milk mixture, then whip the potatoes vigorously with the whisk for 30 seconds.

Finish with more butter and milk and cream if desired, and whisk them quickly once more to fluff them up. Makes 4 servings.

I just got back from eating dinner at Claim Jumpers and must say I am shocked, horrified and appalled! While my date was away in the bathroom, I snuck a peek at the drink menu (which also just happened to contain the nutritional information). At first glance, I thought for sure I was seeing double! There must have been a digit that didn’t belong! For instance, for the “small” portion of their Whisky Chicken dinner, there were 1900 calories!!! (I wanted to change my order after I saw that). That’s basically a whole day worth of calories packed into one meal. How ridiculous.

Image: claimjumper.com

Downpour. Mail. Mashed Potatoes. Lindsey. Adventure. Jog. Bike creeper. Arthur. Sketti. Practice.

Have you ever made mashed potatoes in your crockpot?  I haven’t…up until now, and I think I’m going to do it again and again.  I found this recipe at A Recipe a Day by Nancy.  Super quick, super easy.  I started my Sunday morning chopping up the potatoes and garlic and tossing them into the crockpot.  After church, I started mashing and adding the remaining ingredients and kept them hot in the crockpot until dinner time.  The family loved these.  My husband mentioned that he felt like he was eating at an up-scale restaurant when he ate them, along with one of his favorites, blackened bone-in pork chop.  Hey, it was his birthday, he deserved a good dinner!

I doubled the below recipe and the potatoes fed 8 adults plus about 4-5 more servings of leftovers.

Crockpot Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes

3 lbs red potatoes

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup cream cheese with chives and onions (from 8 oz tub)

1/4-1/2 cup milk – I used full amount, don’t want those potatoes too dry, although you don’t want them runny either…

Halve or quarter potatoes as necessary to make similar size pieces.  Place in a 4 to 6 quart crockpot.  Ad garlic, oil, salt and water; mix well to coat all potato pieces.  Cover and cook on high for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours or until potato pieces are tender.

With a fork or potato masher, mash potatoes and garlic.  Stir in cream cheese until well blended.  Stir in enough milk for soft serving consistency.

Serve immediately, or cover and hold in slow cooker on low for up to 2 hours.

Save any leftovers and reheat in the microwave the next day, adding milk if needed.

Serves 4-6

Recipe from Nancy at A Recipe a Day

***I’m very hesitant to put up a picture of these potatoes ONLY because I took them when they were cold, they look kind of dryish in the picture, and that’s why you add more milk when you reheat the leftovers!***

We love garlic in this house, so this recipe was just perfect!

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds red potatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a large pot, cover potatoes and garlic with water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil, add salt and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and garlic well. Put back in the pot and cook over low heat to evaporate the rest of the water. Mash in the butter. Add heavy cream in stages until desired consistency reached. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

The only thing I changed was this. After I drained the water, I tasted the potatoes, and they just weren’t garlicy enough for me. So I sliced up 3 more cloves of garlic and stirred them in. Very good.

While I love almost any food, there are a few that I just can’t get enough of…one of those being homemade mashed potatoes!  Instant have come a long way and can be pretty good (definitely in the “Super Quick Sides” category) but if you have the time to let them cook, homemade can be mouth watering.  And for you budget conscious folks out there, you can get more potatoes than you could ever eat for almost nothing ($5 for a 10lb bag!)

Ok, so I know this is technically a re-post from yesterday, but that meatloaf post was way too long.  Buried near the bottom and tucked into the recipe for mashed potatoes were some tips for adding a little something special to your ‘taters.  Seeing as how I am so in love with the potato, I thought fabulous veggie deserved it’s own chance in the spotlight.

SEASONING IDEAS TO SPRUCE UP YOUR MASHED POTATOES

• Always start with butter, milk and salt
• Ranch Dressing
• Sour Cream
• Grated Cheddar Cheese
• Garlic (fresh pressed or the paste you can buy in a jar)
• Dill and Sour Cream (my favorite)
• Rosemary and grated Cheddar Cheese
• Morton “Nature’s Seasons” Seasoning Blend (you must add this seasoned salt blent to you spice cabinet; I use it on everything from eggs to chicken to casserole to fajitas, veggies and anything else you can think of that would need seasoning!)
• If you have a favorite potato seasoning, please feel free to leave a comment and share…I’d love to try it out!

GETTING THE PERFECT TEXTURE

• Use an electric hand mixer if you want super creamy potatoes (yes, this works even if you leave the skins on)
• Use a hand-held potato masher for that creamy-yet-slightly-lumpy texture
• Use a large cooking spoon to stir everything together for a lumpy, almost baked-potato type texture…so good, especially if you leave the skins on and mix in grated cheddar cheese and ranch dressing!  Don’t overcook thought (just until tender and very soft when pierced with a fork, but not so tender they fall to pieces)

Mashed Potatoes (for anyone who has been using instant for so long they have forgotten )

1. Scrub potatoes under cold water to remove any dirt; peal if desired.
2. Chop potatoes (the smaller the pieces the faster they cook) and place in a large pot.
3. Add enough water to cover potatoes by at least an inch.  Make sure water level is at least 2-3 inches from top of pan or you will have a hard time keeping them from boiling over.
4. Boil for 20-40 minutes; cook time depends on size of potatoes and quantity.  Test with a fork:  potatoes are ready when they are tender and break apart easy.
5. Drain and return to pot.
6. Add butter, salt, milk and seasoning to taste
7. Mash or use a hand-held electric mixer

FITNESS!

Just joshing, but I couldn’t resist the allure of alliteration…

Despite my love for food—actually, due to my love for food—my immersion into fitness occurred many light years ago. However, yesterday’s still unbeknownst-to-you foodie first does involve fitness. Since I know you’re such loyal readers who won’t scroll down to find out, I’ve decided to unveil my fitness first after sharing one of my all-time favorite lunches. A little suspense—especially the kind complemented by food photos—is good for the mind, right?

Yesterday’s lunch was one of my go-to meals during my college cafeteria days. Before you shun it in fear that all things college cause an automatic 15-pound weight gain, this sandwich is actually a healthier take on a popular deli fave: the egg salad sandwich.

For an eggaholic, I’ve always been sort of on-the-fence about egg salad. In theory, turning one of my favorite foods into a convenient sandwich stuffer seems foolproof. But most deli mixes host an ungodly amount of mayo—one ingredient I can only appreciate in the most modest doses. That said, when my college roommate introduced me to her version of an egg salad sandwich—sans egg yolk, light on the mayo and heavy on the deliciousness—I quickly developed an addiction.

D.I.Y. Egg Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:

-Whole wheat bread or sandwich thin, toasted

-1 tbsp. light mayo

-2 hardboiled eggs, yolks removed

-salt, pepper and paprika

For the easiest and most delicious egg salad remix you will develop an addiction to ever taste, smear the mayo lightly on each piece of bread. Pile up sliced egg whites on one half. Add your seasonings. Devour.

Disclaimer: You will not be able to eat standard egg salad after experiencing this egg-white extraordinaire.

Shortly after lunch, during a standard BBM-your-day-away session, I made evening plans with a friend to embark on a fitness first. What fitness activity involves the month of September?

You got it. Yoga! (If you didn’t know, September is National Yoga Awareness Month.) I’ve always written yoga off as something that simply wasn’t for me. I’m a really fast-paced person, and the idea of doing non-cardio exercise that requires mind relaxation—a concept pretty foreign to me—just seemed like a bad fit.

I’ve always viewed exercise through cardio-goggles—perpetually favoring fast-paced, efficient running or elliptical workouts over strength training, toning or balance exercises. However, after two stress fractures within the past year along with a current mysterious hip injury, I’ve been in an on-and-off fitness rut. Left unable to run and without a gym membership, I figured now may be the perfect time to embrace non-impact, non-cardio exercise.

And so, yesterday, I decided to stop all my yoga-shunning and give it a shot. My friend and I decided on an 8 p.m. 90-minute Bikram class—before which you aren’t supposed to eat for 3-4 hours. I got some pre-yoga snacking in around 5 because I knew I wouldn’t live to see a 10 p.m. dinner without a little fuel.

…which came in the form of PB of course. (Yea, I gave my teddy graham a PB George Washington wig. He liked it.)

Balanced out with some fruity fuel.

So how did I fare in this fitness first? I don’t know if it’s too soon to drop the L-bomb, but I’m going with it. I love yoga! I don’t know how I’d feel about the more meditation-oriented forms, but I really enjoyed Bikram. It was definitely a challenge, and I was, by no means, able to do all of the positions. But I felt so great during and after the class.

I bought a one-week unlimited introductory pass, and I’m challenging myself to go every day this week to really get a feel for this yoga thing! I don’t want to sing my yoga praises too loudly since I’ve only completed one class, but I’ll definitely keep you posted on my amateur ventures into Yogiland.

By the time I got home and showered, it was already 10:30 p.m. Yoga—perhaps it’s just the Bikram—left me less than hungry, but I wanted to throw together a quick dinner.

I settled on the always-unglamorous canned soup

along with leftover mashed butternut squash.

Five minutes on the stove and two minutes in the microwave… and voila! The least attractive but most efficient 10:30 p.m. dinner was served.     

I may or may not have hit up some ice cream straight out of the carton—for efficiency purposes of course…

I’m really excited to try yoga again today! This one’s for my Yogis: Any tips or advice for a newbie? Non-yogis: What’s held you back from trying yoga? Or if you’ve tried it and not gotten into it, what didn’t you like?

Namaste ,

-Sarah

Let the flanks steak rest, covered, with a clean towel for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut on the bias against the grain and serve.

Dirty Ranch Mashed ‘Taters

Ingredients:

● 2 lbs small red potatoes

● salt

● 1 packet dry Ranch seasoning mix

● cup ; butter or margarine

● 1 cup milk or cream at ready ; (may not use all of it)

● Cream cheese ; 1 brick

● 3 slices crisped bacon ; if desired

Directions:

*Do not peel potatoes & chop potatoes into small chunks (cook faster)

*Drop into lrg sauce pan with boiling water & Salt potatoes when water begins to boil

*Cook just until potatoes are tender and can be stabbed with a fork

*Drain and place in a large glass bowl

*Add butter & approx 1/4 cup of milk

*Smash with hand smasher or use electric mixer then add cream cheese & a little more milk

*Add Ranch mix (and bacon if desired) & alternate between electric mixer & milk just until you get the consistency desired… don’t add too much milk or potatoes will be too soft & drippy

*Serve

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Ok… I admit I am a little on the heavy side but definately not obese. Not surprising my weakness is for the poor man’s potato, a common food staple for Gregorian monks back in the old days. I like mine best baked, boiled or mashed than fried and I am still contemplating if I should get my ass out to the kitchen to make a couple at this late hour of 2am.

Twice Baked Cheese-Filled Potato

The above Twice Baked Cheese Filled Potato is my self invented, homemade recipe which I accidentally stumbled upon while trying to spruce up a potato dinner for my husband and I one evening.

It is pretty easy to whip up and any cooking moron can handle this.

Twice Baked Cheese-Filled Potato
Yields: 4
Preparation time: 60mins (cooking time inclusive)

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes (washed)
A few slices of Cheddar Cheese slices or Cheddar Cheese sticks
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1) Boil all 4 potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until cooked (approx. 45mins)
2)  Test for doneness by inserting a fork or chopstick into the thickest part of the potato.
3) Drain potatoes and leave to cool.
4) With a knife, horizontally slice off the top 1/4 half of each potato.
5) Set aside the potato top in a separate mixing bowl.
6) Using a spoon, scoop out the middle of the potato shell. Leave the scooped out potato bits in the same mixing bowl as the potato top.
7) Fill the cavity of the potato base with either broken up cheese sticks or cheese slices torn into bits. The cheese filling should reach up to level the sides of the potato surface.
8 ) Place the potato shells in a convectional oven and bake till cheese turns brown.
9) In the separate mixing bowl, peel the potato skins off the potato top and mash them up.
10) Season with salt, pepper and butter to taste.
11)  Spoon the mashed potato mix over the top of each cheese-filled potato and bake in the top grill of a preheated conventional oven until top browns.

* You may brush milk or sprinkle some grated mozarella cheese and/ or chives on top of the potatoes prior to baking.

Dios mio. Una cuchara, por favor.

We would eat guacamole with a spoon if it were socially acceptible, but alas people tend to stare when you walk around mowing down a mixing bowl of mashed avocados. Luckily, this recipe is simple enough to whip up in about five minutes, making it easy for sudden jonesings for Mexican, munchies, or well-planned snacking. Keep it simple, and so help me if you use cilantro (sorry, that was Jake, he’s cilantro-averse).

Equipment Needed: Mixing Bowl or Storage Container, Large Fork, Chef’s Knife, Cutting Board

Serving Suggestion: Family Style

Servings: 4

Suggested Wine Pairing: Sangria, Bloody Maria (we know it’s not wine, just go with it)

Suggested Beer Pairing: Negra Modela, Corona, Michelada

Ingredients:

• 3 large avocados (usually about $2.50 each)
• 3 cloves of garlic ($2.99 lb)
• 1 lime ($.50)
• 1 TSP cayenne pepper ($3/bottle)
• Frank’s Red Hot to taste ($2.99/bottle)

Preparation

• Slice each avocado down the center lengthwise and twist the halves apart. To remove the pit, tap your knife edge into the center until it’s wedged in, then twist the knife away from you to dislodge the pit from the flesh. Scoop the avocado flesh into your bowl/container.

Hack out the pit, but please watch your fingers.

• Peel and mince the garlic cloves and add to the avocado.

• Toss in the juice of one lime, the cayenne pepper and a few dashes of Red Hot (we use a tablespoon or so). Mash the avocado with a large fork, or you can use a potato masher for larger batches, and make sure all of the ingredients mix together well. Serve out of a bowl appropriate to the occasion, or just use a spoon, we won’t tell.

Roll the lime on your cutting board to get the juices flowing before you cut it.

Mash and mix everything together well.

Recipe—Grandma Ollie’s Mashed Potato Salad

by Jeanie Blanton

My Grandma Ollie would always make her mashed potato salad for the big meetings at her Primitive Baptist Church.

Here is her recipe for:

Mashed Potato Salad

4 large potatoes

1 medium onion, chopped fine

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 small jar of salad pickles, chopped medium

½ cup salad dressing, more is you like it creamier

1 tsp prepared mustard

dash of sugar

dash of vinegar

Peel potatoes and cut in quarters, boil until tender enough to mash

Drain potatoes and put in large bowl

Add the next 7 ingredients, except for one of the hard-boiled eggs, all at once.

Mix well, making sure the potatoes are mashed in the mixing process

Slice the remaining egg in even slices and arrange on top of the potato salad

Sprinkle a little paprika on top of the salad

You can make this ahead of time, or serve it right away.

Enjoy! It’s sooooooooo good

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