Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

This year for Thanksgiving, the Hubs and I will be sharing the day with many of our new neighbors. And we'll also be missing many of our old ones.

You see, we hardly ever travel home for Thanksgiving. It's quite expensive and too long of a trip for a four day weekend (especially now that we're in a different country). Instead, we began a new tradition the first year we were stationed at Fort Bliss.

We still have a meal with our family. But it's our army family I'm referring to.

Our first Army Thanksgiving

So many of us can't travel home for the holiday, but we're thankful to have wonderful friends to share it with. Though we'll be having Thanksgiving this year with a new crop of army pals, I'll still miss the ones we've left behind (only physically, though... No worries, we're all still friends!).

Our menu for the big meal is fairly constant, and includes all the basics. I tend to cook for days on end, often in several ovens. One of my specialties are mashed potatoes.

Of course, they're not ordinary potatoes. They're actually baked in the oven, and can be partially made ahead of time. Early prep is a huge advantage when you're feeding a crowd. This week, I was so pleased to hear from my friend Becky...

... and I was even more pleased that she wanted my potato recipe for their holiday table. What a compliment, yes?

So, in the spirit of giving, I want to also share the recipe with you. I've never photographed this recipe, so there will be no images to guide you. But I promise, these are fantastic and oh, so easy. Try them out and let me know what you think. And feel free to share your recipes in the comments as well, I love hearing from you!

Baked Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

5 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

Salt, for the water

1 ¼ cups half-n-half

½ cup butter

8 ounces cream cheese with chives

1 teaspoon garlic salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Sliced almonds, to taste

Directions:

Coat a baking dish with some butter or cooking spray. Set aside.

Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and season with salt. Do not undersalt the water! Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Drain.

Mash the potatoes in a large bowl (I use a hand mixer for this step).

In a saucepan, warm the half-n-half with the butter. Add this to the mashed potatoes, along with the cream cheese, garlic salt, and nutmeg.

Beat the potatoes on high speed until smooth. Spoon the potatoes into the buttered baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top the potatoes with sliced almonds and bake another 15 minutes. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

The potatoes can be made the night before and refrigerated. Before baking, let sit on counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Another Quickie: Watermelon and Arugula Salad

Ever have those days when nothing goes right and everything is a mess? Well, this was that week. The Hubs and I are running in circles, it seems. One car gets fixed, the other breaks down. One bill gets paid, then another pops up (ok, so that's normal!)... but you get my point.

On days (or weeks) like this, you just wanna curl up on the couch, close your eyes, and wish the world away for a while.

I suppose I could do that. But who would walk the dog? Or pay the bills? Or cook dinner? I'd starve to death before anyone (ahem, the Hubs) stepped forward to cook something besides Spaghetti-O's.

From this, I've learned to take my moments of peace where I can get them, and to make them count. Dinner simmering on the stove? Good time for a quick meditation. Walking the dog? This equals a nice conversational interlude with the Hubs.

For those nights when a spare moment is few and far between, I compensate with cutting back on my cook time. Not by making Spaghetti-O's, although I'm sure the Hubs would love it, but by flipping through my stack of go-to, quick and simple meals.

Watermelon and Arugula Salad

This particular salad speaks to me. It's full of greens and fruit, and one of my favorites.... feta cheese. Best of all, you can be eating dinner in about 10 minutes, from start to finish.

The ingredients are basic, and customizable to your taste:

I like arugula as my greens in this dish, because it has a peppery flavor that's a nice contrast to the sweeter fruit. If you like spinach or spring mix instead? Try it out, see which you prefer. I like to encourage experimenting with your cooking. Truly, it's the best way to learn and discover your tastes.

So, if you're like me, start with a base of arugula on your plate. I drizzle with balsamic at the end, but you'll notice a second dressing in the picture above. I've used it here as an example, a way to really make this dish your own. If you prefer, lightly toss the greens with your favorite vinaigrette. I dressed the Hubs' salad with one, and mine with the other. Both were yummily!

Once your plate is covered with an ample amount of greens, add the watermelon. You can buy a knife like the one above in several places, but I found this one at Walmart for about $5. Chop your melon into bite-sized pieces, then distribute over your greens.

In addition to the watermelon, I add blueberries if I have them on hand. If you don't have any handy (or just don't like them), no worries... the salad is delicious with just the watermelon! Do you prefer strawberries instead? Go for it!

A handy tip: don't put too much of any one fruit on your salad... try to remember how many toppings you're adding, and adjust your quantities accordingly. If I put half the watermelon on my salad before adding blueberries, there wouldn't be enough greens to support so much fruit ( a mistake I commonly make).

After the fruit comes the cheese...

Mmmmmm..... I adore feta cheese. This is another staple in our fridge, I almost always have it on hand.  In particular, I prefer the Athenos brand. I've tried others, but the flavor and texture are not the same, at all. Trust me on this. Go get some Athenos today.

Sprinkle the yummy, scrumptious, fantastic cheese over your salad. Try to keep the balance between the fruit and cheese. Feta adds a nice salty note to your salad. It matches well with the sweet and peppery flavors already on your plate.

Naturally, I left one item out of the ingredients picture. I wouldn't be me if I hadn't forgotten, you know this! So, after the greens, and the fruit, and the feta, we need some crunchy. Without the crunchy, this salad is good but it lacks a certain... crunch. I have such a way with words, don't I?

You can use different elements here, depending on your taste. The Hubs and I went for chopped pecans. You could also use walnuts, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, etc. The choice is up to you. Just don't forget The Crunch. Mega important ingredient, people! Don't be like me.

You're almost done now. If you didn't toss your greens earlier, then we need a little dressing. I've been a bit obsessed lately with balsamic reductions. However, I'm not the least bit interested in making them myself. Instead, I found this little beauty which suits all my balsamic needs:

Yum.

Let me just say that again... yum yum yum yum.

This isn't an easy item to find, but my local Target carries it. You can order it here on Amazon, but I paid only half that at the store. So check your local grocery first. If you can't find it at all, or you don't want to pay double for the online item, then you can use a different dressing on your greens or make the reduction yourself. Remember, this recipe is adaptable to you! A balsamic vinaigrette would be just as delicious.

So, simply drizzle your dressing over the salad, and viola! Dinner in 10 minutes. Let's be honest, it probably took longer to read this recipe than it did to actually make the salad!

Pick up that first forkful, close your eyes, and enjoy. The pepper of the arugula and the sweet of the fruit combine in perfect harmony with the salty feta and the tang of balsamic. And don't forget the all-important crunch! Divine.

Happy cooking, my friends. And yes... salad still counts as 'cooking', especially this week.

What are your favorite recipes for those weeks when everything is a mess? I'd love to hear from you!



The Standard Form:


* There are no measurements for this recipe, as all quantities are based on taste *

Watermelon and Arugula Salad

Ingredients:

Arugula greens

Chopped Watermelon

Blueberries

Feta Cheese

Chopped Pecans

Balsamic Glaze

Directions:

Spread the greens evenly over your plate. Top with the chopped watermelon, and then the blueberries. Sprinkle with pecans and feta cheese. Drizzle with balsamic glaze. Enjoy!

Back in the Saddle Again

When life gets a bit crazy, some things get pushed aside and other things take the forefront. It's all about priorities, people... they don't always start with what I want at the top of the list, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Lately, home-cooked meals have gone by the wayside. Too many appointments, errands, and other craziness in the way. After the spaghetti sauce incident, (see the post here: http://armylifefromthewife.blogspot.com/2012/02/spaghetti-sauce-is-out-to-get-me.html) the Hubs and I are getting into our groove, and home-cooking is back on the menu. 

Of course, in order to have a stupendous dinner, you need one main thing... groceries. Of which, we had none. But I wasn't going to let that stop me! Normally, I carefully plan out a weekly menu and I shop accordingly (there's that whole OCD problem again). Being frazzled definitely contributed to the strange array of food that somehow found its way into my refrigerator. For example: Purple potatoes. Say what? Accompanying the potatoes, I had one questionable apple, some fancy mustard, frozen chicken, a Lean Cuisine, asparagus, mayonnaise, cream, and a bit of chicken broth. Oh yes, also yogurt, 2 strawberries, and about 6 bottles of wine. Say nothing.  

Not exactly the makings of something fabulous, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Sometimes the fabulous comes from pure desperation and hunger. I would make do. 

While I stared at the contents of my fridge in horror, I wondered how I could create something out of nothing. I'll give you a free tip that has saved me on many occasions: Look at your possible "main" ingredients, and then... Google. 

Google is my best friend. On this particular night, I typed 'chicken and mustard recipe' into my search window. An exact recipe didn't magically appear, but I found enough inspiration to tweak and create a meal. What came out of the kitchen looked a little something like this: 

Mustard chicken with roasted purple potatoes and asparagus

Please ignore the poor photo quality, we were hungry! Too hungry to take a stylized picture, just enough time for a snapshot. 

Even when you think there's absolutely nothing to eat in your cabinets, something comes together. There are a few staples I almost always have on hand, spices and condiments that I'm never without: Salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, flour, sugar, etc. With those, I can do anything!! 

Ok, that's a lofty statement, and probably not entirely true, but it worked this night. Let's start with the chicken, since it requires the most preparation, about 10 whole minutes. 

All the ingredients are pretty basic: Chicken, olive oil, white wine, garlic, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and cream. Oh, and don't forget the mustard! You can use any kind of mustard you want, or any combination of mustards. I used this because it's what I had on hand, not to mention it will be expiring soon. Waste not, want not... 

I have to say, it was pretty delicious with the chicken. If I see this mustard again, it will find its way into my cart, guaranteed. 

Now, for the chicken... you can prepare it one of two ways. Naturally, I took the easiest and quickest way. You just don't waste time when the Hubs is hungry. 

There were three fairly large chicken breasts in my package. You can do what I did (slice the breasts in half longways to create six cutlets) OR you can take the time to hammer your chicken thin with a meat mallet, like this one: 

If you go the route of the mallet, make sure your chicken is the same thickness all the way around. This way, it will cook evenly in the pan. Actually, if you're slicing it like me, do the same. You want all the chicken to cook at the same rate. 

Once sliced or flattened, be sure to salt and pepper both sides of your chicken. Don't be shy! A little salt never hurt anyone (ahem), and it adds much needed flavor to your dish. Season as you go, and you won't be disappointed in the end. There's nothing worse than serving a meal to guests, only to have them pile on the salt after a single bite. 

Next, warm a skillet over medium-high heat. To the skillet, you want to add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter (not pictured, oops!).  Stir it around until the butter melts, which will take no time at all.  From here, add your chicken to the skillet. You should hear a definite sizzle when the chicken hits the pan... if you don't, the skillet isn't hot enough to get a good sear! 

Why do you want a good sear on the chicken? Because it locks in the flavor, baby! (I tend to channel Buddy Valastro when I get excited about cooking. Pay me no attention). Whatever you do, don't squish the chicken, or shake the pan, or any other crazy thing. All you really have to do is... NOTHING. Not a darn thing. How easy is that? Just listen to the sizzle, inhale the chicken fumes, and smile. 

When the chicken is ready to be flipped over, you should see some browning around the edges. Just flip, and then wait again while the other side turns the same golden color. Mine took about 4-5 minutes per side. You can cook the chicken in two batches if your pan isn't big enough, I did! 

Once brown, just pull the chicken from the pan and set aside. Do not slice a piece open to see if it's done. Big no-no. Why? You want to let your meat rest for a bit. If you slice into it right away, all the juice and yummy flavor will leak right out. Don't do that. The chicken will find it's way back into the pan later, so it doesn't need to be 100% cooked through right now (though it most likely will be, mine was).  

Reduce the heat on your skillet to medium, then add about 3 cloves of minced garlic. I prefer fresh, but I always have a jar of the pre-minced stuff in my fridge. It's one of those staples I don't like to be without. Cook about one minute, stirring constantly. The garlic will smell delicious as it warms. 

Be careful not to let the garlic burn, it really does take just a minute. From there, pour about a cup of white wine into the skillet and deglaze the pan. What does that mean, you wonder? Well, the chicken has left lots of yummy brown bits in the bottom of the pan that actually look kind of gross. But those brown bits are packed with immense flavor. Flavor is what it's all about, baby! (There's that Buddy again). When you add the wine, stir it around and scrape up all those bits. This will be the base for your sauce. 

Let the wine bubble and simmer until it's been reduced by about half. You can use any kind of white wine you have on hand. I opened a bottle my pal Jackie brought me back from vacation. After you use what you need for your sauce, pour yourself a glass and enjoy the rest while you finish cooking. Or serve it as a compliment to the meal. 

To the reduced wine, add about 3 tablespoons or so of mustard. I have to be honest here, I didn't measure. Don't be like me! Whisk the mustard into the wine then add some cream (1/2 cup) and some chicken broth (again, 1/2 cup). Taste the sauce and adjust as you go, this is very important no matter what you're cooking! If you don't try it, how will you know what it tastes like? It could taste like dog food or some other awful thing. Taste as you go! 

Ok, did you taste it? Everything is fabulous? Good. Add your chicken to the sauce and let everything warm and bubble. Cook a few minutes more while the sauce thickens up a bit, maybe 5 minutes. And then.... eat it! 

Oh, wait. You can't just have chicken. Side dishes are required for a well-balanced meal. The two sides I made are simple and require almost the exact same preparation. Saving time = Happier Hubs. I only took a picture of the potato ingredients, but they are so similar, you'll have no problem. Here we go:

Purple Potatoes 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Wash and scrub your potatoes, then cut them into similar-sized pieces (don't remove the skin). Why do we cut into similar-sized pieces? So they all cook the same!

I'm using purple potatoes, which might seem strange, but they were quite delicious. Unlike your regular potato, the purple variety is rich in antioxidants. It's a win-win situation.

 Ready for the difficult task ahead? I'm kidding! All you need to do is this: Coat the potatoes with a little bit of olive oil (not too much, a little goes a long way), then season with salt and pepper. That's it. You can add other spices if you like; I used a bit of thyme. Then, you just put them on a cookie sheet in the oven and let them roast until tender, at 425 degrees. Mine took about 25 minutes, but yours could take longer if your pieces are larger than mine.

And that's all! To roast the asparagus, you use the same technique. Wash the asparagus, then cut off the woody ends. Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and then roast. The only real difference is the cooking temperature. I like to roast the asparagus at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Voila! You have a home-cooked, simple and delicious dinner. All in all, this took about 30 minutes to prepare. Roast your veggies while you cook the chicken, then serve it all hot.

Do you have any cleaning-out-the-refrigerator meals? Feel free to share your tips and recipes! This chicken turned out so well, we'll be having it again next week. Happy cooking :)

The Standard Form:

Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons fancy mustard (Honey Balsamic, Dijon, Stone Ground, etc)

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup chicken broth

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise, or pound thin with a meat mallet. Salt and pepper both sides.

Warm the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan, make sure you hear a sizzle! Cook about 4-5 minutes per side until the chicken is golden brown. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Reduce the heat on your skillet to medium and add the garlic to the pan. Sauté one minutes, then deglaze the pan with the wine. Let the wine bubble until reduced by half, then add the mustard and whisk to combine. Stir in the cream and chicken broth. Taste as you go, add seasoning as needed.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Cook about another 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Serve hot.  

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Directions:

Trim the woody ends from the bottom of the asparagus stalks, removing the bottom ½-1 inch.

Line the asparagus spears side by side in a 9x13 pyrex baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with kosher salt. Give the pan a few shakes to roll and coat the asparagus.

Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, removing from the oven when the tips start to brown. Serve.

                                                    Roasted Purple Potatoes

Ingredients:

2lbs. purple potatoes

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Thyme

Directions:

Scrub the potatoes clean, then chop into similar sized pieces. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle the potatoes with a bit of olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Roast at 425 degrees until tender, about 25-30 minutes.