Mashed Potatoes vs. Smashed Potatoes

I grew up eating potato buds. Yep, the flakes out of a box. I think this was due to the fact that my mother is just not fond of potatoes. She and my father are also not fans of peas or asparagus, both of which I eat regularly. Okay, I can understand avoiding a vegetable, especially a green one, but a potato? Anyway - I have grown to love potatoes, in any format. When I was cooking and waiting tables at the short order establishment, I fell for their mashed skin-on-baby-reds. They were loaded with butter and sour cream and some spices, and I could never really get enough of them. I would often just order a side. Forget the meat, or the soggy green vegetable, I needed those chunky potatoes.

That is until Husband started mashing. Not sure when it started, but there was probably an occasion where I was trying to finish up 3 or 4 dishes and the potatoes needed to be mashed. I probably asked him, and after grumbling, he probably took the masher (which belonged to my grandmother, by the way) and proceeded to mash the little dickens into smooth bowl of heaven. We add whatever is in the refrigerator, sour cream, butter, heavy cream, and always some wasabi paste.

And they're like heaven. They're so easy, and so quick. And really not that all bad for you, right?

Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet and Full of Ego.

I've heard a lot about the new cookbook by Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef fame. I even heard her interviewed on two of my favorite radio programs, Satellite Sisters and The Splendid Table. She sounded warm and humble, and truly interested in food. Even so, I couldn't part with the 30 bucks to own a copy. Instead I went the old fashioned route and checked it out of the library, and I'm glad I did.

Padma is beautiful. We know it, the Top Chefs know it, the radio hosts now it, and apparently Padma knows it as well. Throughout the book, which did have some interesting and tasty recipes, there are photos of lovely Padma. There's a photo of her biting into fried chicken, and the one above of her thinking really deep thoughts while eating a salad. Yes, there are photos of the food, but only every few pages, and not necessarily of the recipe on the adjacent page.


Don't get me wrong, I did copy a few recipes out of the book, including one for roasted peas and one for smashed potatoes, but I also found it hard to read. I have pretty young eyes, but I'm also a graphic designer, and I would really like to know what the designer was thinking when he/she chose the font. It's a serif, which is a good choice, but their is too much contrast between the horizontal and vertical strokes and the serifs are rather bulky. (For you designers, imagine a paragraph written in Bodoni Bold). After a while, the letters blur together and are truly hard to read. Maybe that's another reason for all the photos of our beautiful Padma.

Anyway, I was disappointed. Next time your in a book store check it out, look at the photos of the food and the rare ingredients and of course, the author, but don't try to read too much.

I Love Tivo (and Jamie at Home!)

Obviously, I watch a lot of the Food Network. And lately, they've been hyping their new shows. (On a side note, there's been some upheaval there, and that's lead to some interesting reads). But anywho, there's this one show that caught my eye. Not because of the chef,whose been around for awhile, but because of the name and that fact that the chef is cooking out of "his garden" and in "his home." And it actually looks like he's having fun (and getting dirty) while doing it.

The show premiered at an inconvenient time, so we set the Tivo and finally watched it the other night. Husband was with me, and since there is so little on TV right now, sat and watched it. Let's just say that I'm becoming a fan of Jamie Oliver. I've always thought he looked like a sloppy version of Ewan McGregor, yum, but now he's got appeal of his own. Maybe it's because he's older, or more confident, or just really knows how to cook. Something changed in my head and I know have a season pass on Tivo for his show.

So, this first episode was all about peppers and chilies, both of which I adore. And he did make some tasty dishes. I took some photos of the TV and the one above is the only one that really turned out. Unfortunately, the recipe for these stuffed peppers is not on his site. Sure would love it though. The other recipes, the Pepper and Pork Goulash and the Smoked Salmon with Salsa, both looked amazing. I hope to try one or both of them, and soon.

I'll keep you posted on his other episodes, because until this writers strike is over, there will be little else to watch.

Something To Think About: Take-out Containers

We all know that canvas bags are the answer at the grocery store, but what about take-out containers from restaurants. We all do it, run to the coop and just grab some rice or chicken masala for lunch. But it goes into a container, that then hits the garbage, right? And when you're served one of those gargantuan meals at a restaurant, you want to bring the rest home, right? But in what? Not sure about you, but I rarely have an extra tupperware container in my purse. Maybe I should. Regardless, Chow.com has an interesting review/analysis of these containers. I learned something, see if you do.

http://www.chow.com/stories/10870

A Couple Easy, Tasty Weeknight Dinners

What could be better on a cold winter night, but tomato soup and grilled cheese? Oh, I know, tomato soup made with the tomatoes from your own garden and then frozen for just this occasion. I only wish I could find or remember which recipe I used for the soup. But it was good, with just a hint of spice and a true tomatoey taste (is that word). To go with the soup, we made grilled cheese sandwiches in our panini press, which just so happened to be featured the next day in the Star Tribune taste section. Our brand, Breville, was grand champion, and we tend to agree. Not only does it make killer panini sandwiches, it opens up for pancakes or grilling. What, more cooking space? Now I just need more counter space. Oh, I almost forgot, we drank a fun cabernet with our formal dinner. Just what it needed.

And then the next night, when I was in the mood to cook again, we went for a new Cooking Light recipe, which was a huge success.

Indian-Spiced Chicken with Tomato Chutney is full of flavor and not of fat. I really loved the chutney, a combination of garlic, ginger, tomatoes, shallots and a spicy little chile pepper. I would make just the chutney, and serve it with rice or pork and a sturdy white fish. Highly recommended, and easy at that.

Happy New Year!!

King Crab Legs and Butter. We're off to a good start.