We Interrupt This Program For A Homecooked Meal

Even though the weather is beautiful out today, we all were craving some good old homecooked food after spending a week eating at breakfast buffets, fast food places and restaurants.  

It was a toss up between roast beef and roasted turkey breast, and the cow won...or rather, lost, depending on how you look at it, because there were no turkey breasts at the grocery store today.

Darn!  In honor of our recent visit to the Christmas Story House, I SO wanted to say "You stay away from that turkey! It's got an hour to cook...YOU"LL GET WORMS!"

I always do, you know!

Anyway, the roast was roasting, and I have green beans for steaming and hubby wanted mashed potatoes.  And I find mashed potatoes to be utterly boring.  So, I looked around to see what I could do to perk them up a bit and found...

Rosemary, growing like CRAZY on my deck.

Two new fresh bulbs of garlic.

And a fairly large hunk of manchego cheese left over from my daughter's birthday party that I really wanted to find a good use for.  I love the stuff, the family? Not so much!

So I knew that's how I wanted to season my mashed potatoes, and THIS is what I came up with:

ROSEMARY GARLIC MANCHEGO MASHED POTATOES

2 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed (or peeled - I didn't)

3 cloves garlic

1 large sprig fresh rosemary (a generous 1 tbsp leaves)

4 tbsp. butter (I used Smart Balance Light)

2 to 3 tbsp milk

3/4 cup shredded manchego cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Here are the main ingredients - butter and milk were an afterthought.

Now, are you ready for my stroke of genius?  Well, I'm sure SOMEONE has done this before....

Cut up the potatoes into large 2 to 3" chunks and place into a steamer basket in a large saucepan.  Add the garlic and rosemary sprig, and about 1" water to the bottom of the pan.

Steamer basket!!! Brilliant, eh? I figured I'd infuse the potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and meanwhile create something along the lines of roasted garlic to blend into the potatoes.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, the reduce heat and continue cooking, covered, for another 12 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Transfer potatoes and garlic cloves to a bowl - I thought about throwing the rosemary in there but frankly, it looked disgusting!  I'd suggest garnishing with some fresh rosemary if you like...

Add about 4 tbsp butter (I used this stuff...)

...and a splash of milk.

Mash slightly then add the cheese, salt and pepper.

Mash until desired consistency...

...I even opted to whip a little with my electric mixer.

And this is what you get....

Steaming the fragrant rosemary and garlic was pure genius!  Boiling them would have diluted their flavor, but I can assure you these potatoes were perfectly and subtley rosemary-ed and garlicky.  The Manchego was perfect for this, but I can also see gruyere or cheddar working perfectly!

And as for "A Christmas Story" quotes?

Fear not....I got to use one:

"BUMPESES!!!!!!!"

Yup.  Just like the pancakes in this photo, Martha got the roast beef.

Oh well.  At least I still have my potatoes!!!

Merlin, Martha, Mornings and Movies

Everyone who knows us knows we have a thing for big dogs.  

These days, it's Merlin and Martha.  Merlin is a 6 year old Great Pyrenees, who finally just started acting like a Great Pyrenees.  We got him from a shelter, where he had been surrendered, never knowing what a leash was, having never tasting dog food and not socialized in the least.  Around his neck was his "collar", a length of heavy gauge chain secured by a padlock.

After four years with us, I can truly say he's turned into...well...a bit of a cream puff.  He likes to sleep in each morning, and will occasionally walk up to you, demanding attention, by hauling his 130-lb. body into your lap.  Unlike our previous Great Pyrenees, Seiko, Merlin has fears and separation anxieties, but they are of a sweet nature, not the "if you leave, I'm going to tear apart the sofa".  More like sitting by the window and howling as you pull out of the driveway, then five minutes after you're gone he's sprawled out on our bed - the one he's not allowed on.  

Martha is a 2 1/2 year old goofy Newfoundland.  All Newfs are goofy, but Martha makes it an art of sorts.  She eats EVERYTHING, and is the most stubborn animal I have ever known.  Merlin tolerates her well, although a bit of the food aggression he displayed when we first rescued him as reappeared since Martha joined us.  We work on it constantly, but when you have a food-aggressive dog and a food-obsessive dog, things can get pretty noisy come feeding time.  But they've been better lately, and although Merlin usually spends his time trying to get away from Martha's friskiness and clingyness, sometimes he succumbs....

I found them like this the other morning - a sight rarely seen with the two of them:

Aw! How sweet!  "Penny for your thoughts..."

What?

Where are you going?

I laughed myself silly, remembering Madeline Kahn's lines from "Young Frankenstein"...

"...Seven or eight quick ones, and you're off with the boys to boast and brag...YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!....  Oh, I think I love him!"

Actually, I'm quite sure she plopped herself down next to him while he was asleep and he probably didn't even know she was there until I woke them up.  But I think in his grogginess, he probably felt warm and cozy next to Martha.  He probably liked snuggling up to her...just so long as no one's looking. :)