Garlic Mashed Potatoes go Blue

My boyfriend loves my garlic mashed potatoes. They are rustic, thick and creamy which is the best comfort food gets I think. But unlike a lot of people’s mashed potatoes, which resemble mountains of pure, white snow, my potatoes still have their skins on, either red or Yukon gold and are mashed into big chunks, not whipped into peaks. This is because I love tasting chunks of potato and roasted garlic- what a flavor!

Usually, I steam my potatoes first, then toss them in with milk, butter, fresh or roasted garlic, salt and pepper and mash away until I am satisfied with their consistency. This past week, in celebrating my boyfriend’s recent accomplishments in his career, I decided to make him garlic mashed potatoes….with a twist!

The day before we had gone to Central Market to purchase some fruit and cheese for our monthly indoor picnic. He was craving a good blue, so we bought a decent sized wedge of Maytag blue cheese. It is so thick and creamy, perfect with apple wedges or crumbled up in salads. But I decided that we should try them in the mashed potatoes and what a great decisions that was indeed.

The real trick to adding a strong cheese in with mashed potatoes is to not over do it. Put a little bit in, stir, melt taste. Repeat until you have the desired amount, keeping in mind that the blue cheese flavor should be a hint in the background, not in the forefront.

Fall is Here; Let the Soups Begin!

I’ve been waiting  and waiting through these unbearable hot, Austin months to start making soups again. Last fall I successfully made a delicious tomato basil soup and a spicy, thick cream of eggplant. Pair it up with toasted baguette, nice cheese and maybe a glass of wine and you have a delicious meal (or meals) for the cool, fall season.

Soups are surprisingly easy to make if you have the right equipment. You would need one large pot, 10 gallon would do, a stick blender or a food processor (I prefer the stick), and a good rangetop. In other words, if you know your burners are uneven, you will have to tend to your soup in order to prevent the bottom from burning.

The holy trinity in kitchen cooking, especially french cooking, is onion, bellpepper and celery. Most soups start out with this base, not browned but sweated out with salt and pepper. Add fresh garlic and thyme for an extra boost of flavor.

Another great tip is to use low soduim stock if you have not made your own chicken/fish/vegetable stock. The lower sodium content will ensure that your soup is not overly salted.

If you are making a creamy soup, be sure to use a heavy cream or whole milk. Add it in small pours to prevent any curdling.

For my tomato basil soup, I added a few chopped carrots to the holy trinity, used a couple of cans of diced tomatoes, and several sprigs of basil. Let simmer for about 20 min and then take your stick blender and go to town. The chunkier the soup, the better! You can garnish your soup with a few basil leaves, a dollop of goat cheese or a swirl of olive oil to add an extra touch.

Boxed Mac n’ Cheese: Tonight’s Dinner

Boxed macaroni and cheese? Really? But it’s not that healthy, nor gourmet nor inventive!

Well, it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes food just needs to be comforting, especially on a day with bad weather or after a long work week. One serving of  macaroni and cheese out of the box, or maybe two, won’t kill you but if you still have reservations about it, I have a few ways in which to jazz it up without adding a bunch of fat.

Firstly, you can use low fat butter and skim milk in making macaroni n’ cheese. Sure it isn’t as rich, but it still tastes good and I’ve been using lower fat dairy in my cooking for years. Secondly, do not be afraid to spice it up. Add some black pepper at least (or white), smoked paprika, nutmeg, cayenne…even some garlic powder or minced fresh garlic might be nice to try.

Ok, so it might sound gross but it’s one of my favorite comforting foods of all, thanks to my mother. Cheese n’ Peas is what we call it in my family and that’s simply noodles with cheese and green peas. Frozen peas are wonderful for this since they are frozen at the very peak of their tiny, round, green perfection.  So, adding something green, like peas, broccoli florets or maybe even edamames would be delightful.

Diced tomatoes are also great to throw in and so are cubes of ham. Or, you can add more cheese! Shavings of smoked gouda, sprinkles of Parmesan.  You get the idea right?

You don’t want to try and make your boxed orange stuff gourmet- you just want to add that little something that is going to both improve taste and get some actual nutrition in your meal.

Get creative with your macaroni and cheese. I’d love to hear suggestions!

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