Smashed Taters

I'm so sympathizing with my neighbor. She and I (and her husband and I) have been debating election issues since Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican VP candidate. Poor M, she came over wearing a Palin supporter t-shirt just as I had received word of the Obama Waffles. And, just when I was PMS-ing to the max. She got an earful and the intense debates began from that point forward.

So, I was thinking about what she should do with all her pent up angst about Obama's election. I cheerily told her, "It's going to be fine," but I'm sure my euphoric bliss didn't really communicate just how sorry I was for her.

When Bush won again four years ago, I had also just lost my dad. Needless to say, it was a sad time in my life AND I was grieving for my dad too. With all that going on, I baked a heck of a lot of bread. I needed to knead and muscle and make something submit to all my anger and sadness. Bread was a good victim.

For my neighbor, though? I suggested Smashed Potatoes. Nope, not mashed potatoes. These are smashed and you can take a lot of satisfaction in doing so.

Yes, I'm a liberal, but I'm not without sympathy. McCain's last speech was heartfelt and classy--a side of him that I wish we would have seen more of AND the side of him that made me respect him in the first place. (Don't get me started on Palin. I'm still detoxing.)

Here you go. Smashed potatoes. They're a great side dish and you could top them like potato skins for a fantastic appetizer.

Both parties agree, smashing root vegetables is highly enjoyable.

Smashed Potatoes

Please figure Weight Watchers Points as you would red potatoes. Be sure to include any oil or toppings that you use.

small red potatoes--as many as your family will eat

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepperyour favorite herbs: rosemary, thyme, and/or marjoram are good-- herbs are optional

olive oil or nonstick cooking spray

Scrub potatoes. Cut any that are large in size, so that all are relatively the same size. Cook in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender. Drain completely. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or brushed with olive oil, place potatoes so that there's room for smashing between them. Smash each with a potato masher or a fork keeping them just rustically smashed, not mashed! Spray potatoes with nonstick cooking spray if you're watching your calories or drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with your favorite herbs and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes or until edges and tops are crispy.

You may top with bacon bits and cheese and serve with sour cream if you want to go completely potato gaga.

Attacked by Mutant Green Onions from Mars

Before

After. Yum. I served with drop biscuits.

I do so love eleven year old boys. Their comments and conversations can either tear my heart out or force me to call upon my inner Gandhi to keep from laughing out loud. We've been enjoying the last of the garden's fresh harvest. Picked and refrigerated a week or so ago, I was staring at the crisper drawer full of leeks wondering just what I should do with them. Young One, called by the sound of the refrigerator cracking open (I think it's instinctual at this age), peered in and said, "Looks like we were attacked by Mutant Green Onions from Mars." He then grabbed something and disappeared. Thankfully he did because I almost fell on the floor laughing.

My boy is quite serious. He isn't one to waste words on frivolity. He's a lot of fun, don't get the wrong opinion, but he isn't going to be the class clown or need to be the center of attention. He's just like his dad that way and I love them so much for that. They both do good things and are successful, but don't need a lot of applause for their efforts. It's really very refreshing in this day and age of praising people beyond reality. The great thing about this personality trait is that when they do say something funny or profound or whatever, it's really funny or profound or whatever! Love it!

What did I do with all those Mutant Green Onions from Mars? Well, Potato Leek Soup, of course! With onions and leeks from the garden, I felt like I was this earthy, provider, Mother Earth sort of mom. It was delicious. Now, I'm going to try to share the recipe. To me, soup is always quite organic. There isn't really a recipe or, more specifically, a recipe is loosely followed. Soup in restaurants is used to use up leftovers (so is Brunch, but that's a whole other story!). So, I was using up leftovers and my overabundant supply of garden leeks. Using what you have and finding ingredients locally (like my backyard) isn't really necessary, but it's part of my plan to clean out the cupboards, fridge, and freezer.

Add what you have to jazz up this soup. The basic recipe is delicious, but it could be more of a vegetable chowder if you have more to add. Long simmering of the potatoes makes for a creamy texture.

Mutant Green Onions from Mars Soup

I know it's not the most appetizing name for this delicious soup, but I can't help myself in naming it this! Please forgive me. Serves at least eight with approximately 2 Weight Watchers Points per serving.


3 cloves garlic, Use about a Tablespoon or as much as you can stand
2 small shallots
14 oz canned carrots, one whole can UNDRAINED. You can use fresh too.
3 cups leeks, About 3 large or several small, cleaned and chopped
1 pound potatoes
8 cups water
3 tbsp Home Again Chicken base, no msg
2 cups fat-free skim milk
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp sea salt, TO TASTE!!! chicken base can be salty, do not add unless you've tasted
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
Garnish with chopped chives if you wish

Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add garlic, shallots, and leaks. Cook until softened. Add potatoes, undrained carrots, water, chicken base, and thyme. Simmer for about an hour. Add milk and pepper. Simmer for another hour. Potatoes will start to break up. Taste and salt if desired. You may leave this as a rustic soup or blend it with an immersion blender or in batches in your blender. I like it rustic style. I would imagine you could add clams to this to make a great chowder. Or corn and chicken. It's a great soup on it's own, but could be altered to suit what's in your cupboards and what your taste preferences are.

Melon Vine Farm Maple Squash

The dinner hour always seems to be crazy at my house. Young One is hungry and needy and wants to talk. Usually, there are cartoons or the radio blaring in the background (I really need to work on more silence in this house). The phone most definitely rings, a friend of Young One, equally needy and hungry will call to chat. D usually calls on the way home. We have the best conversations during this crazy hour, so I hate to discourage him from calling, although I have been known to yell something about roasting or sauteing or battering and drop the phone.

For me, it's not the main dish that gives me fits, but the side dishes. Sometimes they're harder to come up with! And I refuse to use convenience foods--they're expensive and not healthy. I'm trying to plan sides ahead of time just as much as I menu plan main dishes. Otherwise, we end up with endless rounds of rice, potatoes, beans, and corn.

I'm also trying to do a lot of the meal prep ahead of time. The crock pot is my best friend some days. Today, I've got Melon Vine Farm Maple Squash simmering away. I don't often think of using my crock pot for side dishes, but it suddently occured to me that I could pop some squash in and forget about it.

I'll now have more time to juggle the kid, the phone, and the rest of dinner.

This squash is from my favorite organic farm. I don't often get produce from them as they are about an hour away from my home. Melon Vine Farm is in Pine City, my hometown. We enjoyed their produce every year as my dad was the farm's legal representative. Lee and his wife are a delight. They exude that warmth and happiness that only people who play in the dirt for a living can. Everything they grow is delicious and healthy. They were organic farmers long before it became popular, so I admire them for breaking new ground (literally). They don't have a website that I'm aware of-- I think they're too busy farming and don't need the extra advertising. They have no trouble selling their produce to neighbors and area businesses.

Melon Vine Farm Maple Squash

Serves 4 at 2 WW Point per serving.

1 large acorn squash, or any kind of squash
1/2 cup water
sea salt and pepper to taste
Butter Buds
2 TB Maple Syrup

Spray your crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Wash squash and cut in half. Seed. Cut seeded squash pieces into large chunks. Place squash in crock pot and pour water over it. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and Butter Buds (generously sprinkle). Drizzle with maple syrup. Cover and cook on high for one hour, lower heat to low and cook for 5 to 6 hours.

You're Still My Little Sweet Potato

I put myself through nursing school by working in nursing homes as a nursing assistant. It was brutally difficult work, but I just loved my people. Working in long term care, you get to know the residents and their families. Working as intimately as I did with my patients, I found the best way to preserve their dignity was to get them talking. I learned so much from these people. One, in particular, rings in my ears repeatedly. He was the father of a local celebrity and their family was absolutely delightful, and very dear to me. I'll call him Charlie.

Charlie greeted me every morning with a slightly confused smile. As I helped him get up for breakfast, dressing in what was, by far, the most dapper wardrobe of the facility, he would touch my cheek and say, "You're still my little Sweet Potato, aren't you?" I'm not quite sure if he thought I was someone else. My hope is that, it was me he was speaking to.

Charlie was a man of few words, but he's the man that taught me what I think is the best life lesson I've learned thus far. He said to me, "No one gets to the end of their life wishing they would have worked more." Now, isn't that true? I miss him. I doubt that his family would remember me, I tried very hard to be invisible there, knowing that their time with him was precious. I hope, though, that I was a comfort to Charlie. And, that I really was his little Sweet Potato.

My Little Sweet Potato Fries

Serves 6 at 2 Points per Serving

3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed within an inch of their lives. Do not peel!

Nonstick Cooking Spray

Sea Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray two cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Cut sweet potatoes in half, lengthwise, then into 1/4 inch thick steak fries. Place in a single layer on cookie sheets. It's okay if they overlap a little. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Then dust with sea salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until tender and browned. Cook longer for crisper fries.

You may season with any seasonings that you love. Cajun spice is nice.

I Bought Too Much at the Farmer's Market Stir Fry

Long before Barbara Kingsolver's book (which I just read and enjoyed immensely, see my review), I've been trying to shop and eat mostly local, especially in the summertime. My goal is to do this more and more with each week. Our community's Farmer's Market is so fabulous. It's so much fun to run into friends and neighbors and to chat with the growers. Last week, I got a little carried away and purchased a little too much. This stir fry is something I whip up on a moment's notice at least once a month. I make it with whatever I have on hand. It's former name is Oh Crap, I forgot to Plan Dinner Stir Fry, but I didn't think that was too appetizing a title for this post!

I Bought Too Much at the Farmer's Market Stir Fry

My version was 4 WW points. You MUST put your recipe in the recipe builder in order to figure out your recipe's point value!

This may seem like a no-brainer recipe, but I've been very surprised at the number of people who are intimidated by stir frying and who have told me that they just don't do it. I've cheated in this one using prepared teriyaki sauce, but you can make your own Asian inspired sauce. There are tons of recipes out there or if you'd like to try some of The Ginger People's stuff--feel free--they make great products too! The prep takes longer than the cooking, just hang in there!

Thinly sliced onions.

Thinly sliced peppers.

Chopped broccoli, thinly sliced on the diagonal carrots, pea pods, sliced mushrooms, zucchini-- Just chop to your heart's content! Clean out that fridge.

1 pound cubed or thinly sliced raw meat--whatever you have on hand: chicken, pork, beef, lamb. If you use shrimp, leave them whole.

Soy Vay Very Teriyaki I am never without this in the pantry. A little goes a long way.

You must make sure that everything is prepped and ready to go. So, prep like you're doing a cooking show. Heat a very large, nonstick skillet over high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add meat and stir fry until done. Remove from pan and cover to hold heat in. Return pan to high heat and toss in veggies. Continually stir frying until vegetables are crisp tender. Return meat to pan and toss to combine. Add 1/2 cup of sauce--more to taste if desired. These sauces go a long way, so be sure to taste before adding more.

Serve with Jasmine or Brown Rice. And add the points value of the rice--I didn't include it in the recipe.