Mashed Potatoes and Writing

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, and the preparations have begun. I had hoped to post some pictures of some of the finished dishes today, but so far there is nothing to photograph. That's because there are no finished dishes yet. Here's why. We celebrate our Thanksgiving on Friday because we combine eating turkey and all the trimmings with decorating the outside of the house for Christmas. That is the way we've done it for as long as I can remember.

Today my daughter and I did a few of the Thanksgiving preparations ahead. And, what did we do the rest of the day? We went out and bought more Christmas lights to put outside. I also bought a new food processor in hopes that will cut my kitchen duties in half. Ok. I can dream, can't I? So tomorrow we will prepare everything else on our list up to the point of the final cooking. Here is how I do my mashed potatoes. I make this the day ahead of Thanksgiving and put it in a microwave safe bowl that I can serve from. I just pulled this off the internet a few years ago, and I think it is a keeper.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

3 pounds red potatoes

1 cup sour cream

4 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1/4 cup milk

Peel potatoes and bring to a boil on high heat on stove. Reduce to medium low and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and beat with mixer. Add sour cream, cream cheese and milk and mash. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Before serving, vent plastic wrap by piercing with a fork. Microwave on HIGH for 6 - 8 minutes before serving. Then stir and microwave uncovered an additional 2 - 3 minutes.

This is easier than beating the potatoes right before dinner, and the mess is already cleaned up.

I've also posted the NANOWRIMO novel award winner symbol on my side bar. That just means that I've written the required number (50,000) words. Actually I've written 65,224 and my story isn't finished yet. There is no real prize except for the satisfaction that you have written something that resembles a novel. This was a really fun experience. I don't think it is anything that anyone would want to read. In fact, if they did I'd have to leave the country and take an assumed name. But, it was fun making an outline and writing a story and I will probably do it again next November.