Friday, February 5, 2010

Mashed Potatoes

5 medium-sized Russet Potatoes

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 cup Milk

2 Tbs. Butter

Salt, Pepper, and Parsley flakes to garnish

Directions: Fill a large pot half full of water. Add the salt and bring the water to a rolling boil on high-heat. While waiting for the water to BOIL, WASH and PEEL the potatoes. Using a cutting mat and sharp knife, CHOP the potatoes into even pieces about the size of dice. Carefully DROP the potatoes into the boiling water and turn the heat down to medium-high to prevent the water from boiling over. Allow the potatoes to BOIL for approzimately 15 minutes, or until they are very soft (use a fork to test). Next, DRAIN the potatoes in a colander placed in the sink. Transfer the potatoes back to the pot. With the heat turned off, BLEND the potatoes with the hand-held mixer on the lowest setting. Slowly add the milk and butter and MIX the potatoes until smooth (don’t over mix or they will become sticky). Season with the salt and pepper and serve with gravy. Garnish with dried parsley.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

You can make your own gravy or use an instant gravy packet. Use the directions on the packet to prepare the gravy. In our class we used Country Gravy but any gravy would work just fine.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Mystery Lab (M&M Cookies)

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup white cake mix
3 T. oil
1 egg
¾ cup plain M&M’s

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together cake mix, oil, and egg until mix is dissolved.
3. Mix M&M’s into dough.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Remove from pan to cool

You can experiment with this recipe by using a different type of cake mix or adding chocolate chips instead of M&M’s.