I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Our leftovers are officially gone, sad.

This year we had a Thanksgiving lunch with Jeff’s family. So happy that Jeff comes from a family of good cooks. Everything was delicious!

I made entirely too much food. I always do that, even at home.

My contribution this year was bacon buttermilk mashed potatoes. Not the least bit healthy, but so so so good!

Bacon buttermilk mashed potatoes

A decadent side dish of creamy buttermilk mashed potatoes with crispy bacon bits.

Ingredients

• 15 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 8 to 10 strips of bacon
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Peel and chop potatoes and boil until tender. Drain and add to the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. In a medium saucepan, slowly heat buttermilk and butter until melted and warm but not boiling.
3. Pour melted butter and buttermilk over potatoes and mix slowly until incorporated.
4. Add in sour cream and mix through, add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bake bacon on a wire rack over a baking sheet at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until crisp.
6. Chop bacon and stir into potatoes.
7. Transfer to a baking dish if you will need to reheat it before serving.

I loaded up on a little bit of everything and definitely went back for seconds.

My favorites are always the sweet potato casserole and the stuffing. I’ve actually never had stuffing that was cooked inside the bird, I think that’s called dressing anyway.

Afterwards, we headed to his aunt Jill and uncle Allen’s house for dessert. There was pecan pie, almond pound cake, and a gorgeous tiramisu cake. (Jill, you rocked this one, that mascarpone frosting was so incredible!)

Jeff and I just finished a huge hunk of that cake last night over more video games and a growler of beer. Hooray for Sunday sales passing in Decatur!

And now, it’s that time of year where I frantically try to complete all of our holiday shopping in a few short weeks because I meant to start months ago but never got around to it. I don’t mess with that whole Black Friday business either, I hate malls.

Making any headway on your holiday shopping?

November 28, 2011 Alayna Discussion 5 comments

Last night’s dinner was good n’ green!

I made roasted yukon gold potatoes to go with a couple of Trader Joe’s chicken and turkey pesto sausages on a bed of the most delicious creamy green pea and parmesan mash.

I loved this combination! Each bite of sausage or potato slathered with a bit of the green pea mash tasted so fresh and springy.

Sausage and potatoes can become a heavy meal easily, but these sausages were very lean and the potatoes were only lightly oiled. The bright green flavor of the peas cut through the richness well and complimented the basil pesto flavor in the sausage.

I snuck a few cloves of garlic in with the roasting potatoes to use in the green pea mash. That’s a great trick, the garlic flavors the potatoes and then gets pureed into the mash. No waste and no extra roasting dishes.

Here’s how I made it…

Creamy green pea and parmesan mash

This bright mash of fresh green peas, sweet roasted garlic, and salty parmesan cheese is a fresh accompaniment to richer dishes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: About a cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. sour cream
• 3 cloves roasted garlic
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Heat frozen peas until boiling, drain and add to food processor.
2. Add everything but the olive oil and pulse to combine, scraping the sides once or twice.
3. Drizzle in olive oil while processor is running to fully incorporate.

I have made this mash before with a piece of pan-fried salmon. The sweet flavors of the fresh fish and ripe green peas paired wonderfully together.

This also makes for a great dip to serve with crostini at a party. Just drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt for a classy presentation.

Spring may be over, but the freshness of peas can be enjoyed any time with this simple side dish!

What is your favorite green vegetable?

July 17, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 3 comments