Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes - Video Recipe

 Potatoes deep fried, boiled, or baked, the end result is always deeply satisfying. It's also one of the most complete nutritional veggies -- it's what the stranded astronaut survived on in the book and movie, The Martian. Are potatoes the cheapest veggie out there? I often get them on sale, a buck for 10 pounds. And your Thanksgiving table would not be complete without creamy and buttery Mashed Potatoes.

The spud originated in the South American country of Peru, where hundreds of varieties are available, but for my next cheap$kate recipe I use Idaho's finest, the russet potato. They are ideal for boiling into Mashed Potatoes. Russets stay dry enough when taking on water during slow simmering. You can also use red or white potatoes for this recipe - you may need less milk or cream to finish.

Everyone knows how to make Mashed Potatoes, right? Well, just in case you are a newbie here's one way to do them cheaply and easily.

Mashed Potatoes on their own are a bit bland. I usually make them for Thanksgiving and Christmas, when there is gravy and dressing to mix with. Or, lately, it is the topping for my British-style Shepherd's Pie that's baked with a beef stew underneath. And any type of gravy is what Mashed Potatoes crave.

Shepherd's Pie

The ingredients are few for Mashed Potatoes, just boiled tubers, milk, butter, salt, and pepper. And they all come cheaply. Butter is the most expensive ingredient, but I barely use half a stick.

I always get several pounds of russet potatoes for less than a buck. They keep for a couple of months if you store them cool, dry, and out of direct sunlight. And the price is right, my recipe calls for about a buck's worth of russet potatoes.

You can use any fat content of milk, or go all out and mix in the cream.

Some cooks peel the potatoes first, but I find it's easiest to boil them so the potato skin slides off easy and you don't waste any of the flesh, which happens with a potato peeler.

I have a potato masher, but have used a regular fork - just make sure the fork's sturdy, it can bend during potato mashing. It really depends on you how fine to mash. I like to leave in smaller lumps, so I don't go overboard. Be careful if you use an electric mixer because you can whip them until they become a gooey, sticky mess. Just taste as you go -- which applies to any recipe you make.

Next time you roast a chicken, save some pan juices to make gravy (for recipes, click here, or here) and be sure to mash some potatoes to sop it up.

Mashed Potatoes - Video

   Play it here. Video runs 1 minutes, 37 seconds.

 My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (2-3 servings)

• 4-6 medium-size potatoes - about 3 pounds. At least 2 cups total when mashed. I used russet, but okay to use any type you like, even sweet potato.
• 1/2 cup of milk or cream - Add more or less milk to suit your taste and mashed potato texture. Okay to use half and half or whipping cream. Using a milk substitute is fine.
• 2 tablespoons butter - okay to add more or less. Okay to use a butter substitute
• Salt and pepper to taste. 

Directions
Clean dirt off potatoes. I boil potatoes with skin on, some cooks like to peel the potatoes first - it's up to you.

 Add enough water to cover potatoes. High heat until water begins to boil. reduce heat to a low boil.

Should take about 1 hour, depending on how large they are. Done when a fork easily pierces the potato. (To lessen the boiling time you can cut potatoes into large cubes and boil them - should only take half an hour at the most.)

Cool off potatoes with cold water and peel them.

Add the peeled potatoes to a large bowl and add 1/2 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of butter. Okay to use milk or butter substitute.

Season with salt and pepper. Mash it all together. You should get about 2 cups of mashed potatoes.

 

Easy Roast Turkey Breast - Video Recipe

 Roast a whole turkey for Thanksgiving? No thanks!! I'll go the easy route and just roast a turkey breast - it's quick and easy to do my way. Take the pressure off and keep it simply delicious.

And as a bonus, I add Stuffing under the flap of the breast wishbone skin and I add an extra mound of Stuffing that the turkey breast rests on. So you get it all with my Easy Roast Turkey Breast recipe.

The advantage of only cooking a Turkey Breast is you don't have to worry about the dark meat when cooking a whole turkey. Usually, dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat and so often the white meat will dry out even when covered with aluminum foil to help keep it moist.

I don't know about you but I like a succulent slice of turkey breast, not a dry bite of bird. 

Of course, you have to be a "white meat" person for this recipe, I like both white and dark...can't we all get along?

Turkey breast comes in many sizes/ weights starting at about 5 pounds, so you will serve 3 or 4 guests easily and there's little waste, without a lot of carcass bones and skin to throw out. It costs about the same per pound as a whole turkey when on sale.

Usually, figure about 15 minutes of roasting per pound of the breast at 350 degrees. My (about) 5-pound Turkey Breast cooked in an hour and a half - that's half the time of roasting a whole turkey!

 The skin gets crackly and the meat stays moist. Always allow a few minutes of resting time once the Roasted Breast is out of the oven while setting the table and finishing side dishes.

I can't resist Bread Stuffing with Roast Turkey Breast and I'm not particular. I use a typical boxed stuffing from my local 99c only Store and add a few sauteed veggies for good measure. I like cornbread or plain white bread stuffing. 

A chopped stalk of celery and some chopped onion, mushrooms, and garlic all sauteed together, are what I add, then follow the box directions. If I have a small package of breakfast sausage I'll saute that too and mix it all together. My Easy Stuffing Recipe is a click away here. 

Almost everything in the grocery store is on sale this time of year so keep a lookout and click here to see some of my yummy side dishes -- Bacon Wrapped Brussels Spouts or a Green Bean Casserole with French Fried Onions, anyone?

You don't need the whole bird to make a satisfying Thanksgiving meal, my Easy Roast Turkey Breast will do the job!

Easy Roast Turkey Breast - Video

Play it here. The video runs 1 minute, 38 seconds.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

4-6 pound turkey breast - It comes in various sizes so cooking time will vary. But in general, it's about 15 minutes per pound at 350 degrees -- the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast should be 150-155 degrees. My turkey breast took an hour and a half at 350 degrees. 

Salt and pepper to taste - just sprinkle on as much or as little as you like, about a teaspoon total.

Optional - a box of favorite Stuffing. Follow the box directions or see my recipe by clicking here.

Directions

Nothing to this recipe really, just preheat the oven to 350 degrees and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Okay to put some fresh or dried herbs under the breast skin if you like. Rosemary is a pungent herb, or sage and rosemary, too. 

Place the turkey breast skin side up and let it roast until done, about an hour and a half or until the juices run clear when sliced, or the internal temperature is 150-155 degrees in the thickest part of the breast.

If you are a stuffing fanatic then add some to the turkey breast before roasting. I like to stuff the wishbone area which usually has a large flap of skin to enclose the stuffing. 

Turn the breast cavity facing up and lay in the stuffing against the wishbone. Raise up the skin and fasten with a couple of toothpicks. Finally, make a mound of stuffing on your roasting pan and place the breast right on top of it, covering it with the breast cavity.

The turkey juices will flavor the stuffing perfectly. And you get a little crunchy layer of stuffing that cooks against the pan.

If you are looking for a few side dishes to go along with the plump roasted breast then click here to see what I recommend.

Whether you roast the breast with stuffing or without, try my Easy Roasted Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving, or anytime.

🌹 Happy Birthday Mom ! - Mom's Favorite Recipes 💖

 Mom turns 87 years young on November 11.

And I owe it all to her, at least where I get my cooking chops (and any good sense I have.) Just check out our cooking videos below to see what I mean.

She grew up in Texas on the Gulf Coast in a small shrimping town called Port O'Connor. There, I learned to love seafood.

Her father was a shrimp boat captain. So, while we couldn't afford steak, we had all the fresh-caught seafood Big Daddy would skim off the top of the catch. Shrimp season was short, but crab and oyster season soon followed.

Big Daddy & Big Mama

Mom had movie-star looks (like a young Elizabeth Taylor) and smarts, and a scholarship to college if she wanted it, but had no extra help from her parents.

So after high school graduation, she was soon married and I arrived on the scene, followed by my brother and sister.

Billy, Berry, and Brenda

My Dad was in the military so we moved around. Mom and us kids eventually settled back in Port O'Connor, after a divorce. Dad was quite a character and the life of the party, but he was also a little too profligate in the alcohol consumption department.

Billy Doyle Robinson

Mom went back to work as a waitress, so I learned how to literally pinch pennies when she poured handfuls of customer tips on the kitchen table for us kids to separate and count.

Mom got back on her feet and found love again with this shuffleboard-playing fellow below, Ken.

Click on any photo to see larger.

After a couple years, Mom remarried and a final sister, Denise, was born (catch up with my youngest sister Denise's Eggplant Recipe, video here.)

Denise & Radish

We moved to neighboring Louisiana the year I enrolled in Junior High School. There she picked up a whole other way of cooking, Cajun-style.

My high school daze were spent in Gonzales, Louisiana, the self-professed Jambalaya Capital of the World. So you know this town is serious about chow. Click here to see a culinary video tour of some local Cajun cuisine at the weekend Flea Market, including Crawfish Pie, Boudin Balls and, of course, Jambalaya.

And here's our first video we made together in my Los Angeles kitchen - and my dear late wife, Amy, even makes an appearance at the very end of the video. You'll get a kick out of Mom rockin' the cast-iron kettle. I make her Cajun Jambalaya more than any other recipe - it's simply delicious.



Here is a link to her Jambalaya recipe with text and yummy photos.

And our latest video together is a gut-bomb Breakfast Taco with Curly Fries! Her cooking is always incorporating ingredients suggested by the family, this time from her grandkids Zak & Matt (I first had frozen fries, but not Curly Fries, in an egg taco cooked by Zak.) 

Mom was always popular with my high school buddies...especially during lunch or dinner time. She brought her Tex-Mex Enchiladas to Cajun Country, and my Louisiana friend Marvin ate them up!

Me, Marvin & Dennis

During my last visit to Louisiana, I had him over when I filmed Mom making Tex-Mex Enchilidas. Marvin liked the Enchiladas so much, he had a flashback to our high school daze.

Make sure to watch my wacky recipe video to the end, that's when our flashback hijinx really gets to smoking (wink, nudge.)



Mom takes a star turn with her next video recipe, her popular Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

It's a traditional Southern dish and it's cheap, too. Just chicken, sausage, and the Cajun veggie trinity of bell pepper, celery, and onion. What gives Gumbo its unique taste is a dark brown roux, which is flour cooked in oil until chocolate brown.

Just check out the video below - Mom will take you through the steps. And, as an added bonus, my oldest sister Brenda makes a nagging appearance a few minutes in.



Click here to read all about making Mom's homemade Gumbo, from roux to rice!

My Mom's Cajun Potato Salad is the perfect side to her Gumbo and Jambalaya. When she visited me in Los Angeles I got her to do it on camera. I couldn't help but give her a hard time with the recipe. I called it Cajun Mashed Potatoes and she called it Cajun Potato Salad - well, I guess you'll have to watch the video below to see who wins that argument!

I satiate my sweet tooth during visits with Mom. And the best of her pastry delights are Mini-Pecan Pies. If I couldn't make it for the Christmas holiday, then she would send a shoe-boxed size package with a dozen of these tasty pies.

In the video below, Mom attracts a kitchen full of hungry relatives when these pies come hot out of the oven. And it's a miracle they were done right because this Chef de Shutterbug was shoving a camera in her face (and a hot oven) during the whole procedure. We butted heads a few times, but fortunately, it all turned out fine.

I even came up with a way to dodge the high prices for pecans - so check out the video below to learn my budget secrets.

And click here to see Mom's Mini-Pecan Pies recipe with text and tasty photos.

Now, Mom is no angel -- hey, who is? Recently my brother from another daddy, the Swamp Chef, made an appearance with his Spanish moss and all.

When I asked Mom: "Who's the Swamp Chef's daddy?" Her reply was: "That's a very good question!" I guess Mom will spill the beans one day, until then, check out the video below for a dessert good enough to cajole the Swamp Chef out of the bayou!

Cherry Pie - Recipe Video

In Louisiana, there are fast food drive-thru's serving slushy Daiquiris. I don't know how the heck they get away with it. Every time I go back to visit my Mom and Sis, I am reminded about this quirky Cajun roadside icy, thirst-quenching to-go cup.

Now, there are rules to this. Louisiana has an open container liquor law. So, when you get your Daiquiri, as both Mom and Sis reminded me several times: "Do not put the straw in!" That is a DUI violation if you are stopped. However parched you are, resist plunging the straw through the drink top -- until you get home. Fortunately, Mom's house was less than 5 minutes away.

Check out my last video below, and ride along with my sister Brenda and Mom for a cool beverage on a hot Louisiana summer day.

Happy Birthday Mom -- I love you !

National Greek Yogurt Day - Recipes

I always have plain yogurt in my refrigerator and often it's Greek Yogurt. Of course, I like almost any type of yogurt. On National Greek Yogurt Day read on how I often start my day with cool yogurt.

I noticed Greek Yogurt a few years ago and immediately liked how thick and creamier it was. You can read all about the difference between regular and Greek Yogurt by clicking here. 

Mainly, Greek Yogurt is strained and has the whey and other liquids reduced or removed. So the texture is thicker and a bit sourer in flavor.

I never cared for yogurt as a kid, but I love it now! I guess the sourness was too extreme, but when it hit the market with fruit, well, the added sugar was too much, too. 

These days yogurt with fruit or other flavors is reduced in sugar, but I still only buy plain yogurt and add my own fresh fruit. Check out my video below to see how I do it.

Almost any fresh fruit you can find will work. I find sliced banana and seedless grapes are the easiest to add and they show up cheaply at my grocer. 

I go by what's in season so that way the price is right. You want to keep a watch out for peach and cherry season especially.

Peach season runs throughout the summer months. When you buy fresh peaches they are usually firm, but I always wait a few days for them to soften and sweeten. I also leave the fuzzy skin on, but you can remove it if you like.

The cherry season starts around May and only lasts a couple of months, and the prices are highest in the first and last weeks of the season, too. 

How I love cherries. Just give me a bowl of them and the seeds will fly! It takes a little work to slice out the seeds but you only need 6 or so cherries for a small container or bowl of plain yogurt.

Cherries are usually ready to eat, unlike peaches. So check out my Cherries & Yogurt video below. One note, for this simple recipe I use Yoplait French-style yogurt but any favorite yogurt is fine, including Greek Yogurt.

Blueberries are easy to get now. I get mine from the 99c only Store, these days the plastic bins hold about 6 ounces, enough for several servings with cool and creamy yogurt.

Get a bin of blueberries, give them a quick rinse and add to yogurt like I do below.

Ripe, soft, and sweet mango mixed into yogurt is another fave of mine.

We get them cheap here in Los Angeles with our proximity to Mexico. Now, they need to ripen when you bring them home. Usually, they are hard to the touch and may take a week to soften, but they are well worth the wait. Here is how I peel one.

You get a lot of fresh mango in a piece of fruit. Once peeled the soft fruit will only last until the next day in the refrigerator. But that's okay as you will gobble it up anyway. Do you want some Mango & Yogurt? Here it is!

Now raspberries are hard to get. And they are extremely delicate. But when they show up at my local 99c only Store I jump on it!

I find their flavor subtle sweet and tangy when compared to other berries like blackberry. I do get them when on sale as they can be quite expensive, just for variety's sake.

If I have guests overnight then I will make a larger Fruit Salad with yogurt and use a variety of fresh fruit.

Happy National Greek Yogurt Day!