My potatoes are "going" faster than I'd planned

Sunday lunch of mashed potatoes topped with a meatball and veggie gravy

I live such an exciting life. What was it? New York, Rome or Paris this weekend?

Oh, yes. Saturday afternoon found me in my kitchen, peeling almost 10 pounds of potatoes, after finding a couple of potatoes going moldy in one bag.

So I peeled, cooked and mashed a huge pot full, yielding 5 quarts of mashed potatoes. I've frozen most of these, to use later. The rest we had for Sunday's lunch (topped with a mushroom, vegetable and beefy gravy), and again today, topped with Cheddar and packed in some of the lunches.

I have 40 pounds remaining, of my 100-pound purchase. About 15 pounds of those look like they need cooking soon. The other 25 should keep for a while longer in the fridge.

As I peeled and peeled and peeled, I consoled myself with the thought that I was actually doing something very productive. I now have several containers of mashed potatoes, ready and waiting for thrown-together, quick dinners.

As my freezer has emptied of my stockpile of ingredients, I have filled the empty spots with ready-made entrees and sides. Having these ready-made items will afford me more spare time, in the late afternoons for some projects and crafts. That's worth spending a Saturday afternoon peeling potatoes.


Frozen, the thawed, mashed potatoes need some beating to get their texture back. I'll typically reheat in the microwave, then beat with the mixer, or use the masher, and add more milk, butter, and/or cheese or cream cheese. They're then perfect for a side dish or topping a Shepherd's Pie.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers to start the New Year

Celery Salad from Tuesday

Friday
It'll be pizza and a movie night at home for us. We've checked out a movie from the library, and I have homemade pizza sauce in the fridge. I'll make a scratch pizza crust (using this recipe). As pizza is finger food, and we'll be eating while watching a movie, I'll add other finger foods. We have some cola leftover in the fridge. It's likely a bit flat, but we're not picky and will drink it anyway. I have a sliced lime in the fridge, too. I like cola with lemon and ice in it, but we'll give lime a try tonight. So, here's the New Year's dinner menu:

homemade pizza (cheese, olives and onions)
carrot sticks
celery sticks
orange segments
apple wedges
cranberry-oatmeal-pecan cookies
cola

Saturday
meatloaf (I'll make a double batch and freeze half for a future meal)
gravy
mashed potatoes (I'll make extras for a quick potato-onion soup tomorrow)
caramelized onions (the leftover onions will go into tomorrow's soup)
frozen peas
pumpkin pie (making 3 pies, for leftovers to get through early in the week, and 1 for the freezer)

Sunday
rosemary-turkey-potato soup
bread
leftover pumpkin pie

Monday
leftover rosemary-turkey soup
Yorkshire pudding
celery sticks
leftover pie

Tuesday
homemade tomato soup
toasted cheese sandwiches
celery salad
pumpkin pie

Wednesday
kale, onion and ham quiche (making 2, 1 for tonight, the other for the freezer; the pie dough is from the big batch I made on Saturday, rolled out these last 2 crusts and put into pie tins, kept in the fridge for a few days)
oven-roasted winter squash and potatoes

Thursday
(Christmas un-decorating party tonight, which means snacky foods for dinner)

crackers
cream cheese and pepper jelly spread
carrot and celery sticks
olives
deviled eggs
meatballs
orange segments
peanuts
chocolates and the last of the homemade peppermint ice cream


I have to admit, my favorite dinner this week was the meatloaf. I just love my beef these days. Along with a gravy, some mashed potatoes and freshly-baked pumpkin pie, it was all so delicious.

You may have noticed, we're eating a lot of carrots, celery, oranges, onions and potatoes. 'Tis that season. I'm hoping for more variety in early spring, when produce stands open for the season.