It’s November 1st, friends!
Thank goodness! Caleb and I only have 30 more days until we are back in each other’s presence! Well, for the most part. Caleb is in Alabama for WOCS (Warrant Officer Candidate School) and this is my first real experience with active duty, orders, or whatever this stuff is classified as. Real only because this time around I don’t know when I will hear from him and I can’t google everything he’s up to! Caleb is becoming a Warrant Officer from being a Drill Sergeant so the times he trained at Fort Sill, we still had contact and since he was reserve, it wasn’t months long! I just miss talking his ear off and hearing all about his day. We are almost there though!
Forewarning- I haven’t had very many ears to chat off so this post may fill that void. Keep scrolling to the very last paragraph and recipe for the good stuff! Otherwise, join me in a ridiculous post about mashed potatoes.
However, with him gone, our fridge is rotting. I just don’t go through food by myself. I gravitate towards soups during the week so I prefer to eat out of a stock pot all week long which makes this whole “recipe development” thing hard. Plus, I haven’t cooked for just myself since 2013.
I posted a poll via Instagram stories last week regarding normal routines and was pleasantly surprised with the responses. Thank you so much for to everyone who took the time to click their answer! What I learned was that dinner sides are still a need and most people still prefer to meal prep for their week. Additionally, during this time a year, comfort is where all of our hearts are. Except for the 9% which I am seriously slow clapping for every time I think about them.
It’s kind of crazy the way I grew up in regards to food. It was not until Caleb that I realized I did not know what the standard home cooked meals were. Apparently, not everything needs to be wrapped in a tortilla and there is more to life than protein covered in salsa. Don’t misunderstand, I grew up on a lot of great food but I am certain we never sat down to a pot roast followed by strew the following day. There was a dish I recall my Mother making a lot when I was little. She baked chicken, rice, and cream of mushroom soup? For the most part, they kept is really simple and we had a lot of frozen meals because we were so busy in our schedules. A few years ago, my mom made something she called “Potato Surprise” which had all of us really confused as to where that casserole of goodness hid for our entire lives. It was a casserole dish layered as if it was a fully loaded baked potato. It was comforting, warm, and incredibly delicious. It was that moment that I realized I loved mashed potatoes. Embarrassing because I had to be in my early 20’s with this realization. Okay, so maybe she made this goodness 6-7 years ago. Regardless, I had forgotten about mashed potatoes until recently. The comfort season grabbed me a lot sooner. If there is one thing I have learned with the military is that nothing is EVER guaranteed. He has dates, then he didn’t. He “had” orders, and then something happen to delay them. He has blah blah, and then blah blah had moved. By August, I couldn’t hang tight in the drama anymore and watching him master “calm as a cucumber” stressed me out. Three years of talking about flight school with the last year being this huge process to ensure WOCS happen lead me to all of the comfort in the world. Insert, mashed potatoes.
These mashed potatoes have been my comfort. So much that they were my dinner for three days last week. They will be accompany me to Thanksgiving and they’re the perfect base for BBQ chicken. The following recipe is jazzed up but if you’re looking for a classic version, stick to the basics up top in the ingredients.
Happy November. It’s going to be the best month!
Basic Paleo Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Cooking Time: About 45 Minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 4 Large Red Potatoes, washed
- 1 Cup Coconut Milk
- 2 Tablespoon Ghee
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 4 Strips of Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 Green Onion + Scallion, diced
Directions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until all of the potatoes are fork tender.
- While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon. Set bacon aside until cool. Crumble the cooked bacon with your hands or with a knife.
- In a large bowl or kitchen aid, mash the potatoes and add the remaining ingredients. Stir until smooth.
Wholesome Joy 