Day 2- mashed potatoes

Day 2- mashed potatoes

I love this recipe for many reasons. One being I can make them ahead and have them turn out as if I just made them.

Ingredients:

5 pounds potatoes, peeled & cubed

1 cup sour cream

2 (3oz) packages cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in pot; cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender; drain well.

2. in a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes. Add sour cream, cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, salt, onion salt and pepper; beat until fluffy. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Dot with remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heat through.

Serves 8

Prep time 35 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes

Ready in 55 minutes

* I put them in when I take my turkey out. My turkey need to rest for 15-20 minutes.

* I boil and mash my potatoes the day before and have them ready to put in oven on T-day.

How long can you freeze food?

Here is a guide to how long you can freeze foods before you sacrifice quality. Keep in mind that quality does deteriorate the longer food sits in your freezer, so aim to defrost sooner rather than later.

Bacon: 1 to 2 months
Breads: 2 to 3 months
Casseroles: 2 to 3 months
Cooked beef and pork: 2 to 3 months
Cooked poultry: 4 months
Cookie dough: 3 months
Fruit: 8 to 12 months
Frozen dinners: 3 to 4 months
Hot dogs: 1 to 2 months
Lunch meats: 1 to 2 months
Sausage: 1 to 2 months
Soups and stews: 2 to 3 months
Uncooked chicken (parts): 9 months
Uncooked chicken (whole): 1 year
Uncooked steaks, chops, or roasts: 4 to 12 months
Uncooked ground meat: 3 to 4 months
Vegetables: 8 to 12 months

Basic tips for freezing food:
Freeze foods as close to purchase (or harvest if you have a garden) as possible. The fresher food is when you freeze it, the better the quality when you defrost it.
While most foods can be frozen, there are some foods you should keep out of the freezer. Don't freeze canned foods or eggs in shells (which can crack and allow bacteria to enter). Technically you can freeze mayonnaise, cream sauce, and lettuce, but the quality takes a big hit. Cool cooked foods down before freezing so they freeze faster, which helps preserve quality.
Packaging matters and varies depending on what you're freezing. If you choose glass over plastic containers, wrap, or bags, you'll need to make sure it's tempered so it doesn't break.
You can freeze meat in its original packaging, but if you want to store it for long periods of time, add an additional layer of packaging, such as plastic wrap or bags.
It's always a good idea to label items so you know what they are and how long they've been in the freezer.
Resist the temptation to defrost foods on your counter top. The three safest ways to thaw foods are in your fridge, in cold water, and in the microwave.

How to freeze fresh produce:
The key to freezing fresh fruit is to spread out the cleaned, dried, and prepared (cut up) pieces of fruit on cookie sheets. Once the individual pieces of fruit are frozen, you can combine and put in freezer bags.
Vegetables usually need to be blanched (boiled or steamed for a short time) before freezing to maintain flavor, color, and texture.

Great idea- wedding

I was at a wedding last weekend and saw a great idea (I wished I did this). The bride decided that the traditional guest book was not the way she wanted to go. She bought a book (in her case a book about horses that you would use for a coffee table book) and asked all the guest to sign a page that they liked!!! It was great. How often do you look at your guest book. Now you can leave it out everyday!!!!

Honey...pizza dough

This is a great recipe for a quick easy pizza dough. I like my crust thick but you can make what you prefer. It baked up nice and golden but soft on the inside. I thought I might use this dough for rolls as well.

Ingredients:

1 packet of yeast

1 cup of luke warm water

1 TSBP oil

1 TSBP honey

2 1/2 cups flour

Direction:



Mix in a small bowl luke warm water and yeast. Once dissolved add honey and oil. **tip measure the oil first so when you measure the honey it will slide right out of the measuring spoon**

Place flour in mixing bowl and add wet ingredients. I used my kitchen aide with the dough hook. Once mixed turn out on counter and kneed until ball forms. Place back in bowl and cover with towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Place the dough on cook sheet and work with hands until desired thickness. Use any topping you like.

Top with you favorite toppings. I use leftovers try a new kind of pizza. *ranch dressing, leftover steak and cheese*