Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. What could be bad about a holiday where you can eat all day and not worry about calories? When I was young I would love to wake up to the smell of the cooking turkey and the Macy’s Day Parade on the television. When my parents moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida, I hosted Thanksgiving each year. It did get hectic a few times, especially the year when the septic tank backed up, the kids were sick and a few guests were added on at the last minute. My mom and I got smarter each year by hiring a cleaning lady, ordering pizza the night before and having the septic tank cleaned out more often . We always managed to have a great time and inevitably my dad would say, “Good job,” to my mom and I. Our feet were always in pain by the end of the night so to this day when our feet are really tired we say we have “Thanksgiving Feet”! Now we head up to Melbourne Beach and my sister Mary does the hosting. There’s always plenty to go around, even for my brother-in-law, Andy who falls asleep within five minutes of leaving the table.
To make Thanksgiving a little easier, here’s a recipe for mashed potatoes that you can make a day or two ahead of time and then heat them up in the oven. They are not for the calorie counting, but they are delicious and really, who wants to count calories on Thanksgiving? My friend, Jennifer requested them so everyone is not in the kitchen helping with the potatoes at the last minute and they get to the table piping hot.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
These mashed potatoes are delicious, especially since they can be made ahead, perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner feast.
5 pounds of white potatoes
12 cloves of garlic, optional – leave out if you want plain potatoes
16 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
2 sticks of salted butter, total of 1 cup or 16 tbsps.,
1 large white onion
Salt and pepper
Peel and cube potatoes and put into large pot with enough water to cover them. Add garlic cloves. Bring to boil until potatoes are tender and cooked through, about 20-3o minutes. Be sure they are soft enough to mash.
While you are boiling the potatoes, chop the white onion and saute in one stick of butter (8 tbps.) over medium heat until onions get soft and translucent.
Drain potatoes and garlic, put back into the pot and add the sour cream, the remaining stick of butter and onion mixture. Mash thoroughly until there are no lumps.
Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. Put into large pyrex dish.
Serves 12.
*Can be made ahead. Put pyrex into oven, cover with aluminum foil and heat at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
Kitchen of Dazz 