Nope, my good girl, Kerryn, came to my rescue! Since she voluntarily came to clean my oven for the stupid HUD Inspections, I made her a simple supper of Salad, Omaha Steak’s Pork Loin Cutlets (a gift from one of my neighbors), and Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower which she had never tried. The Pork Cutlets were really, really good. Thanks, Richard!
The mashed potatoes and cauliflower combination is a fairly new discovery for me and Kerryn liked it so just for her, here’s the recipe for six to eight servings:
Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower
Cook until tender:
1 head of cauliflower broken into small florets
4 medium-sized unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
I usually start this process with the potatoes in a pot that has a steamer insert and put the cauliflower in the steamer until the potatoes are beginning to get soft. Then I dump the cauliflower in with them and finish them together.
While that is cooking peel, smash and mince 3-4 good-sized cloves of garlic and saute it in 1 TBS of butter until it smells good and is tender. Do not brown. OR if you’re busy and rushing things, use 1 tsp garlic powder in the next step. More if you like garlic.
When the vegetables and garlic have cooked put them in a food processor with a bit of the cooking liquid and add:
2 (or more) TBSP butter
1/8 cup of whole milk to start.
½ tsp salt
A few cranks of the pepper grinder
Turn the food processor on and let it do its thing until the potato peels are still visible but the potatoes and cauliflower look like mashed potatoes are supposed to look in your world. I like mine a bit lumpy. (What can I say, my mother was not into doing whatever it took to make smooth mashed potatoes when I was growing up so in MY world mashed potatoes are a little lumpy with chewy little chunks of potatoes in them.)
Turn it out into a serving bowl and stir in 1 TBS of parsley. Fresh is a nice touch but I seldom have fresh on hand so I use the dried stuff. Plop about a TBS of butter in the middle and crank some pepper over the top. Good with beef or pork gravy on it, too.
If I was going to make this dairy free I would substitute a good margarine for the butter and use plain soy, oat or almond milk instead of Cow’s milk. Maybe coconut milk. I’ve been reading good things about the health benefits of coconut oil.
Since I live alone I halve this recipe and I’m inclined to use instant potatoes. Just follow the recipe on the box for 2 servings and dump everything into the food processor with half the cauliflower. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days
That’s Kerryn. She doesn’t look much like a kitchen drudge in that picture does she? But let me tell ya, she can clean an oven and not make a mess of the floor. I don’t know how she does it.
Thanks for helping me out with that odious chore, Sweet Pea. You rock! Love ya a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!
Addendum: It is 9:30am. The inspectors have come and gone. I got the bathroom and kitchen mostly done, the windows washed, and my bed made. I had the couch pulled out and the equipment and cleaning supplies to vacuum and steam clean the pet messes on the carpet (wouldn’t you know one of my brats puked on the carpet in two different spots yesterday) scattered around so it was obvious I was getting to them.
They weren’t even going to look in the oven or refrigerator but I insisted they look at the oven since I stressed over it so much and Kerryn made a special effort to help me. Jill said it was obvious that I kept up with the housekeeping so she just checked things off her list. I guess that’s a compliment. They did test the fire alarm and made sure all the other mechanicals were working–flushed the toilet, turned on the fans and all the lights. I pointed out that I cleaned the windows because if the windows are clean and the kitchen counters are cleared off, the dishes are put away, the kitchen floor is mopped and the carpets don’t have a bunch of crap littering them, then the house looks clean to me. The dust can be an inch thick but if those things are done, it looks clean. Just don’t look too closely.
Honestly, I don’t know why they send that damn letter telling us that we have to do this long list of stuff to pass these things if they aren’t going to check to be sure they are done. On the other hand, I still have nightmares about living at Shirley’s House of Recycled Virgins on Whitewater Avenue in Fort Atkinson when the kids were young. What a PITA that stick-up-her-butt woman was when she did inspections. I guess I won’t complain about the young ladies here and try to remember they aren’t Shirley…
Wikipedia: floor definition: the level base of a room. →
