Please welcome my dear friend Jill McKeever of SimpleDailyRecipes.com.  We’re very happy to have her share her recipe for Duchess Potatoes here at CBSOP.

Take it away Jill!

Duchess Potatoes is an old recipe taken from a book our grandmothers would have trusted and relied upon for their dining dilemmas. Made from leftover mashed potatoes, this recipe transforms cold, thick mashed spuds into a light, fluffy, hard to stop eating, side dish. My kids could not get enough Duchess Potatoes. You should have seen their faces when the oven dish was empty. Oh wait, you’ll see the same expression on your kids when you make this dish.

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
2 egg yolks beaten well
1/4 cup fresh cream
grated cheese for topping (optional)

Heat oven to 425ºF.

Mix the mashed potatoes, beaten egg yolks and cream well. Pile lightly into a lightly greased shallow baking dish, top with grated cheese.
Bake in hot oven until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. It’s that simple.

Recipe and photo by Jill McKeever at SimpleDailyRecipes.com

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Let me apologize at the outset.  This post is a bit rambling.  It covers a lot in as short a space as I can fit it into.

Many of you know that we’ll be moving to California in the near future.  As of today that move is scheduled for 28 days from today, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we want to get done before we leave, nor does it mean we’ve been sitting around playing video games while we wait for the movers. (Though there are days that I wish that’s what we were doing.)

My wife went to school just outside Houston Texas and before we left we thought we should go see a few of her old friends and see some of the places she hung out while in high school. I was all for it not only for her sake, but for the sake of trying out a few new paces to eat along the way.

Texas Best Smokehouse

The trip started well enough.  We shot past Fort Worth on our way south to Houston.  At about three hours it was time to grab a bite, so we stopped at a chain BBQ place called Texas Best Smokehouse. While I’m not sure that I would call them the best I’ve had in Texas by any stretch of the imagination, I will say that their sausage was good and that the experience did not leave me feeling uninspired. (Yes, smoked jalapeno sausage.  I usually don’t try brisket from a chain.)

The rest of the trip, while long, was uneventful.  we were in more of a hurry to make our final destination than we were to stop at the more interesting places on the way. (At least one of which I will be visiting this weekend.) With a Hotel finally located and a very filling dinner at Joes Crab Shack under our belts we turned in from a very long day of driving.

As is only fitting on a Memorial day weekend, we visited my Brother-In-Law’s grave to pay our respects. My wife has not been to visit in years and the experience for her was was bittersweet. I never had the opportunity to know K.C., but I’ve heard enough about him to feel like I know him and it was a bit wrenching for me as well. the memory of this visit is now on of far too many I’ll hold with me on Memorial Day weekend.

From there we toured my wife’s old high school, a few small towns she used to pop into in her youth and I sat along for the tour.  It’s always interesting to see how coming home affects people, since “home” has a way of growing up without you.  when they say you can never go home again, they are right.  it will never be what you left no matter how badly you want it to be.  Both you and the town have changed.

A nice country day in TX

After the tour we headed into the deep countryside of Texas to visit with my wife’s best friend from high school. My wife and her friend dissapeared for hours of catching up and I spent the day playing with Lil B. and getting to know her husband, a genuinely nice man that I admire.  Lil’ B. had a blast exploring the garden and playing with the dogs while the adults talked about everything from the state of the economy to the best place to get a good dinner in the area; which leads us to:

The Little Burro. A great Tex-Mex meal by any estimation.

The El Burrito (Or Little Burro). I’ll tell you right now that there are gems out there if you look hard enough.  This is one of them.  Portions were huge, the food was fresh. The flavors were amazing, but avoided the North Texas habit of adding enough spice to make a veteran Thai food lover wince. I wish I could have stayed in the area long enough to eat there again.  If I ever find myself in this part of TX again, I’ll be stopping here.

For anyone that’s going to be in Cleveland TX, or just in the Houston Area you can find this reataurant here.

BFFL

At the end of the evening we bid our farewells and made ready for the last day of the trip, a picnic in my wife’s honor.  The picnic was nice, but short.  We had to head back by two if we wanted any sleep at all. Of course we were so tied up in the bevy of people there that we both forgot to snap a single photo. I’ve really got to hone my on location skills!

We picked up a few interesting goodies on the way that I’ll be writing about in the next few days, so stay tuned for that.

The following week was spent dealing with issues for the impending move and the weekend on another road trip with friends to Oklahoma.

Next week will be spent with family visiting.  following that we plan to play tourist in our own town before we leave.  It’s very doubtful we’ll ever see Wichita Falls Texas again.  It’s been an interesting experience but I have to say that I’m ready to be back in California and done with the whirlwind that we’re riding now.

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At least that’s what Pennsylvania’s The morning Call thinks, and I happen to agree with them. The Morning Call ran an article on my dear friend and fellow food blogger Anne of Cooking with Anne, Short Order Mom and A Thousand Soups this morning that covers her life, her passion for food and her incredible success. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.

I must say though, the reporter that wrote the story does not seem to know all that much about blogging and paints a picture of grave competition in the food blogging arena. I’d like to be the first to tell anyone thinking of starting a food blog that this is simply not true. Foodies are a jovial and friend-centric bunch. We tend to get along with everyone else in this little corner of the Internet and I think you’ll find that you can make some pretty good friends very quickly. I know that I have.

Barring that little statement, this is Anne’s moment and I want her to have the spotlight. Go take a look at the article, including the gorgeous shot of both the lady of the hour and a platter of her most scrumptious looking sliders.

Enjoy the read, and tell a friend!

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This year is not only our last year at Sheppard Air Force Base, but very likely the last year for the BMET Christmas party as we have known it.  (For those of you not familiar with the acronym, BMET stands for BioMedical Equipment Technician, and it’s what my wife does for a living when she’s not instructing or writing.) Knowing that it could be the last of these get-togethers was the only reason we needed to attend and I’m glad we did.

My wife was lovely (as usual) in a little black patterned A-Line cocktail number and a set of killer stilettos.  Myself… well, I’m not as pretty as she is.  I also have an aversion to formal attire, so I just plopped in in a  set of khaki’s, black oxfords and a hunter green microfiber shirt.

The party started with the usual poorly made production-line barbecue (with sauce!  Gag!).  Dry brisket, destroyed pork and under smoked sausage were the main course.  Sides were a nasty potato salad, horrible beans and an even more disappointing something-or-other I can’t even remember.  I shouldn’t be surprised that I was not impressed.  I’m particular in my BBQ and these people apparently don’t believe in smoke.

The rest of the evening was dancing to some pretty random club music and a raffle (which we were not fortunate enough to win.) There was much drinking and carousing and several fools were made, but I won’t highlight that here.  In the end, it was a good evening with good friends and people we may never see again.  We made the most of it.

We sat with our friends Erick and Brie and even though I said I wouldn’t be caught incriminating myself, I couldn’t pass up a chance at a group hug with our newest friends. (I told you I’m not as pretty as my wife is! And yes, that’s Erick holding his wife, not me, LOL!)

In all it will be a party I remember.  Not so much for what was scheduled to happen, but for some of the more spontaneous moments that occured along the way.  It’s a good way to say goodbye to the place we’ve called home since 2005.  I can’t say I’ll miss the base, but I will always miss our friends.

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Thanksgiving this year was both a challenge and a pleasure. The pre-Turkey Day prep didn’t go as planned, which left us making a full dinner, both indoors and out in less than four hours. (And Thank God for smoker grills!)  I’m not totally used to our new oven, and there just isn’t enough room for the two of us in that kitchen.  Thankfully we’ll be looking to buy a home at our next duty station.

The meal, however frazzled its prep may have been, was fabulous.  I started things off with something that was traditional at all of my holiday gatherings as a kid.  Growing up in a predominantly Italian community, the antipasto platter was present at any large gathering, and I couldn’t have friends over without laying out one of my own.

This one featured Prosciutto, Mortadella, Sopresetta, Mozzarella, Italian Dry Salami, Garlic stuffed olives, ripe black olives, pepperoncini, pepper jack cheese (a nod to Sonoma, my home town and the place that pepper jack was invented) a variety of veggies and the ranch dip that came with the store-bought veggie platter. Poor thing never had a chance

From there we moved to an abridged version of my original T-Day menu, but really there was still more than anyone could have put a serious dent into.

This year’s dinner was turkey, ham, roast beef, traditional Southern cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, ham gravy collard greens, rolls and twice baked sweet potato casserole.  More than enough for four adults and 1 1/2 kids, wouldn’t you say?

The surprise star of the show was the ham.  Since I didn’t have enough time to cook it as I had planned to the night before, I fired up my smoker and tossed its spiral-sliced butt (pun intended) into a tray and into a 350 degree smoke box.  I’ve never had better, and it just became a hodidy prerequisite.  It’s simple and its fabulous.

After several hours of chatting and absorbing good company, we went our respective ways and a good portion of the food was packaged up.  The turkey I made the day before Thanksgiving, half the leftover dressing and the cranberry sauce was delivered to the dormitories for Airmen that could not make it home for the holidays.

My wife was showered with thank-yous and even a few tears. Good wishes sent to me through her and in the end, a few people that would have otherwise had a less than enjoyable holiday got to go to bed happy and full with a home cooked meal to warm them.  Whatever trouble I went through to make that happen was worth all the effort, and has already been forgotten.  I’ll do it again, happily.

And there you have it folks, a perfect day of giving thanks.  i’ll remember this one for a very long time.

Oh, and be looking for the perfect apple pie recipe to show on my front page very soon.  The one our friends brought is the best I’ve ever had.  Of course I got the recipe.

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For those of you with an interest in what will be on other people’s tables this Thanksgiving, I thought I’d lay out our plans for the holiday.  For us, Holiday dinners are a week-long affair, and like any other holiday, I’ve already begun on this one.  I’d rather spend the actual day chatting with my friends and family than being “the cook”, because the whole point of a holiday like this one is enjoying each others company, don’t you think?

Well, that and the leftovers…  I love that part.

Our 2008 Thanksgiving Menu

• Deviled Eggs, 2 types.  One spicy and one not
• Crab dip and a platter of “stuff” to dip into it with
• An Antipasto platter
• Roast Turkey (2 of ‘em)
• Cranberry Sauce
• Turkey giblet gravy
• Brown gravy
• Southern cornbread dressing
• Ham braised in wine, onions, apples and cloves
• Garlic and herb smashed potatoes
• Cloverleaf dinner rolls
• Twice baked sweet potato casserole with crispy bacon
• Green bean casserole (for the rest of us)
• Butter and herb sweet corn
• Collard greens with bacon and garlic
• Pumpkin Pie
• Bourbon pecan pie
• about 6 kinds of cookies

And to top all of that off, our guests are bringing a rosast and an apple pie.  Think that’s enough food?

We had worked out a schedule for the week prior, but I’ve already pretty much blown that.  Tomorrow will be hectic!  At this point I’ve made turkey stock, got the cornbread for the dressing done and have my shopping list ready to go.  Changes may still happen.  I’ll keep you posted on what we get done throughout the week, because come Turkey day the only things I want in the oven are things that have to be cooked right then and there!

Happy Holidays everyone.

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