Apple Mashed Potatoes: Thanksgiving in...May?

As I've mentioned before, potatoes are a big part of our diet here. I was getting sick of just boiling them, and I didn't want to use all the grease in frying them, so that's why I started thinking about new creative ways to make them tasty. First came the potato salads, and now has come Apple Mashed Potatoes.

This is a recipe I found on the Taste of Home website, and with a few original twists, they are right - it did make me think of home.

The aroma of the apples cooking made me think of how much I loved the cinnamon-cooked apples from Shoney's when I was little. The combination of scents together - allspice, potatoes, apples - reminded me think of Thanksgiving, when we ate together in a restaurant with all the delicacies that we would never make at home! And finally, mashed potatoes in general made me think of the delicious microwaveable bowls of creamy potatoes that my mom always bought as a side for dinner - pre-cooked and a handful of preservatives did not stop them from melting in my mouth. Hmmm.....delish.

Recipe

Apple Mashed Potatoes

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 apples, peeled and quartered

1 teaspoon salt

4 turkey bacon strips, diced

1 tablespoon oil

1 small onion, diced

1/4 cup of butter (I never use real butter. Use whatever butter substitute you have - look for the heart-healthy kind!)

1 dollop of light sour cream

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1-2 teaspoons allspice or nutmeg

First, boil the cubed potatoes and quartered apples in enough water so that it covers them both. Then, when the potatoes and apples are tender (after about 10-12 minutes), add the allspice.

While the potatoes and apples are boiling, cook the turkey bacon in oil until it is crispy. Place the bacon on paper towels to drain. Save 1 teaspoon of turkey bacon drippings and use it to sauté the onions.

After the allspice has been added, wait about 5 minutes, and then drain the potatoes and apples. Remove the allspice. Add the butter substitute, light sour cream, cider vinegar, and sugar. Mash it all together until it is smooth. Add a dash of nutmeg, and top it all off with turkey bacon and onions! Serves 4-6.

a buen tiempo!

Holy ______, Did I Make That?

Feast your eyes upon this mouth-watering dish: Shrimp and pineapple wrapped in lean turkey bacon. In this version, the juices and flavors from the shrimp, pineapple, and lean turkey bacon combine so magically that I did not add any other seasoning! Nothing!

The only change the fiance and I are thinking about making is possibly to marinate the shrimp in a garlic sauce beforehand. I'm sure it's not necessary, but the additional flavor could take this dish to another level entirely, if that's possible. This dish is called Holy ____ (Enter whatever you feel is appropriate), Did I Make That? due to its surprising simplicity and heavenly flavor.

This would be great as an appetizer, as a tapa, or as party food for entertaining.

Recipe

Holy ____, Did I Make That?

1/2 lb. shrimp

1 10 oz. package lean turkey bacon (for guiltless eating!)

1/4 pineapple

20 wooden toothpicks (without coloring)

2 tablespoons oil

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Hold 1-2 pieces of shrimp together, and nestle a piece of pineapple where it fits the best. Wrap the shrimp and pineapple with 1/2 piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place each bacon-wrapped bite in the pan. Make sure to turn the finger food frequently. Cook until the shrimp is opaque and the bacon is crisp.

Depending on the size of your shrimp, this can make up to 30 bacon-wrapped shrimp with pineapple. If your shrimp is jumbo-sized, it will make closer to 10-12.

a buen tiempo!