Foody Friday - Colcannon (Potato) Puffs

I love potatoes. I totally could have been Irish and eaten potatoes every day at every meal. I read, in The Irish Americans: A History, that before the Great Potato Famine (1845-1852) that the average Irish child consumed 5 pounds of potatoes a day! Just a child!! An adult consumed more! 

Anyway, back to food. I love potatoes and I always prepare too much of any kind of potato dish I make and am never short of leftover potatoes...usually mashed. 

But...I've found a yummy way to use up those extra mashed potatoes without resorting to simply throwing them back in the microwave. 

Colcannon Puffs

(Colcannon is a traditional name for an Irish potato dish) 

a couple cups of leftover mashed potatoes

a cup or so of spinach, cut or torn into small pieces

1t. onion powder

1/2 t. garlic powder 

1/2 t. thyme

1/4 t. pepper

2 T. milk

2 T. corn starch

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all the ingredients and stir well. Using a well rounded tablespoon, form into balls. Place them on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn over and bake for 20 more minutes until lightly browned. 

Potatoes, potatoes....I could eat em' all day long! 

Foody Friday - Mashed Potato Stuffed Mushrooms

Let me start off by apologizing for today's photo. These stuffed mushrooms were so good I scarfed them up before I remembered I had wanted to take a picture of them when they came out of the oven.

So I only have a photo of them before they went in the oven. They still look pretty good though I think.

Mashed Potato Stuffed Mushrooms

Clean mushrooms and remove stems. In a skillet saute a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a couple teaspoons of garlic. After a few minutes add shredded spinach until it is slightly wilted. Add spinach mixture to a cup or so of leftover mashed potatoes. Add some shredded cheese (mozzarella is fabulous) and mix well. Scoop mashed potatoes into mushrooms and sprinkle with a little salt and paprika. Place on lightly greased pie plate, or whatever ovenware works for you and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Foody Friday - Vegetarian Sheperd's Pie

Yes, a vegetarian dish and no meat whatsoever. Yes Mom your grandchildren are eating and growing just fine; no I'm not forcing them to be vegetarians. Chill. (My mother is a big meat eater and needs a bit of reassurance folks.)

Have you ever had one of those nights when it's time to fix dinner and you realize you have nothing thawed out and hot dogs just don't sound good? (Do they ever?) I stumbled across this recipe and being short on time and not able to make it to a grocery store I modified this recipe a bit. What a hit! I REALLY didn't expect this to go over so well but this dish was great and so so easy to whip up. This was all the leftovers there were! Sorry, I forgot to take a pic before dinner. See, it was a success Mom! Eating vegetables CAN be fun!

 Vegetarian Sheperd's Pie

1 diced onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
2-3 T. of olive oil
1 can of chickpeas
1 can of black beans
1 can of chili beans
1 can of refried beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can of tomato sauce
oregano, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper (to taste)
4-5 handfuls of spinach, torn into small pieces
mashed potatoes
cheese (optional)

In a deep saucepan saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until browned. Add the beans, tomatoes, 1/2 can of sauce and spices. Cook over medium high heat for 8 or 9 minutes. Lightly spray two casserole dishes and place bean mixture in bottom, add  a layer of spinach next  and a final layer of mashed potatoes and cheese if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.