recipe: mashed potatoes

i usually pick up a huge bag of russet potatoes. i do not know how much i need but it is a good 10 pound bag.
my serving is a potato for two people. if you have 12 people for thanksgiving use 6 potatoes if there are going to be a lot of other dishes to taste. if just turkey and mashed then a potato per person.

simple mashed potatoes

potatoes - pick any kind you want ... i use russet because it is easy to peel and boil
butter - you can add how ever much you want. i used up the whole stick to a whole box
cream cheese - i love to add cream cheese to give it the tang
sour cream - sometimes i add it to soften the mashed up
milk - if it is really too dry or add it when you need to reheat the mashed again
salt - for taste if needed

peeling is a bitch. i do not like peeling potatoes so that is why jp ; ) comes in handy. if you have a significant other who like mashed ask him or her to peel the potatoes.

boil the potatoes in several pots if you have 10 pounds of potatoes. if not one pot is enough. boil on medium stove top fire. it will take around 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on how much you have cooking. test the softness with a fork by poking one of the potatoes. russet potatoes tends to crumble so you don't really need to do the test.

drain potatoes after they are cooked to perfection for mashing.

i use two bowls to do the job of mashing. one small bowl to mash and to mix in butter, cream cheese etc. and the other bigger bowl to store the mashed. it is easier to mash and to mix in a little at a time. your hands will get tired so have additional people to help you mash. once all that is done. it is time to taste. if you need some salt add some, mix and taste.

other ingredients you may want to add ... smoked bacon bits, wasabi, sweet potatoes etc
it is better to keep it simple by only adding one additional ingredient

recipe: fresh chicken soup

this is a real kitchen. i have been experimenting with making fresh chicken soup ... as in from scratch. my mom always says never use frozen chicken so she went to the market ... a chinese market to get the chicken. you can pick out the one you want and they will do the rest.

simple chicken soup

1 fresh chicken
2 pieces of lean pork meat 6 ounces each
1 ginger
3 bunch of spring onions
3 tablespoon of chinese cooking wine
1 pinch of salt

the lady in the market doesn't really help you get rid of the chicken fat so you have to do it yourself when you get home. cut away all the chicken skin and excess fat as much as possible. use a very sharp knife.

place the chicken and lean meat pieces (those meat help give the soup its complement flavors) in a pot and fill it up with water to cover partially to the tip of the chicken. place pot on the stove. turn on the fire to HI.

peel ginger, slice it into several pieces and use the flat part of knife and bang the slices till a bit of juice comes out. place the ginger slices in the pot. clean and cut the spring onions and add them to the brew as well as the rest of the ingredients.

when the water reached to a boil lower the fire till the water only bubble up onces or twice and cover.

slow boiling for 3 hours ... keep checking your soup 1 hour at a time.

after 3 hours let the soup cool and get rid of the excess oil floating on the top layer. best is to place the pot of soup in the refigerator after the pot is cooled. it is much easier that way to scoop the excess oil out.

when you want to enjoy a bowl of soup reheat and savor the flavor!

any question?