One of the better events of my week was the purchase of potatoes last Sunday. We had run out and although we don’t eat a lot (I’m trying to cut down on carbs) I was uncomfortable relying on rice and pasta. Although I like rice and pasta they will never replace potatoes.
We had mashed potatoes tonight, with butter, mustard and spring onions. Whilst I was looking up ways to jazz up the mash I read a recipe (if you can call it that) where the writer said “I’ve never used a hand masher before”.
What!?
(That’s an interrobang, by the way, it is, a proper punctuation mark with a fifty year history, and not just something I’ve made up. That doesn’t excuse it, but on the other hand , how do you express the proper degree of incredulity at someone who writes recipes but has never used a hand masher. How have they been mashing their vegetables until now?)
We are getting into ring-pull territory here? Do you remember that? It was 2017 when someone posted on Mumsnet with the opinion that only poor people used can openers. Well-off people bought cans with ring-pulls.
I, needless to say, have a can opener and buy the cheapest cans. That makes me poor, though if I were really poor I’d buy my chick peas in bags and soak them myself.
Interesting events tonight as the Chief Medical Officer of Scotland has resigned after admitting visiting her second home, against her own advice. Hypocritical? Yes. But if she’s one of the best medical brains we have, is her resignation the best thing for Scotland or, as we are attached, the UK?
I had to laugh though, when I read a Twitter comment asking if Prince Charles will be warned for going to his Scottish holiday home to self-isolate, instead of staying at home in England.
As you can see, the free photo resource is not the be all and all. I searched for “Prince Charles”. This what I got. Thank goodness I didn’t search for Prince Albert.
Photo by Steshka Willems on Pexels.com
Well, too much to comment on 😊
I haven’t got a potato masher – used one when I was a kid at home but now I find a fork does just as well.
I also do generally but dried beans because my guess is it works out less of a drain on the environment. I haven’t checked out this theory, mind. A project to fill a day or two over the lockdown period maybe?
Anyway, I love terrabangs but had no idea they were called such till your post.
We have plenty of bread flour, so I’ve been using that as the main carb. We only get a few potatoes with our farm share and don’t generally eat that much pasta or rice. At a health food shop I went to last weekend, I remembered couscous and millet. They both make a nice change 😊.
Love the picture of the spaniel. Probably the best choice…. When all is said and done, it must be hard not to want to go to a second home in these circumstances. That said, when I bought and moved into my house I had to pay rent on a flat for several months (due to the nature of the contract) and we only went to the latter once, in order to use the oven, having made pies which we were unable to cook in the house (vendor lied that the cooker worked).
I have cous cous, quinoa and lentils, but haven’t got round to using them yet.
I have just been shopping and now have too much food. Having secured a collection slot next week I can now do at least two weeks without going round a shop. After what happened today, I am glad for that.
What has happened today – I’ve been working and not listening to the news….
Nothing much happened in the world, I just had a fraught time shopping, with too much encroachment into my personal space.
Oh, I see. Well, good that you don’t have to face the crowds for a while!
Yes, it is. Apart from another trip to the pharmacy, as they have messed things up, and a trip to the GP because they have called Julia in for an appointment next week. She doesn’t know why and they won’t tell her. So much for self-isolating.
And so much for kindness towards Julia. It will be a hard week for her 😕
She doesn’t know it yet but Amazon should be delivering a book for her in the next few days. It might take her mind off things. I ordered it last week to break the monotony and it looks like it might be well timed.
Lovely 😊
Just to drag that last comment into decency territory, do you remember when people used to call shops on the phone and ask if they had ‘Prince Albert in a can’, and if the reply was yes, they would say, “Then let him out!”
It was tobacco, apparently, nothing pierced at all.
Ha! No, I don’t think we had that brand round here. 🙂 :-):-)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_(tobacco)
🙂 🙂 🙂
I didn’t actually steal their joke–they must be quoting me!
It’s clearly a good joke. 🙂
A post of revelations.
🙂
Potatoes are a good food, and can be made in any number of ways. “Interrobang” is a new word for me, too. 🙂
🙂 Ah, potatoes…
Weird that you got the dog, but some snafu got you there. Looks like a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Charles ain’t king, so…puzzling. I can’t imagine never using a masher. Mine gets used more for bananas than potatoes, but still, pulling out a beater, mixer, immersion blender or whatever the person uses, seems more trouble than it’s worth. Glad you got all those potatoes.
I just looked them up – don’t really understand all the differences, but there is actually a Prince Charles Spaniel as well as a King Charles, a Cavalier King Charles a Blenheim and a Ruby Spaniel. I thought there were just two sorts.
My ignorance astounds me. 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_King_Charles_Spaniel
So likely you got the Prince Charles spaniel. There’s a Brittany and a Cocker and another one as well. For of like Pointers, I guess.
Yes, my sister has the other one. Think it is called something like a Field Spaniel.
So many spaniels! We live and learn.
😊
Indeed we do!
Yes, it’s a hunting dog, I think…Who knew?
There is always more to learn… 🙂
Indeed
I use a ricer to make mashed potatoes. Makes the smoothest and fluffiest mashed I have ever had. “Interrobang” is a new word for me. The things I learn from my blogging friends. And cute dog!
I used a ricer once. If, like me, you boil the potatoes with the skins on, the ricer jams and if you press too hard you bend the handles. It was not a top quality ricer and it only lasted one attempt. 🙂
Yes, always something to learn.
I always peel my potatoes. Don’t have mashed very often, so it seems all right to peel occasionally.
🙂
It may not be the best result for the country, I agree, but it is hard to retain your job as chief encourager of staying at home when you don’t take your own advice. I have no doubt that her expertise in medicine will still be available to the government.
Yes, the press would never have allowed it, and they do have a point.