A celebration....

Once in a while instead of ending the week (and starting a holiday weekend) with a beer in each hand and about three shots of tequila in to the evening, it's nice to pull back and relax instead. I have the prospect of an interview (fingers crossed!), and I had some saved cash to throw towards something celebratory, so I opted for an evening with a glass of Moscato and a sparkly tart shared with this girl.

All you need to know about her is that her real name is Kathleen (her W. Virginia name), we all called her Katie (her W. coast name) but she likes to be called Kate (ultimately given to her by a certain Jr. High Honor Band name tag, and it just kinda stuck). She has visited all 50 states, knows a thing or two about trees, knows even more about dogs and cats, flew with me to L.A. , has gone through some of the hardest experiences a kid could go through, and is as tough as nails.

If there is one meal that will ever stand out from this girl it's the one I had with her a few Thanksgiving's ago. That was my first year out of college, and my first year that I worked on a holiday (and had a morning shift the day after so I couldn't go home). She and her mom were kind enough to let me come over and just watch movies and eat a thanksgiving dinner and let my mind settle all the day's stress over taking care of other people's thanksgiving plans. No big table, no needing to get to know other family members, no serious prep work. It was easy, on paper plates, and I had a coke sitting next to me. I missed my family and I felt guilty for not going down to see them, but I was in a time bind and I hoped that my parents were at least giving thanks in their own way.

Then I took a bite of the mashed potatoes.

You know that feeling of biting into something and without even chewing you go "oh now this is special". I raved about it the entire night. In fact, I think that's all I even ate that night.

(Before I go on I'll admit that when I explained this fact to my mother it broke her heart. Please understand, she admits frequently that she hates to cook, but when she does she shines. So mom, I'm still deciding on which recipe of your's that I will share!!!!!)

As I started in on my second helping, Kate with her mouth full said "half and half!"

I'm not kidding you, these potatoes don't require extra salt, extra butter, or the need to turn it into a gravy-lava volcano. It will certainly set off your 5K Turkey Trot that you completed earlier, or your game of family football, but it's worth it. I would advise that if you make this, that it be for a small celebration such as your first interview, your first unemployment paycheck, a rainy day in the middle of summer, or because you have a few other unemployed friends who are hungry. Potatoes got this nation through the depression of the 1920's, so bring the spuds back to get us through the recession of the first part of the 21st century.

Glass of Moscato optional.



Moneyhun-Freeland mashed potatoes

1 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 pint half and half

I'm not giving strict cooking directions. Reason why is this: you will not make this as good as the original cook: Kate's mother - Patty Moneyhun. However you can try.

Boil potatoes until soft enough to mash with fork.
Add half and half until creamy consistency
Add butter, salt, and pepper to taste.

Time from prep to mouth: about 30-40 minutes
cost: potatoes - $3-5 depending on season, Half and Half - $1.50, Butter - $2.00
Remember, this is for a celebration so get friends to pitch in to help out. Also, you will feel guilty if you just ate this by yourself for days.....