It’s all about the timing, isn’t it. This is supposed to be a post about food, and it is, but it’s also a post about life.

This week’s Tasty Thursday gives people three tricks (easy ones, really, ones that are supposed to have you think, “Oh, yeah, I can do that.”) to getting dinner on the table with everything ready at the same time. Cooking one thing at a time can be hard enough, but trying to get a few moving parts to be hot all at once? That can be harder.

Kind of sounds like life. When we concentrate on one thing at a time, often it can come out pretty well. It’s the juggling of so many items - the papers and assignments combined with sports practice or drama rehearsal of school; the school-work-life dance of adulthood; the friends, and family, and myriad other demands on our time whatever the age – that becomes daunting.

But not really. The trick is figuring out what you can do first that allows the time to concentrate on the rest. It’s still only focusing on one thing at a time (no matter how much you think you can, you can’t be scrambling eggs and stirfrying veggies at the same time; you can’t focus on your family at dinner while texting your friends on your phone) But the prioritizing, the understanding of what to do first so you can do the other thing? That’s the real trick.

In cooking, and in life.

MASHED POTATOES for 4, with leftovers for breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner.

(all amounts are approximate. I am giving you full license to taste and correct as you go along. Here’s a link to my favorite kind of masher: )

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 Russet (or baking) potatoes, organic so you can use the skins. Or non-organic and PLEASE peel them!
• butter (I use 3 TBS)
• Greek yogurt
• Sour cream
• Milk
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Cut the potatoes into even-sized chunks. Put in a pot with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until you can easily pierce the potatoes fully with a knife.
• Drain
• Back into the pot. Put 3 TBS butter on top and mash the butter into the potatoes.  You will see the potatoes are lovely and fluffy -this is because you are using Russets.
• Add a decent dollop of Greek yogurt and sour cream; mash those into the potatoes.
• Add about a cup of milk (I use 1% because that’s what I have on hand) and mash. Don’t overstir the potatoes or they will be gluey!!!
• Salt and pepper to taste. More butter, or sour cream, or yogurt, or milk as needed to get the consistency YOU like!