In An Instant
This phrase makes me think of drinking my breakfast each morning when I was younger.
Carnation Instant Breakfast! You’re gonna love it in an instant!
I was a sucker for the chocolate or mocha flavors (of course) and I even had this bottle specially made for mixing, shaking-up, and drinking this instant breakfast. It had a pop-off, blue top and measurements on the side.
But that’s not what I’m going to talk about today. Last night I made the most wonderful thing that I believe to be the smartest invention…instant mashed potatoes. Ryan is in an indoor soccer league and he had a game last night at 9:00pm, so I always make myself something for dinner, then have his dinner ready for him when he gets back later that night. Our grocery store has this great soup that they make, about 15 different kinds and it is all pre-packaged and refrigerated–all you have to do is heat it up. So that is what Ryan usually wants after one of his night games.
Me, on the other hand, I had a craving for roast chicken, mashed potatoes and summer squash. I’m into the squash these days and have been steaming it every other night. I love it! Because the squash only takes a few minutes to steam to the consistency that I like, the mashed potatoes was something I did not want to put too much work into. And I had purchased an already-made mini-roast chicken from the store so all I had to do was open the case and dig in. So I took a leap of faith and picked up some Homestyle Butter Mashed Potatoes from Betty Crocker. It was a craving I could not deny and they were ready in minutes, I couldn’t believe it! I actually had to wait for the squash to boil and that is usually the first thing done. I was amazed. The potatoes were so buttery and delicious, I could not get enough. The box said that one of the two pouches makes 4 servings, but those must have been some small servings because by the time I was done eating the quick and easy spread I “prepared” they were all but gone. Just a couple scoops for left-overs.
I am such a mashed potato fan, it is a comfort food for me. They are so fluffy and creamy and filling. I just love them. And now that they can be made in minutes, I bet I will be eating them much more. My mom makes the best mashed potatoes–now those were some creamy, buttery goodness that I know I could never re-produce out of a box of flakes. After seeing the movie, While You Were Sleeping, (an all-time favorite of mine and my mom’s) we would sit at the table and say, “These potatoes are so creamy!”
Being a lover of food and not that good at cooking, I wonder why I did not think of instant mashed potatoes. Whoever did invent this is a genius. No peeling, cleaning & boiling potatoes until they are mushy enough to mash. Just boil water, milk & butter, pour in the flakes and voila! Mashed potatoes!
It’s the simple things in life that bring me pleasure. Every morning when I reluctantly shut off my alarm after hitting snooze about a dozen times, I think of one thing that I will do that day that will make me happy and that I look forward to doing. Yesterday, it was to eat mashed potatoes. Today, it is to bring left-over pizza for lunch to eat outside in the warm weather on my break from work and read my book.
