Thayer in the Kitchen

This is a great winter comfort food recipe for a combination of mashed potatoes and parsnips with some tasty additions. Its a really easy recipe with a great return on your investment of time. 1 1/2# pototes, peeled or not as you prefer (6 small) 1# parsnips (3 medium), peeled and cut into chuncks 1/2 cup 1/2 & 1/2 or milk 3 tablspoons butter 1/2 cup sour cream (optional, but tasty) 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled 2 tablespoons chopped chives (or parsley if chives are not available) Salt and pepper to taste Place potatoes and parsnips in a large pot. Cover with salted water and cook until fork tender. Drain. Add half-and-half and the butter to the pot and stir until butter is melted. Return hot drained potatoes and parsnips to the pot and mash, leaving some small chunks for texture. Stir in Cheddar cheese, bacon, and chives. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Adapted from About.com Home Cooking

We still have some of the vegetables left from our fall/winter CSA storage share.  I've been keeping them in the special green produce storage bags.  I bought some at our local food co-op (Willy Street) and then ordered more on line.  I'm not sure of the brand name, but they really do help to keep produce fresher longer.  I have found that they collect a lot of moisture so I usually add a paper towel to the bag with the produce.  Has anyone else tried them?  If so, what do you think? Some of the vegetables we have left are beets.  This is a very good salad using beets.  Kind of like pickled beets with some extra pizazz.  4 medium size beets or about 1#, roasted and peeled 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or whatever kind you have available) 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large clove garlic or 2 small salt & peeper to taste 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 2 or more tablespoon chopped fresh dill Roast the beets, peel and cut ...