Mashed Potato Pizza

Last Saturday Jay and I needed some time to relax together, so we planned Dinner and a Movie at home. I managed to whip together a slightly odd meal with things we had in the house. The result was Mashed Potato Pizza. I'd had a version at a pub before and it was pretty good, and we had potatoes, chives, and cheese from the farmer's market, so I gave it a go.

The idea was very simple. I made a batch of mashed potatoes (which I'd never done before), mixed in some chopped chives, cheese, and a little soy bacon (which had been sitting the fridge waiting for me to get up the nerve to try it). I spread the potatoes on the rolled-out dough, topped with cheese, and baked.

It was pretty good. A little heavy for a summer night, but good. Jay said that if I ran a pizza place, this one would be a fan favorite. The best part was the wine--Smoking Loon Merlot. When I popped the cork, it had words on it. It said, "Whooh. Whooh. Whooh. Whooh. Cough. Whooh. Whooh." It took me a minute to get it.

Veggie Pot Pie

This was absolutely delicious. The "gravy" was much better than I thought it was going to be definitely beat a can of Campbell's cream of celery (and no MSG!).

Ingredients:
One bag of refrigerated, diced potatoes
Several handfuls of green beans, snapped in half
Handful of carrot slices
Two handfuls of frozen peas
One small can of corn
2 frozen pie crusts, thawed 15 minutes
2 cups veggie broth
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp soy sauce
two pinches thyme
salt and pepper

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the vegetables with the broth. Add the soy sauce and the corn starch, simmering until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat, add the thyme and salt and pepper. Pour everything into a pie crust and use the other crust to top the first. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until golden.