Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Mashed Rutabagas and Green Peas ~ Leftover Mashed Potatoes


In my recent organizing days, I located a recipe that uses leftover mashed potatoes.  Not very often do we have them leftover, but this recipe is a good way to use them to create another healthy dish.

Start by peeling and cutting a large rutabaga into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add them to a pan of water and a bit of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover until rutabagas are tender (30-40 minutes).  Drain.  Mash them.



Combine your
heated leftover mashed potatoes (about enough for 2 servings) with the mashed rutabagas.  Add some salt and pepper if desired.  Spoon the mixture into an un-greased 1 - quart baking dish.  Make an indention in the center of the mixture.

Cook a small package of frozen peas, drain. Put peas into the center of the rutabaga mixture.  Serve.

Note:  Our leftover mashed potatoes were cooked with fresh minced garlic, so I minced one clove of garlic into the rutabaga while it was boiling.  Delicious!

Or - 

Make the rutabaga/potato mixture, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  About 50 minutes prior to meal time, heat oven to 350°F, and heat rutabaga mixture 40 minutes.  In a pan, cook your peas, drain and place in the indentation  of the rutabaga mixture, and serve.

The taste tasting team went back for seconds.  

This vegetable is a good one to plant in our fall garden, and will hold up in a root cellar nicely.  Hopefully Hubby will want more rutabagas, so my root cellar will get dug next year.

Hubby is already out sawing wood.  I'm still in my jammies.  He's up awful early and too eager to work.  He'll just have to wait on me to refuel on coffee.

He must have sat on his bum too much watching football yesterday (ha ha!).  His team did win, but one guy was hurt.  Then he sat more and ate more, playing cards with his sister.

Meanwhile back at the homestead, I flung (is that even a word?) chicken poo, put laundry out, decorated the house, and exercised.  Youngest was really into the decorating.

In fact, my decorating crew was her and her alone.  I did not get hot cranberry punch made, so today I must do that (regardless that the weather is way too warm for it).  

Youngest was in a mood for Christmas and baked some cookies to fill our Christmas cookie jar.  This was the first year to try organic shortening in an old family recipe (although I am still wishing for good lard).  You can really tell the difference in taste. 

Well...I better get outside and help split wood.  This could be the last good weather day to get it done.
 

7 comments:

Willow said...

That sounds like good food, glad to hear things are getting festive in your neck of the woods. You are always one busy lady ,

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Willow, the vegetable dish was a winner recipe. I'll try to get some photos of the decor that Youngest put up.

Susan said...

I had the same leftovers, but I moosh mine all together, peas and all. I love rutabaga and could live on mashed potatoes! I'd love to see your daughter's decorating results.

Mama Pea said...

Would love to see photos of your holiday decorations. I should finish up ours today . . . except for the tree which we've still got to get.

Linda said...

This looks really good!

Kim said...

Please do post some pics of your decorations it might serve to motivate me to get mine up. Or at least out.

EMMA said...

Yum sounds delicious. Didn't know you called them rutabagas in the US. My m.i.l thinks they are pig food!!! but then she's the same generation as my father who thinks Kale is for cows!