Thanksgiving

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Lots has been written about the history of Thanksgiving but here is a great article to give you the background.

Even More Old Photos

The historical society has some old photos of some of the houses along my road.  Thought you'd like to see the comparison. Unfortunately these photos are undated.

The first one is very much the same from past to present.

The second one has a barn removed in present photo and has been added on to.

The third has been altered quite a bit.

On another street is a former store that is now three apartments.

 Trees were in the way so I couldn't take the photo at the same angle.

And here's the hotel again with our house to the right.  I took the same photo for a present day comparison. The store there now which is closed is at a different angle than what the hotel was.

The road has also been altered because the hotel was on our road but the present store is on the intersecting road, 

We are having fun learning about the history of our new home.  More research to come in the next month.

Snow on the Mountain Top

 Mount Ascutney, Vermont

Cornish-Windsor Bridge in the foreground.

Mashed Potato Question

 As Thanksgiving approaches one of the mainstays of that celebration meal is mashed potatoes at least on our table.  How about yours?

photo courtesy of Valley News.

But here's the real question: do you peel or leave unpeeled?

Mental Floss has an article today about how to peel potatoes after cooking them.  Read here.  It's interesting and very much like what you have to do with beets but it means the potatoes are then cooled down.

photo courtesy of Mental Floss

In my mind the skins are just as tasty as the flesh of the potato.  I never peel them anymore and mash them skins and all.  I usually use Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes for mashed potatoes.  

Another article I read today, here. goes into lots of detail about starch content and such that insures the fluffiest or smoothest mashed potato.  I will stick to my Yukon Golds, leave a bit of the water in the bottom of the pan, add some milk, butter and salt and mash with my potato masher.  Never fails to make great mashed potatoes for my dining table.

So what do you use: peeled or unpeeled? Kind of potato? How do you mash?  What do you add?