Editor’s Note: This is part of our ongoing series on Laughter is Often the Best Medicine. The contributors to this series hope their vignettes provide a chuckle, an “aha moment,” or dispel myths about visual impairment for all readers.
How Many Chocolate Lovers Have Eaten Chocolate Mashed Potatoes?
By guest writer, Liz Bowden, vision technology instructor.
Mashed Potatoes, A Real Staple During the Holidays
One food eaten by almost everyone during the holiday seasons is chocolate. There are chocolate bells, kisses, Santas, turkeys, Valentines, angels, and Bunnies. Real chocolate lovers say they wish everything would be chocolate!
My husband and I have had various kinds of meat during the holiday season, and many other side dishes are changed as well. One of those, however, that never changes is mashed potatoes!
We usually purchase whole milk by the half gallon, but one year when we were not going to be at home after Christmas, we bought “best” milk which comes in the same type bottle as chocolate milk. While I was cooking, I decided to have some chocolate milk. I put the bottle next to the mixer to put back when I put some other things away in the fridge.
Checking It Once and Checking It Twice
Everything was ready for the mashed potatoes. The butter and potatoes had been added to the bowl attached to the stand mixer, and the blade was doing its job. Without thinking about it, I took the bottle of milk off the counter, and congratulated myself about remembering to get it out. I started pouring and my husband who always likes to watch me make them–because they are his favorite–said, “Stop! Stop! Something is wrong, they are brown.” By that time, most of the milk had permeated the middle of the potatoes. My husband and I both ran with the bowl to try to save our potatoes. My husband said, “Maybe it won’t be that bad.” However, infusion was complete, and we had our first chocolate potatoes.
I decided to try a small bit on the outer edge of the bowl that didn’t seem to be contaminated. However, the chocolate got there first. I now know that contrary to popular belief, chocolate doesn’t make everything taste better!
We stuck to our cake and lemon pie after dinner, and returned the chocolate potatoes to the environment. So, if you want meat and potatoes that are really good, check the milk before you pour!
Coffee Soup
by Mary Hiland
Have you ever had coffee soup? Well take it from me, it’s not very good!
Finding New Uses for My Keurig Coffee Maker
I have a Keurig coffee maker, and I use it every day. I never thought I’d make tea in it, because I am quite the traditionalist, always insisting on boiling water in a tea kettle, and then letting it steep in a tea pot before serving. But making it in the Keurig is so easy and fast that I’ve changed my ways.
If I have time, about mid-morning, I make a delicious flavored coffee, and midafternoon, I might have a cup of decaffeinated tea or hot chocolate.
Feeling Smug: Making Instant Chicken Noodle Soup with My Keurig
The other day, I decided to make a cup of instant chicken noodle soup to have with my PB and J sandwich, one of my favorite lunches. I just put the bowl with the dry soup mix in it under the spout, and in minutes I had my soup. I felt pretty smug about using the Keurig for yet another purpose.
What’s This?
But as I dipped my spoon into the soup, I detected an odd flavor. The soup mix was new, so it couldn’t be that. The bowl was clean. Why did it taste so odd? Then I suddenly felt the imaginary light bulb over my head. I had forgotten to take the coffee K cup out of the machine, so instead of dispensing plain hot water, it was putting weak coffee into my bowl of dried chicken and noodles. Yuck. It probably looked pretty yucky too. Next time I’ll check before I push the button.