Message in a Bottle

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Jon Long Sr
Message in a Bottle

Message in a Bottle

Good Morning,

I watched “Message in a bottle” again last night.  It had been 10 years (1999) since I had seen it and many of the details over time had slipped away.  Especially the ending, which I’m happy for, since I prefer not to know such things until they happen.  Unrequited love is such a powerful human emotion and one I’m sure many never quite get past.  Maybe we are not supposed to completely… so that the moment-in-time can live forever in our hearts to be softened over the years into a mawkish memory reminding us that we have lived, loved and lost.  It is better regardless of the pain, I have heard that “Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all”. (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

I have always thought it would be fun to put a message in a bottle and put it in the sea.  The dilemma… what would I say?  I really do not have a reason like Garret in the movie to cast my thoughts into the sea.  It would probably be something a bit more practical like my name and address and a request to the finder to contact me and let me know where the bottle was found.  Not very creative, kind of sad in a way and maybe one of the reasons I haven’t done it.

It is too late now, (that hindsight thing again) but in retrospect, I think it would have been a great idea, when I had the opportunity, to put some of my portion of Carl’s ashes in a small bottle, maybe even with a note asking the finder to spread them where they landed.  That way he maybe could have ended up in a place where only chance and the tides prevailed.  It would have been a unique and creative gesture to do for my friend who always loved new adventures.  Even if the bottle ended up smashed against the rocks on some distant shore, his ashes would still have achieved the original intent.  It was early in the morning that I let his ashes sift through my fingers into the Pacific, while I remembered the good things about my friend and the times we shared.  I suppose it is difficult to be creative when emotion consumes so much of our thoughts.  I considered it selfish at the time to keep even the smallest vile for myself.  After all it was my charge to put them in the ocean and also a time of letting go.  Anything less would have hindered the grieving process.

I do not consider my friendship with Carl “unrequited love”, but I do think it was a friendship ended far too soon by death and one that I missed dearly.  I had so much respect for him and enjoyed the too few times we had spent together.  I haven’t had a lot of friends like him in my life and as time goes by there become fewer opportunities.  True friendships are proven out over time and time is like anything else, a commodity.  It is not “the loaves and the fishes” and there is a bottom in the basket of life.

So if you have loved and lost, well that is ok.  As a matter of fact it is really good, for it means that you have experienced life, put it out there and had one of its greatest adventures.

Love, Dad

Photo Credit: Mykl Roventine

Posted in Love, Observations, Relationships, Weekend Letter | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Message in a Bottle

Fathers Day

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Jon Long Sr
My Dad

My Dad

Fathers Day ~ June 21, 2009

Good Morning,

Ever since 1908/9 people have been celebrating Fathers Day in some fashion.  It wasn’t until 1972 that it became official as the 3rd Sunday in June.  As a young child I do not recall if we celebrated it or not at home.  As I got older… certainly… we would remember our fathers on that day.  Much like Mothers Day, it is a public opportunity to recognize the role our fathers played, or not, in some cases, in our lives.  In our busy lives, it is good to have pre-defined times to celebrate moments so that we do not miss the opportunities.  It also provides some structure, social pressures from peers, siblings and of course revenue for retail marketers.  The retail aspects are true of just about every recognized holiday as reasons are found to celebrate with a sale, remember with flowers and cards and maybe even buy a car.

It has been about 22 years since my father died.  It is rare that a day doesn’t go by that he doesn’t cross my mind at least once.  Many times, and certainly as I get older, I will be reminded by a gesture that I do and which somehow feels comfortable at the time.  I pause and realize that my dad used to do the same thing.  Maybe it is genetic or maybe it is a subliminal reminder of images from my youth when my dad and I were together.  Whatever it is, I doubt that I will escape it or would even want to if I could.  In some little way I miss him at those times.

I suspect that those of us that have lost a parent would like to have just “one more day” with them.  I think that is because after they are gone we think of many things that could have been said and maybe wasn’t or there are so many questions that could have been asked and weren’t.  Possibly because as we experience life, these things continue to come up and while we may have gone to our parents for advice while they were alive, when they are gone, those questions go unanswered and we can be left without a mentor that cared for and about us.  It is a feeling that can only be fully understood by experiencing it first-hand and therefore become a milestone along the road to adulthood.  I can’t regret the questions I did not ask for that would be a waste of time and there is nothing I can do about it now.  I can however encourage you to ask them of me while I still can answer them.  The others that come later, well “it is what it is” and just part and parcel of growing up as you would then be where I was.  Your turn.

I am thankful that I had a father like I did.  He taught me respect for my mother and therefore all women.  He taught me to be the best I could be and therefore be proud of my accomplishments.  He taught me patience by example as he shared his skills with me.  He taught me that the love of a father isn’t always shown with open affection, but with support of your dreams.  I miss him… of course. 
 
As a father, I thank you for being my children and all of your accomplishments.  I am proud of each of you.

Love, Dad

Posted in Love, Parenting, Relationships, Weekend Letter | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Fathers Day

Morgan

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Jon Long Sr
Morgan

Morgan

Good Morning,

I am sitting here and trying to think of something to write about.  That may sound kind of funny, but it isn’t always easy to come up with a subject that I want to talk about or share an opinion.  Oh sure, there is plenty of “stuff” going on, but most, well maybe not most, but a lot anyway, are things that are either uninteresting to many of you or “downers” which I really prefer not to talk about.  But…there are some things that have to be mentioned and I suppose are just part of this life as we travel down this incredible path.

This last week Michael and Zaida found out that Morgan, their youngest dog has bone cancer.  Apparently, it is of a fast growing kind and invasive enough to require he be put down.  Morgan, a 15-month-old brindle colored English Bull Mastiff is still a puppy in many of his ways and loves to play and of course what puppies do best, tear things apart.  Well it’s a job you know and somebody has to do it.  It has also been important to Morgan that he provides a constant irritation to his older peer and English Bull Mastiff, Chase.  The two while sharing the same space, haven’t quite come to terms with one another and at times there has been blood.  Possibly because Morgan’s constant desire to play and Chase’s desire to just be left alone, tempers flair. 

Totally Relaxed

Totally Relaxed

You can’t blame Morgan, as puppies just like to play and ruff-house.  Probably part of the problem is that Chase also has a health condition that I’m sure doesn’t make him feel well at times and the last thing you want is a kid bugging you when you don’t feel well. 

Morgan will be remembered as a pretty cool dog with a loving disposition.  It seemed to me he liked everyone he met and for a big dog like Morgan, you had to brace yourself around him.  I guess if he had any fault it would be for lack of moderation.  He just seemed to be happy about everything around him and of course curious.  As we have found out with our pets, they become part of the family very quickly.  I think it is because we bestow so much love on to them and they in turn receive it unconditionally.  At least that seems to be the way it works with a dog.  With a cat…not so much. 

Monday will be difficult for both of you.  It is of course, “the right thing” to do, rather than let him suffer and be in pain, as so many times there is with bone cancer.  And you can spend the rest of your life trying to justify putting him down and never really come to terms with it.  I’m not sure that it is possible actually to do so, for you would first have to not care and of course that is out of the question, so you are stuck with this heartache.  I still remember taking our cat in to be put down as if it were yesterday, and that was just a cat who probably couldn’t have cared less about us as long as there was food around.  A dog that shows devotion and gives back affection like Morgan did, well that is tough.  I’m sure you will be with him during the procedure as he will no doubt be scared of the surroundings.  Your presence, love and caring will be important to make this time as comfortable as possible for him regardless of how difficult it is for you.  It will also be your chance to say goodbye to a friend.   You will find in life that those opportunities are rare.

Love, Dad

Posted in Love, Relationships | Tagged , | Comments Off on Morgan

About the Letters

Posted on March 15, 2009 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,

I have found over the years that there are some mornings when I sit down to write this letter that it is quite difficult to find a subject.  Not because there isn’t something I could write about.  It is usually that I have too many things (alligators, lions and bears) going on and while any one of them could be fodder for a letter, they are not something I would want to elaborate on and have in print, even though I may have strong opinions about them.  I have touched on a few subjects in the past and have had to deal with the fallout, which wasn’t where I wanted to spend my time.  Past experiences have shown me that it is better not to share in the immediate those thoughts, and if at all, let them live for another time, when my only voice is in print.  Maybe that is self-censoring for the moment, but the purpose of these letters, when I started, was to share myself as a person and some of my life’s philosophies with you, my children, so that you in the present and possibly future generations, may know me better.  Then ultimately in the process, achieve a level of communication that I did not have with my parents, grand parents and certainly generations previous.  Kind of filling in the dash between my birth date and demise on my stone.

 There is, of course always the risk of damaging relationships in the present, when points of view are shared and not mutually appreciated.  Anticipating the possible reactions from some of you and configuring the message in a way to carry the point becomes almost a game for me and certainly a challenge at other times.  To occasionally, when needed, cleverly deliver an esoteric message to one person, while several read it, is what I find to be the “fun part” and also proves most challenging. 

 I tend to write in the immediate and am usually influenced by things going on in my life.  It has helped create a diary of sorts as my life continually changes, be it geographical, philosophical, physical or relational.  There have been times when I have gone back and read some of these messages and can see how I and my life has changed over the years.  I now feel that this is beginning to accomplish what I set out to do and hopefully someday will be seen as gesture having merit.

 My life presently, is exactly what I have chosen to make it, now and over the years.  Mostly by one little decision at a time, compounded to make the whole.  If I am not retired and relaxing in “The Bahamas” or enjoying the fairways of some distant golf course, it is solely my choice and the choices that have brought me here in this moment.  In retrospect, if I did not “put enough nuts away” for this winter of my life, well it is because I chose to eat them with ice cream in the summer and fall in the sun, while fattening myself up.  So, now it is the time to become like the hibernating Bear in a “Bear Market” and bear with it while bearing in mind that barely surviving is better than not.  (Sorry I couldn’t help myself with that one.)

 Would I like things to be different right now?  Sure, many would.  While my list is presently longer than I would like, I also know it could always be worse.  To realize that, I need only to look around and not very far.    

 To quote Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) the German Philosopher,

 “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger”. 

Tattoo What Doesnt I’m starting to think Tattoo…  Maybe I could live with this one.  It does fit my belief system, has survived the ages and a good compliment to my “Tigger” tattoo.  Humm…

 Love, Dad

Posted in Relationships, Thoughts, Weekend Letter | Comments Off on About the Letters

Superstitions & Urges

Posted on October 15, 2006 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,

 Last Friday was my sisters 66th birthday.  I suppose that when your birthday is on the 13th you have to expect that it will also be on a Friday.  I don’t think Karen ever had the mindset to be superstitious and therefore would have remained unaffected by the coincidence.  That is probably a good thing, as I know of some people who would be “bummed out” if their birthday were on such a day.   I find it funny sometimes how people will alter what they do and even change travel plans based on superstition.  Ever wonder how many people won’t fly on Friday the 13th?  Nothing new really, but interesting just the same, as I have seen people let the coincidences of numbers make business decisions.  I have worked with one.  Scary, but I guess you have to believe in something, so for them there must be a higher power setting all of this up and sending it’s message via numbers, mainly repetitious ones at that.  There is something to think about, as it could be a whole new religion, although I suspect it already exist somewhere.  Numerology maybe?

 So on another note… and some may find this just as strange… I have “an urge”, I think that is the right word, (I would prefer that one over “a compulsion”, as compulsion implies mental issues far worse than urges do), anyhow, to free the marbles from spray paint cans.  Ok, that even sounds a bit weird as “free” implies that they were put there against their will.  Understand that I do not believe that marbles have a “will”, but then again, if they did… I don’t think I would like being sealed up in a can and shook around in the darkness, while being immersed in solutions containing petroleum anymore that you would.  So yesterday while at the shop, I took the time and opened 25 spray cans that I had been saving for the special occasion and to satisfy the “urge”.  Anyway… I do remember as child doing this to get at the marble inside after my dad had emptied a can or two and when marbles had value for trading with my friends.  Now that I think about it more, I think my dad showed me how to do it without getting paint all over me or cut and bleeding in the process, thereby satisfying an adolescent curiosity. 

 I suppose that along with this comes a desire to know just what kind of marble you will find.  After all, like many other things in this life, you never really know until you do it.  I seem to recall that the marbles years ago were prettier and some even had designs inside like stars.  Today, they are mostly solid colors and I suspect most are even made in China like so many other things.  Still, I enjoy doing it when I find the time, as it takes me back, if for just a moment to those halcyon days of my youth when marbles were important, life was simpler and every day was a new adventure.

 I don’t wish to be back there, but I do enjoy the memories just the same. 

 Love, Dad

Posted in Childhood, Thoughts, Weekend Letter | Tagged , | Comments Off on Superstitions & Urges

Dreams Left Behind

Posted on March 19, 2005 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning

At least 5” in diameter the tightly wound heavy roll of papers originally a hew of blue now yellowed on the edges and aged from the years of storage, holds within designs of a dream not finished, but for fate and time, having to be left behind like so much excess baggage on a wagon train.  So much passion, thought, planning, time and anticipation of living in the home are wrapped up in the pages destine likely now never to leave its two-dimensional existence.

How long do we hold onto a dream that cannot come true?  What is it that is the final trigger that lets us… let go, that point when we have to face our own mortality and in doing so realize that there is just not enough time for this particular dream to happen and even if it did, we probably would not be around very long to enjoy it.

It is part of the process of aging, growth in wisdom and acceptance of a life reality.  Just one of the exercises we must all do along the way to realizing that we cannot do it all… no matter how much we try.  There will always be something left behind… it is unavoidable if we have dreamed at all.

I think the saddest thing would be to not have the unfinished dreams to leave behind.  I believe it is far better to have had too many, than too few and have lived in a quagmire of uncertainty, plodding through each day without the desire for tomorrows dreams fulfilled.

That said, it is still difficult to let go of something that represents “what could have been” and the  “joy that could have been”.  Unrequited dreams just like unrequited love, can last for a lifetime and wishfulness lives in us all, to the end of our days.

The only solution was to give it to a friend, and in doing so being able to hold on to the possibility that it could come true at the very least for someone else to enjoy.  In that way the dream is not completely lost and the effort not lost in vain.  There is peace in the process fulfilled by sharing of the dream.

Dream lots of dreams so you have some left behind to give away.

Love, Dad

Image from: Active Inspections and Energy Ratings LLC

Posted in Thoughts, Weekend Letter | Tagged , | Comments Off on Dreams Left Behind

The Visitor

Posted on August 16, 2003 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning!

She looked to be in her mid to late 70s.  I could see that the years had furrowed her face and I was sure that her eyes had seen many hardships from a common life.  Her gray hair was disheveled, her body full and that as one would expect as the many years had worked their ways.  In a “T” shirt, denims, street shoes and one right-hand workman’s glove, she moved with a silent determination and at first, I thought she was here to pick the annual black berries that were now so prolific on the vines, down below the house and slightly in the swale. 

As she worked her way slowly and cautiously past the berries and into the wet part of the swale, it became apparent that she was on a different quest.  Now something was just not right.  You know how it is when things don’t quite add up?  Well, this was one of those times.  I watched as she worked her way deeper into the brambles and as she would look around, occasionally up at me, pausing without expression.  My call to her offering help unanswered, it was then that the police were summoned. 

Before the two officers arrived, she had worked her way just out of my sight having come back out of her inroads only twice briefly as if to re-evaluate her progress.  There was now blood on her hands and arms from the thorns of the berries.  The vines can be vicious and have no regard for any age, but especially so for one with such thin skin.   I am concerned and at the same time engulfed with a sad feeling for this soul that has lost her way.  In this state of confusion, her life to this point would be just a blur and the loved ones along the way, a faint recognition. 

Isn’t that the way it works, we are held to one another with our memories of the emotions we have shared?  A birth, personal tragedy, jubilation and celebration of achievement or shared death of a pet all blend into the experience.  It doesn’t really matter what, how or where, as they are all shared emotion that makes memories and through the memories comes bonding.  Bonding that forms the framework for love and love becomes the riches of our life.  For the woman, at this moment she was losing it all, all of those things that she would have held dear and the ones who cared for her.  I think that is what made me sad for her and feeling what she has lost. 

The officers talked gently to her and eventually coaxed her from the bog.  Patience was the order of the day, for it takes time to understand the state of mind someone is in, and especially when they are confused with their surroundings and the essence of their soul.  

Now there are six officers and three paramedics on the scene.  She is sitting on the lower wall with the officers, shaking, confused and weeping.  Trying to explain her situation and what she was doing.  How can someone make sense out of an irrational action and then explain it to someone else?  Maybe just discovering what has happened and frightened at the days ahead. 

I would think it terrifying to come out of a nebulous state of mind and not know where you had been, done or even what had gone on.  I find it amazing that some people induce that state on themselves.  Although it could even be worse remembering and realizing that it could happen again beyond your control. 

Her husband is here now and talking with two officers.  He apparently has been looking for her since she had wandered off at the mall behind our house.  I am grateful that we were on the deck and heard her in the brush, for she could have ended up back in the swale lost, desperate and possible expired there.  The ambulance staff works with her now and she breaks down in tears when she looks up and sees her husband. 

She eventually agrees to go to the hospital for checkup and from there the decisions of her life may well now come from others.  I do not know her and probably never will, yet I know of her in seeing my mother in her confusion and the loss of all we had cherished for so many years, gone just as quickly.  We are the memories we leave behind and the lives we have touched.  They carry on just as our children carry our genes.  It is my hope that this woman is comfortable wherever she ends up and her days may still contain some memories of better times.

As you go about your day-to-day, please remember to leave a little of yourself with the ones you love. 

Love, Dad

Posted in Health, Observations, Thoughts, Weekend Letter | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Visitor

Recipe ~ Mom’s Potato Salad

Posted on November 21, 2000 by Jon Long Sr

The Story,

In the late 1940s we lived just outside of Portland, Oregon in the little town of Hillsboro.  My mom worked at a grocery store named Tipton’s in what we would now consider the deli section.  Mom would make her Potato Salad along with other salads at home and then bring them in for the deli.  You could do that back then.  Mom “trained” her replacement who happened to be Mildred Reser on how she made her potato salad before she left.  Mrs. Reser started her business making potato salad from her home and secured a contract with Safeway Stores in 1951 after we had moved to California.

This story was told to me by my mother after she had moved back to Hillsboro and I have no reason to doubt it.  When I buy potato salad these days, I always go for Reser’s Mustard Potato Salad, as it is the closest to my mom’s that I have found.  Now I’m sure the recipe has changed some over the years, but this one will keep you coming back for more.   As with all of my Mom’s recipes, don’t skimp at least the first time when you make it.  There will be more opportunities to tweak it next time.

Ingredients:  (Serves Many)

  • 10lbs of Russett Potatoes
  • 3 Dozen Large Eggs
  • 6 Bunches of Green Onions (Use tops as desired)
  • 2 Cans Medium Black Olives (Sliced not diced)
  • 2 Jars Chopped Pimentos
  • 2 Quarts Sweet Pickles (Cut in small pieces)
  • 2 Quarts Best Foods Mayonnaise
  • 1 Cup Yellow Mustard
  • 1/2 Cup White Vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Sweet Pickle Vinegar
  • 1-1/3 Cup Sugar
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix:

  • Clean, quarter and boil potatoes with skins on.  Remove skins after cooked and cut in 1/4″-1/2″ slices in large mixing bowl.
  • Hard boil eggs and peel.  Slice eggs once length ways and the in 1/2″ slices.  Put in mixing bowl.
  • Clean and Chop Green Onions in 1/4″ slices at least 1/2 way up the greens. Put in mixing bowl.
  • Slice Sweet Pickles once length ways and then in 1/4″ slices.  Put in mixing bowl.  Save Pickle Vinegar from jars.
  • Drain and add Black Olives  and Pimentos to mixing bowl.

Dressing:

  • In a separate mixing bowl add:
    • Mayonnaise
    • Mustard
    • White Vinegar
    • Sweet Pickle Vinegar
    • Sugar
    • Salt & Pepper
  • Mix until blended. (not whipped)

Gently blend dressing into mixing bowl ingredients until it is a consistency you like and well mixed.  Keep any extra dressing to thin later.

The Potato Salad may still be warm, so unless you are going to serve it right away, put it in the refrigerator to chill.  I find it is better the next day when the flavor really starts to come out.

Note: As with any salad that contains mayonnaise, it is a good idea to keep it refrigerated when not serving.

Enjoy.

Posted in Food, Recipe | Tagged | 2 Comments

Recipe ~ Chili Colorado

Posted on November 21, 2000 by Jon Long Sr

Senior’s Chili Colorado Recipe (Con-Carne)

I have enjoyed Chili Colorado for many years since my good friend Don Sutter introduced me to it at The El Sombrero in Portland, Oregon in the eighties.  This is a recipe which if you enjoy cooking and preparation should satisfy.  Much like riding a motorcycle, it is the journey much more than the destination.  I welcome any comments and suggestions that you feel will enhance this recipe for others.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 14             Medium to Large Dried Guajillo Chili Peppers
  • 9            Large Dried New Mexico Chili Peppers
  • 2.5lbs        Chuck Roast
  • 1              Walla-Walla Sweet Onion (preferred)
  • 10             Cloves Garlic
  • 1              Cup Beef Broth
  • 1 tbsp      Ground Cumin Seed
  • 1 tsp        Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp        Ground Sea Salt
  • 3 tbsp      Flour (Varies)

Essential Tools:  Large Fry Pan, Blender, Wire Strainer, Cooking Pot or Crock Pot.

Preparation:

Remove stems and slice peppers lengthwise then fold open.  Remove seeds and veins.  Once all peppers have been cleaned, cut into 1-inch pieces, (I use a Kitchen Shear) place in small bowl and cover with 3 cups boiling water to hydrate.  Make sure all peppers are covered in water, cover and let set for 1-hour.  Turn peppers now and then to make sure all are exposed to water.  Once peppers are hydrated strain red water into blender.  Sear peppers in very hot fry pan with minimum oil then put in blender.  Do not clean fry pan.

Peel 10-Garlic Cloves and put in blender along with peppers.  Add Ground Cumin Seed, Black Pepper and Salt to blender. Puree/Liquefy.  Strain the contents of blender and add to crock-pot.  This is to remove any pepper skin and seeds that did not hydrate.

Peel Onion and cut into half-inch chunks and put in blender along with 1/2 cup of beef broth.  Puree/Liquefy.  Strain the contents of blender and add to crock-pot.

Cut Chuck Roast into 1-inch squares.  Sear meat with minimum oil in fry pan ½-lb at a time to brown all sides.  Add meat to crock-pot along with drippings from fry pan.  Gently fold all contents until mixed.

Cook at “low” setting covered for a minimum of 6-hours.  Gently stir now and then so not to break up the meat.

Uncover last hour.  Make a creamy paste with flour and cold water and add enough paste necessary to thicken chili to a creamy texture.

Serve hot with heated flour tortillas, black beans, grated cheese, chopped onion and sour cream on the side.

Want the recipe hotter?  Use more New Mexico and less Guajillo Chili Peppers.  You can also add ground Cayenne Pepper at the end if the batch is not hot enough.

Bon Appétit

 

 

Posted in Food, Recipe | Tagged , | Comments Off on Recipe ~ Chili Colorado

Recipe ~ Mom’s Mashed Potatoes

Posted on November 21, 2000 by Jon Long Sr

One of the staples of my mom’s meal was her mashed potatoes and they are still lovingly made today by our familyfor special meals.  Mind you these are not just any mashed potatoes and if you are a lover of such things, then

these will surely win you over.

Here is the recipe and remember if you take this on…don’t skimp, she may be watching.

  • 10lbs. of Russet Potatoes
  • 1lb. Real Butter (softened)
  • 1 Pkg. (8oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
  • 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 Pint Half & Half
  • 1 Tsp Paprika

Clean, quarter and boil potatoes with the skins on, drain water, then peel and lightly mash into a large mixing bowl.  While still hot add the butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt and then after mixing by hand, add half & half to thin as desired.  Place in a large bowl, dot with butter and sprinkle lightly with a little Paprika for color.

All of this should be done a little before serving, as the mashed potatoes will thicken from sitting.  If they have to be transported to another place a crock pot works great and you may want to make them thinner to start.

So there you have it.  The mashed potatoes are guaranteed to be a hit and usually always demand seconds, so if you are thinking of cutting down on the recipe, you may wish to reconsider.  I have actually seen some guest opt out of pie and go back for more mashed potatoes.

Posted in Food, Recipe | Tagged | Comments Off on Recipe ~ Mom’s Mashed Potatoes