Mama's Birthday Dinner Pt. 1

It was my mom's birthday last week, and I said I'd make dinner for her and my dad this Sunday. I'll be honest, I offered to in order strut what little stuff I've got. So, here's the menu:

Round 1: Mixed-green salad w/ sliced almonds, goat cheese and a raspberry vinegarette
Round 2: Shepherd's Pie w/ home-made mashed potatoes
Round 3: Chocolate cupcakes w/ vanilla frosting, almond gelato w/ raspberry sauce

Because I didn't want to be completely overwhelmed come Sunday, I decided to do some prep work tonight. I whipped up the mashed potatoes and all of Round 3.

Mashed potatoes - not that hard. However, here is an explanation!

Fig. 1: Anatomy of the potato

1: Boil a large pot of water, leaving room for the water displacement of the potatoes.
2: Use as many potatoes as you think are necessary. Want a small serving? Just use 3 or 4. Feeding the      United Nations? Use at least over 9,000. However many you think you need, you should use!
3: (optional) Peel the potatoes. I prefer skins in mine, but whatever you like.
4. Slice 'em and dice 'em. I cut mine hot dog style, then cut them 4-5 times perpendicular to the first cut.

Fig. 2: Cutting Diagram

5: When your water's boiling, pitch those potatoes into the pot!
6: Let the potatoes cook until they're soft (you'll know when they're done).
7: Drain water, throw in as much butter, milk, and seasonings you need, then mash them to HELL!!!

Traditional seasonings include:
*Salt
*Pepper
*Garlic
*Rosemary

Traditional seasons do not include:
*Shark fin
*Saltpeter
*Tin cans
*Astronauts

Remember: start lightly with your seasonings! You can always add more later!

So, mashed potatoes: done. On to cupcakes!

I used this recipe as the base, but altered the cook time to 15-17 minutes, due to the cake/cupcake pan size ratio. To finish these suckers, I crushed some sliced almonds and shaved some dark chocolate, then sprinkled them on the frosted cupcakes. Made some raspberry syrup, bought some almond gelato, POW dessert finished. Next post, I'll be running through the salad and Shepherd's Pie.

P.S. Like much of kitchen work, baking can seem intimidating at first, but remember: get it close enough, and it'll work out, for better or worse!