Leftovers and filling the fridge

What on earth have I bought?

We have been in the house for a week now and cooking has been a bit of a challenge. Time is limited because the kid won't stay content in one place for longer than 20 minutes unless she is eating. We have done the big restock grocery shop but still have managed to buy nothing. There is a lot of baby food but that is a little limited for adult meal plans unless you are on that stupid Hollywood "Baby Food Diet" (which would be effective if you have ever smelled the peas). Before the move was the eat your way out of the freezer diet which eventually left us with the fabulous pairing of corn and hashbrowns. Oddly enough, the freezer currently has corn and hashbrowns and not much else.
I am loving the gas stove and how well it cooks everything. The novelty of cooking perfect rice will hopefully wear off soon so we can maybe try a different side dish. I did boil potatoes for a garlic mash last night and they cooked evenly and perfectly. Adding garlic powder directly to mashed potatoes can be overpowering and adding fresh or minced directly can add it to your teeth and give the spuds a funky texture. To maximize the flavour, add the fresh or minced garlic into the potato pot while they are boiling to infuse them with the flavour.
The very best part of making mashed potatoes are the leftovers that follow. In our family there were two options for leftover mashed potatoes: fry them up the next day until they developed a bit of a crust or potato cakes. Potato cakes are probably one of the best reasons for potatoes to exist and one of the easiest things to do with them. Take the cold leftover mashed potatoes out of the fridge, add small amounts of flour to them and mix well until you have a play dough type consistency. Roll your mixture in a piece of plastic wrap so you have a 2-3 inch tube of potatoly goodness. Unwrap and then slice into 1 inch thick circles. Cook the patties in a frying pan with some melted butter until each side is golden brown. Serve with ketchup (of course).
If you are like me and enjoy the treasures that a late night visit to the fridge yields, a cold potato cake with ketchup is one of the best (even better if there is a cold piece of bacon to wash it down with).
Eat well,
Jennifer