A few years ago, I learned from The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet that it is possible to mix and mash white and sweet potatoes. No, the nutritionist in me had never thought of it before. Keep in mind that I had only ever had sweet potatoes with cinnamon and sugar and didn't realize there was more to their value. I've since learned to love sweet potatoes.

I hope this is my last depressing post for a while. I feel so bad about it, I couldn't even post a larger photograph out of embarrassment. The plate looked much more monochromatic than I expected it to. Everyone knows that a more colorful plate is generally a more healthy plate. And I thought it didn't taste so good. Fortunately, I have a very forgiving husband, and he blamed my incompetency on the antibiotics I was taking because he thought everything was fine. But for a driven person and perfectionist like myself, fine just isn't good enough.

I write this post with my humblest and sincerest apologies to cookbook author, Mary Sheehan. Paul won a copy of her cookbook quite some time ago, and there was always something keeping me from investigating it and cooking some of her recipes. Well, I dug out the book when I was rearranging the kitchen. (I've read you should create a door in your kitchen with unbreakables so a child can play without restriction. I'm getting ready!) And I came across a recipe to use quinoa.

Some of these jars of dehydrated rosemary are actually part of Christmas gifts. So, I'd better share a few ideas for using them. At first, I wondered how anyone could ever use up so much, but now I realize I had too limited of an imagination. However, first, I'd better tell you how I dried them.

Firstly, I guess I lied. I said I would never make mashed potatoes another way after having the Garlic and Rosemary ones. However, I made these mashed potatoes for a pot luck and know that most people like creamy, skinless potatoes with basic flavors. Secondly, I started this recipe using the Barefoot Contessa's "limited time availability" recipe on foodnetwork.tv. (As an FYI, this recipe is only published around the time a show airs due to legal reasons.) However, when I tasted her product, I was disappointed and chose to edit it my way.