Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Every thanksgiving day, we have our official big meal as a family at 12 noon.  I also try to make it to the Thanksgiving mass at my church before this meal. This mass starts at 9:30 am so I have to have everything almost done when I arrive or ready to go in the oven or the stove or microwave.

After mass, usually the turkey is ready to come out of the oven and the traditional green bean casserole could then be baked.  If there are pies, they can also be baked then.  This year I requested my married daughter to bring the pies and the rolls. I still had to prepare the side dishes namely the mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potatoes and gravy and also keep them hot.  So I resorted to my three multi-purpose crock pots.  Here was my timeline.

I peeled my potatoes and cut them the day before and stored them over water in the crock pot bowl and kept them in the fridge.  I sauteed the onions and celery for the cornbread stuffing in the butter called for in the recipe of the boxed stuffing mix in another crock pot bowl using the sauteed setting or (you can also use the steam setting) and stored the sauteed mixture in the bowl and kept them in the fridge.  I also prepared the ingredients for the green beans casserole in a dish except for the french onions and kept it in the fridge. I took out the turkey that has been defrosting in the fridge for 5 days and further defrosted it in a sink full of cold water.  I then slept.

I woke up in the morning and microwaved the sweet potatoes, peeled them and placed them in a crock pot bowl with the coconut oil and coconut brown sugar (recipe coming soon).  I slow cooked them for 2 hours while I was at church.  I drained the water from the potatoes and added to them the water and milk called for in the recipe below, the bouillon cubes and fresh garlic.  I slow cooked it for two hours, mashed them and added the rest of the ingredients below before I went to church.  The mashed potatoes was kept warm by the keep warm mode of the crock pot.

I added the water needed to the crock pot with the sauteed onions and celery for the dressing and allow the mixture to boil using the steam mode of the crock pot.  Once the mixture boiled I added the boxed corn bread stuffing and changed the setting to the keep warm mode and stirred the mixture.

I removed the sweet potatoes from the crock pot and transferred them to the serving dish and wiped the crock pot cleaned.  I transferred the broth that came from the baked turkey to the crock pot and allowed it to boil using the steam mode of the crock pot.  Once boiling, I added the slurry of cornstarch in water and whisked the mixture till it was thick.  I then kept it at the keep warm mode in the crock pot.

I placed the green bean casserole in the oven when I took out the turkey which I allowed to rest.  When my daughter and family arrived every dish was warm thanks to the crock pot.

This was the least stressful thanksgiving feast I have ever prepared except I forgot to buy the can of whole cranberries.

Here is the recipe for the slow cooker garlic mashed potatoes which I adapted from this recipe.  I lessened the liquid called for in the recipe and used cream cheese instead of sour cream. Everybody liked it including my two picky tasters, my husband and son in law.

Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from this recipe

• 5 lbs red potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 chicken  bouillon cubes
• 5 large cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes, milk, water and chicken bouillon cubes in the slow cooker bowl.  Place the garlic cloves on top.  Slow cook for 3 hours at high setting or 6 hours at low.  I cooked mine in an Aroma Brand rice cooker/slow cooker for 2 hours at slow cooker setting.

Using a potato masher, mash the cooked potatoes right in the slow cooker bowl. Stir in the butter and cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Baked Pepper Pierogie Casserole

Are you looking for an easy and a crowd pleaser of a casserole?  This is the dish to fall back on. You just need a couple of packages of frozen pierogies thawed or better yet some homemade ones if available and pour your favorite marinara or pasta sauce over it.  For more flavor throw in some sausages and green or red or yellow peppers and you are good to go to your next pot luck.

I happen to have some homemade pierogies that I bought from our church. The cheese potato filling was prepared by Sharon Torick and the dough from Sharon's recipe was made by volunteers from our church who mixed the ingredients, flattened out the dough, shaped them into circles and crimped the edges. Another group boiled the pierogies, drained them and packaged them for sale as a fundraiser.  We made about two hundred dozens in two days as a group.  I actually made the circles. Here are some photos from the pierogie making party (it is always a party when women and men from our church gather!).

These homemade pierogies are good cooked in butter topped with sauteed onions but I wanted a healthier way to serve them and I came up with this recipe.  Note no butter was used and vegetables were added plus nutritious good old tomatoes.

I brought this to a pot luck and the guests gave it a thumbs up.  I might add my picky taster, my husband Bob, gave the big OK too.

Baked Pepper Pierogie Casserole

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow or red pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 pieces smoked sausage, cut into cubes (about a cup) (optional)
• 24 potato cheese pierogies (homemade or from a package)
• 1-24 oz jar marinara or pasta sauce
• cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Heat the oil in a saute pan at medium heat. Add the pepper and onion in the heated oil in the pan and saute till the vegetables are crisp.  

Spray a 13 x 9 glass pan or other casserole dish with cooking spray. Distribute the pierogies on the casserole dish.  Pour the marinara or pasta sauce over the pierogies.  Distribute the sauteed vegetables and sausage cubes (if using). Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.