SO hope that didn’t offend any of my Christmas lovin’ friends :) Of course, you know I don’t really feel that way! I LOVE all the Christmas fun & festivities! I’m especially a fan of Christmas Even dinner :) For the last 6 years, I’ve celebrated with Mr. Spouse’s family up north and every Christmas Eve we dine on a huge buffet of the most delicious appetizers and finger foods. Well, this year we spent Christmas Eve all by ourselves and I refused to order take-out {even though that’s what I REALLY wanted to do :)} Instead I decided to whip up a meal I knew we’d be happy to say, “We eat that EVERY Christmas Eve!!” This is one of Mr. Spouse’s FAVORITE dishes. I still think his mom is the master at making these, but I gotta say that my recreation wasn’t too far off. I’ll put it this way…Mr. Spouse licked his plate clean and then went back for more :)
RITA’S CHEESY MASHED POTATOES
4-5 large potatoes
1 {8 oz.} pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. Lipton Onion Soup & Dip Mix {Recipe Secrets}
1 1/2-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Milk, to taste
Peel potatoes and boil. Remove when potatoes are super soft and ready to be mashed. I like to cut my potatoes up in small chunks so they cook faster when they’re boiling. Transfer to a large bowl, mash, and add cream cheese & onion soup mix.
Mix with blender until well blended. The consistency will be pretty thick. If that’s how you like your potatoes, stop there! We like ‘em a little smoother, so I added some milk and mixed. Then I added a little more and mixed again. When they were finally a consistency that made me happy, I stopped :)
Transfer potatoes to a 2qt. baking dish and add cheese. Mix until well blended and cook on 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
Like I said, this is one of Mr. Spouses favorite dishes. I usually make these for him on his birthday because he likes ‘em so dang much. I LOVE potatoes and this variation makes my potato lovin’ heart swell.
