low calorie desserts: 2012

31 Aralık 2012 Pazartesi

Sweet & Sour Chicken

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I've found my favorite sweet and sour chicken! I've tried several kinds with different sauces but this one wins. Yea, it's kinda a pain to bread it, fry it and then bake it but it's totally worth it. I made a double batch. This makes a lot. I wanted leftovers. I also made a lot of sauce. I like sauce. I like to add it to my rice and broccoli. So feel free to halve the recipe below if you don't need this much food.

I used splenda instead of sugar. This sauce uses a lot of sugar. I like sweet sauces. We have it here in bulk and I've found that it tastes fine in dishes like this. You can use sugar, it's up to you. I also added pineapple to the recipe. Normally, I love pineapple in sweet and sour chicken so of course, I thought it could only make this better. Wrong. It wasn't bad but for some reason, it didn't add to it. I almost didn't like the sauce with the pineapple. Weird, huh. I absolutely loved this sweet and sour chicken and I know I'll be making it again.

Sweet & Sour Chicken
Adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

3 lbs. chicken, cut into bite sized chunks
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
2 eggs + 1 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. olive oil

3 1/2 cups sugar (I used splenda)
1 1/2 cups ketchup
3 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. minced garlic

2 red peppers
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks

If you're making as much as I did here, you'll want to use 2 pans to cook your chicken if you're able to. It will go much faster. Heat 1 tbsp. per pan.

Set up a bowl with the egg and water. Set up another bowl with your cornstarch. Dip the chicken into the egg, then the cornstarch. Then drop it into the pan. I made my daughter bread all the chicken first and then I cooked it. Better her young fingers get messy than mine.

As the chicken browns, put it into a 12 x 15 in. baking pan. If you aren't privileged enough to have one of these big pans, you can use 2 - 9 x 13 in. pans. You're not cooking the chicken entirely, you're just trying to get a nice crust on it.

Combine the sugar (splenda), ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and minced garlic into a big bowl. I know this seems like a lot of sauce but you have a lot of chicken to coat plus you know you're going to want more sauce for the rice and veggies, right?

When chicken is done browning, pour sauce over the chicken. Stir and stick it into the oven for 1 hour at 350. Stir like every 15 minutes. After about 30 minutes, add your peppers and pineapple. At this point you'll be so overcome by the amazing smell that you will want to taste a piece of chicken. Go ahead, it's okay, I know it's amazing.

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My Crappy Calendar for 2013

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You know those big wall calendars? Well, I don't hang mine but I use it for everything. My husbands work schedule, kids' volunteer schedule, appointments, outings, everything. I usually end up get one earlier in the year when they are expensive. I hate spending like $16.99 for a stupid calendar. My kids want me to get the cool ones with Angry Birds or Star Wars or something like that. Too expensive. I will get the free ones from Betty Crocker or something but I like these because they are stiffer and easier for me to use at my desk. Well, this year I got mine later than usual. I had post it notes all over my desk with information about January. So it was time to get a calendar. We went to Menards and the had some calendars for $4.99. Cheap enough for me. I was sold.

I had the choice of horses, landscapes and outhouses. My daughter, the horse lover of the family got the horse calendar. I'm not really into horses. I think my last calendar was some sort of landscapes. I don't look at the pictures so I don't really know. Or care. Outhouses. Seriously? Somebody made a calendar featuring outhouses? Tee-hee. This was perfect. Clearly I'm not the only one with a warped sense of humor and would totally not be embarrassed to have outhouse pictures at her desk every month. I thought it was hilarious. My family shook their head at me but I was totally getting the outhouses.

I found some of the pictures hilariously interesting. Mays featured outhouse is brick and appears to be cemented into the ground. One of the doors is missing, revealing an extremely grungy looking toilet. In the background appears to be a desert? At first I though it was water but it looks dry and flat. So glad that if someone is walking along the desert that there is some place to relieve themselves. If they dare go inside. Octobers outhouse is nestled in amongst some beautiful wildflowers near a lake. This would of course be the picnic spot I would pick. Closest to the outhouse of course. Decembers outhouse is perched right in the middle of a forest. I'm picturing wandering or lost travelers trying to find their way and finding relief at the outhouse they find in the middle of the forest. My kids think that this looks like Shreks outhouse. When I first saw this calendar, I thought, "Who would take pictures of outhouses?" Then I thought, "What's more strange? Someone taking pictures of outhouses or the person taking pictures OF pictures of outhouses?" Hmmm...

There was a joke floating around facebook around the holidays. It showed a picture of Santa and his reindeer parked on top of an outhouse. Santa was yelling at the reindeer saying, "I told you to go to the SCHMIDT house!!!" Tee-hee.

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I'll Have My Pie & Eat It Too!

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...with Thanksgiving in my heart!

Many people gain weight through the holiday season as families get together and feast. In the past you have probably overeaten the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and then when it's time for dessert you are completely stuffed. However, you eat dessert anyway, because it's there. Plus it's delicious. Plus it wouldn't feel right somehow if you didn''t indulge in your favorite dessert on the holiday. It becomes a tradition. Most Americans probably throw their hands up in dismay the period from Thanksgiving through Christmas intent on starting a healthy program by New Year's Day. Why wait? You can still work out and control your portions through the notoriously self-indulgent holiday season.

My advice would be to plan ahead. Do not think with your stomach. We have all been through this period of overeating, and then we feel guilty later. Let's stop learning the hard way (or just not learning at all).

My late Grandmother McSparin (Grandma Mac) was excellent at self-control. She would always make a huge feast for everyone, with all my Aunts' and my Mother's help of course. However, when Grandma Mac finally sat down to eat she would just have a tiny portion of each dish she wanted to taste. She was tiny, and she was probably technically underweight for her height. Still, there is something to learn from her. If you know you are most excited about dessert, then don't fill up on everything else just because it's there.

First I would rather have a perfect bite of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing. Then I skip all the sides that I might have on any given day of the year. If it isn't my favorite, then I skip it. I take only a small portion of what I might like the first time around. I only go back for seconds on the dishes that I really truly crave. This slows me down long enough to realize that I am already getting full. Then for dessert I try to stick to a small portion of my top two favorites. For Thanksgiving it's a sliver of pumpkin pie and a sliver of pecan pie. For Christmas it's a nice slice of my Mom's homemade pumpkin cake roll. If all three are present on a holiday, then I skip the pumpkin pie. (Hey, at least that's something.)

This year I wised up BIG TIME! I know all I want is just a taste of dessert. Cutting just a sliver of pie or breaking a cookie in half just looks so "pidiot" (so pious about your diet that everyone thinks you are an idiot). JK! In light of this epiphany, I spent the entire afternoon making mini pumpkin pie and mini pecan pie tartlets. I would love to tell you that I slaved away perfecting these recipes, but I actually got them from Better Homes and Gardens: Cookies Cookies Cookies Christmas Time Treats. I tried to find the recipes on their website, but this book is circa 1992 so surprise! It's not on their website. I subbed in Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour so my gluten-free hubby could have some dessert. The tartlets won his coveted seal of approval. Hubba, hubba! I'm pretty sure nobody has said hubba, hubba since 1942. Lol!

Here are the recipes:

TINY TARTS

1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter, softened
3 ounces package softened cream cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour

DOUBLE THE TART RECIPE IF YOU ARE MAKING BOTH KINDS OF TARTS.

PECAN FILLING

1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted margarine or 1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

PUMPKIN FILLING

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Tarts:.In a mixing bowl, beat margarine or butter and cream cheese until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour. Chill the dough for one hour. Roll rounded-teaspoonsbul of dough into 24 equal balls. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of mini-muffin 1 3/4-inch muffin cup non-stick tin. Filling:. In a small mixing bowl, stir ingredients together until mixed well. Fill each pastry with 1 heaping teaspoon of desired filling.

Baking:For pecan pie tartlets bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until filling is set and crust is lightly browned. Cool slightly in pans. Remove tea cakes from pans and cool on wire racks. Makes 24.

For pumpkin pie tartlets bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes or until filling is set and crust is lightly browned. Cool slightly in pans. Remove tea cakes from pans and cool on wire racks. Makes 24.Calories:
Pecan Pie Tarts per tart: 128 calories (It sure makes me think twice about having a whole slice of pie!)
Pumpkin Pie Tarts per tart: 66 calories
Pssst! Since I can't have my Mom's pumpkin cake roll this year, I topped the pumpkin pie tartlets with her decadent, homemade cream cheese frosting that she makes for the pumpkin cake roll. Who says a girl can't have it all!!!!???

550 Calories & Under at Applebee's

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As research for the book I am writing, I tried the Garlic Sirloin off the 550 Calorie & Under Menu at Applebee's last night for dinner. I must say it was delicious. However, one of my clients had warned me that he didn't really buy that those entrees are actually under 550 calories. Now I can see why. The caramelized onions underneath the steak were really greasy, delicious, but greasy. I would also say that 7 oz. of steak is a hefty portion for someone on a diet regimen. Applebee's claims in their nutrition facts that their 7 oz. House Sirloin is 250 calories. However, I looked up 7 oz. of lean broiled sirloin on CalorieKing.com, and it showed that size portion would be 373 calories. Not cool.

I have a more positive take on the sides. As you can see from my pic, the portions of the potatoes and the portabella mushroom with creamed spinach are small. Kudos to Applebee's on that. I'm persuaded to believe the sides were actually low-calorie. The potatoes tasted more like butter than herbs, but at least there wasn't a large portion. They tasted like they had been boiled, and they were not greasy with oil.

With my client's opinion in the back of my mind I saved roughly half the steak and onions. After looking up the facts today I am glad that I did that. You can see some of the remaining grease on the plate.

I would also like to point out that Applebee's does post the following disclaimer on their website:

"Variations in ingredients and preparation, as well as substitutions, will increase or decrease PointsPlus™ values and any stated nutritional values, such as calories."

Taking the nutrition facts posted on the Applebee's website with a grain of salt, here are the calories on their 550 calorie and under entrees:

Great Tasting & UNDER 550 Calories™ - includes sides
Asiago Peppercorn Steak 380
Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp 500
Grilled Dijon Chicken & Portobellos 470
Roasted Garlic Sirloin 450
Sizzling Asian Shrimp & Broccoli 470
Sizzling Chili Lime Chicken 470

Applebee's also has a Weight Watchers PointsPlus™ menu which features low-calorie entrees as well. Personally I think they should just combine the two menus and tell us both the calories and the points. The menu at the Applebee's I went to listed 550 calorie entrees and Weight Watcher's entrees on two totally separate pages. It probably has something to do with their agreement with Weight Watchers. It would be nice if both menus were on one page. Anyway, here are the calories and points on those entrees:

WEIGHT WATCHERS® includes sides

Weight Watchers® Cabernet Mushroom Sirloin 460, 12 pts.
Weight Watchers® Creamy Parmesan Chicken 470, 12 pts.
Weight Watchers® Grilled Jalapeno-Lime Shrimp 300, 8 pts.

To sum up I would definitely order the Garlic Sirloin again. It was delicious, and I appreciate that Applebee's is trying to offer some healthier options. The next time I will probably skip the onions altogether. They seemed to be the source of the grease. Now if you will excuse me, there is a leftover steak with my name on it. Lunch? Yes, please!

Sara

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!

Low-Calorie Dinner Options at Chili's

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Chili’s Grill & Bar

Salads (Dressing included unless otherwise indicated.)
Caribbean Salad with Grilled Chicken 610
Caribbean Salad with Grilled Shrimp 590
House Salad No Dressing 150
Dressing, Honey Mustard No Fat 70
Dressing, Low Fat Ranch 80
Soups (without crackers)
Chicken Enchilada Bowl 380, Cup 190
Chili’s Terlingua Chili with Toppings Bowl 360, Cup 180
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Bowl 410, Cup 210
Southwest Chicken & Sausage Bowl 330, Cup 160
Lighter Choices (as served)
Classic Sirloin 260
Grilled Chicken Salad 420
Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Steamed Broccoli 610
Lighter Choice Grilled Salmon 480
Margarita Grilled Chicken 550
Not “Just” Sides
Black Beans 100
Black Bean Patty Only 200
Rice 190
Steamed Broccoli 80
Sweet Corn on the Cob with Butter 200

27 Aralık 2012 Perşembe

Fruitcake Journey

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The journey is complete! The fruitcake journey. Remember almost 2 months ago when I started the Fruitcake Starter? A bunch of fruit, sugar and brandy, sitting on my counter making a delicious tasting fruit starter.

I patiently let it sit on my counter. I think the highlight of my day was stirring it. It really smelled good!!

The first fruit making the starter gets used for some other purpose. It's the juice that you need from that first step. I tried to take Veronica's advice and make jam with that first fruit. I needed instant pectin which I had never used. I didn't read the box or really even think about it. Instant pectin, how hard could it be? I threw the fruit, sugar, cinnamon and instant pectin together like she said and it didn't resemble jam at all. AT ALL. Then the few brain cells clicked together and I realized that I needed to cook the pectin first with water. I realize now what an incredible idiot I was and quickly threw the whole glop away before anyone knew what did. Veronica, stop laughing.

Ok, back to the fruitcake. After you get your starter liquid, it's time to soak the fruit that you will be using for the fruitcake. Stirring this daily is harder because not only does it smell really, really good, but it tasted awesome! I couldn't help dipping in early every once in awhile to taste the fruity goodness! I'm not really a patient person. It was an exciting day when I finally could drain it and make the fruitcake! Notice how I did remember to keep the liquid as I drained it? That is the stuff to start your next fruitcake. Start it, share it, keep it, freeze it, whatever.

Veronica has 2 recipes for this fruitcake on her blog. She has the cream cheese scratch version and the cake batter easy version. She recommended halving each recipe and making both. So I did. We got mixed opinions as to which was better. The kids and my brother liked the cake batter cake better. It was sweeter than the scratch version and quite tasty. My friends and I preferred the scratch version. Veronica described it like it was more the kind of cake that you would like to eat with coffee in the morning. That really is the best way to describe it. They were both good but I enjoyed the scratch version better. I ate way too much of it by the way.

Last year I made a gluten free fruitcake that was delicious. This years fruitcake is not gluten free but I do intend on trying to make a gluten free version next. Fruitcake is NOT just for the holidays. How awesome would it be to have a fruitcake at your next summer picnic! So I suggest you get the brandy out of the cupboard and get the starter going.

Friendship Fruit Cake
Recipe from Veronica's Cornucopia
This fruit cake takes a month to make, so plan ahead! The starter must be used or frozen within three days of receiving. Keep it frozen until you’re ready to use it.

Day 1
In a large glass bowl, combine:

1 pint friendship fruit starter
1 (16 oz) can sliced peaches with juice, each slice cut into 4 pieces
2 ½ cups granulated sugar

Stir every day for ten days. When not stirring mixture, keep it covered with a splatter guard, paper towel, foil, or a loose lid. Let sit at room temperature. Do not refrigerate it or cover it airtight. A pan of water underneath the jar or bowl will keep the ants out, but I had no problem with bugs since I made mine in the winter.

Day 10
Add:

1 (16 oz) can chunk pineapple with juice, each chunk cut in half
½ cup granulated sugar

Stir every day for ten days.

Day 20
Add:

2 (10 oz) jars maraschino cherries, drained, and each cherry cut in half
2 ½ cups granulated sugar

Stir every day for the final ten days.

Day 30
Drain fruit and reserve it and the liquid. Pour the liquid into three glass pint jars. Save one for yourself for your next fruit cake, and give two to friends, along with a copy of this recipe. Cake must be started within 3 days after receiving the starter or you should freeze the starter to use at a later date. Do not use plastic or metal containers to store liquid.

**If you're like me and don't have glass jars laying around, use small applesauce jars. They worked perfectly. Not the big ones that you usually get but they have this smaller size which is too small if you eat a lot of applesauce but perfect if you just want to jar. :-)

~To make the cake~Easy version
2 (18.25 oz) yellow or butter recipe golden cake mixes
2 (3.5 oz) boxes instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
8 eggs
2 cups raisins (golden or regular, or a combination)
2 cups chopped nuts
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
Reserved fruit

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour two 12-cup Bundt pans or four large loaf pans. In a very large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil and eggs. Stir in the raisins, nuts and coconut, and the reserved fruit from the starter. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. The batter will be stiff. Spread batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Sit on wire racks and wait ten minutes before turning them out onto the racks to cool completely. I spray my cakes thoroughly with water while cooling to help make them more moist—the water absorbs and does not change the flavor. Store in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap. Serve at room temperature.

Cream Cheese Version
5 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
8 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups golden raisins
2 cups chopped nuts
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
Reserved fruit

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour two 12-cup Bundt pans or 4 large loaf pans; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Beat in the oil. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients; the batter will be thick. When barely any streaks remain, mix in the raisins, nuts and coconut, and the reserved fruit from the starter stirring well. Scrape batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Place the cakes in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

**I cut each of these recipes in half and made one bundt pan of each. Be careful when you halve the recipe, it's easier if you write it out first.

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Asparaus Quiche with a Sweet Potato Crust

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I'm not a big asparagus fan. Saute it in butter and serve it the right way and it's okay but I rarely, if ever, buy it. It's just not my vegetable of choice. So why did I jump when I saw this recipe? Well, the sweet potato crust sounded amazing. The herbs go so well with the sweet potatoes and it really was a perfect quiche crust. Quiche. Now there's a word. I've always thought that sounds really fancy. Something that rich, hoity toity people make or you would only get in a fancy hotel for room service breakfast. Seriously, that is what I've always thought of the word quiche. Never did I think that I would be making quiche.

Anyways, back to the asparagus. It's not really asparagus season so I bought frozen. (actually, I have no idea when it's in season, I just couldn't find any fresh at the store.) I thought about subbing green beans or broccoli but I thought that I could be a big girl and try the asparagus. Well, it was delicious. I loved it. Quiche. Asparagus Quiche. Me? Can you believe it?

Asparagus Quiche with a Savory Sweet Potato Crust
Adapted from Life As a Plate

For the crust:
1 lb. cooked sweet potatoes
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

For the filling:
1 small onion, chopped
1 9oz. pkg frozen asparagus
1 1/2 tsp fresh garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter
10 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk

For the crust, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and then press into the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 in. pan. Bake at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes until the center is firm.

For the filling, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions, asparagus and garlic. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes until onions are slightly transparent. Let cool for 5 - 10 minutes while crust finishes cooking.

Beat eggs and milk until fluffy in a large bow. Add in the asparagus mixture to the eggs, stir and then pour into pan on top of sweet potato crust. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes until cooked through. Center will be firm and the edges slightly brown. It might take a bit longer to cook so keep an eye on it.

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You don't need expensive equipment to get a killer workout!

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Here is the class we did at Personal Best on Thursday, January 26, 2012. It was a challenge, but FUN!!!!

* JUMP ROPE - FOR 1 MIN.
* PLANK JACKS -16- MT CLIMBERS 16
COMPLETE THESE 3 EXERCISES BACK TO BACK 5 TIMES THROUGH AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

* KETTLE BELL SWINGS - 30
* HOP TURNS - 20
COMPLETE THESE 2 EXERCISES BACK TO BACK 5 TIMES THROUGH AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

* WEIGHTED JACKS- 32
* FOOT BALL HIGH STEPPING- 32 - RIGHT INTO BURPES 10
COMPLETE THESE 3 EXERCISES BACK TO BACK 5 TIMES THROUGH AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

* ROLL-UPS INTO SQUAT -THRUST INTO A PUSH-UP - 10
* LEG RAISES - 20
COMPLETE THESE EXERCISES 5 TIMES THROUGH AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

GOOD LUCK! LET ME KNOW HOW IT WORKS FOR YA!

Don't lead me on.

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Every day I navigate a parking garage.

Round and round I go until I see an open spot, excitement surges as I slow up to swing in...

..then...

Bah! Taken.

Without control my natural thought is "I hate you midget car!"

I have mixed feeling about sharing this, because I find it to be overly aggressive, inappropriate, and I'd like to think... a bit out of character for myself.

Yet every. single. time. I see one of those smaller-than-usual cars, creeped up into a normal-size spot, I feel disappointed... deceived....disgusted...and that exact thought automatically rants in my mind (sometimes even under my breath).

I feel confident that little car is snickering, with its high pitch laughter, as it watches another car mistakenly think it has found an open parking spot.

I then spend the rest of my garage parking experience (at least 3 more levels) feeling guilty for my irrational hatred and harsh reaction towards those cars.

...until I see one again, maybe on the road... maybe in a commercial...maybe in a normal-size parking spot hidden by a normal-size vehicle....and my eyes automatically squint, my jar automatically clinches...and my uncontrollable response is..."If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all." (Thanks, Mom.)

It's called a tail...

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I believe there is an invisible line on one's head that distinguishes the correct hemisphere a pony tail should rest.

And when the pony tail or messy bun-knot or bird nest ball crosses that line it becomes....

a unicorn horn...a unihorn oooor some mutation of it.

The unihorn is a hungover girl's attempt at appearing carelessly relaxed...

And just as the hungover girl feels....the unihorn appears...like shit.

Below is for your visual reference.

These girls are hungover, they just have makeup artists:

These girls are just hungover.

Ladies, either cut back on the cocktails or push back the horn and embrace the pony.

20 Aralık 2012 Perşembe

Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes

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Ok, this isn't going to be a post where you're going to look at the pictures and say, "Oh, that looks awesome, I gotta have it!" Nope, the pictures are not going to speak for this recipe. Granted, there are about 100 ways I could have improved this picture. First, I could have NOT chose a white bowl. Duh. I could have drizzled some hot browned butter over the top. Or I could have shown it with the rest of my meal, it would have looked better with my meatloaf and green beans. Nope. I didn't do any of those. In the end, I just plopped them into a bowl, snapped the camera and proceeded to eat these wonderful, tasty potatoes in record time. Browned butter, people! That's all I really need to say, right?

Browned Butter Mashed PotatoesAdapted from Taste and Tell 3/4 cup butter4 lbs. yellow Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks1 tablespoon salt, divided1/2 cup buttermilk1/4 cup milkfreshly ground black pepper Place the butter in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter begins to turn golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Remove immediately from the heat and pour butter into a bowl. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender, drain and return to the pot. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until you reach your desired consistency. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the browned butter, and add the remaining to the potatoes, along with the buttermilk, milk and remaining salt. Season with pepper, and more salt if needed. Transfer potatoes to a serving dish and drizzle with the reserved brown butter.

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