I LOVE mustard. In any form; I always have. I put mustard on pizza, salads, veggies, pretzels, steak, chicken, and basically everything except dairy … including burns.

mustard therapy

I have a bone to pick with the genius behind the Breville panini press design. Why on earth does the exterior of the press heat to the same temperature as the inner plates?? It makes, um, zero sense; it is way too easy to accidentally touch, like I did today. Thank goodness for yellow mustard. Did you know that mustard is a miracle condiment? It can help with anything from colds to sore muscles, and it tastes great too! The link above provides some pretty cool insights into mustard ‘remedies.’

Post mustard therapy, Daniel and I made some serious headway on our move-out plan. My one major remaining chore is clean out the fridge. To this end, I have vowed that we will not go back to the grocery for anything else this week (except a little milk for our coffee). Therefore, we will be eating some form of Thanksgiving till we’re gone. Tonight I deconstructed the small mountain of leftover garlic, thyme, purple mashed potatoes. I am NOT a potato soup girl, so this needed to impress me big time in order to get a thumbs up.

leftover mashed potato soup

Leftover Mashed Potato Soup

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes (mine were the garlic, thyme, purple mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving)
1/2 Tbsp butter
1 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced ham (also leftover from Thanksgiving)
2 14oz cans low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 Tbsp half & half
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand)

Begin by sautéing the onions until they are lightly browned (about 8 minutes). Add diced ham and cook together another 3-5 minutes. Stir in paprika, salt, pepper until ham and onions are coated. Add chicken broth and mashed potatoes, stirring until smooth. Bring to a boil and add sour cream, half & half, and cheese. When everything is combined and smooth, mix flour with a tablespoon of water or milk until lumps are gone. Pour flour mixture to pot until desired thickness is reached.

Modifications: If you like a thicker soup, you can cut back on the chicken broth by about half a can and add a bit more flour/milk mixture. If your leftover mashed potatoes do not contain garlic, add 2 cloves of garlic while you sauté the onions. You can substitute bacon or turkey bacon for the ham, just make sure you crisp it up with the onions before adding any liquid.

Daniel went back for seconds on this! TWO thumbs up from me too.