The weekend found us enjoying some cooler weather and a lot of tennis. Tom played a night match on Friday. We opted to get a babysitter for JL and that worked out wonderfully. This gave us an opportunity to take Thomas and Arthur out to the courts. They definitely stayed up past their bedtime, but it was nice to enjoy some big boy time with them too.
Tom’s parents met us at the courts and upon seeing Thomas and Arthur told them they had a surprise for them in their car. I went to find a spot and was watching Tom warming up when out of the corner of my eye I see two boys running with large Styrofoam airplanes. While Tom’s parents know little boys well and knew they’d enjoy them, they both commented maybe those weren’t the best thing to bring to a tennis tournament! Luckily, at this particular court and facility there are plenty of trees and grassy space to play and spread out. They enjoyed the planes and were constantly going back and forth to see how their dad was doing in his match. When it was time to go, I’m pretty sure we were down to just the body of the planes and all wings had been destroyed.
Saturday the boys and I hung around the house and spent some time at the playground in the neighborhood. Both Tom’s match times weren’t great for meal times and nap time for the boys so we opted not to go to either match that day.
Sunday morning we all made an appearance to watch the final match. Unfortunately, Tom and his partner lost what was a pretty tough match. Thankfully, we were on the same side of the courts as Friday night to let JL out of the stroller when he started getting fussy. They all sat together briefly for periods of time, maybe more interested in their snacks; but they made a cute peanut gallery!
Sunday night we grilled steaks and did some mashed potatoes and roasted green beans. After playing four tennis matches, Tom needed a good man’s meal. A while back I was on a mission to find a good mashed potato recipe. One of our favorite local restaurants has the best filet they serve over mashed potatoes that melt in your mouth along with a green vegetable, and I had wanted to recreate a version similar to theirs.
After some searching, I came across a recipe for buttermilk mashed potatoes, and we all love it. I’m pretty sure what makes this one so good is the buttermilk and using the potato ricer. It makes the potatoes so creamy! In the past I’ve used my mixer to try to get the right consistency and it was always a guessing game of more milk? More Butter? But this recipe is a keeper. No more guessing!
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, via
Ingredients
3 large russet potatoes, peeled, halved, and cut into chunks
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for cooking water
3 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup buttermilk, warmed
2 green onions, finely chopped(I omitted this)
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil, then cook until the potatoes fall off a fork when pierced, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving about a 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Using a potato ricer or sieve and rubber spatula, gently press the potatoes over a large bowl. Mix in the butter, salt, buttermilk, and green onions and stir to blend. Add a tablespoon or 2 of cooking liquid if necessary to obtain desired consistency. Salt and pepper liberally and serve.
