If It's Gonna Be That Kind of Party ...

... well, you know what I'll do with the mashed potatoes. Love me some mashed potatoes.

Last weekend, I went home to Jonesboro to pick up my new Macbook Pro. My old computer was crapping out, and the screen was being crazy, so my parents bought be me an early birthday present (okay, very early because my birthday is actually in October). Thanks Daddy and Mama!

Well, my mama was already planning on cooking a big ole meal last Saturday for their friend's birthday. And since it was my pretend birthday, it was kind of my birthday dinner, too. So my mama cooked her famous Vegan Dressin', a treat usually reserved for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She made beer turkey (that's turkey marinated in beer) for their friend and her and daddy, and she made me Vegan Beer Chick'n by marinating some vegan strips in beer and then sauteeing them in Earth Balance. Plus, there were Vegan Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Whiskey-glazed Carrots, Corn, and Biscuits!

And no birthday is complete without dessert! Mama made her ooey-gooey Pineapple Upside Down Cake. As you can see, she forgot to let me photograph it before cutting into it. This cake is so amazing. It's a white cake topped with syrupy, sticky pineapple and cherries. 

When mama makes dressin', she makes a BUNCH. So she sent me home with a whole pan of dressin'. But I didn't have anything to pair it with. And I loved her vegan cream cheese mashed potatoes! So I decided to make some more when I got home to enjoy throughout the week as a side dish to my dressin'. They were very creamy, thanks to the vegan cream cheese and Earth Balance. And the cheesiness meant they didn't even need gravy. You know it's gotta be good if I say it doesn't need gravy.

I asked for her recipe and got to work making a batch. Check out my awesome retro hand mixer! I rarely use it because I typically use my Kitchenaid stand mixer. But these mashed potatoes call for a handheld. Of course, you could transfer them to a stand mixer, but that just dirties up more dishes!

And I thought I'd share the recipe with y'all. Here's the Vegan Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes I made.

Vegan Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

---------------------------------------------------

Makes about 3 cups

1 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 ounces vegan cream cheese (we used Tofutti)

1/4 to 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

2 Tbsp. vegan margarine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

Black pepper, to taste

Put the potatoes in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Drain. Return potatoes to the pot.

Add vegan cream cheese, 1/4 cup soy milk, margarine, garlic, and salt. Beat with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy. The potatoes seem too dry, add the other 1/4 cup soy milk. Season with black pepper to taste.