I’ve been remembering today that wonderful scene in the movie “Cheaper by the Dozen” — the old version with William Powell and Myrna Loy, not the new one with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt — when the woman from Planned Parenthood is horrified to discover that the scads of children running around the house she's visiting were all produced by one couple.
“These are all your children,” she says in an accusatory shriek at Powell as he delights in her discomfort, at one point asking Loy “how many head of children” they currently have.
What brings this up is my realization — and not for the first time — that I’ll never be named Planned Parenthood’s Man of the Year, though I should get some points for heeding the divine directive to Noah and his sons after the great flood. Scripture says God told them, “Go forth, be fruitful and replenish the earth.”
As parent of six children who themselves have children, I’ve done my part. Last night, grandchild number 11, a sweet little bundle named Piper, arrived. I’m looking forward to meeting her this weekend.
She and her mom, Holly, are to come home on Saturday and I hope to visit soon after. I’ll be bringing food, of course. Parents of newborns shouldn’t have to worry about what they’re going to eat — or what big brother Jonah’s going to eat — at an exhausting time like this.
I’m going to load up on fresh fruit, cheeses and breads and other sandwich makings. And I’ve been looking for an excuse to make a favorite casserole that I adapted from a Jacques Pépin recipe a long time ago. It’s a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, but I like it well enough to make mashed potatoes just for the casserole. And it will please my son, Joshua, the proud dad.
Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole
I sometimes chop up leftover ham and add it to this dish, but it’s great with or without it. The result is a mix between a casserole and a soufflé.
Ingredients
5 or 6 cups mashed potatoes
3 or 4 eggs
1/2 cup of your favorite cheese (I like Gruyére, but shredded cheddar is good too)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup of cheese for topping (more of the same cheese or something different)
2 tablespoons chopped scallions (optional)
Directions
Beat the eggs together in a large bowl, add the mashed potatoes, cheese and scallions and mix everything together well. (You can do this in a food processor, if you prefer). Place in a 9x12 glass casserole that you’ve brushed or sprayed lightly with cooking oil. Even out the potato mixture and spread the shredded cheese over the top. Bake in a preheated oven until the cheese on top is melted, browning a little and bubbly. About 20-30 minutes.
Serve it warm as a dinner side dish, a snack, or add a green salad and make it a lunch.
Have a favorite recipe to share? E-mail us at foodforum@dailygazette.net.
