baked mashed potato casserole

most who know me know that i don't particularly enjoy cooking. i just always feel that there's other productive things i could be doing with my time - if i'm making food for just myself, i'll make something easy & healthy rather than something more time consuming. on new year's eve however, i decided to try one last recipe for the year. wanting something with lots of veg, i found this (i can't remember where) & added/subtracted a couple of things.

baked mashed potato casserole

(makes a meal for two, or a side for 6-8)

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4 medium potatoes cut into quarters

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large stalk celery, finely chopped

half a red pepper, chopped

broccoli (how ever much you want, i like lots!)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter

2-4 tablespoons of milk

cheese, grated

paprika

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1. boil potatoes for 15 minutes

2. preheat oven to 230ºc (i did 210ºc in my fan oven)

3. heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium in a pan, then fry onions, celery, pepper & broccoli

4. drain potatoes &, with the butter & milk, mash in the pot. add vegetables (season to taste if you fancy)

5. spread remaining olive oil in casserole dish. spoon in potato/veg mix, sprinkle cheese & paprika on top, then bake for 20 minutes/until golden brown.

woah

oh me oh my, how long it has been since i posted! i could make my excuses, but i'll spare you. all you need to know is that things will continue to be a bit quiet on the blog front, thanks to starting a new job at the world class dundee contemporary arts (commonly & locally known as dca). i've much to learn & a busier routine to get used to but i'm very excited, about working at a place i've visited often & enjoyed over the past few years, & for what's to come in my future of working there (especially considering it's dca's tenth birthday this month: the celebrations ought to be ace!)

speaking of birthdays... mine was yesterday! it being my first day at work kind of overshadowed it, but i met up with some favourites for some non-alcoholic drinks on sunday night, got some lovely gifts, & shared a chinese in the comfort of my living room with my family & flat-mate yesterday evening. i also received many birthday wishes, messages, & texts. i know some awesome people. :)

anyway, until i get settled over the next few weeks, drawing/blogging/browsing is to be put on the back-burner for a while. it may be nice to take a necessary break, & hopefully i can return to my to-do list with renewed energy & motivation.

hello 2009

it's the new year! it's time to make some promises for the next 365 (well, 361) days. i never used to make resolutions, but i feel a new number is a pretty good starting point for a giant list of to-do's & pledges. inspired by this lady, i have decided to use my age as a goal for the coming year. as i'm turning two-three in oh-nine, i have made a list of 23 things to achieve (will fill in the final few when they come to me). in no particular order:

1. take part in the pikapackage project (sadly didn't, but i'd still love to do this when it next happens)

2. visit another country (money & new job meant the only places i managed to visit this year were the isle of skye, manchester & newcastle. so, unless england counts, didn't manage this!)

3. learn a new skill (i've learned marketing skills, the pen tool in photoshop, but not a "skill" as such.)

4. gain my french 1 certificate (oh no, thanks to getting a new job i didn't manage this either!)

5. open an online shop (hooray! opened my etsy shop in september)

6. achieve fifteen sales in said shop (this, but double + more)

7. produce at least one significant piece/body of work a month (i like to think i've done the equivalent of this)

8. take more pictures (i've not taken nearly as many photos as i used to in previous years)

9. stretch my ear piercings to desired size (not quite there, but almost. not rushing anything)

10. send more letters in the post (i definitely did this, hooray!)

11. try five new recipes (alan does more of the cooking for us, which i'm eternally grateful for, but i did manage to cook/bake more than five new recipes, & they were delicious)

12. completely re-do website (done!)

13. make things: make cosmetics, make gifts, bake, etc (thanks to knitting & baking i achieved this, but also focused on giving gifts that people wanted/needed rather than just any old thing, plus second hand finds)

14. read twelve new books (i don't think i managed this. i've read more than twelve, but some were re-reads - including re-reading one of my new reads!)

15. do something for charity (apart from donating money, didn't manage this to the extent i wanted)

16. have a thorough de-clutter of my belongings (did this, will continue to do so)

17. learn more, & illustrate my findings (didn't really have time to set up any projects like this sadly)

18. make a big change (new job! just one of many changes this year)

19. have my work shown in three places (done!)

20. post on sea legs at least twice a month (failed, ha. poor sea legs)

21. spend more time in the great outdoors (i probably spent more time in doors this year thanks to working 37+ hours a week, but i have tried)

22. take on marceline's zine challenge (done!)

23. get hair cut at least three times (failed, i only got two)

some of the above are a bit vague, but i want to leave some space for chance. some also aim a bit lower than i originally planned, but i want my goals to be attainable. out of last year's resolutions, the only thing i didn't do was learn to knit properly. & seeing as i can knit a scarf anyway, i deem last year's resolution list a success.

have you any resolutions, dear readers?