Smashed potatoes anyone?

I was home yesterday because of the weather, so of course I put myself to work in my favorite place: the kitchen! I know we've talked about this before, but it seems like none of us BILF contributors really cook much these days. Well yesterday must've been somewhat inspiring because I made vegetable and bean soup, flour-less and sugar-less banana oat muffins (they're not bad!), and smashed potatoes with peas. Scott liked the smashed potatoes the most, so here's how I made them. . .

I had maybe five small to medium-sized potatoes. I peeled them up, chopped them, and boiled them in salted water until they were ALMOST done. At this point, I added a bunch of frozen peas to the water. A few minutes later, I drained it all, and added it back to the pot they were originally in. I added some sour cream (maybe 1/3 cup?), some left-over shredded cheese (also, maybe 1/3 cup. . . a mix of cheddar, jack, and mozzarella I believe), and lots of salt and pepper. That's right, no milk or butter. They were good! I imagine they'd be a great side dish, but for us, it was dinner (along with a salad).

How easy was that?

More orzo, please!

So speaking of orzo, I have to share a deliciously easy meal with you. It's my version of "risotto."

I cook up some orzo in vegetable broth. When it's almost done, I run some frozen peas (because you know I have lots of those hanging around!) under hot water to just thaw them a bit. Back to the orzo, I reserve about a ladle of the broth, and strain the rest. I put the orzo back in the pot I cooked it in, with the reserved broth, peas, and a little butter, and heat it up a bit. I then add salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and a little milk. Sometimes I'll even add some freshly grated nutmeg. I keep it on medium-low heat while stirring to see if I need more milk. And that's it! I know it's more of a side dish than a "meal," but sometimes that's just what you need.