It happened again. I ripped off KCRW’s Good Food. This time my victim was Jean Francois Meteigner the chef at La Cachette Bistro in Santa Monica.

When I left the house this morning for the Hollywood Farmers Market I had an open mind about what I would find for my weekly Market Matters post. I was determined to pick something this week that I was unfamiliar with– something new to me, something that would necessitate putting my brain in gear. Stretch myself. Grow a little. Try something new!

I saw English shelling peas in the pod, they super tempted me. Not that they are all that original. I cook with peas almost every week of my life. Still when they are fresh from the market, it’s easy to throw all your other plans out the window. But I decided that the peas were not really peaking yet, and I’d rather wait a few more weeks and be rewarded with perfect peas. Besides there was that promise I made: Stretch myself. Grow a little. Try something new!

I have got quite an OpenSky opportunity for you.

20 lucky people will be able to purchase a $15.00 Prepara Trio Three Blade Peeler for the amazing price of $1.99. Including shipping. That's right! Your total cost is $1.99! Many other people will get 15% off codes for any Prepara product from any of the other great OpenSky Shops.

This special deal is only good for me and my readers, so don't say I am not looking out for you. 'Cuz that's all I do... I work hard to bring you these great opportunities, and all you need to do to take advantage of my sweat and toil is go to the special SippitySup Promotion Page at OpenSky. CLICK here to be taken straight there. All the details you need are on that page.

But I am sure you'd like to know why I chose this product for this very special promotion. After all– $1.99 is $1.99! You may need a little proof in this here puddin'... Well, rest assured I chose this product because I use it in my own kitchen. I honestly do. CLICK here to watch me in my newest video using one in a special recipe I created just for this promotion!  Zucchini "Linguini" with Pistachios and Mint. But I have a secret about this recipe and you'll just have to check it out to see what it is!

I am having a little trouble getting back into the swing of SippitySup this New Year. I don't know if it was my trip to Panama (details coming soon, I promise) or the Holidays... or possibly even something less defined, but lazy is the order of the day in my kitchen these past few days.

Still we gotta eat and I gotta feed you, my virtual eaters, too. So who says simple can't be spectacular?

But the thing about simple foods is in order for them to succeed you need to be sure the simple method you choose is not just simply a short cut, but rather the fast lane to perfection.

Root veggies are a great example of a food that can achieve perfection in the simplest of manners.

Sometime in our past we humans were digging around in the dirt and we hit about the idea of eating roots. The world has been a better place ever since!

This is one of those recipes. You know the kind I mean. The “there’s nothing in the house and I must eat something” kind of recipes.

You see I have been traveling. I am just back from a great trip to Panama where I led a cooking demonstration for my new best friends at Boquete Gourmet. I am planning several posts about my trip so more details are coming. But if you want a sneak peek at my adventure CLICK here to read Boquete Gourmet’s post about our tremendous, fun filled evening of food from the classic restaurants of Hollywood. But then pop right back over here, ‘cuz I’ll never forgive you if you don’t.

Anyway, back to Los Angeles part of this story. Where was I? Oh yes.

Naturally I arrived home to an empty fridge. I am pretty good at emptying a refrigerator, especially right before a big trip. I hate to come home to a bunch of waste, so I had not done much shopping before we left. You see I have a mortal fear of those large, green and black hairy refrigerator monsters that always manage to sneak into my vegetable drawer when I am out of town.

There is a proverbial elephant in the room this time of year. I am talking about the potato. Specifically the mashed potato.

I'd tell you to make room and squeeze in another chair around the table for this honored guest, except I know you – Mr. Mashed Potato was the first guest you thought of when you started your Thanksgiving invite list.

One reason mashed potatoes show up year after year is because everyone loves them. Let me say that louder EVERYONE LOVES THEM.

The other amazing thing about mashed potatoes is that everyone knows how to make them. There is no wrong way. No matter who makes them and what they put in them they always get scooped onto the Thanksgiving plate before any other side dish.