Gravy Mashed Potatoes

Hmmm... so I tried making mashed potatoes out of the need to use this bag of potatoes that's been sitting in my pantry for a while. They're milk-less and cream-less, since it was late at night and I didn't want to run down to lawsons for some milk.

You know what, they actually turned out somewhat decent. There's no picture of them, cause they look atrocious, but they're pretty tasty. Instead, I used copious and probably unhealthy amounts of butter (like, 1/4 T or something, whatever is a little less than a cm when you slice it off the chunk) plus a couple scoops of garlic butter (because I was being lazy and didn't feel like chopping up fresh garlic). And apart from not being as creamy, it was pretty decent.

Today though, I had this leftover gravy sitting in the fridge from... a while ago an thought hey, mashed potatoes and gravy here I come! So I added a little bit of water to the gravy and reheated it and nuked my potatoes again and added the two together. Very tasty.

...but then I mixed it a little bit more and the potatoes actually like... combined with the gravy into this new, much more awesome, creamier mashed potato mix. It's freaking amazing now. I was like, holy crap, I have real mashed potatoes that are garlic and gravy flavored rather than just a sad attempt at garlic mashed potatoes and gravy.

Hell yes.

It also just occurred to me that I just made my own mashed potatoes and gravy. Wow. I feel like an adult. And not just that. I didn't make it from packages or anything. I made it from scratch. Holy crap. Who have I turned into? I practically never made mashed potatoes at home. Jeana was the one who did that. If I made them, I made them from those awesome packets you get from costco and add water or milk to. Now, here I am in Japan, mashing up potatoes and using drippings for gravy. WHO IS THIS NEW PERSON AND WHERE DID JESSICA GO!?

My only hope is that when I get back to the US, the persuasive power of many restaurants and convenient pre-assembled dinners does not change me back to being lazy, and that I keep on cooking. Cause eating stuff that tastes awesome, that you like, REALLY made is an amazing feeling.

"Yeah," I can tell people now, "I made these mashed potatoes."

I don't have to add in any more that "Costco/Betty Crocker/X helped though."

...does this mean I'm turning into my mother?