Macbeth Potatoes

My friend Jane told me once that I must buy organic potatoes - all other were unsafe. I followed her advice, which really meant that I quit buying potatoes altogether. I felt like I couldn't afford organic potatoes. Well, my friends, those days are over. Aldi now has 99¢ organic potatoes!

Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board, has this to say about potatoes:

Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes-the nation's most popular vegetable-they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer, "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals." (PREVENTION Magazine)

Chemicals are so absorbed into the very being of non-organic potatoes that even obsessive Macbeth-ish washing is not going to make one bit of difference. 

No recipe today, who needs one? A baked potato is pure perfection.

Potatoes in Cream

Some people are afraid of potatoes. Aside from the fat jokes, I don't really know what is going on with them lately, but apparently it's serious because health conscious people say things like if you can't afford organic food, at least buy organic potatoes. 

My grandpa used to put potatoes in dirt under the entry-way into his house. When you went down to the basement, there was an open area full of dirt just under the floor, and that's where the potatoes were. I'm sure there are 50 year old potatoes still in that dirt today. They might even be healthier than the potatoes in the store. That's a scary thought.

A search for "potatoes are evil" tells me that in the 1600's, Europeans thought potatoes caused leprosy, syphilis, narcosis, scrofula, early death, sterility, and rampant sexuality.

I plan to research this potato thing more, but in the meantime, I am buying packaged pre-cut potatoes at Aldi. The thought of potatoes seasoned with rosemary/garlic/olive oil and covered in cream is making me feel rampantly sexual hungry right now.

Pick Your Poison: 

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Potatoes in Cream

• Potatoes, in any form
• Heavy Whipping Cream

Combine potatoes and cream in a baking dish and bake uncovered at 350° for at least an hour. You can vary the temperature and cooking time to accommodate other recipes.

NOTE: Both the potatoes and heavy whipping cream should be the same temperature prior to combining. i.e.: the potato wedges are frozen, so thaw them first. 

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Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, tasted, heard about, or read about.

Potato Soup

While visiting my husband's aunt Phyllis, she asked me if I ever shopped at Aldi. I didn't know what she was talking about, so she showed me several generic looking packages with great enthusiasm while I tried to find the appeal. It just wasn't there, but I did want to see this magical place.

Once home, I went to Aldi's website and searched for locations near me. There was one 9 miles away. The following Saturday,I had my first Aldi experience. I was instantly transported back to the late 70's/early 80's warehouse/no name grocery experience. I tried, I really did, but I didn't want any of that stuff, I wanted the stuff I always buy. I came home with milk, string cheese and a huge bag of ridiculously cheap produce. It was so cheap that I was skeptical of it.


I might not have ever stepped into another Aldi, but my youngest child is a string cheese snob. I used to be one too until the one and only brand of string cheese that I liked was discontinued. She said it was the BEST string cheese EVER (it was). I then made a point of stopping at Aldi whenever I was in that area and little by little, I began to try other items.


The recipes you will find here are nothing spectacular and probably fattening, but healthier than a Big Mac. I am just a mom with kids and a husband. I don't particularly enjoy cooking, but I insist on everyone stopping everything at 6 pm and assembling at our dining room table.


The reason for this blog is that I decided to compare my grocery receipts for a year and I discovered I was saving $80 a month by shopping at Aldi. We won't get into why I did this, who has the time for that? Just know I did it and it's true and an extra $80 a month means something to many people these days.

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Potato Soup

• 1 bag diced potatoes with onions
• 1 box chicken broth
• 1 brick cream cheese

Place potatoes and chicken broth in a Crock Pot. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours. Approx. 30-60 minutes before serving, add brick of cream cheese and stir well.


Optional add-ins:

• 1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled or 1 bag bacon bits
• 1 stalk celery (sliced)
• ham

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Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, heard, or read.