There was a point in my life when my three children were all at home and I felt like a very competent mother and housewife. One of my neighbors called me one day and asked me how to make mashed potatoes. I laughed. “You’re kidding, right?” I said.

Well, it was the wrong thing to say. She then sheepishly admitted she had never made mashed potatoes. She wasn’t sure if you peeled them first or what.

November 18, 2015