I’m giving you two sides in one post! Therefore, it seems only appropriate to talk about the debate.

I know it was a few days ago, but I wanted to give people time to simmer down a bit. I am, admittedly, somewhat politically unaware. But I did watch the debate and I have several observations.

First of all, they both blinked a LOT. I’ll give them a pass and blame the lighting, although it could have been sweat in the eyes too. As a Body Pump instructor, I’ve been there.

I really hated the way they smiled while the other one was talking. Obama looked outright fake and triumphant, and Romney just looked creepy. They should both take a lesson from Sheila, who has mastered the art of smiling at someone she doesn’t like.

I also don’t understand, if they were taking notes, why they repeated the same thing 7,000 times. Obama says Romney’s plan adds 5 trillion dollars to the deficit. Romney says it doesn’t, Obama says Romney’s plan adds 5 trillion dollars to the deficit. I cannot believe I’m quoting former RHONJ Danielle Staub, but pay attention, PUHLEASE.

Now, about the attire. Nice suits, nice ties. Color-coordinated to party, very snappy dressers. The pins, though, confused me. Sure, flag pin is an obvious choice. Somebody on Romney’s team found out what size Obama’s pin would be and made sure the one on Mitt’s chest was 25% bigger. A+. But what was the spot on Romney’s pin? Was that a lapel cam? Serious question.

I think they should have gotten Andy Cohen as the moderator because that old guy had no control of the situation. What if someone said to a doctor “You have two minutes to do this surgery or the patient will die” and the doctor said, eh, I’m pretty important so I’ll just take 7 and a half minutes instead.

No more Sesame Street? Clearly Romney hasn’t seen the ‘Being Elmo’ documentary.

Did you know that every year they have each of the candidates’ wives submit a cookie recipe and then people vote on which one is the best? Apparently the last 4 out of 5 years the cookie winner has become the First Lady. That’s my kind of election. Michelle Obama won this year, FYI.

Anyway, now that we’re on the food train, I have these two side dishes for you. One is warm and buttery, the other is chilled and spicy. We’re getting metaphorical here, people.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

8-10 red skin potatoes (or whatever variety you like)

1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream

1-2 tbs butter

2 cloves chopped garlic

salt and pepper

Halve or quarter the potatoes for faster cooking time. I’m just impatient.

Boil until you can easily insert a knife and the potato easily slides off. Drain the water.

Mash with a fork, and add some of the heavy cream and the garlic. Whip with a hand mixer, adding more heavy cream (or milk) until desired consistency is reached.

Whip in the butter at the end, then season to taste.

I like to leave the skin on for added texture, but you could use a potato like Yukon golds and peel them first if you’re more into completely smooth potatoes.

Three Bean Salad

1 lb green beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can cannellini beans

1-2 carrots

1 leek, or onion of choice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp white vinegar

olive oil

1 clove garlic

salt and pepper

Break off the ends of the green beans, then break them into bite sized pieces. Boil for 3-4 minutes, then immediately transfer to ice water to stop the cooking process.

Add the canned beans. You can use whichever type of beans you like.

Peel the carrot into ribbons, then cut those into bite sized pieces. Chop up and clean your leek. You could also use scallions- I like the milder onion flavor here.

Combine mustard, vinegar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Season to taste. Toss with the veggies and refrigerate until serving.

I specifically remained impartial in this post because I don’t want to be lumped in with those people who post paragraph-long statuses on Facebook bashing/praising one candidate. Do they think anyone is going to read it and think, WOW! Mind blown, voting decision changed.

November 6th can’t come soon enough.