Can we talk about mandolines for a second? I have never owned one and finally succumbed to purchasing my very own "handy dandy" slicer for my ever growing collection of "kitcheny things I really don't need". I had to buy one after borrowing my friend's mandoline last month to use for a Passover recipe that included potatoes. Wait. I think every Passover recipe includes a potato, right?

So I was using this borrowed mandoline and had no idea what I was doing with it. I not only sliced all the potatoes, I think a couple of my fingers were sliced using this stupid thing. Okay, so maybe it's me that's stupid and should have taken a mandoline lesson or two or three or four.

Furthermore, I always thought a mandoline was a musical instrument. When someone refers to using a mandoline for slicing vegetables I can only picture one taking their cucumber and running them over the strings of a MANDOLIN. I also think that a mandolin would be easier to use than a MANDOLINE.

Isn't this a mandolin?

Suffice to say, the moment I unboxed this thing and was rushing to make my lunch, I wasn't interested in looking at the instruction pamphlet that was included inside. I just threw my washed zucchinis on the thing and went to town. There is NO WAY ON EARTH I did this right because the zucchini was slipping and sliding all over the place.

After all was said and done, I watched a video on YouTube on how to use it PROPERLY. Notice that I still haven't read the instructions?

I think I have it figured out now, with the exception of the julienne mode for french fries. I had two puff pastry doughs so I divided them up, rolled them out and made one savory and one sweet. PART TWO of this mandoline saga to be continued next week!

XO Debi @simplybeautifuleatingsimplybeautifuleating.com