making it up as i go along
from: Rachael Ray
Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 3/4 pounds ground lamb
Pinch of allspice
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup beef stock or broth
1/2 cup dark beer
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it)
2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley (a handful), chopped
Directions
Fill a large pot with water, add the potatoes, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add some salt and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.
While potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Once hot, add the lamb and, using the back of a wooden spoon, break it up as it browns, about 5-6 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and allspice. Add carrot, parsnip and onion, and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Dust with flour, cook 1 minute, then add stock, beer and Worcestershire. Cook until thickened, then transfer to oven-safe pan.
Drain potatoes and return to the pot. Let sit a few minutes to cool slightly. Add sour cream or cream cheese, egg yolk and cream. Smash until smooth.
Preheat broiler to high. Spoon potato mixture evenly over the meat mixture.
Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6-8 inches from the heat until evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
First news of Harry Potter 7 and now an early spring! I could kiss that little rodent!! Spring cannot get here soon enough in my book. We've just had our 7th week of straight snow and everyone is a bit grumpy about the white menace. Plus, we woke up to temps this morning that dipped below zero. Ten degrees below zero. Brrrrrrrrrr!! I like this sort of weather only when I can enjoy it at home with Matt, Loki and some hot cocoa … or tea … I'm not picky!!
FYI: They're topically showing Groundhog Day today on Comedy Central three times today and then twice again tomorrow. If you haven't seen it, tune in … it's great!
In other news, I fear I am becoming addicted to strawberry cream cheese. Yum.
I have nothing in particular to write about today…
Rumor has it that the end table for the nursery was finished last night. But since Matt rolled into bed around 2:30 AM with this announcement, I have not seen it and I don't have any photos. In any case, it still needs to be varnished. But I'm very excited to see it when I get home from work.
Outside, Mother Nature is doing her darnedest to get another snow storm going. Not much is coming down or sticking at the moment, but snow is predicted in the forecast through Friday, so I guess we'll probably see some stick anyhow. We're entering our 7th straight week of snow and I can't think of anyone around here who isn't a bit sick of it. Usually outsiders think of snow as the norm for CO in the winter, but it's really not the case. Usually we get a snow storm and then it melts … we'll get 60 degree days in the middle of winter and see lots of sun anyhow. We're really not used to all this snow on top of snow. And I'm afraid we're a bit whiny about it.
I got a notice in the mail yesterday stating that they had no record of me voting in the general election in November (and to keep my voter registration, I had to send in their card within 30 days). So now I've got to call the election office and figure out what the heck that's about. Matt and I voted at the same time and he got no such notice. And I sure remember voting, not to mention waiting an hour in line to vote. I even got that little sticker. I wonder what's up.
Aren't you glad you decided to stop by? 
As I mentioned, little miss got a ton of great gifts. She has tons of awesome clothes … lots of pink and some purple and green and yellow too and some great stuffed animals and we've got lots of practical things for her care and up-keep. Everyone was so generous. We're very lucky to have such awesome people in our lives!!
from: 164
Ingredients
1 qt veggie broth
1 T olive oil
1.5 C arborio rice
12 oz beer (1.5 cups)
3 C chopped broccoli
1 T Dijon mustard
4 C loosely packed grated sharp cheddar
2 C chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
sprinkling of black pepper
Directions
In a saucepan, bring the broth to a boil and then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan on medium-high eat, warm the olive oil. add the rice and stir until well-coated with oil. dd the beer and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid, a couple of minutes. Ladle in the simmering broth a cup at a time, stirring often. Let the rice absorb most of the broth before adding the next cup, usually about 5 minutes between additions.
While the risotto is cooking, steam teh broccoli until bright green and just tender. Set aside.
When the last of hte broth is absorbed, the kernels of rice should be al dente and the risotto moist. Add the mustard and cheese to the risotto and stir until the cheese is melted. Stir in the broccoli and tomatoes, season with black pepper and serve hot.
from: Just Jenn
Ingredients
2 12-oz bottles rootbeer
1/2 C sweetened condensed milk
1 C half & half or whole milk
Directions
Open the rootbeers and let them sit out to get a bit flat. Then dump them and the other two ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream freezer.
from: Rachael Ray
Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 lime, juiced
Spicy potato chips, any brand you like
Directions
Heat a large nonstick skillet with EVOO over medium-high heat.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine chicken with spices and sugar. Drizzle in EVOO and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Score the meat into 4 equal parts and then form 4 patties, each about 1 1/2-inch thick. Add the burgers to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes on both sides or until cooked all the way through, there shouldn’t be any pink in the middle.
While the burgers cook, make the mango salsa. In a small bowl, combine the mango, red pepper, jalapeño, cucumber and lime juice.
When the burgers are done, transfer them to a serving platter alongside the mango salsa and spicy chips.
Yields 4 servings
I won't lie … it was a long week for me kids. We've been so busy with life that I've hardly spent any time at home that wasn't dedicated to sleep. But it was a good week. We went to our second childbirth class on Tuesday. We got more in-depth into the whole process and some relaxation techniques. I think we both found it pretty interesting. In case you're interested, I plan to go into the whole thing with an open mind … if it gets too darned painful, I'm all about the meds, but if I can do it without … so much the better. I don't really feel like I can make a choice until I've experienced it. Wednesday, we went on a tour of the hospital. It's a pretty new facility (less than 2 yrs old, prolly) and they have a lot of nice stuff available for L&D and recovery. We also went over myriad policies and filled out loads of forms. So I guess we're almost ready to go!
Today I'm taking most of the day off from work (save about 1 hour when I need to be there to set up a meeting). I have lots of little things that I need to get done that just won't happen unless I make 'em happen. I am going to *finally* get my hair cut. It's reached that long stage which on me means stringy and unmanageable. I also want to take my car in for a nice car-wash. We've got a place here that does hand-washing and vacuuming for like $12 and considering what you pay at a gas station it's downright reasonable (but considering it's supposed to snow AGAIN tomorrow, I don't know if I will go through with it). Then I've got to get home and get it put together and get some laundry done. All our Christmas stuff is still up and it just needs … attention. Some laundry must be done as well. Continue reading “Trite Title, but TGIF”
1. What color are your bedroom walls? A sort of tan color that was here when we bought the place. It's not stark white and I don't hate it. But I don't love it either. I just haven't had the desire to paint the vaulted ceilings.
2. What book are you reading now? High School Confidential Continue reading “Thurday Meme Cop-Out”
