Shepherd's Pie

Last night, with my cooking seduction skills (HA!), I convinced Ryan that Shepherd's Pie is indeed delicious; and more importantly, comforting. Finally found a really good and simple recipe. Of course I had my tweaks. I've always had a soft spot for food like this: a warm meal, a mishmash of my favorite ingredients, and something you always want to pick at after dinner is over. 

Original recipe courtesy of Sarah's Joys blog.

• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks for boiling
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese plus more for sprinkling on top
• kosher salt, lawry's seasoned salt, and pepper (for potatoes, to taste)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef (1 lb is fine)
• 1 1/2 cups diced sweet onion
• 2 cups of carrots cut into half moons
• 1 cup diced celery stalk
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Season a large pot of water with salt. Add the potatoes and garlic and bring to a boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender enough to mash with a fork. Drain well and place the potatoes back into the pot for 1-2 minutes to allow the residual heat from the pot to dry out any excess water. Mash well with a potato masher, add butter and cream cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1/3 cup cheddar cheese. Set potatoes aside.
3. Heat about 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, and breaking up, until browned. Drain fat from the pan. Remove beef from pan into a bowl or a plate and set aside.
4. Set the nonstick skillet back onto heat and add another tsp of extra virgin olive oil. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
5. Add the turkey, the chicken stock, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Continue cooking and stirring, breaking up the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When most of the liquid is absorbed (about 5 minutes), pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish.
6. Top the meat and vegetable mixture with the mashed potatoes. At this point you can cool and refrigerate for use on another day, or sprinkle with desired amount of cheddar cheese and bake for about 30 minutes until it is bubbly and the top is slightly browned.

Looking forward to the leftovers of this tonight!

Brightener

Moooosic

Last week I had the pleasure of seeing my favorite artist, Josh Ritter, for the third time. Ryan was a good sport and got to Cat's Cradle with me very early, so we were standing in the second row from the stage. He's worth seeing up close, and of course, never disappoints.



 

I've got a few more shows lined up for the next couple months at The Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham. I'm going with the girls to see Joshua Radin, whose openers include A Fine Frenzy and Tristan Prettyman, and I'm accompanying Ryan to see his all-time favorite musician Rufus Wainwright in October (openers Ingrid Michaelson and Lucy Wainwright Roche). Yes, his finger patiently waited for the presale to open, so we're ridiculously close to the stage for that one.

There's nothing better than getting out of the house on a weeknight for some solid musical inspiration. :)

A Singing Tradition

Ever since I was a little girl, my lovely grandparents (who have been married for over 60 years) have always sung a duet to us as we exited their driveway. It was the perfect way to end a visit with them. I'm so grateful that Ryan had the mind to pull out his phone on our recent visit with them in Florida. Now I can always keep this dear memory with me. 

Beantown

I was in the Cambridge area of Boston all of last week for the 2012 New Media Consortium Summer Conference (sounds thrilling, right?!). Outside of awkward schmoozing and endless tech talk, I managed to find enough free time to fall in love with this city. Here were a few perks to my trip:

Lobster Roll at Legal Sea Foods. Need I say more?

MIT Media Lab Dance Party. It took place on the top floor, overlooking the MIT campus and downtown Boston. Breathtaking.

The Charles River and everything about it: the rowboats, the sailboats, the countless joggers/walker/bikers, the wind... you name it. I went for a rejuvenating run along the river and over a few of the bridges, and it was just a wonderful scene to be a part of. I could do that every day.

The Friendly Toast. I met a friend of mine here for a lovely little dinner on my last night in town. Great drinks, fabulous food, and a completely funky/adorable hipster environment.

The MIT Strata Center. Talk about amazing architecture.

Point being, I will be dragging Ryan back here soon so I can do some more in-depth exploration. And so I have a companion for a Red Sox game. :)