May the road rise to meet you...

With St. Patrick's day just around the corner, Val asked me for my Shepherd's Pie recipe. It's something I make every week for work and I'm very proud of it (it's also the first menu item that I got added at the Lodge upstairs). So, I typed up my scaled down recipe for her and thought that I'd share it here.

I warn you, this is not a healthy recipe. It is full of fat and butter and potatoes and deliciousness. But the way I see it, you've got to splurge now and then. And what better day to splurge than the day that we celebrate the patron saint of Ireland by being drunken bafoons and wearing green body paint and sitting in the bushes eating ravioli?

Wait....you don't do that? That's just me?

Well shoot.

Anyway! Moving forward, Shepherd's Pie is a pretty traditional Irish dish. You can use ground lamb, ground beef or stew meat...I love it with ground lamb but realistically, that's kind of expensive. Unless you've just got a lamb shoulder laying around that you can grind and put in a pie. But if you're like me and most of us, ground beef will work just fine. At work, I use scraps that our butcher has leftover from cutting our filet, so what I use is more like stew meat. If you do that, extend your cooking time before you add the flour because you'll want your meat to cook a bit longer to get tender.

Alright, on to the good stuff...

What you'll need:
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 pound carrots (sliced or cubed, however you like it. Adjust the amount of carrots if you want more or less veggies in it. I use three pounds of carrots, but I make a giant batch, I'm just kind of guessing for a single casserole dish)
- 1 can sweet peas or a bag of frozen english peas if you can find them
- 1 medium onion diced
- 5 or 6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 small can of tomato paste
- AP flour (not much, maybe a 1/4 of a cup)
- 2 stalks of celery (slice the stalk in half lengthwise, then chop. I like kind of big pieces of celery)
- 1 TBSP each minced rosemary and thyme (you can use dried if you want, but I prefer fresh. Up to you.)
- 1-2 cups of beef broth
-1/2 a stick of butter (keep the rest of the stick handy, just in case)
-1 TBSP of olive oil

Melt the butter in a big pan or skillet. Once the butter is melted, pour in the olive oil. Add your carrots and celery first. Just cook them for about five minutes over medium high heat until they just start to get tender. Add in your onion and garlic and stir around, cooking until the onion starts to get transparent. Crumble up your ground beef and add it straight to the pan with all the vegetables. You want the butter and fat from the beef in the pan, so just start stirring it around.

Add your herbs at this point.

Once your ground beef is cooked and your vegetables are tender turn the heat down to medium or medium low and cook for ten minutes or so. You really just want the flavors to kind of marry at this point. You don't want the liquid to cook off, so keep the heat on the lower side and keep an eye on it. If you lose your liquid, throw the other half of the stick of butter in with everything and let it melt.

Now, after it's cooked for a little bit, sprinkle flour over the whole mixture and stir. Do this a little at a time until all the liquid is absorbed. If you need more or less flour, that's okay. You just want no more liquid in the pan. Everything will start to stick together and look weird, that's okay. Keep the whole mass of things moving for a few minutes to cook out a little of the flour taste. Add in your tomato paste and keep stirring. It all might start sticking to the bottom of the pan at this point and that's okay too. You want to get some of the bitterness of the tomato paste out, so I'd say cook it like this over medium/low heat for five minutes or so.

Now, I'd throw my potatoes in the water at the very beginning so while your mixture is cooking right now, you can prepare the mash. Melting the butter and warming your heavy cream is key in good mashed potatoes, but I'm sure you know that. I just make very very buttery mashed potatoes and season only with salt and pepper but make them the way you like them best. If you put a lot of butter in them, they'll get wonderful and golden and say moist when you bake them.

Okay, back to your filling. It's going to be thick and weird and all stuck together, so now you throw in your beef stock. Just a little bit at a time. You want to make a gravy with the stock so stir while you add. Scrape the goodies off the bottom of the pan and stir until your filling is thinned out, but not too thin. You want it to be like a thick stew. At this point, add in your drained can of peas and then salt and pepper to taste. It's going to need a good amount of salt to get the flavors out, so don't be shy. Use kosher salt if you have it.

Put the filling in a baking dish and cover with potatoes. I spoon them on and then spread them out with the back of the spoon or your hand. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or so. The top will get nice golden brown. I'd let it sit for ten minutes or so before serving. At work, I garnish with fresh chopped chives.

Some people like to sprinkle paprika on top or even pipe out the potatoes to make it look all fancy. And that's nice too, but I like the rustic look of just spooning and spreading the potatoes. And, nothing against grandmas, but it looks like something someone's grandma would do in the 80's (again...nothing against the 80's either). That's just my personal opinion. No need to make the top look all fancy when you're just going to stick your face in it.

I keep meaning to write here more and share more recipes, but I just can't seem to pull it together. I say that I'll try but I won't make any promises. Life as a Disney cook is amazing, but very busy. The Mouse never sleeps, you know.

All in all, I don't think I've ever been happier. This summer is proving to be the most exciting one I've ever had. I'll be sure to give more updates on that when it all gets closer. Work is amazing, my roommates are amazing and Florida is pretty awesome. As I said, I'm a very happy girl. 

That's it for now, I'll come up with some more fun recipes to share soon. In the meantime, if there's anything that any of you would like to have a recipe for please let me know. If I know one or have any good ideas, I'd love for some prompting. I'm going to enjoy my one day off and try not to put on real pants all day.

'For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day.' - Irish Blessing

Happy eating,
Lauren

Over the hill and through the woods...

So, I suppose I could very easily blame not having internet for the last two weeks on not posting...but that leaves a blank the space time continuum that I just can't explain, so I'm just going to whistle a tune you may not recognize and walk away slowly...

The good news is, I'm back and we have internet (though it is so slow, Fluffy insisted that it might be dial up). The bad news is....I have no bad news. I have to say that life is on the ups and doesn't seem to be slowing down lately. I've had my moments of homesickness (which have included driving around listening to Sarah McLaughlin and crying on the phone to Val) and I've had some rough days where I've wondered if I've done the right thing...but today is not one of those days.

Yes, I miss my family. Of course, I miss my friends. These two groups of people make up some of the most wonderful, weird, funny, crazy, unique and amazing people anyone could ever know. But then I look at the friendships I have growing here and the wonderful house I share with two pretty kick-butt roommates...yeah, I can't complain about Florida. Especially not when I come home from work and Fluff has made homemade lasagna and I eat so much I basically just pass out as soon as my plate hits the sink.

Okay, okay...I know what you're thinking. 'I thought this was a food blog, Lauren.' I got it...I'll stop gushing about how happy I am and just get to the point. Though, if truth be told...the point today is going to just be about other food things that make me happy.

If anyone from Texas reads this, and you ever want to visit me...be sure we will go to one of the restaurants listed below. If you are one of my Orlando peeps and I haven't pulled you around to my favorite spots...first you should kick me the next time you see me and then we should go eat at one of these places together. That being said...here we go.

1. My absolute, without a doubt, most favorite...est (yeah, I said it) place since moving to Orlando is downtown and it's called The Rusty Spoon. It's a gastropub and their menu changes weekly based on what produce is in season and they can get. All the produce they use is local, all the meat they use is hormone free and wonderful. I've never had a bad meal here...in fact I'd venture to say I've never even had a mediocre meal here. It just gets better every time I go.

2. VietThai is a close second, but it's also kind of tied for second with the one I'll list next. We managed to find this place our second or third night in Orlando and I've been back a lot. It's this teeny, hole in the wall place that is family owned and melt in your mouth good. Fresh, homemade Pho? Yes please. Korean BBQ? Don't mind if I do. Vietnamese iced coffee? I'll have three please and be awake for a week straight. My favorite thing about this place is they aren't afraid to suggest things for you if you can't make up your mind and it's never a disappointment. My only complaint is they're closed on Mondays and I always seem to forget.

3. The third on my list is here almost as much for the atmosphere as it is for the food. Devenney's Irish Pub is very near to my house and I really just discovered it about a week ago...but man do I love this place. The fried green beans and Scotch eggs are killer, but the Shepherd's Pie takes the cake. And to top of the wonderful, traditional food they have here (I haven't tried the Corned Beef and Cabbage yet...but it's on my to-do list) the general feel of the place is just amazing. Thanks to the fact that I talk to strangers and me and my roommates make friends everywhere we go, we've met and hung out with the owners of the place and they are wonderful and about 70 percent of the reason we'll be going back time and time again.

Okay...so there's my top three. There are many many more that I love and maybe I'll bore you with stories about other culinary adventures later on...but for now, I smell food cooking so I might venture out of my super comfortable bed and see what's going on downstairs. I want to leave you with a recipe....but for once I'm at a little bit of a loss. What would I make right now if I could....

Mmmm, yes. Here we go. I actually don't have to cook it because I have a giant Tupperware of it downstairs from last week when I got in the mood for Tex Mex. Lauren's homemade, super easy, medium salsa. If you have a blender or food processor, you're good to go. And while I type this, my tummy is already rumbling so I'm glad I've got this one memorized.

You will need:
-4-5 Tomatoes. I like to use...any tomato. *evil laugh* Honestly, when I'm making salsa, I just pick whatever is on sale. You're going to add a bit of flavor to this, so don't be a tomato snob.
-1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped roughly (I like big chunks of cilantro in my salsa. It's fresh and delicious and makes for a better time when you can make fun of someone for getting it stuck in their teeth.)
-4-5 limes, depending on ripeness. You want some nice juicy limes.
-1/2 red onion
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 poblano pepper (just for the record, my spell check tried to correct poblano to 'pointblank'. What the what? Anywho, moving on.)
-2 jalapeno peppers
-2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil
-salt to taste

See? Easy breezy. First, preheat your oven to 350 and core your tomatoes. Place all the veggies on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil (cilantro excluded of course, that would just be weird). Pop these suckers in the oven and go paint your toenails or something. After about 10 minutes, you'll notice the skin pulling away from the tomatoes, so pull those out and pop them in an ice water bath or stick them in the freezer to stop the cooking process.

Then...walk the dog. Do some Zumba. Get out a round brush and practice for karaoke night for about another ten minutes until your garlic and peppers are finished roasting. Wrap the peppers in clear wrap while you peel your tomatoes. The skin should come right off, but if there's a little left, it won't hurt you. Once you peel the tomatoes, get a knife and rub the back of it on the peppers (after you've unwrapped them, of course) and get a good part of the skin off. Again...if you don't get it all it won't kill you.

Here's where you can take some liberty. I get the ribs and seeds out of one jalapeno and the poblano, rough chop them and throw them in the food processor. I leave the seeds and ribs in the second jalapeno for heat. It's good. it'll put hair on your chest...but not in a creepy way. In a 'yeah, I just ate that jalapeno...be impressed' kind of way. Do whatever makes your heart and tummy happy though. Now comes the real hard part.

Throw everything in the food processor or blender. I give it all a rough chop and just toss it in. Blend away. Squeeze your limes into the mix and then taste it. Needs salt? Add some more. Needs more acidity? Do it. More cilantro? By all means, turn the darn stuff green if you want to. Then, pour it in a bowl, get some tortilla chips and go to town. And by go to town, I mean eat until you think you might be in a coma. Then call me and thank me for changing your life and making you never want to buy store made salsa again. The roasted garlic and cilantro are what makes this recipe, for sure.

Okay, now that I've rambled on for a million and a half years...I'm starving. I think I'll go eat some of said salsa and maybe some of Fluff's leftover lasagna. I hope you're all having a fabulous Saturday and are enjoying some of your own culinary adventures.

"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being." - Franz Kafka

Happy Eating,
Lauren

New year, new beginnings.

Every year, I swear up and down that I'm not going to make any resolutions. They always end up as broken promises to yourself that just make you feel crappy about making them in the first place. The only promise I'd like to make to myself this year is that I will update here more often (at least once a week) and maybe even start making some cooking videos to add to the site. To be comfortable doing that, I know what I need to do....and that is where the resolution side of it comes in.

Time to start eating healthier, Lauren. Well.....hell. I was doing so good before Thanksgiving, I even lost about 15 pounds....and then I gave myself a break over the holidays. Nobody likes to be on a diet at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the little cheats I gave myself here and there turned into full on soda drinking, fast food stopping, ramen noodle eating Lauren. *insert audible sigh*

For someone who knows how to cook food that tastes wonderful and is good for you....and who actually enjoys eating well, I sure do love some crappy food. Sometimes, there's just nothing better than a big, greasy burger from Steak n' Shake. I'm not even going to lie....that place calls to me in my sleep sometimes. What I need to decide is, do I want to still be having this struggle at 32? No. Of course not. I'd love to hit some kind of goal in the next couple of months even....but where the struggle comes in is money. Money is always at the root of it (well...not always. But it sure doesn't help). No matter how you spin it, eating healthy isn't always cheap and right now...cheap is important.

Rambling...I'm rambling. The whole point of this blog was to tell you all some very exciting news in case you didn't know already. I'm moving this week! I will be living with one of my coworkers (and good friends), Jose. But you might as well just get to know him as Fluffy because that's what I (and everyone else) calls him. Generally, I only call him Jose when he's in trouble. We found an older townhome to rent that's three bedroom, two bath and pretty big. It has a washer and dryer and isn't too far from work so I'm super excited.

Now, I just have to buy a bed. And a few other household essentials. We really have nothing. I mean, Fluffy has his bedroom stuff and we both have a few random kitchen essentials, but other than that I think all we have is a TV and a plethora of video game systems. Which we'll be able to play sitting on lawn chairs in the living room.

The only weird part about it all is that I think this means I'm actually a resident of Florida now. I am still being stubborn and not changing my Driver's License....but I think it's just a matter of time. One of my coworkers still has his Jersey plates and License after like four years, so here's hoping I can hold out that long if it comes to that.

Hope this rambling update finds you all well. I will be better and try to use Sundays as my update days.

Happy eating,
Lauren