Updates

Hey ya'll. I've been a bad blogger. I'm getting a slow start to 2009. No legitimate reason, just lazy and taking a break. Here are some updates on what we've been making.


Heaven's to Betsy...Shepherd's Pie! This is a favorite comfort food of mine and this time was no different. The filling is a beef/gravy mixture with carrots and onions. The gravy is flavored with Guinness beer. The potatoes are enhanced with white cheddar cheese and chopped green onions. A quick minute under the broiler and you have a perfect meal to get cozy with. This go around, I split the beef mixture in half, using half now and half a week later. Two meals in one. Usually I'd make one big batch and then reheat the leftovers. Splitting the mixture in half and assembling at the time of dinner. This worked great.


Homemade Chicken Stock. I couldn't be happier. I bought a big batch of chicken parts (wings, legs, thighs) and tossed them in my biggest kettle and covered them with water. Let that come to a boil and roll around for awhile. Skim off the foam and any other nasty stuff. Turn the heat down to a very low simmer. Add carrots, celery, onions and a bay leaf or two. Simmer for a few hours. Strain the chicken and veggie bits...

You will be left with a big kettle of beautiful, golden stock full of the greatest flavors. My stock made itself useful for two big meals and two small meals. I made a big batch of tortilla soup for our New Year's dinner. The two smaller meals just used small amounts of stock to kick-up some leftovers. The other big meal was...

...Bacon and onion risotto. I intended to make Bacon and Leek Risotto, but the store I went to had horrible, wilted leeks...and no shallots. So I used onion. This was divine. So naughty. And sooo awesome J-lo did my ironing for me!

And tonight I made Asian Chicken Salad. Instead of using the poofy noodles this time, I used chow mein noodles, which we liked more. There is a little extra saltiness and the additional crunch was very nice. A big salad for dinner. Makes up for that giant bowl of bacon risotto.


There you go, the highlights of the past week or so. I've planned out a lovely menu for the next 10 days or so. Hopefully I'll be more current with my blogging.