I left my heart in SF...ew, did I really say that?

We went to California for Parkers birthday. I will talk about it later. For now I will share a couple of good recipes that I checked out this last week. I am only doing this so the 5 people that read my blog for recipes won't think that I am bailing on them. Then again, I am delusional that they care one way or the other.



There was injera making.



There was cherry pitting (I won the pitter!)



There was raclette eating because I bought Dr. Food the gizmo for his birthday.



There was the consuming of the last of our Padron peppers.



Over the weekend it was cold so I decided to make Shepards Pie. It was really good. I didn't really use a recipe but I will describe how I made it later.



Oh, and by the way. I am not trying to con anyone here. I used packaged mashed potato stuff. Hello? What? No, you don't hate me. I am just honest. I have also been known to eat gluten, eat velvetta, and eat lots stuff that is bad for me. Processed? Yes, been known to eat processed crap as well. Ok there. I said it.



So now that you are disillusioned I will tell you that at least *I* made my own Worcestershire sauce that I also used in this dish. So there.



We picked a boatload of tomatillos. I found this shrimp recipe on Simply Recipes and it was really good. Not sure that Dr. Food liked it as much as me but I really loved it.




So, I would make this again.



The tequila didn't hurt it any.



So you can leave now if you could care less about my personal life. I gave you the damn recipes and you don't have to read me waxing poetic about my baby. Actually, these are both my babies.



Look at that face. Dr. Papa Food put him in a box.



Parker loves Dr Papa Food.



We went to Tilden Park and Parker fed cows celery.



We got to go to a party at Parker's school.



There was LOTS of reading.



Then it was Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday time!



This cake was a "project" alright.



Check out the inside.



Lots of great goodies to eat. Annie is a pro at decorating.



Someone had a GOOD time.



Mamma and Dr. Papa Food gave Parker a kitchen for his birthday (Annie showed us the way to this one).



I am determined to turn him into a top chef!



Just imagine my pain in leaving this face and getting on the plane for New England.



Back to turning colors... I miss my family.












Shepherd Pie
adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Shepherd Pie from Gordon Ramsay’s Recipes


About 6 cups any kind of Mashed Potato

2 Tbl Olive Oil
1 lb Ground Lamb
1 Large Carrot (grated)
1 Large Onion (grated)
1 tbl Fresh Rosemary
1 tbl Fresh Thyme
4 cloves minced garlic
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce (several splashes)
1/2 can Tomato Puree or Paste
Red Wine (several glugs)
1/4C Chicken Stock


Stir meat as if your life depends on it for a few minutes so it’s nice and brown, and broken into very small pieces. Add your Rosemary, Thyme, and Garlic, then stir some more. Quickly add your Carrot, and Onion, stir a little longer. The idea at this point is to get everything to a minced consistency.

Add Worcestershire Sauce, stir, add Tomato Puree, stir, add Red Wine and sweat down for a minute or two. Add chicken stock and cook for 3 more minutes. I made mine without the stock because I didn’t notice it the first time I watched the show. You can add it, or leave it out.

Scoop your meat mixture into a deep casserole or other oven safe dish and then spoon the mash over the top. Spread the mash over the top of the mix with the bottom of the spoon and then sprinkle a generous portion of Parmesan cheese over the top. Poke the top with a fork several times to give it a peaked look and stick it in the oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes to brown the potatoes and set the pie. Serve it up and watch people melt! Oh I love Shepherd Pie!


Baked Shrimp with Tomatillos Recipe
Simply Recipes


2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
1-2 jalapeno chiles, seeded, minced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 lb tomatillos, chopped
Salt
1/2 cup clam juice OR 1/4 cup water*
1 lb shrimp, cleaned, deveined
1 cup Cotija queso seco cheese (can substitute feta) *I used Paneer because that is all I had.
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Lime juice
Black pepper


An oven-proof sauté pan or cast iron pan
*One time we made this we used tequila instead of clam juice, it was good too!
**Duh, *I* used the tequila

Heat oil in the pan you will use for baking. Add the onions and jalapeños, cook for 5 minutes on medium high until the onions begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the tomatillos, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatillos are cooked through, but still hold their shape. Sprinkle salt over the tomatillos as they are cooking.

If using clam juice, add to pan, turn up the heat and reduce by half. If using water, just add the 1/4 cup of water without reducing.

Add the cheese and shrimp. Cook in a preheated 425°F oven for 10 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven.
Right before serving, mix in the cilantro and sprinkle with lime juice and freshly ground black pepper.