Food Archives - Page 8 of 19 - A Golden Afternoon: Simplified Home Living

Shepherd’s Pie with Guinness

I love Holidays. They are an awesome way to get people together, eat good food, share a bit of happiness, and maybe even relax a little (if you’re not the hostess, of course!) St. Patrick’s day is no Christmas, but there’s a little piece of history there for everyone to celebrate in.

St. Patrick (or Maewyn Succat, as he was known) is a really incredible person. He was actually an accidental slave brought to Ireland, who seemed to know, even then, that God had a reason for sending him to such a crazy far-away place. Years later, when returned to his home country, he felt the need to go back to Ireland and share Jesus with as many people as he could. Now, how many times have we complained about something horrible or even just inconvenient happening to us and we wonder what God could possibly be thinking? I do it all the time. I probably did it today. I’m sure Maewyn wondered, but he still went. He trusted God’s plan even though it meant a complete 180. Sometimes we are meant to have u-turns, like Joye said the other day, even though they are confusing and sometimes painful. God was with Maewyn and He is with US through every decision, giving us the Holy Spirit, wisdom, and FAITH.

Anyone out there Irish? I may have red hair but I am not the teeniest bit Irish (that I am aware of). 99% of the people who ask me about my hair color, assume I’m Irish. My kids have some Irish in them from their Daddy’s side but Scotland is where it’s at for this girl!

I wish you could all come over for a big party on St. Patrick’s day, so instead I’d like to share my shepherd’s pie recipe.

Shepherd’s Pie with Guinness

potato top:

1 1/2 pounds of russet potatoes, pealed and cut into large chunks

1 cup milk

4 T. butter

salt and pepper

meat filling:

a few T. canola oil for pan

6-8 medium carrots, chopped

1 c. red onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, miced

1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb, turkey, or beef

(Lamb is the traditional meat, but I’ve made it with all 3 meats successfully)

salt and pepper for seasoning

3 T. Gluten-free flour (or whole wheat)

1 T. tomato paste

12 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. rosemary, chopped

1 T. thyme, chopped

1 1/2 c. Guinness beer (you can sub a broth for this if you prefer)

1 c. peas, fresh or frozen

1 tsp. parsley, for garnish

Start by boiling the cut potatoes until tender. They usually take at least 30 minutes, which is why it’s best to start with them. Then, saute the carrots, onions, and garlic with a few tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. You can find some lovely carrots this time of year if you have a local farmer’s market. Add some salt and pepper (to taste) and cook until the onions are browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the meat to the veg mixture and cook through. While this is cooking you can measure and prepare the seasonings above.

After the meat is cooked, add the flour. Stir. Then, add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and beer. Add more salt and pepper as needed. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the liquid thickens a bit.

Put the meat filling in an oval baker or 11×7 in. pan. Mash the potatoes or put them through a ricer. Add the milk, butter, and salt and pepper and stir until combined. Spread the potatoes over the filling. Place on a baking sheet (in case it bubbles over a bit) and cook at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

I found these adorable St. Patty’s printables from Ellinee. Enjoy the food and invite a few people over for some good Irish beer and some laughs :)

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Orangecello + Bon’s Sidecar

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Forgive me, I am about to go off about Downton Abbey again so hang with me if this bores you because either way, there is a drink recipe at the end.

We all know I am obsessed with Downton Abbey, like the rest of the world, it seems. I find inspiration from that time period everywhere and this time I found it in my cocktail. A month before Christmas, I threw some vodka in a few jars of oranges. It was supposed to be a Christmas present for my sister but I clearly didn’t make it in time if I thought a miracle would turn it to liqueur in time. So, I kinda forgot about it until I was suddenly craving a “Sidecar”. This lovely drink was brought about in France during/after WWI because of the 2 available liquors, Cointreau and Cognac. It apparently floated over to the U.S. during a not so convenient time, Prohibition. Today it is ever so popular because of the increasingly fascinating speakeasy establishments of today which I am kinda obsessed with right now. Obviously, purchasing alcohol is not illegal anymore and we are not threatened with imprisonment, but it’s still super-fun to be in a place that is secret or exclusive in some way, don’t you think?

I enjoy a good handcrafted cocktail, especially on the weekends when I have a chance to wind down from teaching school, managing a household, and just the running around that comes with the average week. The cleaning and the cooking always stay but that’s just the way it is. We have to eat and I prefer to have it clean around here anyway. All that to say, it’s nice to have something to relax you for the weekend or during the weekend.

For the Sidecar:

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For the classic sidecar cocktail, there are supposed to be equal parts orange liqueur, cognac, and lemon juice. I made it three different ways and picked my favorite. Equal parts left too much sour lemon flavor for my taste. Cognac is often swapped for Brandy or even Bourbon. Even though I love Bourbon, I actually prefer Brandy or Cognac in mine because I think it balances better with the lemon.

In the end, I chose this combo:

Bon’s Sidecar:

1 part orange liqueur (as made below or Cointreau)

1 part Cognac

1/2 part lemon juice

Shake on ice and pour over ice.

(note: If you are planning on making this as a gift, start it about 12 weeks before you want to give it away)

Orangecello:

orange vodka-

4 c. vodka

4 oranges, cleaned and the sweeter the better

Simply slice all of the oranges and put them in a lidded jar with 4 c. of vodka. Place it in a cool place for at least 2 weeks (mine was a month). Then strain the pieces out and store for another few weeks. Now it’s ready to be sweetened…

orangecello/orange liqueur-

1 Part water

1 part sugar

4 parts orange flavored vodka

Dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat. Cool. Now, add the simple syrup (sugar+water) to the orange vodka until it tastes the way you want it too (I use all of it:)). Put the resulting liquid in a jar and leave in a dark place for at least 6 weeks. You can find jars like mine for gifting at The Container Store.

Be sure to share with a friend…it’s always better that way.

Has anyone made it before?

What’s your favorite drink to mix it in?

Earl Grey and Grapefruit zest cookies

Earl Grey Cookies with Grapefruit Zest

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

2 T. earl grey tea, from tea bags (ground)

2 c. flour

1 c. butter (2 sticks), room temperature

1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

1 T. grapefruit zest

Combine the tea and flour in a bowl. In your mixer bowl or another bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and grapefruit zest on medium until pale and fluffy. Turn the speed to low and add flour slowly until just combined. Separate the dough and roll each in a separate piece of parchment paper to form a log. You want the log to be about 1 1/2 in. thick. Twist the ends and freeze for at least an hour or until you are ready to use them. Once ready, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, cut the logs into 1/4 in slices, and bake about 12-15 minutes. Cool, eat, and share!

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Big Love

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

Dr. Seuss

Linking with: Project Alicia and The Paper Mama

Delicious Oatmeal with brown butter apples

Oatmeal is definitely a comfort food for me. When I eat it in the morning it sits in my tummy and says,

“Your day is gonna be awesome”.

I started making this oatmeal quite a few years ago and I love it (some of our frequent guests even ask for it which is sooo sweet). Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Starbucks oatmeal, but nothing beats making oatmeal in pjs and slippers. Kinda saves money too.

To start, I’ll try to share how I make my browned butter (I’m no pro…just sharing). On a lot of days I will just use olive oil but I’ll show you the “real” way here:

Oatmeal with brown butter apples

2 medium apples, peeled and diced

1/2 c. raisins

1 1/2 c. old fashioned or steel-cut oats

3 cups nonfat milk (or your choice of liquid)

dash of sea salt

1/4 c. butter

1/3 c. brown sugar (or to taste)

1 tsp cinnamon, plus a dash for garnish

sliced apples for garnish (optional)

Start by putting the milk and oatmeal in the pot with a dash of sea salt, on medium-low heat. Stir it every few minutes so the milk doesn’t scorch. I start it first because I cook mine for a looong time…at least 30-45 minutes. You can cook it less, I just prefer mine to be super-creamy and not chewy. However, nonfat milk has less of a tendency to scorch because of it’s lower fat content.

Second, dice the apples and measure the raisins. That way, they are ready to toss in the butter after you make it below.

Third, begin melting the butter in a pan. Basically, you are trying to brown it without burning it to create the brown butter. Shake it every 10 seconds or so. Stay right next to it, though, as it changes pretty fast. The top 3 photos show the slight changes leading to the slightly golden brown result which will smell like toasted butter.

Yes, toasted butter is possible and you maybe didn’t even know it.

Yes, it’s awesome.

Fourth, toss the apples in the butter and saute until slightly golden brown. Add the raisins.

Fifth, add the brown sugar to the pan. As it mixes it will form a kind of caramel with the butter.

Last, add the apple mixture to the oatmeal pan and cook until your desired consistency.

I always serve mine with sliced apples and a dash of cinnamon. I’ve been doing it forever and ever so it’s really not just for show.

Ask my family.

It really does cheer my spirits up, though. You should try it :)

It has been an awesome few weeks for me. Yes, there have been whiny children that beat up on each other, a traveling husband, a few rough school days, and some disappointing pieces of news. However, when I think about the last few weeks I think about…

laughter

More than almost anything in friendship, I love laughing together. I’ve been doing a lot of it and LOVING it.

It makes all of my cares melt away and I go to sleep very thankful for God giving me people I can laugh with.

I’ve also been doing some, dare I say, cleansing things in my life. I recently cleaned out nearly my entire house (feel awesome!). I attacked drawers and closets. I pretty much just have my craft supplies and one counter-top and I should be good. I fully expect it to build up again, but if you don’t do it a few times a year you might show up on that hoarders show or something.

That would be bad.

I also cleaned out my social “spaces”. I’ve been really focusing on being a good friend and being there for people who might need me right now in February, not just someday when my kids are grown and I “get the time”. As an extension of this, I went through my ENTIRE facebook and twitter pages and “hid” people who were negative influences. I made a decision last year at this time to lessen my facebook presence on my personal facebook page. I felt super-bummed when my friends were only reaching out to me through facebook comments so I learned from this experience and applied the changes to my own life. A “like” doesn’t mean nearly as much as uplifting words shared over a cup of coffee or tea. The lines of friendship are so skewed over the internet. I love keeping up with people so I just tried to refocus my efforts to the real-life friendships I have while also not feeling guilty for every relationship I can’t invest in (so hard!).

I also want to have encouraging people around with common goals.

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