Rachel and Rick sitting in an oven....now that's HOT

Ok, so I didn�t go to Math class. I was a bad girl. I hedged all afternoon and then I just realized that I�m going to be spending the next 16 plus weeks in another Math class that will actually count. It�s too late to make this one work and I�m allowed one miss so I took my miss last night.

And instead of sitting in a Math class I went grocery shopping. If you my reader (and yes I only have about one reader�) realized how badly I hate domesticity and all that goes with it you�d realize that grocery shopping is only one miniscule step above Math class. But Rick decided that he�s tired of eating out and wanted something homemade. Now don�t go off thinking I shopped and cooked because I absolutely didn�t. Shopping + Cooking = n. n. = NOT HAPPENING. I know that much math.

I�m about to let a long held secret out of the bag. Rick has the television style hot�s for Rachel Ray. She�s probably the only media brunette he digs. He calls her �my girl�. He sees her on TV or her face on a book at Target and exclaims with little boy glee, �There�s my girl!! So last night he did a google search and found a recipe for Shepard�s Pie and printed it out and sent me to the store for the ingredients. I don�t mind shopping from a list of ingredients as badly as I do from mere memory and a �what the hell should I buy now� list in my head. $34.50 later I was packed down with only about 7 puny plastic bags full of groceries including the infamous Rachel Ray E.V.O.O. (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). I want to be E.V. K. (Extra Virgin Kristy) When I hear the words �extra virgin� I just think �now there�s some tight ass oil!!! Then my mind travels off on those last three words and all havoc is wreaked about my brain as I stumble like a child through pages and pages of fantasies. But I digress�.

I got home and Rick was sprawled width-wise across the bed (the center of it�only man I know that does this is Rick�but perhaps other�s do?) and told me, �I�m tired honey, I�ll cook it all tomorrow night!� I took a tiny little bitch fest and insisted that he immediately start to cook �or else!� It worked and I think it was because �or else� must be someplace bad in his mind.



Shepards Pie

2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

And for Rick, a picture, because I could never ever look this damn happy and sexy with a knife cooking unless I was frying up ex-husband testicles for the former neighbor Hanibal style. (OH MY GOD�did I just type that?)

And a picture of the shepards pie, this is not Rick�s from last night. His looked the exact same but was in a square glass boring pan��I need me some red casserole pan like this one. Cute.


And for the record, it took Rick an hour and a half from start to finish to prepare this so called �30 minute meal�. Yah 30 minutes minus chopping, hunting for the pan, looking for a bowl, peeling, and pre-heating the oven! (let's not even mention the 45 minutes it took me at the grocery store!!!) What a total racket she�s got goin�. Ahhh but she�s the girl so who cares?

Ricks meal...was really yummy. (even if going out is cheaper and less time consuming ;-) Thanks honey! Reason #987,567,342,113 I pick Rick!