Comfort Food to the Max!

Have I ever mentioned that I love my wife? I do. Yesterday, while I was diligently writing my thesis, Miss Beverly was baking up a storm. In the span of two hours, she whipped up some really tasty banana nut muffins AND made our favorite donut muffins. Bev's been promising to blog those recipes, so make sure you hound her until she spreads that joy. Anyway, Bev wasn't finished there. Later, we made Rachel Ray's Steakhouse Shepherd's Pie, which was literally one of the best things I've ever eaten (I say we, because I swooped in to make the drinks -- VG and water with a cherry on top). The pie/casserole had everything you could want in it...beef, carrots, mushrooms, onions, gravy, bacon, blue-cheese mashed potatoes. I have a feeling it will be even better as a leftover as the juices settle in and redistribute, so we're in for a treat the rest of the week. Here's the recipe. One word of warning, though...it uses up about pot, pan, and utensil in the house so make sure your dishwasher is empty.
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2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Salt
1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices good quality bacon or peppered bacon, chopped
2 pounds ground sirloin
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
Black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef stock, divided
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 pound blue cheese, crumbled (recommended: Maytag)
3 to 4 tablespoons chives
1 teaspoon paprika Place potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water and bring up to a boil. Season water with salt and boil potatoes until tender, 12 to15 minutes. Heads up: save a ladle of starchy cooking water just before draining.

Heat a skillet with high sides over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, half a turn of the pan and the bacon. Crisp bacon and remove to paper towel lined plate. Add sirloin to the pan and caramelize the meat, 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and onions and cook until tender, 6 to 7 minutes more then season with salt and pepper.

While meat cooks heat a small sauce pot over medium heat and melt butter, whisk the flour into butter, cook 2 minutes then whisk beef stock into flour, add Worcestershire and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Thicken 6 to 7 minutes.

Pour gravy over meat and turn on broiler.

Temper egg yolk by beating it with the starchy potato cooking water. Place drained potatoes back into the pot you cooked them in to dry them out a little. Mash potatoes with egg yolk and sour cream then fold in crumbled blue cheese and chives. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and spread across the top of the meat in an even layer. Garnish the potatoes with paprika and place under broiler to crisp and brown the potatoes, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately right from the hot skillet.

Winter Weekends

I've decided to stop feeling guilty about being slightly lazy on the weekends. When it's this cold out, I think it's around 15 degrees today (before windchills) it's just plain hard to do much. But Price is the best person to be lazy with because he's such a goof! He and Hitch always keep me entertained. Here is a pretty shot Price took one morning after our last snow. Hitch loves to sit in the pantry window and watch birds and squirrels.
We made one of our favorite recipes this weekend. Giada's mini shrimp calzones. Price made some delicious frozen drinks to start and we played a few games of Yahtzee! Price and I both have memories of playing this game with our fathers, so it was fun to think of them while we battled for our own scores. Price does a great job impersonating Brantley's, "Yahhhhht-zzzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeee" scream!

Here is Giada's recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes in juice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 (4-ounce) pieces of purchased or homemade pizza dough, recipe follows
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for egg wash)
Extra-virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant and tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme, parsley, and wine. Increase the heat to medium and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes. In a small bowl, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the skillet and saute until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool in a small bowl.

Position 1 oven rack in the center and the second rack on the bottom of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.

Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out each piece of pizza dough into a 7-inch-diameter floured round. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella over the lower half of each pizza dough, dividing equally and leaving a 1-inch border. Spoon the shrimp mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the shrimp mixture. Brush the edge of the dough with egg wash. Fold the plain dough halves over the filling, forming half circles. Pinch the edges of dough firmly together and crimp to seal.

Transfer the calzones to the 2 prepared sheets. Bake until the calzones puff and become golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Brush extra-virgin olive oil over calzones and serve.

Catching Up

Here are a few random pictures from Christmas in Lynchburg. We had a fabulous time with everyone, proving once again, there is nothing like the Anderson/Blair family!

Bev & Blake

This med student really deserved a relaxing Christmas vacation!

Price, Raine, Blake, and I enacted family game night, which turned out to be quite competitive. We started with 90's Trivial Pursuit, which then led to some classic Nintendo Olympics, with a little "pong" thrown in there too! No need to worry over calories when you get this physical.

Christmas morning, Price got some I-tunes gift cards!

Price and I came back to Boston on the 26th, so I could work the rest of the week. New Year's was pretty quiet, but after a nice dinner, we started on a 1,000-piece puzzle. We ended up finishing the puzzle in 48 hours. Yes, you can call us professionals. We've even turned puzzle into a verb..."Price, you puzzlin' tonight?"

New Year's Day.

Puzzlin'!

Mister Curious.Ta-da!

Happy 2008!

SPL is on My Space

For those of you who haven't seen my library in a while, the Somerville Public Library is now on My Space! Check out the link below and make sure to watch the video, created by some local college students this fall. You can get a good look at the children's department, where I can be found on a daily basis, and an especially good look at the very outdated color schemes in the building. Enjoy!

http://www.myspace.com/somervillepubliclibrary

You Never Know

We went out for dinner last night at a local German restaurant called Jacob Wirth. It was an icky, rainy day here yesterday and it's impossible to look or feel your best when you put up with wet weather all day. I was looking forward to meeting Price for a cozy meal and then heading home to watch a movie. Of course this is the night we manage to have a star-sighting! We sat next to this guy:

Remember Anwar Robinson from American Idol? We actually watched that season in full, the one Carrie Underwood ended up winning, so it was pretty exciting. You just never know who you're going to run into in Boston! Anwar is currently on Rent cast and was eating his pre-performance meal. I don't know about some of you, but I certainly couldn't scarf down a big German meal, complete with 2 beers, and then step on stage for 2 hours. I guess he doesn't need much time in the dressing room.


So, Price and I have now come very close to Anwar and Ayla Brown. Now when do we get to meet Simon?

New Obsessions for 2008

Here is a list of some of my new favorite things of 2008! Try them out some time.

1. Sigg Water Bottles. I am currently on the hunt to purchase these for us, but they are definitely the new way to go with water bottles. They are non-toxic, eco-friendly, aluminum, reusable, and Swiss made. I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye to Nalgene!



2. Polar Running Watch. Price was pretty savvy with this gift. This watch, which is really a mini computer, can do just about anything you can think of. It's designed for goal-oriented runners, but is also useful for someone like me who enjoys running and can benefit from knowing exact distances and pacing guidelines. The watch comes with a heart-rate monitor and a foot-pod to track your distance. I enjoy tracking my HR in lots of activities, including spinning class. It's great to keep track of how hard you really are working.

3. Mrs. Meyer's Household Cleaners. Ok, I know it isn't everyday that someone gets this excited over a cleaning prdocut, but this line of products is to-die-for. Mrs. Meyer's is dedicated to using natural ingredients in her cleansers, so they are not as toxic or harmful, but use essential oils to create great-smelling and great-working cleansers. I was given a set for Christmas and actually enjoyed cleaning the bathroom last weekend. That never happens! The other cool thing is they have a seasonal line and carry all sorts of products for different tasks, like pets, babies, and laundry. I currently have the lavender-scented line and love it!

4. Sunbeam Heated Throw. This electric blanket has been a lifesaver lately. I cannot believe, as cold as I always am in our apartment, that I never thought to purchase a heated blanket. But when we were home in Lynchburg for Christmas, I cuddled up under Brantley's old electric throw and fell in love. Now I have my own, I know Brantley is proud, and barely come out. Ask Price. He's the one who wakes me from my heat-induced comas on the couch. Ah, but it feel sooooo niiiiiiice :)

5. Bear Grylls. If you don't have the Discovery channel, run, don't walk, to your local cable provider and get it now! Bear's show, Man v. Wild, is our favorite new form of entertainment. There really isn't anything this guy won't do to survive in all kind of extreme conditions, from the Sahara to the Everglades to Patagonia. He drinks his own urine, guts a dead camel for shelter, and consistently tastes local delicacies - such as goat's testicles and maggots - to name a few. Bear's goal is to teach us how to survive in extreme survival situations, but if you ask me, I'll stay home under my heat blanket and just enjoy watching him. Go Bear!

6. Belgian Waffle Maker. I recently decided that I love belgian waffles and I guess Santa listened! This particular model is made by Waring Pro. We've had great success with our Waring Pro Blender, which was a wedding gift, so I am already thrilled with our latest kitchen gadget. Waffles have never tasted so good or been so easy to make. It beeps when the waffle is cooked, so no more constant checking and decision making - this one does the work for you. And the best part? Your waffles will cook in a quick 4 minutes! I think we might have to enact a weekly waffle night :)

7. American Apparel. I love the leggings this L.A. based store makes. They come in any color you might want and they can go with any and everything. I know leggings are totally 80's, but with a pair of Uggs, they make the winters in Boston a little more bearable. I can actually wear a skirt and not have to worry about snagging my tights! If you really get into it, try some leg warmers, and celebrate your inner 80's-diva!