curry mussles

Maybe not as good as the secret menu at the crown pub, but at $4.99 a lb, they sure come close..... we'll call it an ode.

time: 30 min. feeds: 3

you will need:

1 onion, skinned and quartered
3 cloves of garlic, skinned
1 serano chili, de-stemmed and seeds removed
yellow curry powder (or turmeric, coriander, red pepper, salt, cumin) to taste
2 cans of coconut milk
4 Tbs brown sugar
juice of 1/2 a lime
FRESH mussels
2 cups white or basmati rice
some celantro


what to do:

1) Add 4 cups of water to a saucepan on high heat, bring to boil, add rice, reduce to simmer, cover and cook until done (15-20 min)

2) Meanwhile, put the onion, garlic, and chili in a food processor or blender until it's a fine paste. Put in a wok or large skillet and cook on high until your eyes stop burning and the onion turns soft,5- 7 min. Add your curry spices and cook, 2 more min.

3) Add the coconut milk, sugar, and lime. Now is the time to adjust the seasonings: more curry is a must. If it's too limy, add more sugar and spice. Adjust to your taste, then bring to a boil.

4) Add the mussels, stir, and cover. Cook in boiling sause for 5 minutes, stirring once during that interval. Mussels are done when they open. Discard any that have not opened in that time.

5) Serve with rice and cilantro and plenty of napkins. To eat; break off the one side of the mussel, dip the other in curry, and eat... yum!

foglifter

For the morning:

1 shot Illy Moka Espresso
1 cup dark coconut macaroon drip coffee

Off to Telluride this weekend, for the last time before June.
ciao...

for Japan

thinking about the world outside my doors today

100% of proceeds to go Japan:

Knitted Cross Blanket pattern
Sankaku Sachets
Help Japan Poster
Japan Print (shown above)

For Japan with Love
American Red Cross
Japan Society
NGO JEN

the shepherd and his pie

A little something to celebrate St. Patys for you. A bit of touble, but worth the effort.

You will need:

For the Garlicky Potato Topping:

• 4 large russet potatos, peeled and quartered
• 10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup beef broth
• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• some salt and pepper

For the filling:

• 4 slices bacon, cut into pieces
• vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• some salt
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 carrots, chopped
• about a cup of frozen peas
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or rice flour, for GF)
  
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (or 1/2 cup of wine, for GF)
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• black pepper, salt, rosmary, parsley
  
• 1/2 cup grated cheese

What to do:

For the potato topping:

1. In a big pot add the potatoes and garlic and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. (While this is going, make the filling)
   
2. When the potatoes are done, drain them and then transfer to a large bowl. Add the the sour cream 1/4 cup of the broth, butter, salt and pepper, and squish with a spoon or use a mixer if you prefer. If the mixture is too dry, add some more broth.

For the filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a big baking dish with nonstick spray, or coat with butter.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook,until almost crisp, about 8 min, then set aside.
   
3. Drain the bacon fat to a new skillet. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar, and cook until the onions begin to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Turn up the heat a little, stir in the beef and cook until the beef begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the carrots, peas, and garlic and cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and flour and cook 2 more minutes. Add the beer or wine, the cooked bacon, the broth and spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

Put it all together now:

1. Spoon the meat mixture into the baking dish. Spread the potato topping evenly over the beef mixture. Bake until the filling is hot, the topping is lightly browned and the edges are bubbly, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes.
2. Eat with an Irish accent! Top o the mornin' to ya!
   

CLOSED

Yesterday at 4pm we bought a house. This house here.

Here we are, opening the front door to our house for the first time, and standing in our new living room! This is still completely incomprehensible to me. Maybe when we manage to actually move all our stuff here, it will start to feel real...

where should we go?

When we first started wedding planning, Ben announced almost immediately that he wanted to plan the honeymoon and surprise me with the location. I agreed- it sounds like fun to me! ... But here we are, a year and a month later, and still no official plans to speak of. I've started to but in (just a little!) with some ideas, but he seems to have his heart set on something he already admitted (without telling me what it is) that we can't afford.

Anyway, to pass time on slow days, I've been dreaming of possibilities...

How about staying in an ice castle in Canada? Dog sleds, hot coca, fireside ?
Or we could explore the Ireland countryside... perhaps by motorcycle?
What about a treehouse honeymoon in Oregon?
We could... kayak along the coast of Croatia,
Stake out a Cabin in the woods,
Brave monsoon season in Thailand,
Bike through California wine country ?


What would you do if you had two weeks to do anything (on a budget?)

PS: photo is from the 2008 Slovenia bike trip that we are trying to top...

7 years, 3 months, 1 week

Can I just take a moment to tell you how excited I am?

7 years ago today, my freshman year roommates stole my keys, dragged me across campus, and wouldn't give them back until I'd marched up to Ben's dorm room and knocked.

3 months from today, we're getting married.

1 week from now, we will own a house together.


I'm trying to find the words to say how lucky and small I feel.