Shepherd's Pie take 1

Shepherd's pie.

I have been working on perfecting my Shepherd's pie recipe.

Today's attempt? Well, it wasn't perfect...


So, no recipe today but I will show you what it looked like.

I didn't let the sauce thicken up enough and the extra liquid came bubbling out the top.

I made a small portion for my friend to taste test. She said she liked it but I guess I am a harsher critic.

I really liked the Parmesan topping.

I don't think I will add red wine to the next one. I just didn't like how it ended up tasting. 

Next time I think I will try a version of the Shepherd's pie my mom used to make. 

And I am going to go to the bother of picking up grass-fed beef from Whole Foods because the regular 'ol ground beef I picked up Safeway tasted incredibly bland.

I do have some leftover mashed potato and sauce so I will have to find a creative use for them.

I hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

Requests and the green one

Well, it was coming up on a week for the farm stand eggs. I knew that I needed to use them up. 

I really was dragging my feet about using the green egg. I kept looking at it in the fridge and cooing over its cuteness.

But it was time.

Say goodbye!

See the extra deep orange color of the yolk at the top of the picture? That is the green egg's yolk - I knew that little guy was special :-)

Add 1tsp. of milk and a dash of salt and pepper.

All whisked together.

And here is where I feel pride over my ugly fry pan. I just put a tiny drop of oil in the pan and this came out. 

 And contrary to my love of runny poached or soft boiled eggs - I like my omelets slight over cooked. Inside this gorgeous example of egglisciousness I added some avocado and salsa. With the addition of another drizzle of salsa on top? Delicious!

I have been getting requests for full meals/recipes for the dogs rather than just snacks.

I do have a huge compilation of recipes for dog meals from the time when I fed the dogs an all raw diet or a cooked homemade diet. What follows is not one of those recipes - it is just a way to use up the eggs and leftovers in a way the dogs would enjoy.

And please note that when the dogs get full meals such as the one listed below - they don't get any kibble for that meal.


So here is what I did this morning - 

 

 Ingredients:

1 egg
1 1/2 cup of leftover Shepherd's Pie
1 tsp. of water
1/2 a strip of nori for garnish
1/2 tsp. of coconut oil


Whisk together the egg and water. Warm up the leftover Shepherd's Pie in the microwave for about 30 seconds or just till warm. If the leftovers seem a bit dry - mix in a little water so that it is moist. 


Put a fry pan on medium low heat and add the 1/2 tsp. of oil to the pan. Add in the leftover Shepherd's pie - break it up into small pieces with a spatula. Then add in the beaten egg. Cook for about 5 minutes - just until the whites turn opaque but the eggs are still runny. 


Divide the cooked egg mixture in half and serve up to the beasties. 


Serves 2 40lb. dogs

Garnish with a sprinkle of nori.

Keep in mind - if your dog is only used to eating kibble - introduce other foods very slowly (or start with the small snacks listed in previous posts) so that your pup can build up stomach tolerance. 

I am off to have lunch with a friend.

Happy Friday!

A savory morning

And because I am a savory kind of girl...

Another helping of Shepherd's Pie for breakfast - with the addition of baby heirloom tomatoes. 

Can't forget the tea!

Oh, and yesterday I got this for the dogs. 

Yes, that is grass. When I lived in a house (rather than an apartment) I used to plant a bed of sedge grass. The dogs would munch on it like little furry lawn mowers. 

I am contemplating a planter box for my patio so that I could grow some grass for the dogs. 

I could show you a picture of the above mentioned plant after I gave it to the dogs - but it isn't pretty. But it does make me realize I need to get a bit more greens into the beasties diets. 

On the docet for today? Writing - and lots of it. Here is hoping (*crossed fingers*) that after 8 hours of writing I will end up with at least one decent sentence...