The BEST Shepherds Pie in the world!!!!!!

 oh my.... talk about comfort food!  This is simply one of my favorite recipes! And on the video Ramsey makes it look like so easy! And it is actually!
I love the way he shreds the onions, garlic and carrots in there....
So anyway, I made it for lunch today and it did not disappoint! Soooooo yummy!!!! 

GORDON RAMSEY'S SHEPHERD'S PIE

THE FILLING

2 Tbs OLIVE OIL

1.5 lbs GROUND BEEF OR LAMB

1 large CARROT [grated]

1 large ONION [grated]

fresh ROSEMARY

fresh THYME

minced GARLIC (4 cloves)

SALT, PEPPER

a small can of TOMATO PUREE or PASTE

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE [several splashes]

RED WINE [several glugs]

CHICKEN STOCK [about 1/4 cup]

THE MASH

1.5 lbs golden POTATOES

1/4 cup HEAVY CREAM

3 1/2 Tbs BUTTER

SALT, PEPPER

2 EGG YOLKS

1/2 cup PARMESAN CHEESE

Cook potatoes, 15 minutes, salt, mix in other ingredients, mash.

Heat up olive oil, add meat, rosemary, thyme, garlic. Shred carrots, onions in there. Add worc.sauce, tomato puree, stir, add red wine and sweat down for a minute or two. Add chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes. 

Scoop your meat mixture into a deep casserole or other oven safe dish and then spoon the mash over the top. Spread the mash over the top of the mix with the bottom of the spoon and then sprinkle a generous portion of Parmesan cheese over the top. Poke the top with a fork several times to give it a peaked look and stick it in the oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes to brown the potatoes and set the pie. 

Watch the video below to get a better idea of how it's done. 

Ten dirtiest items in the produce isle!

Have you ever sampled the grapes in the grocery store? I have. Never again. 

According to a study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) the dirtiest, most pesticide-laden items in the produce isle are:

1. Celery  

Research showed that a single celery stalk had 13 pesticides, while, on the whole, celery contained as many as 67 pesticides.

2. Peaches 

Peaches are laced with 67 different chemicals. They have soft fuzzy skin, a delicate structure, and high susceptibility to most pests, causing them to sprayed more frequently.

3. Strawberries

This red, juicy fruit has a soft, seedy skin, allowing easier absorption of pesticides. Research showed that strawberries contained 53 pesticides. Try to buy strawberries at a local farmer's market for a sweet dessert.

4. Apples 

Apples are high-maintenance fruit, needing many pesticides to stave off mold, pests, and diseases. The EWG found 47 different kinds of pesticides on apples, and while produce washes can help remove some of the residue, they're not 100% effective.

5. Blueberries (domestic)

6. Sweet Bell Peppers 

7. Grapes

8. Potatoes 

9. Cherries 

Don't worry if your faves are on the list. Just make sure you give them a nice little bath before putting them on your table, or even in your fridge. 

Here is how:

1. Give them an ice water bath! 

Soak veggies such as grapes (spider webs, mold on the branches = yuck!), asparagus (those pesky little leaves trap junk) and potatoes for at least five minutes before scrubbing them down. Add a little baking soda to the water!

2. Choose carefully! 

It's easier for bugs and chemicals to enter produce that's beaten up -- think bruising and breaks in the skin. Be superficial -- pick the best-looking fruits and veggies.

3. Wash with baking soda! 

You can buy pricy produce washes, but don't bother: It's cheap and easy to play chemist and brew one up yourself. Simply fill a bowl (reserve it only for washing produce!) with cool water and add a few tablespoons of baking soda. Soak fruit or veggies in the water for 5 to 10 minutes, occasionally scrubbing with a vegetable brush. This is especially important for celery (bye-bye, flies) which has thin grooves and is angled in, making it a pesticide- and dirt-trapping machine. 

4. Buy organic! 

Obviously, when it comes to avoiding pesticides (the EWG found more than 50 different types on some of the veggies they studied), your best bet is to buy organic. 

5. Clean your produce promptly! 

If you wait until you're ready to cook to clean your fruits and veggies, you're less likely to do a thorough job -- because by that point you're starving and just want to eat already! So, when you get home from the grocery store or, even better, the farmer's market, clean and cut up the goods (if appropriate), then store them in air-tight containers to keep them fresh up to 33 percent longer. 

Washing my oranges in a water=baking soda solution. I was SHOCKED how dirty my water got!!!

Nicely air drying my fruits before putting them in the fridge. 

Lemon Brownies, Spicy Gluten-free Carrot Cake

So I tried this amazing LEMON BROWNIES recipe a couple of days ago when we had some friends over for dinner. They turned out A-MAZING!!!!!! Click HERE for the recipe. 

This is Becky's photo from the website

And this is my photograph of my LEMON BROWNIES..... 

 That night I also made a G L U T E N - F R E E  S P I C Y  C A R R O T  C A K E.

This is an old recipe of mine that is a success every time I make it. My husband has a gluten-allergy and I have been cooking gluten-free for 6 and a half years. I have tried MANY g-free recipes and honestly most of them didn't turn out for me.  So I dont even put any recipe in my personal recipe collection until I have tried them. This carrot cake is absolutely fool-proof. It is also super-moist and very flavorful. Thought I will share the recipe:

 SPICY SPICY CARROT CAKE

{gluten-free}

1/2 cup SUGAR

1 cup CANOLA OIL {or APPLE SAUCE}

3 EGGS

2 cup RICE FLOUR 

(or any gluten-free all-purp.flour mix)

2 teaspoon CINNAMON, ALL-SPICE, CLOVES mix

1 teaspoon BAKING SODA

1 teaspoon VANILLA

4-5 LARGE CARROTS, shredded

1 cup CHOPPED WALNUTS

1/2 cup RAISING {opt.}

Combine all ingredients. Preheat oven 350 F. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until top is firm and toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Let it cool then frost it with any kind of icing you like. We like COCONUT-BUTTERPECAN frosting. 

This and that. Ez is az is.

I kept my kitchen window open all morning today.... I loved the fresh "springy" air waving through the house. 

We hardly had ANY snow this winter, come on! This is MICHIGAN after all!! Where was the snow??!! :)

Well now though, I am ready for SPRING! 

Egesz reggel nyitva hagytam a konyha ablakomat.... Olyan jo volt a "tavaszi" friss levegőt beszippantani.... kiszellőztettem alaposan a házat. Ezen a télen alig volt hó, szinte semmi. Hogy lehet ez? Mintha nem is Michiganben lennénk. Hol volt a hó egész télen?? :) Na, de mostmár készen állok a tavaszra! :)

New hair color!  Új hajszín! 

Deep mahagoni..... Needed something fresh. It definitely helps my pale complexion. 

Mély mahagóni.... Kellett valami friss szín. Határozottan feldobja a sápadt arcomat. :)

Just a fun picture I've found. McDonalds in the 50's. 

Igy nézett ki a McDonalds Amerikában az ötvenes években. Tök jó! 

 Getting ready for the concert! 

 Készülődés a koncertre! 

Everyone has a role to play, I loved how he lined up all his puppies and monkeys to play in his band

Mindenkinek fontos szerepet játszik. Annyira cuki volt ahogy felsorakoztatta a kiskutyáit és Majmot meg Elit a nagy koncertre. 

 KINDLE FIRE is in the Bible!! I have found it as I was randomly flipping the pages in my new Bible. 

KINDLE FIRE benne van a Bibliában. (Ez a neve egy új iPad-nek is). Akkor találtam rá erre a kifejezésre, amikor az új Bibliámban lapozgattam. 

 Carmen was over the other day to play with Benjamin. They had fun at the new PAPER HOUSE Scott and I built Benjamin the day before. It is actually quite cosy inside. 

Carmen, Benike kis barátja itt volt játszani csütörtökön. Nagyon jól elvoltak az új KARTONPAPIR HÁZBAN amit előző nap készítettünk Scottal. 

Dancing to "Jesus Loves Me This I Know"

Megy a nagy táncikálás a "Jézus szeret"-re

  

 Finally finished my USA MAP PUZZLE!!! 

Végre kiraktam a USA puzzle-t!!!

 Silly boy... 

Kis moszat.....

 The portrait on the left was made by ME, the one of the right was made bz Scott himself. 

A baloldali portrét én készitettem, a jobb oldalit pedig maga Scott. 

 Scott and Benike are picking up some groceries. We love to go to Family Fare for the fun car-carts and the free popcorn! 

Scott és Benike vásárlás után.... Szeretünk a Family Fare supermarketbe menni, mert olyan jó bevásárlókocsik vannak, és ingyen popcorn! 

 And finally.... I must feature Scott's little paper creations. Soooo cute!! Benjamin and he made them while I was out at the supermarket the other day!

És végezetül.... Muszáj bemutatnom Scott kis papír-alkotásait. Olyan cukkiiiiiiiii!!!! Benikével készítették őket amig odavoltam bevásárolni valamék nap.