Shepherd's Pie

I'm no cook but I really wanted to use this baking pot Peter bought for when we made cottage pie and since pie's seem to be a winter recipe, I thought I'd try a shepherds pie which turned out to be quite delicious by the end. I've never thought of doing a food post before besides posting drool-worthy recipes I've wanted to try but never ended up doing and so this time it went pretty well. I have no idea about how lighting goes but thankfully, I did more than okay this time round but wishing that I had taken a few more shots.

Easy

4 servings

Ingredients:

- 1 large carrot

- 1 large celery stick

- 1 onion

- 700g lamb or beef mince

- 2 tablespoons tomato paste

- 2 cups beef stock

- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

- 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters or smaller

- 40g unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup milk

- 2 teaspoons cornflower

- 2 tablespoons water

- 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves 

- Salt and pepper

OKAY, let's go! 

1. Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion. Since I'm not a Masterchef myself, I tend to use any cheats as possible so I used a food processor for this step. It's useful for skipping an onion-crying step when cooking anything.

2. Heat oil in a deep non-stick frying pan on a low/medium heat and then add the carrots, celery and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add mince and stir for 5 minutes or until cooked and brown.

3. Add tomato paste, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and then bring to the boil or until the sauce has evaporated. Turn the heat down and let simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Whilst the mince mixture is simmering, you can then boil your potatoes until tender and then drain them (tip: drip the potatoes into the water first before dropping them in to avoid splashes of hot water). Leave them in the same pot so you can mash them and then add the milk, butter and a bit of salt and pepper. Leave to the side, covered to keep warm.

5. Mix the cornflour into the water until it becomes a watery paste and then add it into the mixture. Keep it simmering until the sauce has thickened a little. Stir in the parsley then add the salt and pepper to taste.

6. Heat your oven grill on high. Transfer mixture into a baking bowl or dish and then spread the mash over the top of it. Place under the grill for 5 minutes or until golden. Then let it cool down a few minutes before serving.

If you want, you can seam some beans and carrots to serve on the side. And here is the original recipe.

*All pictures taken by me

A Good Night For Twilight

Surely I'm not the only one who is quite infatuated by the abundance of delicious scents that Lush produces. Of course I walked in and bought myself more goodies for my baths and yes, I know I have posted about Lush a couple of times before but I suppose they're good enough to post about. I usually like partnering my bath bombs with bubble bars but tonight was a little different. I tried the mysterious Twilight tonight along with the Mum tulip wand. It was quite the display as an array of colours began fizzing onto the surface. Purple, blue, pink, white, yellow and so on over and over again. It smelled of sweet lavender and left quite a few specks of glitter on my arms, legs and everywhere else. Now, the wand is supposed to be almost like a bubble bar but on a stick. You're supposed to have it right under the running water or swirl it around in the tub and you'll have yourself some amazing bubbles, or so the lady in-store said. But to my dismay, I had made no bubbles from the wand. Perhaps I was in the wrong? But alas, it was without regret that I bought it because it smells so much like the Sex bomb bath bomb and I only ever buy the ones that smell pretty so its beautiful scent arose and tickled my nose. They were a beautiful pair and the aroma of flowers and roses filled the air. I was well relaxed and my insides consumed the steam. It was once again, one of the most pleasant nights to have a bath.

Sweet N' Salty

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Butterscotch Frosting

As much as salted caramel can be pleasing to the palette, I'd much prefer chocolate coated pretzels and I  actually think they're the perfect combination. The Chocolate Box beats Cadbury in this department (no hate, still love Cadbury) and the only reason I'm hooked on these is because my supervisor would walk into work and let us have some to munch on. I'm guilty of buying not one, but two packets last night to suffice for the weekend but *peeps into packet* it seems I only have two left from my first packet. I'm a sucker for this kind of sweet, and I like how confused my tongue becomes when it rolls around the salt crystals. It's sad to see this packet empty, so I'm now drooling over some chocolate and pretzel recipes. 

Hey, don't hate me for craving these now. I'm actually on the same boat as you.

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Bar

Frozen Banana Bites

Salty Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pretzel Frozen Hot Chocolate

Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Soft Pretzels

Food Affair

The comfort 'food' that I've come home to and sit by my laptop with is gherkins. Anything pickled is an absolute weakness for me but tonight I was re-reminded about food blogs and one in particular being Pastry Affair has got my tongue and stomach craving for sweets and things. Right about now, I could easily give into the baking mood but considering the time and the lack of ingredients I'm sure to have, I'll just froth at the mouth, staring at my screen. I've never really paid attention to food blogs but when I came across the Pastry Affair, I felt a match made in the viral universe. Wait till you see the cupcakes and pies or her specialty in scones of different flavours. Here's a pumpkin waffle recipe I'm dying to try/be motivated to make all in due time.