wordless wednesday

no sense

what part of this makes any sense?

i own a mr. coffee sp3 which i probably bought 8 years ago, probably for $14.99 at target

i broke the carafe last week

i can buy this for $13.73 on amazon, but its white, my coffee maker is black

or i can buy the upgraded version of my coffee maker for $6.94+$9 shipping or $16.93 through amazon

my dilemma is

MY COFFEE MAKER STILL WORKS!

buying a white carafe would bother me aesthetically, even though my coffee maker doesn't sit on the counter, the price is absurd, i might as well get a new one, spending $$ on a coffee maker when mine is fine bothers me, and i don't know if this upgraded one is better than my old one, plus if i kept both machines, it would take up precious cabinet space

and another thing, why wouldn't you offer a black carafe when you sell a black coffee maker with a black carafe?

funny how i cringe at the thought of spending $17 for a new coffee maker and how it was so easy for me to buy golf shoes, a pair of linen pants, and 4 cookbooks over the weekend

so today i made coffee with a glass and a spoon... i put a glass where the coffee pot should go and used a spoon to basically push the button so coffee will come out.  it worked out pretty well; however, i must stand there while my coffee is brewing so as not to overbrew my coffee

am i just being ghetto?  frugal? or just unreasonable?

lemon bundt cake

i've always wanted a bundt pan, the dense cake with a browned yummy crust around every piece is just heaven, but i'm awful at greasing and flouring pans so something like a bundt pan just doesn't appeal to me... it would come out broken or not attractive due to flour clumbs, but then i saw an episode of the martha stewart show and i decided i needed a bundt pan.

so of course, i had to get the nordic ware 60th anniversary bundt pan and TADA! it came out ridiculously easy, it came out pretty and i was extra careful in buttering and flouring the pan

i could have dusted the top with powdered sugar, but i'm out of powdered sugar and i didn't want to pull the blender out to make powdered sugar

i could have glazed the top which is typical of bundt ckes, but i didn't want something too sweet\

i decided to try out SQIRL's blood orange and vanilla bean marmalade which i got at artisanal LA and thought this would be perfect

the lemony sweetness of the cake with the tart blood orange and slight hint of vanilla was the perfect combination.

lemon bundt cake

adapted from allrecipe's glazed lemon bundt cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup almond milk

zest of 1 lemon

melted unsalted butter and all-purpose flour, for prepping the pan

Preheat oven to 350`.

Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.  Set aside

Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. 

Add eggs one at a time.  Stir in vanilla and lemon extract. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with the milk, and finishing with the dry ingredients.  Stir in lemon zest.

Pour into prepared bundt pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Invert onto wire rack and cake should come out easily.

wordless wednesday

shepherd's pie

 i love shepherd's pie, the first time i had it was about 3 years ago... and the person who introduced me to it was one of the first people i met in my running club, he lost his battle with cancer a few months ago which is why shepherd's pie is even dearer to my heart.  the version i shared with him was made with lamb and flavored with guinness, what more could you ask for?

shepherd's pie is hearty and it doesn't take a long time like most hearty dishes

i was trying to figure out what to do with the cauliflower in my fridge and i know plenty of people do a mashed cauliflower to be fake potatoes, so i thought shepherds pie with cauliflower AND potatoes!

   

honestly, the finished mashed "potatoes" didn't look that great in the pot, there was a bit more texture to the cauliflower no matter how much i mashed, the cauliflower florets went right through the holes of my potato masher, that's okay, it still tasted wonderful, and i usually prefer my mashed potatoes with texture anyways

start with mushrooms, onions, and thyme

this was good enough to eat, and i did!

meat and potatoes, yummy!

shepherd's pie

1 lb small potatoes

1 head cauliflower florets

1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream

1.5 tbsp unsalted butter

1 lb ground beef

2 yellow onions, chopped

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp all purpose flour or cornstarch

1 cup beef broth

salt

freshly ground pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for cauliflower and potatoes.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet on medium heat, about 10 minutes.  Set aside ground beef on a plate and drain excess fat. 

Saute chopped onions until transluscent, about 5 minutes on medium heat.  Add mushrooms and thyme and saute until mushrooms are cooked.

Add browned beef to pan along with beef broth and all purpose flour or cornstarch to deglaze the pan of any browned bits.   

Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Transfer beef mixture to a casserole dish.

Preheat oven to 350`F.

Add cauliflower and potatoes to pot of boiling water.  

Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  Drain.  

Put potatoes and cauliflower back into pot and add heavy cream and butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mash until desired consistency, adding more cream as needed.  Adjust seasonings as necessary. 

Top casserole dish with mashed vegetables and spread evenly. 

Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy.

on-on