julia child's omelette

Today I saw Julie & Julia. I can't believe I never knew about Julia Child. I only ever saw her books and thought they were too intimidating, but needless to say they're on my xmas list now. As an homage I made a super easy and super good two-egg omelette for dinner. I'll let Julia show you how. (I put jelly on mine.)

fall soup

This soup is a combination of Thanksgiving dinner and pumpkin pie. Secret ingredient: cinnamon. Peel and boil the potatoes; fry some turkey breast pieces with a little bit of oil. In a large pot, heat the cream of pumpkin soup and add seasoning. When the potatoes are done, drain them and add them to the soup. Cut up the turkey and add to soup as well.

Shopping List:
- two 500mL boxes of Crema fina de calabaza from Knorr*
- turkey breast
- 3-4 medium potatoes
- parsley
- a few dashes of cinammon
- dash of nutmeg
- salt, pepper

* If you can't find pre-made cream of pumpkin soup (I've only seen it in Spain so far), you can try making it yourself. According to the lable, it contains about half pumpkin puree, half vegetable puree, water, and cream.

quick'n'dirty shepherd's pie

I feel like to be edgy I have to give my recipes stupid names. So, today I present you with quick'n'dirty shepherd's pie. It's fast (less than 30 minutes), filling, and delicious, if a bit lacking in the presentation department. Perfect cold-weather food or dinner for those feeling-bad-about-yourself-and-watching-youtube-videos-all-night evenings. What you need:

- pan with metal or removable handle
- 1lb (400-500g) ground beef*
- 1 jar or 1 packet of brown gravy
- (instant) mashed potatoes**
- frozen or fresh vegetables
- grated cheese

* I prefer ground beef, but you could also use mixed (beef/pork) or, if you're feeling a little fat that day, ground turkey. Haven't tried it vegetarian, but you could experiment with tofu and whatnot.
** Instant mashed potatoes are definitely good enough for this recipe, but read the package. Some only need water, other require milk and butter, so make sure you get what you need. Home-made are also acceptable.

Get out your vegetables (green beans, peas, carrots, etc.) if frozen. Start by browning the meat with a little oil. Meanwhile, in a medium pot get the mashed potatoes started. If you're choosing the home-made option, try to have them almost done by the time you start the meat. Once that's going, heat the gravy (jar) or boil the water for it (packet). When the meat is cooked through, at the vegetables and simmer until thawed.

Next, dump the gravy over the meat/vegetable mixture and stir. Plop the finished mashed potatoes on top and spread. Add some sprinkled cheese. Broil (with overhead heat) the whole pan until cheese is crispy (make sure the pan's handle won't melt -- and obviously use a pot holder when taking it out of the oven). This should take only a few minutes, so watch it closely. Let cool for a minute, then stuff your face.