Shepherd's Pie

We just discovered this one. Right in time for Saint Patty's! And with Guinness. What more could a girl ask for?

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Lbs. ground (minced) lamb or beef (or mixture of the two)
1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 tsp fresh oregano
2 tsp fresh rosemary
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup peas (optional)
1 pint of Guinness
8 oz. can of peeled, chopped tomatoes
3 Lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp half and half or whipping cream
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Directions:
Marinate lamb in Guinness overnight in the refrigerator. Next day remove meat from marinade and place in saucepan (reserve marinade) with onion, celery, garlic and carrots. Add approximately 4 tbsp of marinade and cook gently for 10 minutes or so, stirring frequently until meat is well-sealed and almost cooked.

Add tomatoes, oregano, rosemary, seasonings and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 15-20 minutes (You can add the rest of marinade and use a gravy thickener to make additional thicker sauce. This is optional).

Meanwhile, cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender (approximately 20 minutes). Mash potatoes until smooth or use a whip. Add butter and fold until potatoes are creamy. Place potatoes in a pastry bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe evenly over meat mixture which is now in an oven dish; or, spread potatoes evenly with a spoon and fork up the potatoes for texture.

Cook in oven for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees until top is golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. Serves 4-6.

NW Reno Greenbelts

My daughter Lucine and I have spent the winter trying to get out as much as possible with a minimum of driving. This has left us walking the greenbelts (I call them brown belts as they are seldom green) that double as flood run-off areas in the northwest part of town.

While repetative after awhile, the birding is descent. Last week we saw a female norther harrier and a killdeer, in addition to the regular sparrows, finches, dove, and quail. Other regulars in the last week have been a red-tailed hawk, white-crowned sparrows, and a northern flicker.

There are also playgrounds dotted throughout these paths, which keeps me motivated to get out even when I'm tired. (I don't feel like going but she needs to get out.) Between Luci and the dog my guess is that we'll be logging a lot of miles this summer.

Mike has been coming with us every Saturday for a long walk or hike, either around the neighborhood or in the Sierras. So far this year we've snowshoed Tahoe Meadows and up near Spooner Summit. We've hiked up the Hunter Creek trail until we hit conifers and the vegetation and birds began to change. Other weekends we've just hit the paved trails down by the Truckee river or the brownbelts around northwest Reno.

Last Saturday I caught him and Luci having a bonding moment.

Sunset Salutation

sunset pinking the crevice
where the mountains sigh in their saddle
of snow and dark
shadows of soil

I welcome the cold that creeps into my skin
I welcome the tingling in my feet
I welcome the fog that drifts from my lips
I welcome the fading light

I fill myself with the murmurings of the Earth
the energy that I receive
and give
with every breath

When you inhale, breathe in the entire universe.
When you exhale, re-create the world.

Parmesean Beer Bread

recipe courtesy of H. D. S. Anderson

The recipe for the bread originally has basil in it. You can take it out or add other interesting things like sun dried tomatoes, olives (not black though, not enough flavor), or whatever you think of. Personally, I always add a bit of chopped garlic.

Ingredients:
Olive oil for baking sheet
3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper ( I use a bit more)
¾-1 cup grated hard cheese (Parmesean, Asagio)
1 12oz. bottle of beer, preferably ale
Flour for work surface
Chopped basil, fresh or dried

Heat over to 400F and oil baking sheet.
In a bowl combine flour, yeast, salt, pepper, and cheese.
Add the beer and stir until mix just comes together (it may be a little dry, but once you knead it everything will be a-okay).
Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle with basil (or whatever ingredients you choose to add) and knead until incorporated. Shape dough, place on baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes.

For the Love of Fruit

The leaf when loved becomes a flower,
the flower when loved becomes a fruit.
Italian proverb

half-melted ice slides
discreet down hills and valley
teased nipple hardens

crushed plum rests mid-thigh
violet flames ignite sweet trails
from apex to knee
creating new veins and nerves
to trace. my heart beat echoes.

the curve of my arm
is a melon rind offer
of honey-dewed flesh

watermelon seeds
slip down the slick sides
of my waist and hips

seedful grape oozes
over salty lips and tongue
swallow the water-
fall trickling down my throat
at its base a flower blooms

Orange Inspiration

Recently I rediscovered the color orange. I was pondering the color as I stood in the kitchen cleaning the polen from an oriental lily off my hands. It wouldn't come off. Orange has been like that ever since.

I think of orange as the color of desire. I have for a long time. I'm not sure why. Sunsets? The sensuality of sucking a slice of orange? I can't stop thinking about it. I looked back through my poetry from years ago. Actually, nine years, a graduate degree, and a kid ago. In my file there are "Wild Poppies," "Killing Oranges," "Calico," "Close Inspection of a Grapefruit," and "Marmalade Moon." I didn't realize until now that I was that into the color.

Blogs, especially more personal blogs, are interesting because they ask you to define who you are and/or what you do. I am a writer, a martial artist, a teacher, an outdoorswoman. A mom, a lover, and a friend. I am goofy, pensive, strong, and loyal. I want to be more humble and compassionate.

I want to be inspired.