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Irish Shepherd's Pie

March 14, 2017 By Joshua Rief 1 Comment

This Irish Shepherd's Pie uses the classic deep, rich flavor of Guinness to elevate this simple dish into a mouthwatering casserole recipe.

We love shepherd's pie, but I find it incredibly challenging to photograph! I mean, it's this piping hot, hearty, earthy dish that comes together easily, serves up in a moment, and makes fantastic leftovers...but why does it have to be so hard to take pictures of? We've got a classic straight-up shepherd's pie recipe and an amazing chicken shepherd's pie recipe, both of which are well worth a make, but so hard to make pretty. I think it's the mashed potatoes. They cover everything. Which is kind of the point, I guess.

Anyway, this Irish shepherd's pie is classified as Irish because (drum roll) the meat is simmered in Guinness! It sounds like a gimmick, I know, but it makes an outrageous difference in flavor. As much as I love our original shepherd's pie recipe, which I've been eating since I was about 15 years too young to buy Guinness, this one really blew me away. The beef takes on a deep, rich flavor that really leaves you craving additional helpings. Practical example? We always have shepherd's pie leftovers. Not this time... [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of Mar 13th

March 12, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

You guys! We. Had. SUN. Yesterday! I'm telling you, 58 degrees never felt so good! At one point, the kids and I were waiting in the car for Josh to grab a couple of things in a store and it got so warm in the car that I opened the sun roof (all the way) and rolled down my window, too!

Granted, I had to roll it back up once we got driving again, but, still, the window was down! And, we worked in the yard for two hours yesterday afternoon! Which was a really good thing because the front yard was in some serious need of TLC. While Josh tackled the mowing of the front and back, used the weed eater and fertilized the grass, I got up close and personal with the dirt, worms, and bugs. So. Many. Weeds!!! But now it's all down and it looks good. [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for Mar 7, 2017

March 6, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. I'm in the market for a new purse. I never buy purses anymore. I've had the same couple of Coach purses for several years now and they are great purses - I love them! You can't beat the quality. But, I would really like a leather purse and I've been eyeing a few from Magnolia Market for over a year now. Give me your opinions. I'm leaning towards the crossbody because I feel like it's a bit more practical for having kids, etc. But the tote bag is gorgeous. But my concern with that one is that the straps might get to heavy on my shoulder?? Choosing a new purse is hard... #firstworldproblems, I know.

2. Speaking of Magnolia Market, did you guys catch the bakery Fixer Upper episode a couple of weeks ago? Anyone else wanting to fly to the Silos asap for a cupcake? ME!

3. A couple of weekends ago, Josh and I went and saw The Great Wall! You guys, that is not only a visually beautiful film, but it is also super fun to watch. Does it take itself seriously? No. Is it going to win any awards? Probably not. But if you like to be entertained with some good acting (even if the plot/story is a little thin) and some amazing cinematography, then you'll probably enjoy it. I liked it so much I would buy it. I liked it the same way I liked Edge of Tomorrow (also known as Live.Die. Repeat. And if you haven't seen that yet, then you should!). [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of March 6th

March 5, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

I had completely intended to share a weekly menu along with some recipes with you last week, but seeing as we were on vacation and staying at Josh's grandfather's without Wi-Fi, we just decided not to post anything. Good to take a vacation from blogging now and again as well, I suppose!

However, we're back home now, and if you missed the recipe for this Irish Apple Pie we put up on Saturday, check it out! It's really yummy and not too sweet, which I think a lot of apple pies can be, and is completely yummy. I feel like recipes claiming to be "Irish" tend to not be as sweet, you know? [Read more...]

Irish Apple Pie

March 3, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 3 Comments

What makes this delicious, crumbly apple pie an Irish apple pie? We can't say for sure, but if this is what being Irish tastes like, we're in!

One of my goals as a home cook is to continually improve my baking skills. I'm not a trained cook by any stretch of the imagination. What you've seen on the blog is what I've picked up from my mom or what Josh and I have learned through trial and error (and Food Network!). One thing I have zero expertise in is cake frosting. I would love one day to take a class on all things cake related, because I love cake and cake makes everyone happy.

Since I have yet to get myself to a cake decorating class or even watch a YouTube video on the topic, I'm continuing to work on my pie-making skills, which is still very much a work in process - I'm okay with that. I didn't even make my first pie crust until I made this pie with the assistance of my mom when I was in my late 20s! (Please forgive the old photos. They are sweet and full of memories, but not good at all!)

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Loaded Baked Nachos

February 22, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

Tired of the same old taco on your "Taco Tuesday" nights? Give these easy loaded baked nachos a try! They're bright, filling, and easy as pie!

This post originally appeared on Catz in August of 2013. We've updated the recipe just a bit - though it's still one of those "do whatever you want" kind of dinner ideas - and the main pictures are new as well. Though the step-by-step photos aren't great, they are helpful, so we've left them in, and left the post itself alone as well. Enjoy!

We like to have what most people have dubbed "Taco Tuesday" in our house. If I go a week without Mexican food, I start to twitch and shake from withdrawals. Our taco Tuesday's don't always involve tacos though. On a Tuesday, pretty much any kind of Mexican variety will do.

One of my family's favorite Tuesday dinners are nachos. They are pretty quick to assemble, filling, and full or color!

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Weekly Menu for the Week of Feb 20th

February 20, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I should take a moment before we get into the menu and just apologize for our lack of posting this past week. We had a medical scare in the family early in the week (so far, so good now) and then the rest of the week I was not feeling well and just slacked all week long on pretty much everything. Seriously, you should see my house! But we're back this week with more posts!

Can I just take a moment and say how much I love holidays that give us a day off during the work week? It means that Josh gets to stay home and I get to sleep in! And I always enjoy a morning that allows me a little extra sleep. How about you? [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of Feb 13th

February 12, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

It's the week of Valentine's Day!!! Is everyone ready? How are you celebrating? Josh and I haven't finalized any plans at all yet, but I've told him I want to go some place where there is some good salmon! We love to celebrate the day, of course, but fighting the crowds day of always seems to be a real romance-killer. We've got a multi-year tradition of going out to dinner soon after the big day, and it's just so much more enjoyable... We'll probably do something this coming weekend, and since V-day lands on a Tuesday, I'm honestly just making a really simple Mexican dish that I can whip up ahead of time during the day. We did treat the kids to a dinner out over the weekend instead of making the "family Valentine's dinner" we usually make. We were out and about and it sounded fun, so that's what we did.

We do have some good Valentine's desserts (and stuff) for you if you're in need...

And surprise, surprise - after all the rain we've had this past week, we actually had a very dry and mostly sunny weekend! I know, I'm in shock, too! Josh and I even went for walk last night and we could both smell some charcoal barbecues being fired up (sadly, ours wasn't one of them)!

We Oregonians just can't wait for warmer weather and sunnier days. I heard it was in the 80's in Florida, so there's that! If any of you reside in Florida can I just say that you are all a bunch of lucky bums. 80 degrees is the ideal, perfect temperature...in my humble opinion. [Read more...]

English Muffin Pizzas

February 8, 2017 By Joshua Rief 3 Comments

These fun, easy, quick English muffin pizzas are a family favorite - we make them all the time! The kids love designing their own mini pizza masterpieces!

These silly, easy, little English muffins pizzas are one of our favorite "throw together" dinners. They are ready in about 15 minutes, and you really just have to have a few key ingredients on hand. Best of all, they require exactly zero finesse to put together. They are designed to be prepared by clumsy, inexperienced little hands. Get the kids involved. Heck, let the kids run the table. You can't mess these up.

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Tuesday's Tidings for Feb 7, 2017

February 7, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. I may be beating my husband to the punch here, but the latest season of Sherlock is GOOD! Like, really, really good! Better than any previous season I've watched - which is especially impressive because that is a hard to keep at this game and keep doing it well!

2. I finally finished reading Jane Eyre last week and I loved it! Such an engaging book and I just fell in love with Jane's character. I enjoyed reading Pride and Prejudice, and I liked the characters, okay...but I didn't connect with any of them. Except for Mr. Darcy. I actually think I liked him the best. But in Jane Eyre, I was fascinated by not only the character's personalities, but the relationships they shared with each other. Read the book and then watch the movie, because the movie was almost, almost as good as the book.

3. A couple of weekends ago, we also watched Deepwater Horizon. I know, two movies in one weekend! Crazy for us. But it was such a good movie. It felt like a really honest portrayal of the event (I say felt because how would I really know?). The acting was well done - just such a sad, sad situation. If you watched Sully and liked that (we did), chances are you'll like this movie, too. Wahlberg is on a streak with these true-life movies. I think Patriot's Day looks like it will be well made, too. Too soon, though? [Read more...]