Thursday, March 3, 2011

Three is for Thursday

The calendar may say Thursday, but today is a bit of a surprise Friday for me!  Thanks to working last Saturday, I've got a day of comp time to use, so I'm giving myself a three day weekend.  And that means tomorrow's breakfast is going to be epic.  Be sure to check back tomorrow.  In the spirit of my personal lucky number, here are 3 things that I've been waiting to share with you:

1. Last night I made Ina Garten's recipe for baked shrimp scampi.  Due to some technical difficulties (i.e. I left my camera locked in my desk at the office, d'oh!), I didn't snap any pictures.  But trust me when I say this is so easy and delicious that you'll forget its stove-top origins.  Tender shrimp with a crunchy topping served over some pasta or green vegetables because it'd be a crime to waste the extra butter and garlic flavors that make scampi such a dinnertime favorite. 

2. From one decadent dish to another, Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday is just around the corner (next Tuesday, March 8th) and I'm considering making the quintessential king cake to bring to work.  Many of us are giving up sweets, in some form, so Tuesday is all about feasting.  Do any of you have a good recipe for king cake?  Or, if you're in the Pittsburgh area, do you recommend one from a local bakery?  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated :)

3. And because there is never a shortage of holidays to celebrate with food, St. Patrick's Day is two weeks out, and I want YOUR vote for what I should make to mark the occasion.  Last year I made Irish soda bread, so this year I've narrowed my list down to three Irish staples, and it's up to you what dish wins:
  • Beef hand pies - think beef and potato stew tucked into flaky pastry crust.
  • Irish lamb stew - a satisfying winter soup packed with vegetables and tender lamb shoulder
  • Shepherd's pie - ground beef mixed with vegetables and topped with a hearty layer of mashed potatoes
Please submit your vote by Friday, March 11th for it to count.  Since I'm notoriously indecisive, this takes the pressure off me just a bit... can't wait to see what you pick!

9 comments:

  1. kk, i would like you to try to make colcannon, if anyone could make this taste good, it's you. however, this may be an impossible task.

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  2. Larry, er, anonymous -- I definitely considered colcannon but I couldn't seem to find any promising recipes and to be honest, cabbage and mashed potatoes doesn't sound like a very tasty combination :)

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  3. Definitely beef hand pies :) sound so good!

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  4. So that I don't get yelled at again: definitely lamb stew. Lamb isn't something that gets made, so you have to go with the least common (and quite possibly best) item on the list.

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  5. Okay, so I'm late but the Beef Hand Pies sound the best to me!

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