As I have but rarely left the flat this week, I don’t really have much to report. But, here are the snippets worth printing.

I applied for about half a dozen jobs this week. The process is pretty similar over here, hours and hours retyping everything into little internet boxes and then uploading a resume/CV that is completely redundant because they already made you type it’s contents into the little webpage boxes… There is also the constant joy pf copy and pasting little bits of this cover letter and that cover letter and this employer name and that job title into a letter and then converting it to pdf and re-uploading it with a new specific title over and over and over again. Ugh. But, I am really excited about some of the positions I read about and put myself up for. Here’s hoping I get one of them, or at least a couple interviews out of it, because at least that would help preserve my fragile ego. And, as a bonus, it would also help justify the number of ‘work’ clothes I brought with me. Please note, in my defense, I brought exactly one pair of heels, my ‘interview heels’ that I hate (because I hate wearing heels, not because there is anything specifically wrong with them), but look so respectable that I wear them to basically every interview. All of the positions I’ve been looking at so far are actually in publishing, or atlas very close to the field, so that is incredibly exciting and it looks like there are a lot more of these type of opportunities here than I’ve seen before (in CO or LA), so I’m choosing to remain hopeful.

Other than that, I made it through a couple more Harry Potter novels and finally finished the Friends series on Netflix. Who knew Friends was so terribly homophobic? I’m really sad to have discovered this, I never noticed it when just watching the occasional rerun, but rewatching the series has really driven it home. Also on a sad note, we applied for a forbearance on my student loans this month and for the next two months. It was really frustrating to admit we just can’t afford to pay them right now. We could have just reduced the payment plan, but as there is some debt outstanding from our move and we still have to find a way to transfer money back into the States without paying a huge fee or loosing a percentage in fees, this just made more sense. Hopefully, someone will snap me up for gainful employment within the next month and we wont end up needing the forbearance, but when has unemployment ever gone that well for me? Actually, last time I was unemployed I did get snapped back up pretty quick by USC, so optimism reengaged…

On a yummier note, we made our first traditional British dish this week, Shepherd’s Pie, and it was delicious! Matt claimed that the Irish Beef we used was too ‘gamey’ but, I didn’t get that, I just got the rosemary flavor and the overall deliciousness of the dish. I’m putting in the recipe below, in case anyone is interested. Also, to take up space and feel like I’m writing more than I actually am. 😉  Next, I’m hoping to try and make a traditional British dessert, like Treacle Tart, or I’ll be trying to make Clotted Cream and some scones.

Shepherd’s Pie

INGREDIENTS:
[FOR THE FILLING] OLIVE OIL (2 TBSP)
GROUND LAMB OR BEEF (ABOUT 1.5 LBS)
1 LARGE CARROT (GRATED)
1 LARGE ONION (GRATED)
FRESH ROSEMARY (to Taste)
FRESH THYME (to Taste)
MINCED GARLIC (About 4-6 CLOVES)
Plenty o’ SALT & PEPPER
WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (SEVERAL SPLASHES)
TOMATO PUREE OR PASTE (NO MORE THAN A SMALL CAN)
RED WINE (SEVERAL GLUGS)
CHICKEN STOCK (ABOUT 1/4 CUP)

[FOR THE MASH] GOLDEN POTATOES (ABOUT 1.5 or 2 LBS)
HEAVY CREAM ( 1/4 CUP)
BUTTER (3 1/2 TBSP)
SALT & PEPPER
EGG YOLKS (2)
PARMESAN CHEESE (1/4 CUP, MINIMUM)

DIRECTIONS:
Boil water in large sauce pan, throw in salt and potatoes. Set timer for 15 minutes. Once timer goes off, drain your potatoes and return them to pan, or place in mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes with the cream, butter, salt and pepper, and egg yolks. KEEP WARM (YOUR FILLING SHOULD BE ABOUT DONE BY THIS POINT)

COOKING THE FILLING:
Pour Olive Oil into a hot, rather large pan, then add meat.
Stir meat as if your life depends on it for a few minutes so it’s nice and brown, and broken into very small pieces. Add your Rosemary, Thyme, and Garlic, then stir some more.
Quickly add your Carrot, and Onion, stir a little longer. The idea at this point is to get everything to a minced consistency.
Add Worcestershire Sauce, stir, add Tomato Puree, stir, add Red Wine and sweat down for a minute or two. Add chicken stock and cook for 3 more minutes then add the mixture to a casserole dish.
Spoon the mash over the top. Spread the mash over the top of the meat mixture. Sprinkle a generous portion of parmesan cheese over the top.
STICK IT IN THE OVEN AT 400 DEGREES FOR 18-20 MINUTES TO BROWN THE POTATOES AND SET THE PIE.

Today is Good Friday and the first day of Matt’s four day Easter holiday weekend, so I’m thrilled to have the long weekend with the hubs. Today, I taunted him into buying me Easter tulips (soooo pretty) and tomorrow we’re taking a walking tour of Oxford after we check out the Wantage Easter Market (which may or may not be the same as their every-other-Saturday-of-the-year-market).

So, more to come.

– alaina