MJ Parody Week - and Shepherd's Pie!

Happy Monday, folks! First, the news.

FSM: Iran's Unrest Shows Power of Economic Sanctions

Washington Post: Recent Murders Don't Sway Napolitano on DHS Report - You know, I think Janet Napolitano is about the worst possible choice that The One could have made for Secretary of Homeland Security. That having been said, I'll give Secretary Napolitano credit for acknowledging recent violence for what it is: a series of unfortunate, but ultimately isolated incidents that do not vindicate that asinine claim by DHS that the country should brace for an upsurge of "right-wing extremism". Good for Ms. Napolitano.

UPI: Germans discover war in Afghanistan - Ouch.

Cracked: Storyboards from Michael Bay's 'The Great Gatsby' - Fan-freakin'-tastic. I about pissed myself laughing.

Cracked: Jennifer Love Hewitt - Marvel(!) at the amount of euphemisms that Cracked writers were able to come up with for Jennifer Love Hewitt's chest.

Just for Fun: Lego Space Viking Longship - Awesome!

Today's video - and all of this week's videos - is one of the many excellent parodies of Michael Jackson from the last few years. This one's a classic from In Living Color.



Shamon, friends. Shamon.

So, last night, I finally did it: I made Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Shepherd's Pie. The following are my observations.

Thirty minutes, my ass. It took me two hours, minimum, to make this. Cutting up the potatoes alone took at least half an hour, probably more. I probably cut them smaller than I needed to, but even big cubing would have taken at least twenty minutes, and I only used two potatoes.

I decided to forego the gravy. I might think twice about that next time, because as good as it turned out, it was a touch on the bland side.

I didn't use much onion (and the only reason I used that was because I unexpectedly got it free after a church picnic), and rather than use a fresh carrot and frozen peas, I just used a can of peas and carrots. That turned out fine.

At this point, one go-around with this recipe will probably keep me fed for a couple of days.

So, I'll consider this one a success, but I might prepare it differently the next time... And hopefully any adjustments to the preparation will make it easier to cook faster. I hate being in the kitchen for three straight hours between cooking and cleanup. Later this week, I think I'm going to make myself an Irish Stew in my Crock Pot. I'll blog about that one, too.

Alright, folks, that's it for today. Check back tomorrow for more. Stay out of trouble.