Shadow and Flame with Magik

https://bakeatmidnite.com/cheesy-beef-potatoes-casserole/#

We combined the above recipe with another recipe as I printed one and my wife thought I was making the other.

Mostly, what I did was additions then.  Along with the 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, I added 1 teaspoon of paprika and another teaspoon of rosemary.  Which added some heat to the recipe.  Rosemary, from what I’ve read, is a simple spice that adds a nice savory flavor.

Instead of cream, I used milk and instead of beef stock, I use chicken – as that’s what I had.

Except, when it came time to mix the soup, spices, stock and milk in a bowl, I completely forgot to add milk and stock – like a complete idiot.  I was placing the casserole dish, I used our 9 x 13 as we don’t own an 11 x 7 dish, I saw the measuring cups and realized I left some ingredients out.  So I mixed the chicken stock and the milk and just poured it into the dish.  I figure, the potatoes really need to be soften, so the additional liquid will benefit the dish, I didn’t know about the science of what it would do separated from the proper soup mixture.  I imagine, those two ingredients would have helped during the pouring stages, as the mixture sat there in clumps.  I wrote squares around those ingredients in the directions and the ingredients – hopefully, I don’t forget them again.

This was pretty tasty, probably could have used another potato.  Does anyone know how long a five pound bag is supposed to last?  It seems just shy of two weeks is too long by a bit.

During the browning of the beef phase, along with the onion, I put a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, paprika and rosemary, to create a nice synergy with the beef and soup mixture.  That’s what I like to do with the meat, makes it all come together.

What I use I did, was find a way to add some color to the recipe, as it was a lot of white with the potatoes with spots of brown with the beef.  Could have used some greens or reds to brighten it up.  Which, again, is only a thought I’ve had now that I’m taking pictures of my dinners.

The one hour cook time seemed to be plenty, so I wouldn’t change that.  Mostly, the only change for next time would to not be a dummy and include the milk and stock at the proper time.  Usually I place all of my ingredients (with an -ents and not -ants, apparently) on the counter.  I usually don’t with milk, as it is milk but I’m not sure what made me leave the chicken stock in the fridge.

. . .

 The Montana fires are still terrible.  I wish we could use cartoon logic, take all of that extra water that Texas is sadly dealing with, and air lift the water up here.  We could really use it.

. . .

Television wise, we did some marathoning of the Office and our next episode is Season Four’s Launch Party.  So glad that Pam and Jim are together, and we didn’t waste even more time getting there.

We’re on episode seven of Person of Interest’s final season.  That show is getting so good!

We’re on episode episode three of Arrow’s fifth season.  Is season six abandoning the flashback sequences?  Might have my answer if I watch more episodes but I really hope they do abandon that as he was on the island for five years and we should be done with it.  Also, for the most part, the present day storyline has always been leaps better than the flashback sequences.

We saw Captain America : Civil War again, which is nice as I’ve been watching it in four minute intervals and only got to Tony Stark at the college scene.  My wife didn’t recall anything from it, from the time we saw it in the theater to now.  She’s nice enough to indulge me with these films.  Listening to Living Between Wednesdays, I’m finally in 2016 with that podcast, and they are getting hyped for Civil War so I’ve been wanting to watch the film again.  I should rewatch Winter Solder, probably will next, as there are moments in that film I want to see again.

I made it like two minutes into the second episode of Assets, then my son stopped me.

So we’re trying to do this Office – Person of Interest – Arrow cycle, so far, it has been pretty successful.

Last time, I went down this How I Met Your Mother YouTube rabbit hole.  I really wish they had gone with the alternate ending, it would have made that show’s legacy, that much better.

Thanks to YouTUber flavi_us for hosting the video!

That and maybe not undoing Barney and Robin as quickly as they did.  In the alternate timeline, does that mean Barney and Robin are still together?  I hadn’t thought about that until right now.

I must have taken that final season episode, How Your Mother Met Me, for granted, as I started watching it this morning and that episode is amazing.  Cristin Milloti should be in more things, I really wish NBC’s A to Z got a full season.

I want to say that was pretty much our television watching, we got caught up with Master Chef, I’m still not sure who will be in the finale, I guess the Top Five are going to be those from the winning Red Team (Cate, Dino, Eboni, Gabriel) and Yachecia.  I imagine Jason would be in the finale and that Jeff will be gone next.  Eboni’s comment about Yachecia being the new Jeff, had us cracking up.  Then, Jeff didn’t go home and that was disappointing.  We don’t need Old Jeff when we now have a New Jeff.  Also, I wouldn’t even know how to make a truffle, so it is amazing that they all knew how to begin making them.