Good morning, it is a cool, rainy and fall like day in Halifax and that is not what we wanted for our last day of the long weekend. One more day of nice weather would of been ideal and then it could of rained all week! Oh well I guess we will have to make due.

Yesterday was certainly a nice and relaxing day so I guess it is not the end of the world. After I last posted from the backyard, I did in fact go in and watch an episode of Deadwood. I think I have seven more before I am all caught up and will have to wait until next year like everyone else for more. It is getting more intense again so that is great!

After that I moved to the kitchen to start on the recipe I was going to make. I was called Southwestern Pasta Bake. Keep in mind that if you look it up I did change the chicken to ground beef for a few reasons. One I wanted to make a lot of it so there were left overs and two, chicken is so expensive out here.

What you will need
coarse salt
1 lb penne rigate or cavatappi pasta
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 lba of ground beef

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons chili powder
coarse black pepper
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

* Casseroles Main Dish
* Large skillet

1. Preheat the broiler to high and position the rack 8 inches from the heat.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil; salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until slightly undercooked—a little chewy at the center.
3. While the water is coming to a boil, preheat a large skillet over med-high heat with the vegetable oil.
4. Season the ground beef with cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, and pepper; add the seasoned ground beef to the hot skillet and cook 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. Add in the onions, garlic, and jalapeno peppers; continue to cook 5 minutes.
6. While the ground beef is cooking with the onions, make the cheddar sauce.
7. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour to it.
8. Cook 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then whisk in the milk.
9. When the milk comes to a bubble, stir in the cheese, cilantro, and parsley with a wooden spoon.
10. Season with a little salt and pepper; remove cheese sauce from heat.
11. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add back into the large pot.
12. Add in the contents of the ground beef skillet and all the cheddar sauce; stir to combine.
13. Transfer mixture to a baking dish and place under the broiler to lightly brown.

Check out the pictures also to see how it turned out. (along the right side)

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After a very tasty dinner (spicey) we eventually got to watching a new series of shows I downloaded. It is called Rescue Me starring Dennis Leary. I have heard a lot of good things about the show and I think season three just started airing. So we have two seasons to catch up on. We watched the first three episodes last night and it is pretty good. All about the lives of firemen in a post 911 New York City. The writing is good and it is certainly HBO’ish. I am sure we will knock off the seasons pretty fast and then be in need of a new show to follow.

Here is the opening.

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