My mom found the recipe for Shepherd's Pie first. My sister was the second to have it and she added a few touches of her own. Then it found it's way to me. I have to say, something so simple should not be this good. I have a few recipes in my back pocket for those days when I need to cook and have very little time to do it. Shepherd's Pie is one of them. And it is a God send.
The ingredients are pretty simple: ground beef, peas and carrots (or whatever veggies tickle your fancy), cream of celery soup (or cream of mushroom if that is your thing), and some mashed potatoes. Now, my mom is all about the homestyle way of doing things. She makes this dish with fresh vegetables, right down to chopping the carrots and boiling the potatoes. I admit, that is probably the healthiest way to do. But I take as many shortcuts as much as I can. I tend to buy my veggies frozen when they go on sale. (C'mon $1 for a bag of frozen veggies?! How do you pass that up?) And use potato flakes to speed up the mashed potato process. What can I say, I'm addicted to the "dump and go" method of cooking.
You can switch out the ground beef and use ground turkey. I find that ground turkey is a decent substitute in a few of the dishes that I have made. Ground turkey has a lighter flavor and the consistency is slightly different, but that is it. There is even a vegetarian "ground beef" made by Morning Star. I personally have never used it in Shepherd's Pie, but I used it to make chili. Again, different texture, but the taste was fine.
So, after you have cooked all your ingredients on the stove, you put them in a casserole dish and slide it into the oven. Then you are finished. Like I said, quick and easy. And it will taste like you spent forever on it. What do you guys fix when you are pressed for time?
I am not sure when I started liking jewelry that was different from what my peers were wearing. If I had to take guess, I would say it started when I was a teenager. Probably around the time I was painting my nails wild colors and trying to figure out an argument that would convince my parents how awesome a tongue ring was.
I remember wanting something more interesting than your normal, cutesy pieces. My mother and I had quite the back and forth over my high school ring. She wanted me to get something feminine. I wanted a huge hulking guy's ring. In college, I was all about the finger armor (though I never bought any). I believe very little has changed about my tastes since then.
I have a few interesting rings. Above is a picture of some of my favorites. Each one of these have some story behind them. For instance, the black ring with the floral pattern was a gift from my sister. It is one of the first in my "unique" ring collection. The Batman ring was a gift to myself for some feat of academia I accomplished. It is a sterling silver Batarang spinner ring. I eyeballed that ring for weeks before finally purchasing it.
I like rings like these because they make you take a second look. When I wear them, I feel like I'm making a statement without having to expend a lot of effort or money. Most of my rings I simply happen upon when I am shopping for something else. Except my Batman ring, that one I searched out on purpose. I was going through a Dark Knight phase.
Do you wear jewelry that is more on the "unique" side? Any specific jewelry pieces that are your favorite? I think the only jewelry that is more expressive than my rings are my earrings. But that is a post for another time.
It was the normal exchange that Cixi had become used to seeing and yet didn’t quite understand why it was done. She stood quietly while Matthias went and spoke to Tobias on her behalf in order for Matthias to alert Lord Jaias that she wished to speak with him. Cixi didn’t understand why couldn’t she just walk up to the door and knock on it. However, she simply watched the two elves cloaked in brown whisper to each other. The older slowly shook his head and walked away from the younger, disappearing behind a closed door. Matthias turned and walked back to Cixi, bowing his head when he was within earshot.
“Lord Jaias is in a meeting right now. His manservant has gone to see if he will accept your request to meet with him.”
“If he is busy, then I can come back later,” Cixi replied, “No reason for Lord Jaias to interrupt anything.”
“Unless the interruption happens to be something more important.”
The closed door was now open and Lord Jaias darkened the frame. A hint of a smile was on his face as he walked through it. He signaled for the door to be closed behind him as he walked over to Cixi, robes swishing about his feet.
“You wished to speak to me, Cixithara?”
“Yes,” Cixi replied nervously. The more she thought about what she wanted to say, the more the words kept evading her. Suddenly she couldn’t help but feeling that this was a very bad idea.
“Well no reason to mince words,” Lord Jaias said, noticing that Cixi was pausing longer than usual and was fiddling with cuffs of her sleeves, ”Tell me what it is that you want.”
“I was hoping…”
Again, there was a slight pause. Cixi turned her head away slightly. She just couldn't look her uncle in the face for some reason. She knew who he was now. The status that he held. How the entire House viewed him.
“I was hoping that you would stop requesting that I accompany you for the rest of my stay here.”
Cixi kept her eyes averted when she spoke.Lord Jaias had nothing but protect her since she had walked into his home, wide eyed and naive. He had never looked down on her, never made her feel less. In fact, he had done quiet the opposite. And now she was asking him to leave her be. Cixi half expected a response that was something along the lines of anger or maybe grave disappointment. Part of her expected to be rejected again and things would go back to the way they had been before. So the soft return caught her off guard.
“Have I done something to offend you?”
“No,” Cixi answered quickly, her eyes meeting Lord Jaias' concerned face,”You haven’t done anything. It’s just that…”
“Your mother,” Lord Jaias interjected.
Cixi chewed the inner part of her bottom lip. She didn’t want to lie, but she didn’t want to mention this being her mother's doing either. There was a heavy silence however, it only lasted a few moments. Lord Jaias put both of hands on Cixi’s shoulders and lightly kissed her on top of her head.
“Your mother has not changed a bit since she was young. If she is having that much of a problem with us spending time together, I will no longer ask that you join me for anything else. The last thing I want is for you to be fighting about me with your mother. However, if you change your mind, there will always be room for you at my table.”
“Thank you, Uncle!” Cixi exclaimed. She gave him a quick curtsy and left. Now her mother would be pleased and things would go along smoothly from here until the end of the Gathering.
Tobias spoke up as Lord Jaias walked back to the door, “I am very sorry that happened, sir. I know that you wanted to make a good impression on the young lady. It would seem that Lady Alara is very much against you having any type of relationship with her daughter.”
Lord Jaias only gave a slight grin as a response, “Did you hear her, Tobias? Cixithara referred to me as her uncle. My sister has failed. She simply has not realized it yet.”
“I have been trying to see you, Mother, but it has been really hard to get away. It is like Lord Jaias is trying to make up for all the lost time between us in a matter of a day or two.”
Most had gone to bed quite a while ago. Now was only time that Cixi wasn’t being primped and preened by a team of hand maidens. Or tethered to Lord Jaias’ hip. Ever since the spectacle at dinner, Cixi had been asked to accompany Lord Jaias everywhere he went. She knew that everyone was still talking about her. Even more now that she had become the "favored niece". But, at least no one would dare to do it to her face.
In her mother’s bedroom, they both sat quietly in the darkness. Darkness which was only lifted by the moonlight spilling in through the windows and the outdoor lamps on the city streets. They spoke in whispers to each other, so as not to wake anyone. But mostly to not be overheard.
“I can’t really tell him no. I am staying in his house,” Cixi explained,” I am eating his food. All these clothes I wear every day are things that belong to him. I can’t just be openly defiant. You and Father taught us better than that.”
“Cixi, sweetie,” Alara said, gently grabbing onto her daughter’s forearms, “I do not like you being around my brother. I know him better than anyone. I don’t want you getting close to him.”
“Why?” Cixi asked.
“Just listen to you mother, sweetheart. I know best about these things.”
“i have done a lot of growing up while I have been away, Mother,” Cixi answered, “I can handle whatever it is that you think is bad about Lord Jaias."
Alara did not answer, so Cixi kept pushing.
"We are already keeping our being here a secret from Father, Taulithran and Zendier. And I have not asked why we are doing that. But the least you can do is tell me why I have to stay away from someone whom I share blood with.”
Alara sighed, seeing that her daughter was not going to let this go. She straightened a bit in her chair and let her hands slide down to Cixi's elbows. Alara looked at Cixi earnestly.
“My brother always has a reason for doing things,” Alara replied, “And most of his reasons are self serving. I don’t know why he is doing what he is doing, but I am sure that it can only hurt you once it is all over. It is what this family does.”
“He doesn’t really seem all that bad to me,” Cixi whispered back, "He has done nothing but try and make me feel welcome."
“He isn’t bad, not entirely” Alara replied, “He was a kind man once. And he will continue to be kind until you decide not to fall in line with his plan. Then you will see him for what he truly is. I want to get you away from him before it ever reaches that point.”
Cixi made to promises to her mother that night. In fact, despite her mother’s warnings and pleading, Cixi found herself at Jaias’ side more times than not. At meals, she was requested to sit at his table. Evening activities, she stood at his side. There were even times where she was called to his study, where no one was allowed in but him and her. The two of them shared small conversations about things that seemed inconsequential. What was life at the village like? How did she get along with her brothers? How were things growing up? And the more she shared about the Daybreaker Clan, the more Lord Jaias would share about House Ebonlynx
Despite Cixi feeling very awkward around her uncle, she could not see what her mother was so worried about. He was genuinely nice, even if it was wrapped in a chilled and stilted distance. However, every night, Cixi’s mother implored her to stop saying yes to Lord Jaias when he requested to see her. And even though Cixi could not see the justification in it, she could not ignore her mother’s fear forever.
