Lets talk turkey (food discussion)

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according to the translated Finnish wiki page on it...

Jaloviina (nickname Jallu, also cut cognac) is a Finnish grape and the grain with wine made ​​from the liquor. The production of the noble spirits used in color due to the little sugar color and to soften the taste of sugar . Its production began in 1932, Prohibition ended. [1] It sold about half a million bottles a year. Source? Jaloviina and Jallu are Altia Plc's registered-owned trademarks . [2] Precious spirits share of sales of Altia flavored spirits in 2004, Altia's own submissions, the 60 -70 percent. [3] [4]

The drink is unique in the world, it is not produced in the rest of the mixture of cognac and wine. However, like in Germany (especially in the former East Germany) drink, called Weinbrandverschnitt, made ​​from brandy. Vaino Linna untrusted soldiers were "cut cognac", the Mannerheim celebrated its 75th anniversary. [5]

[Inotdead]

I would have thought Finland was too cold for grapes.
The more you know.

I've seen the German version I think - "Goldkrone" or something like that. I remember wondering why would people choose it over regular brandy.
Never got to try it though.

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brandy is good, cognac on the other hand, a little too thick and sweet for my taste, this sounds like it might be pretty good though.

[Thor]

Icon you ol' *******, now it's not mysterious anymore!

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we still dont know what its cut with, could be antifreeze

[Flame]

I'll take a bloody mary without the alchool. Yum, tomato soup...!!

[HPLovecraft]

Maybe you can see this video about a whiskey expert tasting first image booze I posted
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/ruokala/ajankohtaista/art-2000001017676.html

lol he acts like anyone you give a surprise shot of ever clear to straight from the bottle. I think he was just raised on wine with a shot of whiskey every month because if it hits him that badly then dear god he must be a light weight.

Haven't had brandy yet but I bet it taste good if it has that hint of honey he spoke of. I piratically drink gasoline right now as it is.

[saltmummy]

Can't stand the taste of alcohol of any kind. The most I can force myself choke down is a rum and coke on special occasions.

The shepherds pie.

What you'll need.
Two pounds of chopped steak or two pounds of ground beef
three large potatoes
two cups corn
two cups peas
three carrots
two stalks of celery
one onion
two cloves of minced garlic
a handful or two of sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
rosemary, basil, and thyme (about a teaspoon each)
paprika to taste
garlic salt to taste
worcestershire sauce
oil
corn starch or flour
milk
butter
shredded cheese, your choice

A shepherd's pie is essentially a meat stew covered with mashed potatoes. The meat requires a bit of marinading as well before the real preparation can start if you are using the steak. If you have opted for the ground beef, you can skip the marinade. This recipe assumes you are using the steak.

Preperation
The night before, slice your steaks into strips and place them in a ziplock bag along with the ***** sauce, sliced onion, garlic, rosemary, basil, thyme, and about a cup of water and allow it to sit in your refrigerator until you are ready to start cooking. when the time comes, remove the steak strips and chop them into cubes. Heat up a large pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and place in it the marinaded steak bits and onions. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE MARINADE! We will be needing it. When the steak is done, withdraw them from the heat and place them in a bowl for later. This is where timing becomes a bit... tricky. Start a pot of water boiling with a pinch of salt in it, while that is going chop up your carrots, potatoes, and celery. Place the chopped potatoes in the pot of boiling water and place the carrots and celery into the pan you just cooked your steak in. Allow it to sit until the carrots are at least partially tender and add the peas, corn, and mushrooms last. add the marinade to the pan with the vegetables and let simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes. In the meantime, take half a cup of oil and a tablespoon of corn starch or flour and mix the two together the make your thickener and set it aside. Lower the temperature on your vegetables and strain your potatoes. This next bit is tricky, if you can get someone to stir for you, then you'll be fine. remove as much of the vegetables as you can from the pan and put in your thickener, stirring constantly. It will start to form nasty looking lumps unless you add milk. While you are stirring, add a milk a little at a time to keep those lumps from forming. The less milk you add, the thicker the gravy will be. Remember to keep stirring so you don't burn it. This is where having someone to help comes in handy, get them to keep the gravy moving while you turn your attention to the potatoes. Using an electric mixed (or a large spoon if you are like me) begin mashing your potatoes, adding milk and butter as you go along. Just like the gravy, the more milk you add the thinner it will get. If you add too much milk though, you can't thicken the mashed potatoes back up again. So add the milk slowly. Add the garlic salt and paprika to the mashed potatoes and set it aside. Returning your attention to the gravy, add your vegetables and your steak and stir well until everything is coated. Preheat your oven to 300 and get a large glass baking dish. Pour the stew (it is basically stew at this point) into the baking dish and with a flat spoon spread your mashed potatoes over the top. Place the glass dish onto a baking sheet (to keep the juices from splattering onto the bottom of the stove) and sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, and your shredded cheese on the top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (might take longer) or until the mashed potatoes start to turn a light golden brown color. Allow the pie to sit after taking it from the oven for about ten minutes and then serve in bowls.

If you opt for ground beef instead, remember to drain off the grease and add a bit of salt or garlic salt while it's cooking.

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and here i was thinking we were going to get along

shepherds pie is badass though, my wife makes it fairly often and its always a win

[saltmummy]

I've also been known to drink Jaeger straight on very special occasions.

shepherds pie is badass though, my wife makes it fairly often and its always a win

Damn right. I was putting off making this shepherds pie for the first time a few months ago when I received an unpleasant surprise that, for legal reasons, I can't talk about. Pissed off about it for the rest of the day until I noticed that I suddenly had the motivation to make the shepherds pie. Felt great after that.

It's never good to drive angry. Angry cooking though? That's where it's at.