Shepherd's Pie

The "poor man's pie". This is a hearty, feel good meal. You got your meat and potatoes, and tons of vegies. You just can't go wrong with this recipe! You can substitute any of the vegetables to make it your own. You might want to try mushrooms, diced tomatoes, green peppers, or even asparagus. Shepherd's Pie was originally made with lamb, so you could definatly substitute that for the hamburger. And the best part about this is that you can make this in 30 minutes, and it's cheap!

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds hamburger

* 1 small onion chopped
* 1 can of green beans
* 3/4 can of corn
* 3/4 can of peas
* 2 large carrots peeled and chopped

* 1 1/4 sticks of butter

* 1 cup beef broth (I like to use beef granules to make it. It has more flavor)
* 2 tbls of all pourpose flour
* 5 large russet potatoes
* 1/2 cup of cream
* Paprika or parsley flakes for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Put water in a large in a large pot and bring to a boil for the potatoes.
2. Peel your potatoes and cut into small chunks. Add to boiling water and cook for 12-15 minutes until fork tender.
3. While potatoes are cookiing, in a large skillet add hamburger, onions, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until meat is brown all the way through. Put meat mixture in a strainer to get all the grease out.
4. When potatoes are done, strain the water out and put them back into the pot. Add 1 stick of butter and cream, and mash until the consistancy you like.
5. In a small skillet or or small pot over medium heat, add the remaining butter and let melt. Then add your flour and whisk until there's no lumps. Then stir in your beef broth, and whisk until smooth and thick like gravy.
6. Add you gravy to the hamburger mixture and mix well.
7. In a 9x13 casserole dish, put in your hamburger mixture. Then on top of that, put in green beans, corn, and peas.
8. Next spread the mashed potatoes on top.
9. Put under broiler, on low, about 6-8 inches below, for about 5-10 minutes. Keep checking to make sure it's not burning.
10. Garnish with paprika or parsley.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Sometimes I add a little cheddar cheese on top of the vegetables and under the mashed potatoes. This is a cheap, quick, easy, and a delicious meal that is sure to please your whole family! Let me know if you like it!

Asparagus Sausage Crepes

This looks and sounds delicious! I love asparagus and all of the other ingredients in this recipe. I think that it would be a wonderful dish to make for the holidays, or even as a side for dinner. It's filled with sausage, cream cheese, monterey jack, and onions, and is topped with a cool sour cream sauce. I love Taste of Home's magazine. My grandmother got me a subscription to it last Christmas, and I'm always on their website looking for other great recipes. If you've never heard of them, you definatly need to check them out. You can join with them free on their website ( which only takes about 2-3 minutes ) and get a free magazine sent to you.

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 package cream cheese, cubed. ( 4ounces )

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

32 fresh asparagus spears (about 1 pound), trimmed

 

Directions:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and marjoram; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs and oil. Combine flour and salt; add to milk mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 2 tablespoons batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sausage mixture onto the center of each crepe. Top with two asparagus spears. Roll up; place in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes.
• Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Combine the butter and sour cream; spoon over crepes. Bake 5 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.

I can't wait to try this recipe. I changed one thing in it, which was 1/2 cup of cheese to 1 cup. So make it any way that sounds best to you. If you decide to make this, let me know what you think. Hope you like it!http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Asparagus-Sausage-Crepes

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Mice

Are you looking to make some cool snacks for Halloween? I found this great recipe for Chocolate Covered Cherry Mice on About.com:Home Cooking. They are so cute! Almost too cute to eat. Let your child or children help you make these little creatures, and they are sure to have a blast!

http://homecooking.about.com/

Ingredients:

* 1 jar maraschino cherries with stems, drained and dried

* 6 ounces semisweet chocolate

* 1/2 tsp butter

* 1 ounce paraffin, chopped

* 1/2 cup chocolate chips

* 1/2 cup sliced almonds

* 1 tube red (clear) gel icing

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with waxed or parchment paper.

2. Rinse the cherries, drain thoroughly, and let dry on paper towels, turning often. If you don't dry them completly then the chocolate will seize and get crumbly.

3. Gently melt chocolate, butter, and paraffin in a double broiler until smooth, stirring often to prevent burning. Once melted, turn off heat, but leave in the double-boiler on the burner.
4. Dip dry cherries in melted chocolate and cover the stem as well. Place on lined cookie sheet. Immediatly press on chocolate chip, flat side to the front of the cherry to form a head.

5. While chocolate is still warm, wedge 2 sliced almonds in between the cherry and the chocolate chip to make 2 ears.

6. Let cool.

7. Use a toothpick to dab 2 beady eyes over the chocolate chip using the clear gel icing.

8. Refrigerate to let chocolate set.

NOTE: Paraffin is sold in the canning supply section, usually under the brand Gulf Wax. You can use the giant chocolate bars for the semi-sweet chocolate, semi-sweet baking squares, or chocolate chips.

* Makes about 36 mice.

There are step-by-step instructions and photos on the website if  it's a little confusing. This is such a fun snack for kids and adults! Let me know if you are going to try them. Enjoy!

Braided Chicken

Okay, so everybody keeps asking me to post this. Why? Because it's delicious! I don't believe that I have had one person not rant and rave over it. Even people who don't like broccoli or red peppers love this recipe, and go back for seconds!

Ingredients:

* 2 cups of cooked chicken ( chopped )

* 1 cup of chopped broccoli ( very small, or it will be crunchy. sometimes I steam it for a few minutes before I chop it)

* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

* 1 garlic clove, pressed. ( You can also use 1 tablesppon garlic powder if you don't have a presser or fresh garlic)

* 3/4 bag of shredded cheddar cheese. ( I like to use sharp )

* 1 cup of mayo

* 2 teaspoons of dill weed

* 1 teaspoon of salt
* 2 packages ( 8 oz) of canned crescent rolls
* 1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In a large bowl, mix chopped chicken, chopped broccoli, cheese, mayo, garlic, dill weed, peppers,  and salt together.
3. On a large greased rectangle cookie sheet( I like to line with foil for easier clean up ), roll out your cans of cresent rolls. You want to form a large rectangle down the cookie sheet. Do not seperate. You can either use a rolling pin to to put the two cans together, or I like to pinch all the perforations together.
4. Cut 1 1/2 thick inch strips, 3 inches deep along each side of the dough all the way down.
5. Put you chicken mixture down the middle of the dough evenly so that you can see the strips you just cut, down along each side.
6. Next, start at one end and take each strip that's accross from eachother and fold it to the middle twisting each one once to meat in the middle. Do this all the way down to form the braid, and tuck each end in so the filling doesn't fall out.
7. Now take your beaten egg and brush all of the dough on your braid with a pastry brush. This will give it a great golden brown color and make it shine.
8. Put it in the oven for 25-28 minutes, until golden brown.
9. Let sit for about 10 minutes before you cut into it.
10. Enjoy!


This is such a wonderful recipe. You can make it as a dinner along with a salad, make it is a lunch, brunch, take it to a party, or use it as an appetizer. Any way you do it, everyone is going to be asking you for the recipe! Let me know if you like it or have any questions about it!

Chicken Spinach Lasagna

Do you like chicken? Do you like lasagna? Well here is a great twist on lasagna that was given to me be my mother in law.

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds or 4 chicken breasts
* 16 oz of frozen spinach
* 1 small bag of chopped pecans
* 1 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
* 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
* 2/3 cup of mayo
* 2 cups sour cream
* 1 med onion diced sauteed
* 1 package mushrooms sauteed
* 2/3 bag of shreeded cheddar (I use sharp)
* 2/3 bag of shredded mozzarella
* 1 tablespoon of veg oil ( plus a little more to put in your boiling water for the lasagna noodles)
* Lasagna noodles ( I use nine for 3 layers)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cook lasagna noodles as directed on the box (add some veg oil to your water to prevent noodles from sticking together)
3. Defrost spinach and squeeze out excess water
4. In a large pot, mix together cream of mushroom, sour cream, mayo, cheddar, mozzarella, cooked onions & mushrooms, and spinach. Cook over medium-low heat until all the cheese is melted. About 15 minutes.
5. In a skillet, add your tablespoon of veg oil, and add chicken cooking over medium heat until no longer pink inside. ( I like to cut my breasts into strips for faster cooking time. Put a lid over it. You want to steam it, not fry it)
6. After chicken is cooked, shred it to your desired size and add it to your sauce mixture.
7. In a greased 9x13 casserole dish, lay 3 noodles down, then the sauce mixture, and repeat for 3 layers.
8. Top with parmesan cheese and then the chopped pecans.
9. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Check after 40 min. to make sure it's not getting too brown.
10. Enjoy!!!

I love this recipe! Although it is a little extensive, the results are well worth the time and effort. If you think pecans sound a little wierd on a lasagna, you're not alone, I did too. But after tasting it, I wouldn't want to make it any other way. This serves about 10 people. So if you'd like a smaller portion, just cut the recipe in half and use an 8x8 dish instead. Thank you Brenda for the wonderful recipe!!

Meatloaf

Meatloaf

So here's my first recipe. I just made this the other night and it was delicious!

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds of hamburger meat
* 1 cup of ketchup (divided into 1/3 cup and 3/4)
* 1/2 of a large green bell pepper (diced)
* 1/2 of a large yellow onion (diced)
* 2 tablespoons of worcestershire
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
* 1 1/2 cups of crushed saltine crackers
* 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
* 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
* Salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. You need to saute the onions and peppers together over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes. If you skip this step, you will have crunchy vegetables in your meatloaf.
2. Mix meat, eggs, 1/3 cup of ketchup, cracker crumbs, garlic, S&P, and cooked peppers and onion in a large bowl by hand. Make sure to mix well.
3. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar together. This is your topping.
4. Put your meatloaf mixture in a greased loaf pan. Or I like to use a square baking dish. Make sure to push it all down evenly.
5. Last, spread the ketchup mixture on top, and bake for an hour.
6. when done, let rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.


I hope you like it! Let me know what you think :)

A little about me

So far I'm loving my new move to California. It doesn't get much better when you live a half a mile from the beach! I'm a stay at home mother, so I have the normal duties of cooking,cleaning, and playing with my little girl. My favorite thing to do is cook. I'm 26 years old and have been cooking for over ten years now, and have taught myself. I love coming up with my own recipes and trying to improve old ones. What's the point in cooking if you can't share it with everyone. That's the best part about it! I also love to go out to eat, and try to go to places that I've never tried before. That's another reason I was excited to come to CA because there's an endless amount of restaurants to try out. I may not have everything that I want, but I have eveything that I need. And because of that, life is good.