Shepherd's Pie

I've discovered that this could be the most versatile food ever. Add practically any vegetable, any kind of meat, all sorts of different spices, and you can have whatever flavor pie you'd like. I'd be willing to bet that a version of this with ground pork, onions, apples, carrots etc. would be amazing. So many ideas, so little time...
I'll start with this recipe, which is a combination/adaptation of recipes found on the Food Network website written by Paula Deen and Nigella Lawson. Try your own combinations, too!

1 1/2 lbs. ground round
8 medium-sized red new potatoes
1 small onion
1-2 cloves garlic
3 carrots
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. frozen corn
12 oz. tomato sauce
2 c. Bisquick
1 1/2 c. milk
10 Tbsp. butter


Peel the potatoes and put into a saucepan to boil until fork tender. Drain; add 1/2 c. milk and 1/2 c. butter and mash (leave some lumps). Add salt and pepper to taste (Nigella recommends nutmeg, which also sounds great).
While the potatoes are cooking, reconstitute the porcini mushrooms by soaking in 1 c. very hot water. Saute the onion (chopped) with one tablespoon of the butter. When the onions are transparent, add the ground round and cook till nearly completely brown. Add in the carrots, porcinis, peas, corn and tomato sauce. Add about half of the reserved porcini juice. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook until most of the juices are evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the Bisquick and 1 c. milk to make a slightly thinner biscuit batter. In a 9"x9"x2" baking dish, spread the mashed potatoes on the bottom of the pan about half-way up the sides of the dish. Add a layer of the meat mixture, then seal with the biscuit mixture. Bake in a 350˚F oven for about 40 minutes or until the biscuit top is golden brown on top and cooked through. Cheers!

Blueberry Tea Cake

This recipe is from my Nana.

Cake mixture:
1/4 c. margarine
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. blueberries

Crumb mixture:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. margarine

Cream margarine and sugar together, then add egg and milk. Combine flour with baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly and mix well. Fold in blueberries. Pour into 9" square greased & floured baking pan.

Combine ingredients for the crumb mixture, and spronkle over the cake. Bake in a preheated oven at 350˚F until done, probably around 30-40 minutes.

Roast Garlic Pesto

From Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw.

6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1/4 c. minced fresh basil
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. ricotta chese

Roast the garlic cloves wrapped in aluminum foil at 425˚F for 25 minutes or until very soft. Smush out the garlic from the cooled cloves int a blender or food processor. Mix in the basil and cheeses and blend to a paste. If needed, add a teaspoon or two of extra-virgin olive oil to make the blending easier.

Summer Garden Risotto with Scallops

From Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw.

3 c. chicken broth
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 minced shallot
2 ripe tomatoes (peeled, seeded, and chopped)
1 c. arborio rice
2 Tbsp. white wine
1/2 lb. bay scallops
1 recipe roast garlic pesto

Bring broth to a gentle simmer over low heat. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan. Over medium-low heat saute the shallot until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until they break down into soft pulp, about 7 minutes.

Add the rice and stir until it glistens and is well coated with the tomato mixture, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir constantly over medium heat until the broth is absorbed. Add another ladleful of broth and keep stirring until it's been absorbed too. Continue the process, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and stirring in this way until the kernals are soft and creamy.

When the kernels start to bind in a pudding and all the liquid is absorbed (and they taste done), you should add the scallops and stir for another 3 minutes. Throw in the pesto right before serving.

Hot Beef & Coconut Curry

From Practical Simple Thai.

1 3/4 c. coconut milk
2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb. 2 oz. braising steak
2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
3 Tbsp. kaffir lime juice
2 Tbsp. Thai fish sauce
1 large red chile, seeded and sliced
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
shredded coconut, to garnish
boiled rice, to serve

Put the coconut milk into a pan and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or unitl the milk has thickened. Stir in the curry paste and garlic and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Cut the beef into 3/4 inch cubes. Add to the coconut milk and return to a boil, stirring. Lower the heat and add the lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, chile, turmeric and salt.

Cover the pan and simmer (gently, or the beef will become chewy and tough) for 20-25 minutes, until the meat is tender, adding water if the sauce looks too dry.

Stir in the basil and cilantro. Spronkle with coconut and serve with plain rice.


Note: I used plain lime juice, and it turned out fine. I also didn't have lime leaves, so I just left them out. If you use them and notice a difference in flavor, please let me know!

Starving Student Chicken

This recipe is from a Chicken Soup for the Soul recipe calendar that my grandmother had one year. It came with a neat little story about how a young Chinese student would sit in his tiny apartment above a fragrant restaurant and dream about the tongue-dazzling food below as he ate his bowl of plain rice. One day he was describing these fantasies to a friend, and the restaurant owner overheard the enjoyment the young man gained from just smelling the wares sold below his home. He sued the student for not paying for the satisfaction he got from smelling the food the restaurant cooked. The judge told the young student to jingle the coins he had in his pocket together, and told the restaurant owner that hearing the sounds of the coins was just payment for the young man enjoying the smells from the restaurant.

1-1.5 lbs. boned, skinned, defatted chicken
1/2 c. sake or white wine
1 lb spaghetti
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 c. olive oil
8-10 minced garlic cloves
1/2-1 tsp. crushed dried red chili flakes
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 - 3/4 c. minced parsley (optional)

Cut the chicken into 1” pieces and marinate in the white wine, soy sauce and garlic (with some pepper added if you like) for at least one hour. Cook the spaghetti according to the package. In a large skillet, heat some olive oil and add the pepper flakes, let heat a bit, then add your chicken, reserving the wine but getting as much of the garlic out as possible. Cook the chicken till it’s done, then add the reserved wine and the drained spaghetti and butter and parsley if you like. Serve with a little parmesan cheese.

Crispy Crusty Chicken Pie

This recipe was given to my family by my great-aunt, Mary Katherine. It is the epitome of comfort food.

3 chicken breasts, boiled
1½ c. chicken broth (from the chicken you boiled)
1 8-oz. can cream of celery soup
1 stick margarine, melted
½ tsp. pepper (or more, to taste. I like more)
1 c. self-rising flour
1 c. milk

Cut up the chicken into small bite size pieces and spread out in a 9x9 pan. Mix broth and soup until smooth, and then pour over the chicken. Combine the melted margarine, pepper, flour and milk until smooth and pour over the chicken mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 375˚F for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Black Jack Pecan Pie

1/2 c. cornstarch
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c. melted butter
3-4 Tbsp. Jack Daniels (original; don't substitute any other bourbon!)
2/3 c. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Mix together cornstarch and sugar; beat in the eggs, melted butter, Jack, chocolate chips and pecans. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until browned on top. Cool at least an hour before eating (so that the gooey chocolate doesn't run out all over the place).

Note: I once used too much Jack in this recipe (probably about 6 Tbsp.), and though I had trouble determining whether the pie was done, everyone who ate it thought it was great. It was much softer and a little more custard-like.

Note Part II: This is a favorite of everyone my family or I have ever fixed it for. It can be eaten with whipped cream (fresh if possible), but I tend to prefer it all by itself.

Cranberries & Pork Chops

4 pork chops cut from the loin, 1/2 inch thick
4 tbs. unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
12 oz. fresh cranberries rinsed and sorted through
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Rinse and dry the pork chops with paper towels. Heat the butter in a heavy saute pan until hot. Brown the pork chops on each side in the hot fat. Remove from the pan and season well on each side with salt and pepper.

Put a third of the cranberries in the bottom of a small baking dish that will hold the pork chops in two layers. “Spronkle” 1/4 cup of the sugar over the cranberries . Lay two of the pork chops sided by side on top of the sugared cranberries. Top with half of the remaining cranberries and sugar. Place a piece of parchment directly on top of the cranberries, and a piece of foil directly on top of the parchment. Cover the baking dish with a tight fitting lid or wrap with a double thickness of foil to
seal tightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until the pork chops are tender. Taste the cooked cranberries carefully, and add a little salt and black pepper if needed, Serve the pork chops hot with the cranberry sauce spooned over.