Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1 pound hamburger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup diced onions optional
1 can of corn
2 cups mashed potatoes (my son prefers instant mash potatoes)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 325
Step 1.  Pour 1 can of corn in a 9x13 glass casserole dish
Step 2. Cook the hamburger, season with the garlic salt, salt and pepper.  Add 1/3 cup diced onions while you cooking the hamburger.  Drain the grease from the hamburger meat.  Pour the cooked hamburger on top of the corn.
Step 3. Make your mashed potatoes.  You will need enough to cover the corn/hamburger, I usually use 2 Cups.  You can use more than that if you love mash potaoes.  sprinkle the paprika on top of the mash potatoes.  Top with the cheddar cheese and bake for about a half hour on 325. 

Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

Papa's Favorite Spaghetti Sauce

   INGREDIENTS:

2-12 oz. cans of tomato paste

1 or 2 package[s] of dried porcini mushrooms

5 cups of warm water

2 cups red wine

2 medium yellow onions diced fairly small

5 or 6 good size cloves of garlic

½ to ¾ of a bell pepper – green is best, red OK – diced same size as the onion

½ bunch of Italian parsley, chopped fine

4 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. mixed Italian seasonings

2 Tbs. dried basil (or ½ cup fresh chopped fine)

1 Tbs. dried oregano (or ¼ cut fresh chopped fine)

¼ tsp black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

Salt as needed (there is quite a bit in the tomato paste)

Ground beef –use 1 – 1.5 lbs if you are not adding meatballs/sausage, about ¾ to 1 lb. if you are.

5 or 6 Italian sausages if desired

Preparation:

      Place tomato paste, 3 cups of the water and the wine in the pot and stir it up to dissolve the paste. Add all the dry ingredients except salt. Add the chopped parsley too. Put garlic through a press or dice it finely and add to pot.  Use the olive oil and saute the onions and bell peppers.

      Soak the mushrooms in the other cup of water until soft, then chop them up a little and add them and the water to the pot. 

      Saute the onions in the olive oil in a large skillet until translucent. It’s O.K. to brown them slightly, but not too much, because they get bitter. Add the bell pepper to the onions after the onions have sauteed for a couple of minutes. 

      Add onion/pepper mix to pot and brown the ground beef in the skillet breaking it up as it cooks. The beef should be browned, not just cooked through. Add to pot with a slotted spoon so you do not get excess grease in the sauce. 

      Brown the meatballs in the same skillet. Get them pretty brown, as that will add flavor to the sauce. Add to sauce. 

      Cut sausage in half, so not too long, and brown them in same skillet. Add to sauce.

      Drain fat from skillet and deglaze with a little water or wine – add to sauce. 

The sauce should simmer over as low a heat as you can make it and still get it to simmer. It should simmer for at least 2 hours, preferably 4. Check it periodically to make sure it is not too thick – add water if necessary. 

MEATBALLS:

Ingredients: 

1 lb.  lean ground beef
1 lb.  ground pork
1 lb.  ground Italian Sausage
1 small yellow onion chopped fine
1 Tbs. mixed Italian seasoning
1/8 to ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
2 lg eggs
1/4 grated parmesan
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 Cup Panko or cracker crumbs (more if needed)

Preparation:     

      Mix everything but the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl. Use your hands. If you are squeamish, use latex gloves, but you will not get it mixed up right with a spoon. After the mixture is uniform add breadcrumbs and mix with your hands adding more until consistency is OK for rolling into balls. Make balls about 1½ inch's in diameter, again using your hands.  I brown the meatballs in a frying pan and finish them in the oven.  I usually cook them for 20 minutes on 350.  If you cook the meatballs all the way on the stove top don't finish them in the oven.  I just usually cook a lot of meatballs and this speeds things up.  Cut a meatball in half to see if it is cooked.

This is one time baking and cooking at the same time saved me. 
I would have forgot the meatballs in the oven...if I wasn't making cupcakes.  Unfortunately I overcooked the meatballs when they where sitting in the oven while it preheated for the cupcakes.  They were very dry but tasted good when I put them in the spaghetti sauce.

 I had to buy the Italian spice, Basil and Oregano.  I tried to use Pesto and skip those ingredients and it didn't work.   I will put a tablespoon of Pesto in my meatball mixture if I happen to have some in the refrigerator.
 

Lasagne

My mother-in-law makes this lasagne and I love it, so I decided to ask her for the recipe.  I made it already and put it in the freezer.   So, I will add pictures after Christmas.

1 lb Italian sausage

1 lb ground beef

1 tablespoon whole basil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 - 1 lb can tomatoes

2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste

10 oz. lagagne noodles

2 eggs

3 cups fresh Ricotta or cream style cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

2 Tablespoons parsley flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pepper

1 lb mozzarella cheese

Brown meat slowly, spoon off excess fat.  Add next 5 ingredients.  Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Cook noodles in large amount of boiling salted water until tender; drain;rinse.  Beat eggs; add remaining ingredients, except mozzarella cheese.  Layer half the noodles in 13x9x2 inch baker dish;spread with half the ricotta filling; add half the mozzarella cheese and half the meat sauce.  Repeat.  Bake at 375 about 30 minutes (or assemble early and refrigerate;bake 45 minutes).  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Love Bakes Good Cakes One Pot Goulash

Recipe adapted from Love Bakes Good Cakes

When I saw this recipe it brought back childhood memories. I'm not even sure where the memories come from but they seem fond.  This wasn't something we cooked for my family, I must have had dinner over a friends house and this was probably what they served. The one thing I do remember is that I loved it!
This will go in my GO TO Recipe binder, my boys loved it.  My older son said it was one of my better pasta recipes.  I messed up on the recipe a little.  I was so mad at myself because it should have been an one pot dish and I used three, I thought the recipe said CROCK POT Goulash. 

Yield: 6 servings
2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups water
1 can (29 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1-2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
Salt and pepper, to taste
 2½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni
Directions
In a 5 qt. pan, cook and crumble beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add the onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain if desired. Add beef mixture back to the pot and add garlic, water, tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, paprika, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the elbow macaroni and stir well. Return lid and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until the noodles are done. Allow to sit covered for 5-10 minutes and mix well before serving. http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/2012/11/one-pot-goulash.html

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 lbs.  cubed beef ball tip grilling steak or boneless bottom sirloin
3 small carrots (sliced)
2 celery stalks (sliced)
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic oil
1 1/2 cups water
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoon of  olive oil
1 cup red wine
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons flour

Directions
1.  Mix the flour, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together.
2.  Cube the meat if it isn't already cut.
3.  Put the olive oil in a frying pan, medium heat.
4.  Coat the meat with the flour mixture, then put it in the hot pan.
5.  When the meat is browned add the red wine and stir.
6.  Chop the carrots, celery and onions into chunks ( the size you like).
7.  Add them to the crock pot and top with the meat mixture.  Now add the balsamic oil, water and bouillon cubes. Cook on high for about 3 to 4 hours.  You will know it is done when the meat is tender.   ***  Sometimes I add one packet of instant mash potatoes to thicken the juice.

Mash Potatoes
6 medium size potatoes
1/2 butter or margarine
1/2 cream or half and half
salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes, try to keep them the same size. (they will cook evenly)
2. Put them in a pan of water, heat medium high, make sure all the potatoes are covered with water.
3. Put 1 tablespoon of salt in the water and cook potatoes until you can put a fork in the potatoes and they are soft.
4.  When the potatoes are soft, they are done.  Take them off the stove and drain water.
5.  Add the butter, salt and pepper, then beat them until the butter has melted.  Now add the cream, if you think you want more cream, add it. 
6.  Give them a taste, if you want more butter add 2 more tablespoons.
optional***  If you like cheesy potatoes add 1/2 cup of mild cheddar cheese, you can add 1/2 cup sour cream but do that before you add the cream.  You might have to reduce the cream to 1/4 cup.   Add the sour cream and add 1/4 of cream at a time.  If you like the consistency of the potatoes after you added only 1/4 cup of cream don't add more.

I serve the beef stew over the mash potatoes.

Sante Fe Pie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of sliced grilled chicken
1 1/3 cup mild cheddar cheese

1 - 15 oz. can black beans

1 - 4oz. can green chili's

1 - 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives

1 bell pepper

1/2 corn (I use grilled frozen corn from Trader Joe's)

1/3 cup yellow onion

1/3 cilantro

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon season salt or salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 teaspoon hot sauce

I used store bought pie crust


Instructions
Preheat oven to 350
Line the pie plate with the crust, prick the crust with a fork.  Bake for about 7 minutes, until it is golden brown.  Sprinkle 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese on the pie crust, the cheese should melt because the crust is hot.  In a bowl mix all the ingredients together (you should only have 1 cup cheese to use.)  Pack the filling in the pie plate top with another pie crust.  Bake for about 8 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.  Cover the pie with foil and bake another 20 minutes.  Check the crust periodically.  Garnish with cheese, sour cream and cilantro.

Beef Stew Shepherd's Pie

Recipe adapted from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

What happen was I printed out two recipes, one for Shepherd's Pie and one for Crockpot Beef.  Well, I for some reason thought the Shepherd's Pie had chuck roast not ground hamburger.  So, when I got home from the grocery store and read the recipe, I thought what the heck~ I will just use Chuck Roast, it sounds good. 

I knew the beef mixture was running and would probably be soupy but I thought it would still taste good. 

I was right it was delicious, everyone loved it! 

Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes:
2 pounds russet potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
6 tablespoons unsalted butter I used 1/2 cup of "I can't believe this isn't butter."
Salt and white pepper to taste
For the filling and pie:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 pound ground lamb  I used 2 pounds chuck roast
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour I used 1/2 cup of flour
1 Brown Gravy Packet ( I added this)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup fresh or frozen English peas, thawed
I used 1 12oz. bag of steamfish vegetables   
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (I added this)
Sweet paprika for dusting
Directions
To make the mashed potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut into 2-inch chunks. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to medium and simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
Place the pot back on the stove over medium-low heat. Add the cream and butter and stir until butter has melted. Return potatoes to the pot and mash until smooth, incorporating the cream and butter as you go. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

To make the pie: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare the filling: Pour the oil into a 12-inch cast iron skillet or oven safe frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté just until they begin to get tender, about 5 minutes. Add the meat and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in ketchup, broth and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well. Continue to simmer gently over medium-low heat until the sauce is thickened slightly, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the corn and peas to the meat mixture and stir until combined. Season filling with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up. (Good luck with that!) Smooth the potatoes with a spatula as best you can. Dot the potatoes with bits of butter and dust with paprika.
Place skillet on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the potatoes have browned. Remove and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Stuffed Peppers

 This recipe earned its way into my Go To Recipes. 

Simply Love Food's Southwestern

Recipe Adapted from Simply Love Food

Since, my sister-in-law Julie has been a big part of this blog, I asked her to share her

 GO TO recipe with me and my readers.  I wanted to feature something she makes for her family.  She gave me a recipe she got on Pinterest for Southwestern Stuffed Pepper.

 I would suggest this recipe to anyone that likes stuffed peppers and Mexican food. 

 Ingredients

1/2 lb lean ground turkey breast 

1 cup chopped onions

1 heaping tbsp of homemade taco seasoning (or you can use the packaged type if you like)

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups of cooked rice (any type you like) 

3-4  bell peppers, halved and seeds removed

1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed I didn't have any

½ cup of frozen corn

1 (15 -16 ounce) jar of salsa ( I used a chipotle salsa)

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Garnish with these toppings: fresh cilantro, sour cream,sliced avocado

Step 1.  Cook 2 cups of rice
Step 2.  Cut the peppers in half and seed them.
Step 3.  Boil the peppers for about 15 to 20 minutes, if you like them soft.
Step 4.  In a frying pan saute the hamburger, add the taco seasoning,onion, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Step 5.   Add the 16 oz jar of salsa or 2 cups homemade.
Step 6.  Add 1/2 Cup frozen corn I used Trader Joe's frozen grilled corn

Spoon the hamburger mixture into each half of the bell peppers and place back into the baking dish. Cook the peppers for another 15-20 minutes or until the peppers are cooked all the way.  Before removing from the oven sprinkle the tops of each pepper with shredded cheddar cheese. Place back into the oven until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven and top with fresh cilantro, avocado slices and/or sour cream just before serving.

I also wanted to Thank Brandi at Simply Love Food for sharing her recipes and inspiring people to cook.

Weight Watcher's Taco Soup

For original Weight Watcher recipe click here .

Ingredients

1 teaspoon cooking oil

2 garlic cloves

1 yellow onion

1 - 15. oz canned petite diced tomatoes

1 - 15 oz. canned kidney beans

1 - 15 oz. canned pinto beans

1- 15 oz. canned corn

2 cups water

1 package of Ranch dressing

1 package of taco season

1 - 2 lbs. hamburger or ground turkey

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon season or garlic salt

1 teaspoon pepper

*** optional garnishes ~ cheddar cheese, sour cream, corn chips, diced green or red onions.

First,  I add 1 teaspoon of oil to a pot and brown the diced onions.  Right before they are done add 2 crushed garlic cloves to the oil.  Then add the first 4 items to the pot and let it cook on low.  Then I brown the hamburger, I use 1 of the teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of season or garlic salt to the meat.  When that is cooked I drain the hamburger fat and put the meat into the pot.  Now add the other teaspoon of salt and pepper.   You might need to add another cup of water later on, it is up to you.   



I forgot the can of corn and 2 garlic cloves

Tamales

I finally made tamales by myself.  I have always been afraid to take on such a big task.    I cooked the pork and chicken on Thursday.  I soaked the corn husk and made the masa on Friday.  It was such a disaster, everything went wrong.  It was probably one of my biggest cooking nightmares.  When I was measuring the masa I couldn't remember how many cups of corn flour I put in the bowl, so after that I was just winging it. I added more broth,  that didn't help, now I have to add more corn flour.  The mixture still wasn't right, so I added more lard.  I just couldn't get the consistency right, and never did!   So, I was having a hard time spreading the masa and then the meat juice was dripping all over.  I was just too tired to deal with it.  At 8:00 p.m. I had decided to just make the one batch (about 12) and throw the masa and husk away.  And I don't throw food away!I   That is just how bad it was.  I just couldn't roll one more tamale.
  

The first batch was steamed and ready to eat.   They were sooo delicious after I  made a couple Rhondafications.  This is the problem I had,  the meat mixture was runny so I couldn't put enough meat in the tamale.  So, I just put some of the left over meat on top of the tamale and added sour cream.  Who doesn't add sour cream and cheese to Mexican recipes.   

So, I refrigerated the masa and meat mixture and put the corn husk away until Sunday.  Sunday I had to soak the husk again.  I had no problem spreading the masa on the husk and the meat wasn't as juicy.   I don't know what happened.  But working with the  cold masa and meat mixture was much easier.  Who Knew? I don't know if that will always be the case but it was that day.
The corn flour I used was Meseca Masa Harina.  I have a lot left over so you know I will be posting pictures of my homemade corn tortilla's soon.  I just need a couple weeks to recover from the tamales.  Click here for the tamale recipe.  I did make a lot of Rhondifcations but that is because I can't help myself.