Shepherds Pie

I made Shepherds Pie tonight for Sunday dinner and it was delish!!!

I got it from wholeliving.com. Some healthy recipes honestly taste pretty eh... But this was not that kind of taste. Plus I used my dads pork sausage instead of turkey sausage. I can't make anything without it. Best sausage meat ever.

Anyway, you have to try this recipe. It's one of my new favorite comfort foods.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• FOR THE TOPPING
• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 parsnips (6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• FOR THE FILLING
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds italian sausage ( I use my dads pork sausage)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• Dash of chili powder
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 6 ounces frozen peas (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make the topping: Place potatoes and parsnips in a medium saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, and bring to a simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid. Pass potatoes and parsnips through a ricer. Stir in yogurt and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper.
2. Make the filling: Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, and garlic, stirring, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Add turkey; cook, breaking up any large pieces, for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the thyme, and chili powder; season with pepper. Whisk together cornstarch and reserved 2 cups cooking liquid; add to turkey. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in peas. Transfer to a 2-quart round or oval baking dish; top with potatoes. Bake until bubbling and top is browned, 35 minutes.

Italian Meatballs

Here is a mixture of my mom's meatball recipe and my own recipe. I combined the classic ingredients used in meatballs and added a couple different things like.... bacon. Ooooh baby. Bacon is such a magical thing. You can't go wrong with bacon :)

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces applewood-smoked bacon (about 6 slices), diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 pounds of my dad's pork sausage
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon minced marjoram
• A dash of red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 
  

Preparation:

• Place bacon in processor. Using on/off turns, grind to coarse paste. Transfer to large bowl. Using garlic press, squeeze in garlic. Gently mix in sausage and all remaining ingredients. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Using moistened hands and scant 2 tablespoonfuls for each, roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet. You can make this ahead and freeze it for an easy meal.
  
  
  Add 1 tablespoon oil a deep pan and heat over medium heat. Add half of meatballs. Cook until brown on all sides, turning carefully with small metal spatula, about 9 minutes. Transfer meatballs to baking sheet. Add more oil to pot if needed and repeat with remaining meatballs.
  

Cranberry Molded Sauce

For the last couple years I have been making the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Yes it is one of the least important things on the Thanksgiving menu but I LOVE cranberries and I have to have cranberry sauce on top of any of thanksgiving dish. Last year I made waaaay too much cranberry sauce. My sister-in-law actually has some leftovers frozen from last year still! So I decided to make a much smaller cranberry dish. Doesn't it look pretty? Ha I got a mold for it from Williams-Sonoma that worked perfect. Very simple recipe but delicious. :D Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 jar cranberry relish (from Williams-Sonoma)

1 1/2 cups pure cranberry juice

2 envelopes (14g) unflavored gelatin

Instructions:

Lightly coat the inside of a 32-oz. decorative mold with nonstick cooking spray. Put the cranberry relish in a bowl. Set aside.

Pour 1/2 cup of the cranberry juice into a separate bowl. Sprinkle with the gelatin. Let stand until the gelatin softens, 5 to 10 minutes.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the remaining 1 cup cranberry juice to a simmer. Pour into the gelatin mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into the bowl with the cranberry relish and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared mold and let cool to room temperature. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to overnight.

To unmold, set the mold in a large bowl of warm water so the water reaches almost to the rim of the mold. Let stand for 1 minute, then remove from the water. Carefully insert a small spatula along the side of the mold. Gently pull the gelatin away from the mold, then remove the spatula. Place a platter upside down on top of the mold, invert the platter and mold together and shake gently. Lift off the mold. Serves 14 to 18.

Best Cranberry and Wild Blueberry Pie ever!

This pie was a hit at Thanksgiving and I LOVED it! It was a fiasco to make since I was making a bunch of other things at the same time and it is harder than it looks making this basket weave look haha. But it was worth it. SO YUMMY!

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 16 ounces frozen organic wild blueberries (do not thaw)
• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw; about 3 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

Crust:

• 2 Pie Crust dough disks (see my crust recipe)
• Heavy whipping cream (for brushing)
• Freshly grated nutmeg (for sprinkling)
• 
  

• The Technique: Lattice Top

  To create a lattice top, roll out the dough, then cut it into strips. Make the lattice by draping half the strips in one direction across the filling, then draping the other half in the opposite direction, or weave the strips over and under for a classic basket-weave pattern. Master this and you'll end up with a professional-looking dessert that's sure to impress your guests.
  
  

Preparation:

Filling:

• Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and begins to boil, stirring occasionally, 12 to 14 minutes. Continue to boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer berry mixture to glass or ceramic dish; cool completely (mixture will thicken). DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover; chill.

Crust:

• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer crust to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish; trim dough overhang to 1 inch. Remove cinnamon sticks from filling; spoon into crust. Roll out second dough disk to 13x10-inch rectangle. Cut dough lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide strips (11 to 12 strips). Arrange half of dough strips across top of filling, spacing evenly apart. Form lattice by arranging remaining dough strips at right angle to first dough strips and weaving strips, if desired. Trim off excess dough from strips. Brush edges of bottom crust lightly with whipping cream. Press dough strip ends to adhere to bottom crust edges. Fold edges of bottom crust up over strips, pinching to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Brush edges and lattice lightly with cream. Sprinkle lattice strips lightly with nutmeg. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling thickly, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool pie on rack.
  
  
  DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Serve pie at room temperature.

Deep-Dish Piecrust

I got this pie crust recipe from WIlliams-Sonoma. It is a more sweeter crust than others. It makes a double batch of dough, one for the bottom crust and the other for creating decorative cutouts to place atop the baked and cooled pie.
Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. salt
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into
1/4-inch pieces
6 to 8 Tbs. ice water
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tbs. water
Directions:
In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the 6 Tbs. ice water and pulse twice. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water, 1 tsp. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half. Shape each into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. Place 1 dough disk between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper and roll out into a 12-inch round about 3/16 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish and press the dough into the dish. Trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold under the excess dough and, using your thumb, decoratively flute the edges. Roll out the remaining dough disk in the same manner. Using decorative piecrust cutters, cut out about 30 cutouts and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the piecrust and the cutouts in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Brush the edges of the crust with the egg mixture. Line the piecrust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. (I used pinto beans. I've heard you can use marbles or rice. It keeps it from rising and cracking.)
Place the pie dish on the preheated baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is light golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Meanwhile, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Brush the cutouts with the egg wash and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool. Makes enough dough for one 9-inch deep-dish piecrust plus decorative cutouts.

Five-Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Walnut Toffee

I have always tried sweet potatoes that are a little more sage flavored and not so sweet. For my first time making sweet potatoes "sweet" they came out pretty good. Dustin likes them really sweet like how his sister makes them. And he said I did a good job. :) Thanks babe!

I got this out of a Food and Wine magazine that his sister gave me from November 2009.

1. INGREDIENTS
2. 6 pounds orange sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
3. 1 cup light brown sugar
4. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5. 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
6. 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
7. Salt
8. Crunchy Walnut Toffee (Recipe See Below), coarsely chopped
9. 
   

1. Directions:
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the sweet potato chunks in two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes. Add 1 cup of water to each dish, cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are barely tender. Pour off any remaining water from the baking dishes.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the butter, five-spice powder and nutmeg and cook over moderate heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is bubbling, about 4 minutes. Pour the mixture over the potatoes, stir to coat and season with salt. Bake for about 10 minutes, basting a few times, until the potatoes are tender and nicely glazed. Sprinkle the walnut toffee over the potatoes and serve.
4. 
   

Crunchy Walnut toffee:

INGREDIENTS

1. 1/2 cup sugar
2. 1/4 cup water
3. 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and butter and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat, swirling the pan a few times, until a light caramel forms, about 4 minutes. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the walnuts. Quickly spread the toffee on the prepared baking sheet as thinly as possible. Let cool completely. Break into pieces and serve.

Canned Chicken

Canning chicken may sound weird to people who have never done it before or heard of it. Honestly I thought it was strange when I first heard. But canned chicken is a favorite way to cook chicken now for me. It makes great shredded chicken in enchiladas, chicken sandwiches, casseroles, and I use it in pasta as well. We try to be frugal with it though since it takes so long to do and we like to keep them for food storage. They can last in food storage for up to 2 years. It is great on Sundays when I forget to get enough ingredients for dinner so I can make a lot of things with this canned chicken when I can't make it to the store. It is a very simple process but it takes up half of your day to make them.

Raw chicken is very... slimy and yucky for me so I am getting ready to touch them.

Haha.

Look at the size of that breast!

Here we are cutting off excess fat from the chicken breast. Very gross...

Place a teaspoon of salt at the bottom of the jars.

Cut up chunks of the breast and place in jars, and then put lids on them. The lids don't need to be tightened too much because the cooker seals it enough for you.

Then we wait for like 1 hour and 30 minutes....

Take them out with this pincher thingy because they are super hot.

And wa-la! Half a day later you have 40 jars of canned chicken. Yum!

Grilled Ham and Cheese with Strawberry-Red-Wine Jam

These are very fast and easy sandwiches to make. Without telling Dustin what was in them I handed him a sandwich for lunch (he will eat anything I hand him, especially sandwiches...) and he looked at me and asked "What is in these?! They taste amazing!" I get tired of the typical sandwich so now I make them all the time.

Whenever I make these I always forget to take a picture of them...

So I used the magazines picture. :/

INGREDIENTS
-Enough slices of bread for however many people are hungry
-1/2 cup strawberry jam mixed with 2 tablespoons of Pinot Noir ( I used red cooking wine and it works just the same)
-Slices of baked ham
-Thin slices of Gruyère cheese (I prefer Gruyere but I am sure other choices of cheese work good too)
-Softened unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large griddle. Spread the bread slices with the jam. Top with the ham and Gruyère and close the sandwiches. Lightly butter the outside of the sandwiches and cook over moderate heat until toasted and the cheese is melted, 2 minutes per side. Cut in half and serve right away.

Sweet Potato and Sage-butter Casserole

So sometimes it is hard to make an amazing picture of a casserole so the picture does not do this casserole justice. I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine.

Sweet potatoes are by far the best kind of potatoes and since they are popular over the holidays everyone has their own preference on how they like them cooked. I love them roasted and Dustin likes sweet potatoes in a casserole so I wanted to make a good sweet potato casserole. And I did! :)

Serves 6 to 8
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus 1 ounce (2 tablespoons), melted
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from 3 slices white bread, crusts removed)

Directions:
1.Place sweet potatoes and potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water, and season with salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 9 minutes. Drain; pass through a ricer into a bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 1 stick butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat; add 2 tablespoons sage. Stir butter mixture and milk into potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish. (Mixture can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

3. Combine breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons melted butter and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sage. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Top potato mixture with breadcrumbs. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling around edges and breadcrumbs are golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. (If browning too quickly, tent with foil.) Let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Cornish Game Hen with Cranberry and Thyme Sauce

I am obsessed with cranberries during the holidays and so I loved adding cranberries to the sauce that went over this. This was my first time making cornish game hen and it was a success! Perfect for a holiday meal. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit of course.

Everyone loved it!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 1 1 1/2- to 1 3/4-pound Cornish game hen, halved, backbone removed, rinsed, patted dry
• 1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white grape juice
• 1/3 cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
• 1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries

• Ingredient Tip

  Look for the Cornish game hen in the frozen foods section of the supermarket. Or for easier preparation, buy one from the butcher and have him halve it and remove the backbone.
  
  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Blend 2 tablespoons butter, sugar, and 2 teaspoons thyme in small bowl. Sprinkle hen halves with salt and pepper. Spread skin of each with half of butter mixture. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add hen halves, skin side down. Sear until deep brown, about 4 minutes. Turn, skin side up, and sear 1 minute. Remove from heat. Transfer hen halves, skin side up, to small rimmed baking sheet. Reserve skillet (mixture will be dark). Roast hen halves until cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with fork, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blend remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon flour in small bowl. Add broth, grape juice, cranberry concentrate, and remaining 1 teaspoon thyme to reserved skillet. Boil until sauce is reduced to 3/4 cup, whisking often, about 7 minutes. Whisk in flour mixture and cranberries. Simmer until sauce coats spoon, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  
  
• Transfer hen halves to plates. Spoon sauce over and serve.