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.