Beef Shepherd's Pie

Beef Shepherd's Pie, Awesome Comfort Food

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 rib celery, sliced
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup canned low sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, optional
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.



Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, half the salt, and oregano. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until mushrooms are soft and tomato paste has turned brick red, about 8 minutes more. Stir in the beef, the broth, the remaining salt, the Worcestershire, and some pepper, breaking up any large clumps of meat, cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the meat and vegetables to a 2-quart oval casserole dish and spread the mashed potatoes over the top, leaving a 1/4-inch boarder around the edge. Make a decorative pattern on the top of the potatoes, if desired. Sprinkle with cheese, if using, and dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake until potatoes brown and the juices bubble around the edge, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Plate it up and Bon Apetitè!

Easy Chicken Tenderloins

OK, I have been super lazy lately and hardly been making anything worthwhile for dinner, or at least anything blogworthy. I was still lazy tonight but at least you will benefit from my laziness as this dish is sooooo easy.

Easy Chicken Tenderloins

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves 6-8

Total time from Prep to Plating: 30 minutes


Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
2 tbs. butter
2 tbs. Kosher salt
2 tbs. Freshly ground black pepper

I served this with the help of Uncle Ben. I used the Chicken Vegetable variety. Very easy.

Wash and place your enderloins on a plate. Sprinkle one tbs. of the Kosher salt and ground pepper on the up side of your tenderloins.

Place the 2 tbs. of butter in a large frying pan and turn heat to medium high. When the butter is melted place your tenderloins face down (salt and pepper side) in the pan. Take the other 1 tbs. of Kosher salt and pepper and sprinkle on the up side of the tenderloins in the pan.

Start Uncle Ben. He takes ten minutes.

Continue to fry the tenderloins until the reach a golden brown about five minutes, flip over and turn down heat to medium. Cook another five minutes. By cooking it on medium high for the first five minutes, you not only get that nice carmelazation, it also seals in the moisture.

That's about it, plate it all up and Bon Apetitè!

Perfect Sunday Dinner

This one is easy and delicious and perfect for football season. Put your chicken in the oven when the game starts and it's ready at halftime.



Roasted Chicken with Roasted Red


Potatoes and Glazed Carrots

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 90 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Time from Prep to Plating: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

6-7 lb. Roaster Chicken (I like Purdue, but get whatever floats yer boat, just make sure it has one of those internal popup thermometer thingies)
7-8 medium sized red potatoes - cubed
1 lb. fresh carrots
4 tb. vegetable oil
4 tb. ground black pepper
4 tb. Lowrey's seasoned salt
4 tb. Dry parsley
2 tb. butter or margarine
2 tb. of sugar

Roast Chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash your chicken and remove the little package of goodies from its innards. Place chicken in a broiling pan. Take about 1 tb. of vegetable oil and pour it into the palm of your hand and give your bird a nice little massage, covering it with the vegetable oil. Now season your bird with 2 tb. of ground black pepper, 2 tb. of Lowrey's seasoned salt and 2 tb. of dry parsley leaves.


Place your bird in a broiler pan so the juices drip down into the pan and don't grease up your taters.

Place the aluminum foil on just the chicken.

Roasted Red Potatoes

Wash off 7-8 medium sized potatoes, leaving the skin on. Cut in half and then cube. Place them in a large bowl. Into the bowl add 2 tb. of vegetable oil, 2 tb. of Lowrey's seasoned salt, 2 tb. of black pepper and 2 tb. of parsley flakes. Mix with your hands thoroughly coating the potatoes. Place around the chicken.

You are going to cook the bird for approximately 90 minutes. Place aluminum foil over just the bird for the first thirty minutes. This will help to ensure that your bird is moist on the inside. After 30 minutes remove the aluminum foil from the bird for the last hour of cooking.

Glazed Carrots

After skinning your carrots cut them in half and then quarter them. Place them in a large pot with about 2 qt. of water and 2 tb. of sugar. With about 15 minutes left of cooking time on the chicken, place the burner under the carrots on high and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes, check to make sure they are soft. Drain and add the 2 tb. of butter and toss thoroughly coating the carrots.

When your little internal thermometer thingy pops on the chicken remove from the over. Take the chicken and place on a cutting board and let it rest for a five minutes. Place your taters in a bowl for serving.

Now there are several ways you can choose to carve your bird. Today I felt like using cooking scissors and cutting into eight parts (leg, wing, thigh and breast).

Plate everything up and Bon Apetitè!

Pork Chops with Bella Mushrooms

Pork Chops with Bella Mushrooms, served with mashed potatoes and corn (canned, I was too lazy today to make something fresh ~ sorry)

Pork Chops with Bella Mushrooms

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Time from Prep to Plating: One Hour

Ingredients:

8-10 Pork Loin boneless chops
2 cans (29 oz.) chicken broth
1/4 marsalla wine
1 lb. Baby Bell Mushrooms (sliced)
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
2 tbs. all purpose flour
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper


Whip it up now baby!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While it is pre-heating peel your taters and throw then in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Wash and season your chops with kosher salt and pepper on both sides and place in a large frying pan on medium high heat. Brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Remove chops from the pan and place in a baking dish. In the sme pan you cooked the chops in, pour in both cans of chicken broth and the 1/4 cup of marsalla wine. Be sure to scrape up all the good pork goodies that stuck to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce by about 1/3 (about 6 minutes). Pour the mixture over the chops and place in the oven for about 25 minutes. In a seperate pan place the 2 tbs. of butter and bring to a medium heat. Place your sliced and washed baby bellas, salt and pepper, and simmer until they are brown. Set aside.

Pour 1/4 cup of 1/2 & 1/2 into a measurng cup and add the 2 tbs. of flour. Stir with a fork until there are no lumps.

When chops are done take the pan out of the oven and plate them. Pour your liquid from the pan into a large frying pan and bring to a boil. Add the 1/2 & 1/2/flour mixture, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken. Add the mushrooms and stir thoroughly. Pour into a gravy boat.

Take the taters off the heat, drain in a colander and mash 'em up with a 1 tbs. of butter and a little milk.

Plate everything up. Pour gravy over the taters and pork chops! Bon Apetitè!

Quick, Easy And No Picture

I was just too damn lazy and tired tonight. So I pulled something out that I haven't made in ages because it is so quick and easy (not to mention cheap).

Broiled Italian Chicken Legs

Prep Time: Five Minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Time from Prep to Plating: 25 minutes


Ingredients:

One large package (12-13) skinned chicken legs
Freshly ground pepper
Bottled Italian Dressing
Two packages Lipton Taco Rice
One can green beans


Pre-heat your broiler. Wash and lay your chicken legs on a broiler pan. Ground fresh pepper on the legs and then after shaking the Italian bottle well shake about 1 oz. of dressing on each leg. Place in broiler for nine minutes.

Do up the rice according to the directions. The directions say to cook for seven minutes, I found it took nine to absorb all the liquid. So check it out after seven and see what's what.

After the first nine minutes take your legs out of the broiler. Flip the legs and repeat - ground pepper and Italian dressing. Broil for seven more minutes and then let set for a couple of minutes.

Before the legs are done, your rice will be. Take it off the heat and let set for a few minutes.

This one is real easy, the kids love it and clean up is a snap.

Plate 'er up and Bon Apetitè!

Old Fashioned Meatloaf

Meatloaf might not be everyone's idea of gourmet food, but I love it. Tonight I made meatloaf with mashed taters, brown gravy and I was too lazy to go back out to the store, so canned corn (ouch).


Old Fashioned Meatloaf

Prep Time: one hour

Cooking Time: 90 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Time from prep to plating: 2 and a half hours

Ingredients

2 lbs. chop meat
3 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
2 yellow onions, diced
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tbs. Mrs. Dash

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Once you have everything incorporated place the mixture into a 9" X 5" loaf pan (spray with a non-stick substance).

Place in preheated oven at 325 degress for 90 minutes.

Mashed Taters

About 8-9 Idaho spuds, peeled and diced. Boil until tender. Drain and place back into pot. Add 2 tsp. of butter and 1/4 cup of half and half (I like to use half and half sometimes, it makes the taters creamier). Use a mixer on high until smooth and uniform.

I also used can brown gravy (sorry I was really lazy tonight ). Pretty easy to make, cleanup is a snap and it IS tasty. Serves 6-8. Plate 'er up and Bon Apetitè!

Labor Day Jollification

Yes, I used a big old word (go look it up dictionary.com) because this is a big old feast. Labor Day is traditionally the end of summer and peeps like to traditionally have a barbeque on Labor Day. So here is a BBQ feast that will blow your guests away in more ways than one.

Ribs, Tater Salad and Southern Baked

Beans

OK, short of having a smoker in your backyard, cooking your ribs in this fashion is the closest you will come to that tradtional smokey flavor. The ribs will dissappear faster than the charges against John Mark Karr and the compliments from your guests will be a flying. The tater salad has been passed down from my Grandmother and it is absolutely delicious. One hint - make it the night before because it always seems to taste better the next day. The southern style baked beans recipe I got from my southern cousin.

Prep Time: Hours (start the night before to make your job easy the day of the BBQ)

Cooking Time: About an hour (give or take)

Serves: 6-8

Total time from prep to plate: four hours

Ingredients

Baby Back Ribs

4 lbs. of Baby Back Ribs
1 bottle of Mesquite BBQ Sauce
2 tbs. Honey
2 large cans of Beef Broth

Potato Salad

5 lbs. of Idaho Potatoes (peeled and cut into bite size chunks)
2 cups mayonaise (give or take)
3 tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
1 large Vidallia Sweet Onion (diced)
3 stalks of celery (diced)
Salt and Pepper

Southern Style Baked Beans

1 Very Large Can of Baked Beans (I like Bush's baked beans but knock yourself out with whatever brand you like, just don't get a flavored one, go original)
1 large onion (diced)
8 oz. Thick Cut Bacon (cut into 1/2 inch chunks)
2 tbs. Dark Brown Sugar
2 tbs. Molasses
2 tbs. Honey

To the fixin'

Start with prepping your ribs ~ pour the beef broth into a very large pot. Wash and then place your ribs into the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to low and let simmer for 3 hours. Check occaisonally, you want them so that the meat isn't quite falling off the bone, but almost.

Make your BBQ Sauce ~ take the bottle of Mesquite BBQ Sauce and pour into a bowl. Mix in the 2 tbs. of Honey and mix well.

Next the Potato Salad ~ Peel and cut the potatoes into bite size chunks. Place in salted water and bring to boil. Test with a fork for doneness. Drain and place in a LARGE bowl. Cover with Saran Wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes, then transfer to fridge for 1 hour. It has to cool or you will have mashed potato salad. After it cools add the onions, celery, Red Wine Vinegar, mayonaise and mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. Place back in fridge.

After you put the potatoes into the freezer, start on the beans. In a large pot place the 1/2 inch chunks of bacon on a medium flame. Cook until it becomes firm but not crispy. Drain and place back into the pot. Add the large can of beans, dark brown sugar, molasses, onion and honey. Mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil and then let simmer on low for two hours.

Fire up your grill and let the coals get nice and hot. Next get your corn ready to steam. I think this part is self explainitory.

Time to Q the ribs. After taking them out of the beef broth, remove the membrane on the back. Using a paint brush, lather LOTS of your BBQ sauce on the MEAT side. Place your ribs on the grill, meat side down and lather the bone side of the ribs while they are on the grill. You don't need to leave them on very long, just so that they are little browned, not burnt. Flip them over on to the bone side and lather the meat side again. Again, leave them on for only a few minutes.

Serve with steamed fresh corn on the cob and Kosher garlic dill slices.

Plate 'er up and Bon Apetitè!