Poor Man's Shepherd's Pie

Okay, so Shepherd's Pie is already a poor man's dish. Maybe this would be better described as Redneck's Shepherd Pie. This dish is not at all fancy or elegant but it is quick, easy, and it tastes pretty darn good. This dish is a combination of two childhood favorites- Sloppy Joe's and Tater Tots. Classy right?

Poor Man's Shepherd's Pie
* Serves 6

1 lb ground beef
1 1/4 cups water
1 envelpe sloppy joe mix
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
1 cup frozen green beans
2 cups frozen tater tots
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown beef in a large pan, drain. Return to the pan and add water, sloppy joe mix, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 3-5 minutes or until thickened. Add green beans.

Transfer to a baking dish. Top with Tater Tots. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Add cheese on top, and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Hawaiian Flan

When I first found this recipe I was skeptical. Usually, I'm not a big fan of flan. It's a Jello-y custard and I always think of old people without any teeth eating it. However, add pineapple to anything and I'll try it.

I'm glad I did make this. It's not my favorite thing ever... but it is pretty good. The best part is that you can eat it at any temperature. I prefer it best warm, my parents liked it room temperature, and my boyfriend, who is a flan fanatic, preferred it nice and cold--especially for the hot summer evening.

Hawaiian Flan
-Adapted from Joanne Fluke's novel The Strawberry Shortcake Murder

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
6 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 small can crushed pineapple
Whipped cream

Find an 8-inch by8-inch square pan (metal or glass) and get it ready next to the stove top. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine one cup of sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring at first, then swishing it around until the mixture turns golden brown.

Carefully, pour the syrup into the pan you've chosen and tip it to coat the bottom and the sides. This is your caramel sauce. Run hot water in the saucepan you used and set it in the sink.

To make the custard beat eggs until they're light yellow and thick. Add the sweetened condensed milk, sugar, salt, and pineapple juice. Beat thoroughly. Pour on top of the caramel.

Find a larger baking pan that will contain your custard pan with at least an inch to spare on all four sides. Place the custard pan inside the larger pan. Slip both pans into the oven and pour hot tap water in the larger pan, enough to immerse your custard pan halfway up the side.

Bake one hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the custard pan from the water and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. To serve, turn the custard out in a flat bowl or plate with a lid (so the caramel sauce won't over flow.) Place slices of custard in a dessert dish and sprinkle some of the crushed pineapple over the top. Then spoon on some of the caramel sauce and top with whipped cream.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Fingerling Potatoes

This recipe comes from the Queen of 30-minute meals-Rachael Ray. I changed a couple of things from her original recipe--Swiss cheese, different seasonings on the potatoes---but this meal was delicious. The best part is that it is so simple. This is definitely a meal I will make again!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Fingerling Potatoes
-Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/parmesan-crusted-chicken-breasts-with-tomato-and-basil-and-potatoes-with-peppers-and-onions-recipe/index.html
*Serves 4

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1/4 teaspoon chilli power
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse salt and pepper
1 cup shredded Parmesan
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of fingerlings -- thin, small fingerlings may also be left hole, larger potatoes should be quartered to speed cooking process. If you are using small red potatoes, halve or quarter them in the same way.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with spices and cheese. Coat the potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and peel the foil off the cookie sheet and discard for super-quick clean up!

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper or foil. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes.

Creamy Ham Fettuccine

This is a simple and quick meal that you can easily make extra of and reheat it for later. Plus, the broccoli makes this meal a little more nutritious.

Oh, believe me it still tastes just as good the next day. I brought some to work and had 3 people try to eat it.

Creamy Ham Fettuccine

*Serves 6

1lb Fettuccine

3 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

3 cups milk

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan melt butter and saute onions and garlic until soft. Add flour to create a roux. Slowly stir in milk a little at a time, whisking to get rid of any lumps. Bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Add broccoli, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 7-10 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Stir in ham, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Drain pasta and top with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wanted to make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, however I ran out of raisins, so chocolate chips took their place. This recipe comes from the Joanne Fluke novels again. Her cookies are the best that I have ever made. They always come out perfect. I know everyone has their favorite kind of cookie, but I love mine to be soft and chewy. 

The secret to getting perfectly golden round chewy discs every time-- melted butter, and a lot of it. These cookies aren't for the calorie conscious, I don't want to even to figure out how many sit-ups I must do to burn off a batch.

The point is: desserts are treats, to be eaten in moderation. It is perfectly fine to eat a sinful cookie or two every once in a while. If your going to eat a low-carb, no sugar, 1-1/2 calorie cookie then your missing the point of having a cookie.

Okay, my rant is over (Mother). The only thing I would change next time I make these is that the recipe didn't call for any spices. I like my oatmeal raisin cookies with a bit of cinnamon and all-spice. Another thing I might add to them is shredded apple and a cream cheese icing drizzle. Mrs. Fields has an oatmeal raisin cookie with those and it is delicious.

Wash your cookie down with a glass of milk, you will get extra calcium. 

Sinful Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

*Makes a little over 2 dozen cookies

1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

2 cups oatmeal

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Add sugar and mix. Then add vanilla, salt, and baking soda.

Next stir in eggs. Add the flour then raisins and oatmeal.

Roll walnut sized dough balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of a spatula.

Bake for 6 minutes.--Don't worry if they are still a little doughy in the middle, they will cook more as they cool and as a result, be chewier longer. Cool on baking sheet for two minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

A German Affair: Sauerbraten and Spaetzle

For tonight's dinner I went back to my roots. Why don't I eat German food more often? It's delicious, hearty, and flavorful. Oh, now I remember why... it's a lot of hard work to make.

You have to marinate the beef for several days! While that is not hard, it does take some planning. Then you brown it in a pan and roast it in the oven for over 3 hours! Again, not hard, but it occupies your oven for a while. If spaetzle wasn't so delicious I would never ever make it. It is one of the most labor intensive and messiest dishes I have made. You have to make a dough, and push it through a colander over a pot of boiling water. Even after I thinned the dough called for in the recipe, I still had to work pretty hard to push it all through.

I found these two traditional German recipes in my Taste of Home magazine. Sauerbraten is a tender, long marinated roast and speatzle is a cross between a small dumpling and a noodle or as my dad describes it as the German gnocchi.

This meal was exquisite. The Sauerbraten was so tender it fell apart when I cut it, and the spaetzle was warm and buttery. Everyone went back for seconds and thirds. Beware though, don't eat too much! This meal is meant to fill you up and keep you full.

Sauerbraten
*Must marinate for at least 1-2 days!

1 quart water (4 cups)
2 cups red wine vinegar
12 whole cloves** All I had was ground, just a pinch worked fine
2 bay leafs
3 teaspoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1 boneless beef chuck or rump roast
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion cut into wedges
several baby carrots
2 celery ribs, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

In a large bowl, combine the water, vinegar, cloves, bay leaves, salt and brown sugar. Pour into a resealable plastic bag, add roast. Refrigerate for 1-2 days.

Remove roast, saving marinade. Pat roast dry, dredge in flour. Add oil to a large skillet set over medium high heat and brown roast on all sides. Transfer to a Dutch oven, or large pot with a lid that can go into the oven, and add vegetables and 2 cups of marinade.

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Strain cooking juices and thicken them if desired.

Crumb-Coated Spaetzle

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)

In a bowl combine flour, salt, eggs, and milk. Stir until smooth. **If still really thick add more milk

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. With a rubber spatula, press dough through a colander into boiling water. Cook and stir gently for 4-5 minutes or until spaetzle float and are tender.

Combine bread crumbs and butter. With a slotted spoon transfer spaetzle to a large bowl. Add crumb mixture and toss to coat.

Grape and Raspberry Cheese Tart

Don't you just hate those fancy cookbooks with the delicious looking high-end recipes that have expensive and hard to find ingredients? I find myself staring at the pretty pictures in those books knowing I will never be able to find or afford the equipment and ingredients needed to make them. This recipe started out as one of those recipes.

I found this recipe in my "Best-Ever Pastry Cookbook" I have been eye-balling it for several years now, waiting for the perfect time to make it. The recipe looked intimidating at first (that is why it took me so long to actually make it) with ingredients like "plain four" "vanilla essence" "apricot conserve" "farmer's cheese" and "caster sugar". But after deciphering the language it was rather easy: all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, apricot jam, cream cheese, and fine sugar.

I loved this tart. Usually I don't like tarts that much...they look beautiful, but they lack in the flavor department. This one has tons of flavor. The cheese filling paired with the raspberries and grapes is divine. It is a creamy and fresh filling contained in a flaky and buttery shell.

The original recipe is a bit different from what I actually made (as often happens when I cook). In the original it calls for individual tarts, only red grapes, and farmers/curd cheese (I still have no idea what that is). However, mine was delicious and I wouldn't change a thing...even if I could find and afford those fancy ingredients...

Grape and Raspberry Cheese Tart

* This is my simplified recipe based off Red Grape and Cheese Tartlets in the "Best-Ever Pastry Cookbook by Catherine Atkinson"


For the Tart shell
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cups butter (1 stick and 2 Tablespoons)
1 egg
1 Tablespoon chilled water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
8 oz Cream Cheese
1/3 cup Milk
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1cup grapes**
1 cup fresh raspberries**
4 Tablespoons apricot jam***
1 Tablespoon water***

**You could use any fresh berry for this dessert but grapes and cheese go amazingly together.
***I didn't do the jam topping. Partly because I forget and partly because when I remembered I was too lazy to do it.

To make Pastry, put flour, cinnamon, and sugar into a food processor and mix. Add chunks of butter one at a time while the food processor is running until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the egg, water, and vanilla and keep processing until the mixture comes together into a smooth dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pastry and line your tart pan. Prick the base with a fork. Bake for 6 minutes or just until dough is lightly browned. DO NOT OVER BAKE. Nothing is worse than a hard and brittle pie shell. Remove from shell and cool.

For the filling, beat cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and sugar together in a small bowl. Pour into cooled tart shell. Top with berries and grapes.

Put apricot jam and water into a sauce pan and heat over medium high heat, stirring constantly until smooth and glossy. Spoon glaze over berries. Leave to cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberry Shortcake

Here it is, the recipe I promised you. And let me tell you, it does not disappoint! This is one of the best strawberry shortcakes that I have had. The "shortcake" part is really just pound cake, but it is the best pound cake ever. It's dense and smooth almost like a cheesecake. You could use frozen berries, but fresh is best. The berries really take center stage in this dish.

One of the best parts of this dessert is that you can make it all days in advance and assemble whenever you are ready to eat. It will keep a couple of days assembled, but it is best fresh.

This recipe is versatile. The original one calls for (2) 9-inch round cakes and you spoon the toppings over each individual piece when you serve. I made a sheet cake and cut it into three rectangles and stacked them. You could even cut out individual circles from the sheet cake and serve mini strawberry tarts.

Strawberry Shortcake Swensen (Adapted from Joanee Fluke's novel: The Strawberry Shortcake Murder)

*Note: This recipe makes a lot! It is meant for two 9-inch rounds, but it made one sheet cake and one 19 by 13in rectangle. (I made one for dessert and had mom take the other to her work.)

For Pound Cake
3 sticks butter (softened) (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake flour ( used All Purpose and it came out fine)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream softened butter and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, and beat until they are nice and fluffy. Then add the sour cream, baking powder, and vanilla. Mix it all up and add the flour, one cup at a time, and beat until the batter is smooth and has no lumps.

Pour batter into pan (either two nine inch cake rounds, two 13 by 9 inch pans, or a sheet pan). Bake for 45-50 minutes. ***NOTE*** My cakes in the sheet pan and the 3 by 9 pan were done after only 20 minutes!! Make sure to check early to see if they are done. You will know they are done when the edges are slightly brown and come away from the side of the pan and you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. DO NOT OVER BAKE!!!

When cakes are done allow to cool in the pans on a rack for 20 minutes.

***The original recipe stresses to chill the cakes for 48 hours-- bake the cakes 2 days in advance, cool it, wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze it until you need it. I can't wait that long. I let the cakes cool and then ate them right away. They were perfect.

Strawberries and Creme Fraiche
1 pint strawberries
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup brown sugar

Wash and cut strawberries (into slices) sprinkle with white sugar. RESERVE SOME PRETTY WHOLE ONES FOR DECORATION. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Whip cream with brown sugar. When it hold a firm peak, fold in the sour cream. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembling

You can do this her way or my way or your way.

Her way: Simple and easy. Cut pound cake into slices, top with strawberries and creme fraiche, sprinkle with brown sugar.

My way: More involved, looks really pretty, can assemble beforehand. Cut sheet cake (or 13 by 9 rectangle) into 3 equal rectangles. Fit a piping bag (or zip-lock bag) with a large star tip and fill with creme fraiche. Lay one rectangle on your serving platter. Pipe bursts of creme fraiche on top. Cover with half of the strawberries.*See picture below* Top with another piece of pound cake and do the same with creme fraiche and strawberries and top with last slice of pound cake. Take a little creme fraiche and smooth on top of the last piece of pound cake. Use the piping bag again to make pretty swirls around the top border. Make one large dot of creme in the middle and place a large berry on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

*First layer*

Lime Chicken Tacos

I am a big fan of the crock pot. You get up early, throw a bunch of stuff into it, and voila-- 6 hours later you have a delicious meal, almost no work required.

I found this recipe in an old issue of Simple and Delicious; I had the 6 ingredients on hand so I figured why not? Let me just say wow. The chicken, after cooking for 6 hours, just shreds into these delicious moist pieces. However, the sauce, made from mostly store bought salsa, leaves a little to be desired. If I make this again, which I figure I will, I will play around with the sauce... maybe add some taco seasoning... Or go a completely different route and make this BBQ chicken instead!

The salsa sauce isn't that bad, especially if you use a yummy salsa (I used Newman's Own Salsa with Pineapple which I adore --sweet and just a little bit spicy). And the most important part: It is quick and easy.

Lime Chicken Tacos
*Yields 12 tacos

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lime juiced
1 Tablespoon chili power
1 teaspoon creole seasoning (optional)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa (Newman's Own with Pineapple!)
12 flour tortillas

Toppings (optional): sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce

Place chicken in a 3-qt slow cooker. Pour lime juice, chili powder, and creole seasoning (if using) over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove chicken, cool slightly, shred, and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with toppings.

Corn-breaded Chicken Tenders with Asian Slaw

Tonight's dinner didn't go as smoothly as possible. This new recipe from Simple and Delicious has you dip the chicken tenders in ranch dressing and then into corn-muffin mix before pan frying. This combination tasted great- the ranch seasoned the chicken and the corn-muffin mix adds a sweetness. However, the coating came off very easily and burnt to the bottom of my pan. Next time I make this I will try coating the chicken in flour first.

The Asian Slaw on the other hand, is a great dish that I have made about once a week since I first tried it at a family reunion. My aunt made this and I find it to be the perfect summer treat. Yes it has sugar in it, but I feel healthier when I eat it. Did I mention how great it tastes and how easy it is to make?

Corn-breaded Chicken Tenders
1/4 cup corn bread/muffin mix
3 Tablespoons ranch dressing
6 Chicken tenderloins
2 teaspoons olive oil

Place cornbread mix and ranch dressing in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in dressing, then roll in corn-muffin mix. In a skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

*Serves two

Asian Slaw
1 package coleslaw mix (or make your own--shred green and red cabbage and some carrots)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 package uncooked Ramon noodles --broken into small pieces
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup Olive oil

Mix coleslaw mix, almonds, sunflower seeds, and uncooked noodles together. In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients and whisk together until blended. Just before you are about to serve pour the sauce over coleslaw mix and toss to combine.

Molasses Crinkles

It has been forever since my last post, that is what I get for taking 18 credit hours at college and having a part time job. Finally, school is over (at least for the summer) and I have been itching to get back in the kitchen.

I have been reading Joanne Fluke novels. They revolve around a baker who solves murder mysteries. Sounds awesome right? The best part is that she gives you recipes throughout the book. I have only tried two recipes, but so far they both have been amazing. The Molasses Crackles come from her book the Strawberry Shortcake Mystery. Don't worry, I will hopefully be adding the strawberry shortcake recipe soon.

These cookies came out of the oven perfect. They were nice and golden, chewy, and sparkling with sugar. They have a very mild taste, kinda like a ginger cookie minus the ginger. My boyfriend described them as tasting similar to a graham cracker or a teddy graham.

These cookies are best fresh from the oven. By the second day they are still delicious, but they loose some of the softness and chewiness. Next time I make these, I am going to amp up the spices a bit. They were just a bit too mild for my taste.

Molasses Crinkles
*I cut this recipe in half and ended up with just shy of 2 dozen cookies.

1 1/2 cups melted butter (3 sticks)
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups of flour

extra sugar for rolling dough in

Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir in sugar and molasses. Add eggs, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring after each addition. Add flour one cup full at a time. The dough will be quite stiff and glossy.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll chilled dough into walnut-sized balls (this may seem like a big size, but they form the perfect sized cookie). Put some sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it. Placed dough balls on a greased baking sheet (6 to a sheet) and press them down with the back of a spatula (or turner). ---Just a little, not too much!---

Bake for 8-10 minutes. They will flatten out all by themselves. Let cool for 2 minutes on the cookies sheet and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

*My boyfriend sampling*