Savory Shepherd's Pie

9.25.2012



Getting ready to saute the veggies

Meat/Veggie mix perfectly thickened. Don't make it too thick or it will be too dry when you bake it!

Covering the veggie/meat mix with potatoes

This is a recipe I haven't made in a while and since my seasonal baking craze has kicked in I thought it was about time I made this again!

My Shepherds Pie is the perfect meal for the cooling weather. It's easy to make and a definite crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

Potatoes:
8  - Klondike Rose Potatoes - cubed into 1 in. pieces (These are just a fancy slightly larger red potato)
3/4 c. -  Milk
2 1/4  TB - Horseradish Sauce
1 - Large Egg - lightly beaten
Salt
Pepper

Veggies:
2 TB - Olive Oil
3 - Carrots - chopped
3 - Celery Stocks - chopped
1 - Large Onion - chopped 
2 - Bay Leaves
Salt
Pepper

Meat:
2 lbs. - Ground Beef
1 tsp. - Garlic Powder
3 TB - Flour
2 c. -  Beef Broth
2-3 TB - Worcestershire Sauce (Depending on your taste)

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 450.

1. Add potatoes to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Salt water if desired. Lower heat and cook till potatoes are tender with a fork.

2. Drain, then add milk and mash potatoes till they are nice and smooth. Add horseradish then salt and pepper to taste. Lastly add egg when satisfied with taste. Mix well. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaves. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Cook veggies till tender but still crisp. 

3. Set aside veggies on plate. Add beef to skillet and cook, stirring often. For about 5 min or till cooked. Season with garlic. Salt & Pepper to taste.

4. Drain beef if needed, place beef and veggies back in skillet. Sprinkle with flour, stir, and cook for about 1-2 minutes.

5. Pour in beef broth, stir, and continue to cook till thickened. About 2-3 more minutes. Then add Worcestershire sauce and again season with salt & pepper. Mix well. Discard bay leaves.

6. Grease a med casserole dish.  Add meat mix first. Then top with potatoes. Bake for about 5-10 minutes or until nicely golden on top. 

Allow to cool and serve! Optional: Top with fresh chives or green onions!

Tips & Notes: 

This is such an easy dish to make and even prep ahead of time. It's also an easy recipe to alter to what ever you have on hand. Sometimes I like to add corn to mine. Or try parsnips, peas, or even green beans! As long as you have the basics, like potatoes you can customize this however you like. We like to leave the skins on our potatoes too. Not only is it tastier but healthier for your too!

You could even go vegetarian! Just omit meat with more veggies! Or a fo-meat substitute. There are some really tasty brands out there that make a ground beef like replacement. Melissa brand is a great one!

When you add your meat to your baking dish (before topping with potatoes), if it isn't saucy enough, top with a few spoonfuls of water or more beef broth to ensure it doesn't dry out while cooking in the oven. I learned this early on the hard way.

If you can't find the potatoes I used, regular baking potatoes will work just a well. We just love the creamy taste that these larger red potatoes create. However if you do use a regular baking potato I would suggest only using 6-7. As regular potatoes are much larger.

This recipe for a family of four makes about 2 meals. Tastes even better the next day. 

My girls and I love to add more Worcestershire Sauce on top for a little extra flavor!

This can also be frozen and served at a later time.


Photos & Recipe By: Heather Gwinn

Take Care & Enjoy,






My Furry Family

9.22.2012



Not amused. I'm bugging her...




Look at those eyes! Like the doggy version of Puss in Boots!


























It's been pretty manic around our house this month. We've been busy! Orders are coming in like crazy and I've been a regular power house lately. New products being made, photos being taken, and labels being designed! Phew! Then to add to chaos my hubby (Jedidiah) and myself have been working on a workshop for Blackbird Soap Company! Yea! So why the pup photos? Well I found a minute of serenity last night and started taking pictures of my furry babies. Buffy is our Boston Terrier and newest to our family. Gretta, our Boxer, our Ol' baby. She's 5. Actually I was only photographing Buffy but she wasn't amused, I kept bugging her. Then Gretta came in sat on her (yes, sat on her) and reminded me she's #1. She's much more photogenic too!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Photos by: Heather Gwinn

Take Care & Enjoy,

PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES WITH A CARAMEL FROSTING

9.12.2012




Every year about this time I get into a crazy baking spree! And anything made with pumpkin is of course on the top of my list for favorite things to bake with. Now I can't take credit for these delightful treats. I came across these online and knew I just had to try them. I am just sharing my experience making them with more detail.

 

PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES WITH A CARAMEL FROSTING 

 

Ingredients:

For the Cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

For the Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream together your butter and sugars.
3. Add eggs and vanilla - mix well. Then stir in pumpkin.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. 5. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
6. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. (I used a non-stick metal sheet)

Bake for 10-12 minutes. We live at a high altitude and baking times can sometimes be off. But with this recipe I found this time worked just perfect.


*If you are like me and have small children helping we just used one large bowl to mix everything. Saves on dishes.
 

Frosting Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
3. Cool then stir in confectioner's sugar.  Spread frosting over cooled cookies.(We accidentally added the confectioners sugar right after removing from the stove. It still tasted and spread well.)
 

Notes/ Tips:

I did use some of the tips they suggested. These cookies hold their shape quite well so after removing the cookies from the oven I flattened them with the bottom of a drinking glass. Just give them a light press while they are still hot or they will crack. This makes them easier to spread frosting on and to keep to the frosting from dripping off. These are not entirely a cookie but rather a delightful little  cake. Moist and fluffy. I made mine smaller as I prefer bite sizes. Ours made about 2 1/2 dozen cookies or so.

The frosting is a wonderful caramel almost maple like flavor.  It spreads easily and shapes nicely on the cookies as it settles. Don't let this frosting sit too long in the open though. It does thicken. After cookies have sat out a while they can be easily put in a plastic container. I put a sheet of parchment paper between each layer to keep them nicer. These were a huge win with my family!

Photos By: Heather Gwinn

Take Care & Enjoy,





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