Double Decker Shepherds Pie

I saw this recipe and thought it looked interesting, because it is a spin on a traditional shepherd's pie which I love so much. I had so many peppers from the garden I needed to use I thought this would be the time to try it out. After I made it Brian was skeptical because he said it had a lot of "carbs". Yep it does, but I am a carb lover=). We both really enjoyed this meal, I did even more so than I imagined. This is a keeper for sure!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs baking potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounce package of mushrooms. Caps quartered and stems chopped
• 1 lb ground turkey meat (or lean ground beef if you prefer)
• 1 bunch scallions, white portion thinly chopped and green portion thinly sliced
• 1 large poblano pepper, or whatever pepper you prefer. ( I used one from the garden, keep seeds if you like heat)

Directions

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425°. In a saucepan, combine the potatoes with salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water; return the potatoes to the pot. Mash with the cream until smooth; season with salt.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Crumble the beef evenly across the pan and cook, undisturbed, until the liquid cooks off and the meat begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the finely chopped scallions, the poblano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved mushrooms, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes and the reserved 1 cup cooking water. Lower the heat and simmer until the juices are thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread slightly more than half of the potatoes evenly in a greased 9-by-11-inch baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture evenly on top, then spoon the remaining mashed potatoes evenly across the filling to enclose. Bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the sliced scallions; let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

This is a good fall soup, very hearty and has an earthy tone to it. I couldn't find creamed spinach in the freezer section at my grocery store so I just used frozen spinach and added a couple of tablespoons of heavy whipping cream.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 3 carrots, sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup long-grain rice
• One 16-ounce package frozen black-eyed peas, thawed
• One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
• One 9-ounce package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
• baguette to serve with soup

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pot and cook, stirring, until golden, 6-8 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the carrots, rice and beans. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, for 1 minute, then stir in chicken broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then lower heat and simmer until the rice and beans are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, shred the chicken. Add to the soup along with the creamed spinach and cook for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the baguette.

Bavarian dessert pretzel

We went to a friend's house the other night for an Oktoberfest party. You either have to dress up for the occasion or bring a dish. I decided at the last minute not to dress up so I thought of this simple treat to bring for the occasion. This would be really fun for a children's party too, so easy to eat and really yummy!

• Bag of pretzel rods
• Bag of chocolate chips
• add sprinkles, mini m & m's, mini chocolate chips or nuts!
• Just melt the chocolate in a double boiler. When chocolate is melted, spoon over pretzel. Then sprinkle on the toppings of your choice and lay on wax paper to dry!

Creamy Root Vegetable Stew

Brian told me the other day he wanted me to make more soups. During the winter I already make soups quite often but I could find some new recipes to make. This is not the usual recipe I would make mainly because I have never even ate a rutabaga, turnip or parsnip before, but something about it made me want to try it. It looked warm and screamed comfort food to me. I really enjoyed this soup more than I imagined, I had feared we would both hate it and it would go to waste. Brian enjoyed it even though he said he prefers "heartier" soups, which he explained have barley, rice or another grain in it=). What is heartier than potatoes??? This soup would also be lovely for a ladies luncheon. Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 2 1/2 cups diced peeled Yukon gold potato (about 1 pound)
• 2 1/4 cups diced peeled rutabaga (about 3/4 pound)
• 2 cups diced peeled turnip
• 1 1/4 cups diced peeled parsnip (about 1/2 pound)
• 2 cups organic vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan, cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and 2 teaspoons rosemary, cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in potato and next 5 ingredients (through 2 cups water). Bring to a simmer, cook, covered 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Place 3 cups vegetable mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return to pan. Stir in cream, pepper and salt.
3. Eat with a good loaf of bread and a salad=). Hello Fall!

Back to School Italian Pot Roast in the Crock Pot!

I'm trying to find lots of good crock pot recipes for when I go back to work this fall. Now that the little one has entered the picture I realized I have to be a lot more efficient with my weekly meal planning. I found this recipe and thought I would try it out. Very easy, very few ingredients and extremely flavorful! It was to say the least a hit in our house. I decided to make mashed potatoes to serve it on, but you could also put cubed potatoes in the crock pot while the roast cooks too. Try out this easy comfort meal this fall!

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb boneless round roast
• 1 medium sized onion, sliced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• .7 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix

Directions

1. Slice roast in quarters for even cooking and to distribute the flavors better. Place in slow cooker.
2. Cover with sliced onions.
3. In small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients and pour over meat and onions.
4. Cook on low for 4 hours, and then on high for another 1-2, or until meat is tender.
5. Shred meat and serve in sauce over rice or mashed potatoes.

Chili my way!

I love chili in the winter. It is so hearty, warm, and the perfect way to end a long rainy day. This is my go to chili that I always have all the ingredients on hand for. I usually have it with corn bread, another great topping is tortilla chips!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs ground turkey (or beef)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce or more if you like spice
• 1 can ( 16 ounce) whole tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 to 16 ounce) red kidney beans undrained
• 1 can (15 to 16 ounce) black beans undrained
• 1 can (15 to 16 ounce) corn drained

Directions

1. Cook turkey, onion and garlic in a 3-quart saucepan, stirring occasionally, until turkey is cooked, drain.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except beans and corn, breaking up tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in beans and corn. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness.

An option for your garden Zucchini

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
2. Beat together eggs, sugar, and oil. Blend in the grated zucchini, and then the sour cream. Mix in the flour, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon. Stir in chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 80 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

I love Zucchini bread, it is actually one of the two ways I only like it. The other way is the zucchini crisp recipe I posted last summer. I found this recipe and decided to try it because I like the idea of the sour cream in it. This recipe was good, very moist but maybe not sweet enough for me. I also didn't have enough chocolate chips which might be the problem. But if you want to make some bread muffins with your garden zucchini this recipe is worth a try. I'm going to try to make another loaf with another recipe and will let you know if I prefer that recipe. It is also nice to make muffins and freeze them, so you can always have something sweet to go with your morning coffee!