Sheperd's Pie

I love this simple hearty dish.  Sheperd's pie, sometimes referred to as Cottage pie, was traditionally made with ground lamb or mutton.  Once eaten by rural farmers in Northern England and Scotland,  it's now a dish enjoyed worldwide.  This is my version using lean ground beef, cold garlic-herb whipped potatoes, and sauteed vegetables.  The original Sheperd's Pie was sometimes thought of as bland, however, this recipe has tons of flavor.   

You"ll need:
1 lb extra lean ground beef
4 cups cold garlic-herb whipped potatoes [*see below]
1 [9 inch] homemade, refrigerated, or frozen pie crust, thawed
1 [10 3/4 oz] can golden mushroom soup
1 [0.87 oz] pkg onion gravy mix
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup carrot, finely diced
1/2 cup petite peas
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup water
2 chopped green onions
2 Tbsp chopped parsley, divided
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp dried thyme
salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring the pie crust to room temperature by allowing the pie crust to sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes.  This will make it easier to unroll.  Spray a 10 inch tart or pie pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In a stove top pan, saute the diced carrot, red pepper and scallions in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil just until translucent.  Season with pepper and only lightly with salt at this point.

Add the ground beef and cook until no pink remains.  Drain any excess fat from the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Next, add to the pan, 1/3 cup of chili sauce, 1/4 cup of water, worcestershire sauce, mushroom soup, onion gravy mix, minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of parsley, paprika, thyme, and black pepper.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes until all of the ingredients are well blended. 

Stir in the peas.  Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.  I usually wait until this point to adjust the salt.  The onion gravy mix will likely have enough, but, adjust the level to suit your taste.  Set the filling aside to cool slightly.

Mix 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley into the cold whipped potatoes. [*see below]

Unroll the pie crust and fit it into the tart/pie pan.  Using a fork, pierce the bottom of the pie crust.

Next  pour the filling  onto the crust.  Use the back of your spoon to spread it evenly

Spread about 1/3 of the whipped potatoes over the filling and sprinkle with a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. 

Finish with the remaining whipped potatoes and sprinkle the top with paprika. 

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees and   continue baking for an additional 15 minutes until the top is golden.  Remove from the oven and allow the Sheperd's Pie to sit on the counter for 20 minutes before cutting.  Yield: 6 servings

Cook's note:

You can use any leftover cold mashed potatoes to top your Sheperd's pie.  The important thing to remember is they shouldn't be too soft or they won't hold their shape while baking. 

* Garli Herb Whipped Potatoes:    http://melissassouthernstylekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/garlic-herb-whipped-potatoes.html

Chicken Cakes & Remoulade Sauce

 

These chicken cakes are the poultry version of a crab cake.  They're much less expensive to make, and the balance of flavors, along with the crispy panko coating makes this dish really delightful!  I first made these out of necessity.  It was one of those days that we wanted something different for dinner, but, I only had my pantry to turn to for ideas.  I didn't have crab meat on hand, but, as I looked around in my pantry trying to garner inspiration, the perfect substitution was right in front of me....as always, there's chicken.  My husband is a crab cake lover, and he raved about the similarities between the two savory cakes.  I used a 4 oz ice cream scoop and made these dinner size, but, using a 2 oz. ice cream scoop, you could really serve these as appetizers, as well.

You'll need:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup yellow pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup green onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced [more or less to your taste]
salt and black pepper to taste
2 [12 oz] cans fully cooked white meat chicken
1 cup fresh bread crumbs [2 slices of bread]
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp creole or old bay seasoning
1 tsp dried tarragon
2 cups panko bread crumbs

Directions:
In a stove top pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the diced peppers and green onions to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Saute until tender then add the minced garlic.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, drain the chicken well and add it to a  medium size mixing bowl.  Pulse 2 slices of bread in a food processor until the crumbs are a fine texture.  Add to the mixing bowl along with the lemon juice, Dijon, mayonnaise, garlic, tarragon, chopped parsley and creole/old bay seasoning.  Mix  in the sauteed vegetables, making sure the chicken is thoroughly broken up and blended with the other ingredients.  Taste and adjust the seasonings before you add the beaten egg. 

Pour the panko breadcrumbs onto a plate.  Using a 4 oz. ice cream scoop, scoop the chicken onto the bread crumbs.

Flatten with your hand and turn coating the chicken cake on all sides.

Put the chicken cakes onto a pan, then place into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes before cooking.  This will help the chicken cakes hold together while frying.

Remove from the refrigerator, then brown over medium high heat in a non stick pan coated with olive oil.  Cook until golden on both sides.  This will take about 7-8 minutes total.  Serve hot with the remoulade sauce. Yield: 8 chicken cakes

For the remoulade sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp green onion, minced
1 tsp capers, chopped
1 tsp dry tarragon
1/2 tsp creole/old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a few drops of hot sauce

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth.  Chill until serving.  Yield: approximately 1/2 cup

Tiny Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with a Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Icing

These cupcakes are so cute and they're scrumptious!   They are the perfect bite size, and packed with Fall flavors.  I made these for my son's Thanksgiving  class celebration.  There's nothing first graders love more than cupcakes, and these fit into tiny hands perfectly.   This recipe will easily make 70-80 mini cupcakes so, for ease of preparation, borrow a couple of pans from a friend.  The pumpkin gives moisture to the batter that doesn't require extra oil and the ingredients are simple.  No one will ever believe you started these cupcakes with a cake mix! 

You'll need:
1 box of Spice cake mix
1 3.4 oz. box of instant vanilla pudding
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. of vanilla
toffee bits for garnishing
for the icing: *see below

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line miniature cupcake pans with liners.  Add the cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, pudding mix, oil and buttermilk to a large mixing bowl.

Beat on medium high speed for  about 3 minutes until fully combined and the batter is smooth.

Using a teaspoon, fill each cup about 2/3 full.  After filling, drop the pans on the counter a couple of times to remove any air bubbles from the batter.  Place the cupcakes into the oven and bake for 16-17 minutes.

Oven temperatures can vary, so, always test with a toothpick before removing from the oven.  When the cupcakes are done, place onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.  These cupcakes are best  iced with a cream cheese frosting.  To top them as I did,  reference my dulce de leche cream cheese icing recipe.  Garnish with toffee bits if desired.  Chill iced cupcakes until serving.   Yield: 75-80

Cook's note:

* Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Icing:

 http://melissassouthernstylekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/dulce-de-leche-cream-cheese-icing.html

Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Icing

This is easily one of my favorite icing flavors!  This icing is delicious on pumpkin, banana, vanilla, chocolate,  pineapple cake or cupcakes...the list goes on and on.  If it pairs well with caramel, this is the icing I use!  Dulce de Leche is a luscious thick caramel.  It's a flavor I first discovered while traveling overseas, and the fancy name is of Spanish origin.  When dulce became readily available here, I thought I heard angels sing!  You'll see it pop up regularly in my recipe file as I discover more and more ways to use this delectable product.  This icing, oh yes, it's simply delicioso!

You'll need:
32 oz powdered sugar
1 [13.4 oz] can *dulce de leche [I used Nestles]
1 [8 oz] softened cream cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
4 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl , whip together the cream cheese, dulce de leche, butter, vanilla flavoring and salt. 

Whip on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes until well blended.

Lower the speed of the mixer and add the powdered sugar slowly, beating after each addition.  With each addition of powdered sugar, add one tablespoon of cream. [not to exceed 4 Tbs. total]

Continue adding the powdered sugar and cream, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.  After all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.  You will need to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times.  Ice the cake or cupcakes, and store any leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.  Yield: 7-8 cups

Cook's note:
This icing makes enough to ice one 9 inch round layer cake, 30-36 medium cupcakes or 100 mini cupcakes.

*Dulce de Leche is readily available in most grocery stores or speciality food stores like World Market or Williams Sonoma.  It's usually found in the Hispanic foods section.  The can looks very similar to sweetened condensed milk, but, it's very different so, read the label carefully.

Southern Style Cornbread Dressing with Sausage, Apples & Fresh Sage

Every year we hear the same conversation....Is it stuffing or is it dressing?  The debate continues on and on.  It really depends on what part of the country you find yourself.  My Mom and Grandmothers, made their "stuffing"  separate from the turkey, and we called it dressing.   They would use a combination of day old bread, biscuits, or cornbread whatever they had handy in their kitchens.  So, call it what you will, Thanksgiving dinner wouldn't be complete without it!  In this recipe I'll walk you through two ways to prepare the dressing.  If you'd like a more traditional dressing you can simply leave out the crumbled sausage and apples.  It's delicious both ways, the choice is yours!

You'll need:
8 cups of cubed sourdough bread 
8 cups of  cubed cornbread
3 14.5 oz. cans of chicken broth
1 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 lb. of cooked and crumbled sausage
1 cup each of chopped celery and onion
2 large Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and  cut into chunks
1 stick of  butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage [3-4Tbs.]
2 Tbs. chopped flat leaf parsley [optional]
2 Tbs. of poultry seasoning
1 tsp, of salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spritz a 9x13 inch or 5 quart baking dish with cooking spray.  In a stove top pan, saute the onions and celery in the butter until translucent.  Season with salt and pepper to taste then set aside.

In the same pan, brown the sausage draining any extra fat away from the pan. 

Cube the sourdough bread and corn bread and place into a large mixing bowl.  I usually do this the night before, to allow the breads to dry out.  The next morning, they're ready to soak in all the goodness from the chicken broth and soup.

Chop the parsley and sage.  It's a bit difficult for me to give you the exact measurement on the fresh sage, but around a 1/4 cup chopped. Add to the mixing bowl along with the soup, beaten eggs, cooked onions and celery, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.  The soup is a trick my Mom showed me, and it not only adds flavor, but, it gives the dressing a luscious, creamy texture.

Next, begin to add the chicken stock.  Using a large spoon or spatula, fold the chicken stock through the mixture.  If you use less cornbread and bread than I did, you may not need the entire 3 cans of stock. However, you will use at least 2-2 1/2 cans.  The dressing mixture should be very moist. 

This is the point you add the sausage and apple chunks.  It's up to you....

 I'm definitely adding it!  Stir thoroughly.

Pour the dressing evenly into the prepared baking dish.  I used a 5 quart round dish, but the dressing will easily fit into a 9x13 inch dish.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden.  Yield: 14-16 servings

Cook's note:
If you bake your dressing in a deep dish as I did, the baking time will be closer to one hour.  The top will be crunchy and golden and the inside moist and delicious!

Walnut-Toffee Pumpkin Spice Dip

When it comes to Thanksgiving, we all know our ovens will be working overtime.  And, we're all guilty of not saving room for dessert!  That's when I turn to this recipe.  I have served this dip both as an appetizer and a dessert.  I like to serve it with  lots of gingersnaps, vanilla wafers and graham crackers for dipping.  Served in glasses, this elegant dip can be enjoyed by those who like to sample all of the dessert table.

You'll need:
2 8 oz. boxes of softened cream cheese
1 8 oz. container of frozen whipped topping
1 3.4 oz, box of pumpkin spice instant pudding mix
1/2 cup each of toasted walnut pieces and toffee chips
1/4 cup of heavy cream, powdered sugar  and orange juice
1 Tbs. of grated orange zest
1 tsp. of vanilla and pumpkin pie spice
orange curls for garnishing
gingersnaps. graham crackers and vanilla wafers for dipping

In a large mixing bowl, whip the softened cream cheese, pudding mix, powdered sugar, heavy cream, orange juice and grated orange zest.  Whip together on medium high speed for 3-5 minutes stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.  Whip until light and fluffy. 

Add the toasted walnut pieces and the toffee chips.

Using a spatula, fold the walnuts and toffee chips through the dip.

Roughly break 12 gingersnap cookies, and mix into the dip.  Begin folding in the whipped topping adding 1/3 of the container at a time.

Add the last of the whipped topping folding from top to bottom, so, the mixture will remain light and fluffy.

Scoop the dip into the serving dishes, and chill until serving.  If I'm serving a crowd, I like to serve the dip in elegant glasses, with a dollop of  whipped cream and a gingersnap cookie.  Then garnish with a sprinkle of  toffee chips, walnuts  and orange curls.  Yield: approx. 3 cups

Cook's note:

Pumpkin Spice instant pudding is a seasonal flavor offered at this time of year.  

Garlic-Herb Whipped Potatoes

I love using flavored cheeses in my whipped potatoes to give them a twist in flavor.  In these potatoes, I used garlic herb flavored cheese wedges to give a subtle change in taste and it also gives the potatoes a super creamy texture.  It's enough to satisfy Mom and Dad's palette, but, it's not too overwhelming for the kids. 

You'll need:
3 lbs. of russet potatoes
5 garlic herb flavored spreadable cheese wedges [I used Laughing Cow]
2/3 cup of crema [or sour cream]
4 Tbs. of  butter
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley [optional]
warm milk
salt to taste

Peel and cube the potatoes, taking care to cut them into similar size pieces so they'll cook evenly.  In a medium stove top pot, cover the potatoes with cold salted water and bring to a boil.  Cook over medium high heat until fork tender. [About 15 minutes]

Drain the potatoes then add the cheese wedges, crema/sour cream and butter.

Using a hand mixer on medium-high speed, whip the potatoes until smooth, adding additional warm milk as needed until you reach the desired consistency.  Serve warm.  Yield: approx. 4-5 cups

Cook's note:
Adding 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley to the potatoes makes the potatoes more visually interesting. It won't change the flavor if you opt to leave it out.
Crema is a mild and delicately flavored Mexican cream.   If you can't find it, sour cream always works!

Swiss Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

 

This is a simple, quick salad to make, and it's loaded with flavor.  Unlike the more traditional version of broccoli salad with raisins and a tangy-sweet dressing, broccoli and cauliflower are tossed with bacon, Swiss cheese and a creamy homemade buttermilk dressing.   We usually enjoy it at our Thanksgiving table in this vintage green serving bowl that once belonged to my Grandmother.  Somehow, everything tastes better when it's served from that bowl, and it brings back the memory of all of us eating Holiday meals together as a family.  The flavor combination in this salad isn't  limited only to the Holidays...it's great anytime of year!

You'll need:
1 0.4 oz packet dry buttermilk dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup  buttermilk
1 jar [4 oz] sliced pimentos, drained
8-10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 head of cauliflower
1 bunch of broccoli
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
3 green onions, thinly sliced

To make the dressing, add the buttermilk, mayonnaise and dry dressing mix to a large mixing bowl. 

Whisk the dressing together until it's fully combined.  Stir in the drained pimentos and crumbled bacon.

Cut the stems from the broccoli and cauliflower and separate into small bite size pieces.  Usually, you'll end up with more cauliflower than broccoli, so, try to use equal amounts.  Add to the bowl along with the sliced onion.  Stir until the dressing has fully coated all of the ingredients.

Add the shredded Swiss cheese, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your taste. 

Refrigerate for several hours before serving.  Garnish with sliced green onions. Yield: approximately 8-10 servings

 

 

 

Cook's note:

A sharp white cheddar cheese may be used in place of the Swiss cheese.