Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is one of my all-time favorite dishes. I remember my mom preparing it for us as kids and we were all very excited to eat the Irish classic. Every time I eat at an Irish Pub (not often enough), I take a good look at their Shepherd's pie. Traditionally, Shepherd's pie is made with lamb meat. However, the recipes are never the same. That's one trait I love about this dish. It's different every time.

Part of what makes each dish different is the variety of ingredients and the multiple ways those can be prepared. It's simply potatoes, meat and vegetables, but they can be assembled in very creative ways.

I peeled and boiled russet potatoes (the most Irish-tasting, to me) while I cooked the hamburger in a pan. I added chopped onions and garlic to the hamburger half-way through cooking it. I wanted the onions to soak-up the fatty juices from the hamburger. They did. Yum.

I put the hamburger in the bottom of a baking dish and layered it with green beans, peas, carrots, seasoning and tomato soup. I put the potatoes in a mixing bowl, added some milk, sour cream and basil and garlic and mixed it all with a hand blender. I put the mashed potatoes on top (added a little more tomato soup) and placed it in the oven at 350.

Straight-up fantastic! I'm pretty sure our dinner in The Shire made my Gaelic ancestors smile.

Ingredients:

2 pounds Russet potatoes (plus 3 ounces whole milk and 3 ounces sour cream)

1 pound ground hamburger

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

6 ounces green beans

3 ounces green peas

3 ounces carrots

seasoning (fresh ground pepper, Nature's Seasoning, basil & garlic seasoning, salt)

6 ounces tomato soup

Music: Brandon Heath - Love Never Fails

Weather: 8

Brussels sprouts!

Over the past few months, I've taken a lot of risks in my kitchen. I've cooked new meals with creative recipes, most self-created, and realized how many dishes can be made to my taste. Nearly everything that I've made, I've enjoyed. Tonight was no exception as I tackled Brussels sprouts.

I've been talking about making Brussels sprouts since November. It seemed that many cooking magazines featured Brussels sprouts around Thanksgiving. It started a craving for them even though I had never had them before.

I've always heard bad things about Brussels sprouts. I've heard bad things about other foods that I found delightful, however, those had a few positive comments, too. I can't recall ever hearing someone say something good about Brussels sprouts. I looked at it as a challenge and I went for it. I was confident that I could make Brussels sprouts taste good.

I envisioned shiny, buttery sprouts accompanied with sweet vegetables and mushrooms. I didn't know what they were going to taste like, so I figured a broad range of flavors would be good. Plus, simply adding garlic and onion (and basil) to any vegetable will make it more than tasteful. So, that's what I did. Garlic, onion, shallots, basil and mushrooms. I used the Dutch oven because I had great success with baby red potatoes a few months ago. My vision paralleled those potatoes.

They were very easy to prepare, but somewhat difficult to eat. The sprouts a little crunchy while the other vegetables were soft in texture. It was a nice juxtaposition, but I'm not in love with Brussels sprouts. I'm definitely "in like" with them, though. They were good, indeed, but they're nothing to write home about (even though that's what I'm doing right now, assuming Liz will read this). Speaking of home, the sprouts didn't work with her. She said that she thinks she has an "aversion" to one of the herbs.

**It wasn't until I used the trustworthy spellcheck that I realized it's "Brussels" sprouts and not "brussel" sprouts. I'm pleased to still be learning daily.

Ingredients:
1 bag Brussels sprouts (16 ounces), trimmed and halved
1 onion
1 shallot
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp fresh basil
5 ounces mushrooms

Music: Loverboy - Lovin' Every Minute of It
Weather: 20's and snow

Sunday Soup Day: Gumbo

Football on the Bayou inspired this chicken, sausage and shrimp gumbo. The New Orleans Saints with host #4 who's a Southern Bayou boy at heart. I had to keep the football spirit alive in our house even though "my" team has been done for two weeks. Just in case you were wondering, I will be joining the Who Dat Nation and cheering for the Saints.

Before I explain how I made the soup, I have to say this is my best yet. Liz went as far to say that this might be the best meal I've ever made. That's a pretty big statement. We promise if you take the time to make this gumbo, you'll be very satisfied. I would encourage you to make it when you need some Creole/Cajun flair in your life (maybe even Mardi Gras).

I started with butter in the Dutch oven and sauteed an onion and garlic before adding the peppers and olive oil. Then, I added the ingredients in order (listed below) one at a time, starting with the sausage. I love cooking with the Dutch oven because all of the "drippings" remain in the pot and add flavor to the finished product. When I finally got to the point to add the chicken broth, all of the ingredients were simmering and emitting the most wonderful Bayou scent. We felt like we were on Bourbon St. Throughout the process, I added crushed red pepper, chili powder, paprika and fresh ground pepper.

I can't even explain why we liked the gumbo so much. There was so much flavor. It was simply amazing. Make your own and let me know how it turns out for you.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
sausage
16 oz. bag of cut okra
1 skinless boneless chicken breast
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 pound cooked large shrimp
1 cup cooked rice

2 cups chicken broth

Weather: 31-degrees

Sunday Soup Day: Hearty beef and barley with vegetables

An easy and hearty soup was on the menu during a relaxing and slow yesterday. I lacked the motivation to create a robust soup full of creativity and flavor, so "settled" for a simple beef and barley with vegetable soup that looked first like beef stew, but found it's identity just before it was ready to serve.

I sauteed the vegetables in butter and added the beef. They smelled so good and looked great that I was tempted to stop before adding the broth or barley and eat the vegetables and meat. However, after adding the broth and barley, we very pleased to have another great soup.

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 green pepper
1/2 cup shredded carrots
6 small baby red potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup parsley
seasoning to taste
2 pounds beef (pre cut for stew)
1 carton (36-ounces) beef broth
1/2 cup barley

Music: Kutless - What Faith Can Do
Weather: 24-degrees

Chicken enchiladas

This week I became very familiar with my oven. I've always stayed clear of recipes that required baking, but I prepared a casserole, hot dish, baked dessert (apple crisp) and now enchiladas. Each one of them were "experimental," meaning I didn't use a recipe at all, and I freely chose the oven I for every one of them. I must admit, I did very well.

One of the most memorable meals that I ever prepared was for my female athletes. In fact, one of the ladies frequently tells me how much she liked the chicken enchiladas from that night. Tonight I blew the old enchiladas "out of the water." These chicken enchiladas were the best I've ever had.

In one tablespoon of olive oil, I cooked the chicken breasts. I added garlic pepper seasoning. While the chicken was cooking on the stove, I sauteed an onion and four cloves of garlic (in olive oil). When the onions were translucent, I added a small can of diced chiles.

I put the vegetables in a large mixing bowl, chopped the chicken and added it to the bowl. For the enchilada stuffing, I mixed the vegetables and chicken with sour cream and cheese. I also added a little Mexican rice. I rolled the stuffing inside large flour tortillas.

I sprayed a baking dish with Pam, set the enchiladas side-by-side and poured a bottle of Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce over the top and sprinkled with cheese. I baked them for 15 minutes at 350-degrees. The stuffing was already cooked, so when the cheese was melted and the tortillas were slightly crisp, I took them out of the oven. I served them with Mexican rice.

I wish our ladies would have been here for this meal because they would've been speechless (which is nearly impossible for these girls). Actually, the more I think about it, speechless is an adjective that doesn't go well with this food. I'm sure they would have showered me with praise and talked about these enchiladas for years. That's how good they were.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small can diced chiles
6 flour tortilla shells
1 bottle Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce
6 ounces cheddar cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese
2 ounces light sour cream

Music: Haricharan & Harris Jeyaraj - Oyaayiye Yaayiye
Weather: 35-degrees

Tator tot hot dish

Yesterday, as I was making my stir fry, I whipped up a quick hot dish that I planned on baking today. Liz had the day off from work, so we planned a family day that included, among other activities, sledding. It was Isaiah's first outdoor winter activity and it was fun.

I went with the hot dish because I anticipated coming in from the cold we'd like nothing more than a warm meal straight out of the oven. In theory, it was a fabulous idea, but the timing was slightly off, so we had to wait until later in the evening. It was alright, though, because when we finally ate the tator tot hot dish, it satisfied every square-inch.

I cooked ground hamburger in a pan with a generous amount of salt and pepper. When it was almost entirely cooked, I added 1/2 cup of water to the hamburger so it was moist when I put it in the baking dish.

I lined the bottom of the dish with hamburger and smashed it down with a spatula. I added a layer of frozen green beans and a layer of frozen corn. Then, I carefully placed tator tots over the top. Finally, I mixed a can of cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 cup of water and poured it over the top. I covered the dish and placed in the refrigerator overnight.

After baking it, we enjoyed a terrific hot dish reminiscent of my days on the farm. We seemed to have eaten many varieties of hot dish growing up. I guess it's a Northern-thing. There are few meals that warm my heart like hot dish. I know my family would agree. Tonight, tator tot hot dish did the trick.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground hamburger
8 ounces green beans
8 ounces corn
8 ounces tator tots
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Music: Skillet - Hero
Weather: 34-degrees

Vegetable-noodle stir fry

Tonight I put a little twist on take-out and made my own version of vegetable lo mein. Well, it was closer to stir fry, but it was healthy, tasty and quit fun.

I boiled the noodles while I chopped the vegetables. I used whole wheat linguine noodles to add texture, fiber and protein. Before I sauteed the vegetables, however, I scrambled two large eggs with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the wok. I set the eggs aside and used them later.

After chopping the vegetables, I added them to the wok and cooked them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. The vegetables cooked for 15 minutes. The wok cooks well because the heat is evenly distributed throughout the entire pan. I mixed the sauces with lime and sugar to flavor the stir fry. Finally, I added the noodles to the vegetables and tossed everything together, topping it with shiitake mushrooms and the scrambled eggs.

It turned out very well, but there were too many noodles. The vegetables were amazing and the sauce was a little sweet and a little spicy. It was a great combination. Next time, I'll use less noodles, though.

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat linguine
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 large eggs
1 baby bok choy, chopped
1 bok choy, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup shredded carrots
handful of snow peas
ground ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons garlic black bean sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

Music: Kristian Standfill - Jesus Paid It All
Weather: 20-degrees

Baked shells casserole

A fond memory of mine from childhood is my (great) Aunt Catherine's homemade tomato sauce. All of us loved visiting Uncle Jim and Aunt Catherine because it was like a trip into the "good ol' days." She used to make the BEST sauce. To the Zappas, it's legendary. God bless her. The generations that followed in her steps have tried to replicate her sauce to no avail. My mom's brother, Eugene, is close. With that said, I have great news...I finally made a signature sauce of my own! It's nothing like Aunt Catherine's, but she'd be proud.

I made my tomato sauce to accompany a rendition of stuffed shells that I saw on the Rachel Ray Show today. Basically, it's the taste of stuffed shells without the hassle. I used medium shells and mixed the ricotta and spinach and baked it with the terrific homemade tomato sauce. Did I mention the tomato sauce? Wow! Not only was the flavor unbelievable, it's had a lasting aroma that's resonated throughout the house all night.

The new legendary sauce: I finely chopped an onion and five cloves of garlic and sauteed them in three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. After a few minutes, I added the grated carrot, thyme, marjoram, oregano and red pepper flakes. I gently sauteed these ingredients for another ten minutes before stirring in the parsley and red wine. I reduced the heat and added a cup of chicken stock, the tomatoes and let simmer for 30 minutes. I pureed it all before using.

In the meantime, I cooked the spinach in a pan with olive oil. I mixed the ricotta cheese with the finished noodles then added the spinach. While the sauce was simmering, I preheated the oven to 375-degrees.

I coated the bottom of a large baking dish with the sauce, added the noodles (with cheese and spinach) and covered with more sauce. I made sure that I had sauce left over to use another day. Of course, I topped the pasta with grated Parmesan cheese before I slid it in the oven, baked for 20 minutes and enjoyed! Seriously...enjoyed.

Aunt Catherine would definitely be proud of this sauce and I'm very proud of this casserole.

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small carrot, grated
1 1/2 tsp marjoram and oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup chicken stock
2-cans (14 oz) Italian stewed tomatoes
2-cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 pound medium shells
1 bag frozen spinach
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Music: Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In Head
Weather: 25-degrees in River Falls, 51-degrees in Colorado Springs

Sunday Soup Day: Beans & Greens

I apologize for the repetitive nature of Soup Day lately. I had to go with something green once again to support the Packers. I hope this lasts through January. Cross those fingers, please.

Today's soup, entitled beans & greens, is a very straight forward soup with cannellini beans and hearty greens - Swiss chard and spinach. Adding to the flavor is a combination of herbs and spices as well as carrots, celery, garlic, leeks and onions.

Generally speaking, I make all of my soups using my Dutch oven. It's great because I can saute the vegetables and keep them in while I build the soup. This was a quick recipe that I was able to assemble during half time.

I cooked the vegetables, added the water, bringing it to a boil, then added the greens. That's it. Quick and to the point. We needed some green power to bring the Packers back from the dead. As of now...it's helping. The final outcome will be determined shortly. Go Pack Go!

Ingredients:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
5 stalks celery
6 ounces carrots
1 leek (the white part)
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
6 ounces Swiss chard (chopped)
3 ounces spinach (chopped)

Music: No music at all - only football
Weather: 5 degrees

Quick skillet mac & cheese

It's not very often that I write a blog entry about lunch. Today, however, I made homemade mac & cheese in an iron skillet. I spent more time than usual preparing this compared to a typical lunch. It was worth my time.

I used whole wheat rotelle (I'd use regular "white" pasta next time) and boiled to al dente. I drained the water and set the noodles aside.

Meanwhile, I melted 3 tablespoons of butter in an iron skillet, whisked in 3 tablespoons of flour and added two cups of milk. I stirred the ingredients constantly until it began to thicken. Then I added the cheese. I used approximately four ounces of shredded mozzarella and four ounces of shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack. The cheese melted quickly. I continued stirring while adding thyme and Worcestershire sauce. When the mixture was a smooth, creamy texture, I added the pasta and covered completely with the sauce.

I topped the mac & cheese with Parmesan, put it in the oven and broiled it on high for five minutes. I took it out and the top was slightly crunchy and underneath the surface was the creamiest mac & cheese you've ever seen.

I wish I could say the taste equalled the presentation, but it didn't. Don't get me wrong, it was very good and better than most lunches that I eat, but it fell short of my expectations. I'm beginning to realize that it's difficult to make flavorful dishes with whole wheat pasta. It doesn't pull out the taste like regular pasta. It's healthier, though, so there's a trade off. I'd use regular pasta in the future, though. Once again, it was very good.

Ingredients:
12 ounces whole wheat rotelle pasta
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounces shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Music: Cascada - Evacuate the Dance Floor
Weather: 12 degrees, in the middle of a blizzard

Dr. Pepper Ribs

I'm a Pepper. You're a Pepper. Dr. Pepper Ribs. That's right, I said Dr. Pepper. You know, 23 flavors? Yep. Dr. Pepper. Typically, I enjoy a cold can of Dr. Pepper on a warm summer day, but today I used it as a marinade and an ingredient in barbecue sauce.

I found this recipe in Men's Health and knew that I would have a blast making these ribs and even more fun eating them. It started last night as I poured Dr. Pepper in a baking dish and let the ribs soak in the refrigerator overnight.

This step was like a science experiment. I had no idea that the soda would react with the meat the way it did. It constantly bubbled. I didn't know if it was going to explode (it didn't). Then, I added 1/4 cup salt to the soda and ribs and reacted even more. It was so cool. The salt caused the Dr. Pepper to foam.

Today I took the ribs out of the refrigerator, dried them with a paper towel and rubbed with chili powder. I emptied the baking dish and put the ribs back into the dish, adding one cup of water. I covered it tightly with aluminum foil and cooked at 350-degrees for two hours.

For the sauce, I heated canola oil in a medium saucepan and sauteed the onion and garlic until they were soft and fragrant. Then, I added ketchup (yes Mom, it's true, real ketchup, yuck), Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup of Dr. Pepper. I cooked it on low for 20 minutes until the sauced thickened.

I took the ribs out of the oven and they looked very tender. I brushed barbecue sauce on the ribs and broiled on high for an additional 10 minutes. I love the appearance of broiled barbecue sauce.

When we finally ate these amazing ribs, the meat was falling from the bone and there was an unexplainable zest to the sauce. It must have been the Dr. Pepper. To top off the Southern feel, I added collard greens as a side dish.

I have had my fair share of ribs across the United States and these were, without a doubt, the absolute best ribs that I've ever had.

Ingredients:
2 racks baby back ribs
1 large (2 liter) bottle of Dr. Pepper
1/4 cup of salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (or cayenne pepper)

Music: Michael Buble - Crazy Love
Weather: 14 degrees, getting ready for snow

Pulled pork sandwiches

A few weeks ago my sister made sandwiches from a turkey loin for our family and I loved the idea, so I copied her recipe. Instead of turkey, I used pork. I've been an extremely frugal shopper when it comes to pork tenderloins. Every now and then, Dick's in River Falls has a sale on Parmesan encrusted pork tenderloins -- three for $9.99. It's an amazing deal considering the non-sale price is almost $9 each.

I started by thawing one tenderloin in the refrigerator overnight. Early in the morning, I set the crock pot on low heat, added a cup of cream of mushroom soup and a cup of water. I also set the pork in the pot and let it slow cook for eight hours. I'm a huge garlic and basil fan, so I also added some garlic and basil seasoning.

After eight hours, the pork literally pulled apart with ease. I left the "pulled pork" in the water and soup to absorb the moisture. It was so juicy. Isaiah even loved it. He's usually afraid of meat because of the dry texture, but he loved this. As a result, I'll likely make pulled pork every few weeks.

Ingredients:
Pork tenderloin
1 can cream of mushroom
1 cup water
basil and garlic seasoning

Music: Nikki & Rich - Next Best Thing (free on iTunes)
Weather: 0

Sunday Soup Day: Cream of broccoli

Sunday was the final regular season game of the Packers season. We had another house full of Packers fans ready to enjoy good football and Sunday Soup Day. In honor of the Packers playoff season, I thought about creating a soup that closely resembled the Green Pay Packers in my mind. Immediately I thought of beer cheese soup, but I'm not a fan of it. Chili or anything with sausage also came to mind, but I decided on broccoli cheese soup because it had the green and gold in the Packers uniforms. However, in the finals moments, I switched to a cream of broccoli recipe that I created in my mind after church. It turned out pretty well, too. The best part about this soup was the bread bowl, though. I purchased four sourdough bread bowls at Panera Bread and it was the best imaginable way to eat this creamy soup.

As usual, I prepared the vegetables in the Dutch oven with olive oil. This is always my favorite step while making soup. I have to dig deep to find the strength to not stop at this point. The aroma of the sauteed vegetables is so enticing that I'm tempted to eat the flavorful vegetables. Once again, I fought off the urge to stop and I added the chicken broth.

I brought the soup to a boil and added the broccoli florets and mushrooms. I also added freshly ground pepper and salt and let it cook for 10 more minutes. Finally, I added one pint of half & half. In the end, it turned out very well. The bread bowls were "key," though.

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 shallot
4 baby red potatoes
3 cloves garlic
2 cartons of chicken broth
1/2 carton of vegetable broth
2 pounds broccoli florets
8 ounces baby Bella mushrooms
4 ounces Shiitake mushrooms
one pint half & half

Music: Dropkick Murphy's - I'm Shipping Up to Boston
Weather: a balmy 5 below zero

Steak fajitas with guacamole

When I was a child growing up, every New Year's Eve we had crab legs. I wasn't fond of seafood at a young age, so I'd get my own dish of something simple, usually mac & cheese. Sometimes, we even tried Red Lobster, but the seafood smell made me sick, so my whole family sacrificed that tradition on my behalf (I have since acquired a taste for seafood, by the way).

Now that I have a family, I've been very interested in developing our own family traditions and I'm pretty sure I stumbled across a new tradition as this New Year's Day meal was outstanding. I'm banking on these steak fajitas with homemade guacamole bringing my family luck in 2010. If 2010 is, in fact, a great year, you can be sure to see steak fajitas on the menu January 1, 2011.

I used the always trusty Carne Asada from Trader Joe's. I have yet to cook premarinaded meat from TJ's that wasn't mind blowing. The Carne Asada is always very tender and has the perfect amount of kick. I usually toss the steaks on the grill, but today I pan-fried them (less than best, but still great).

Like traditional fajitas, I sauteed a green pepper and red onion in olive oil with garlic and crushed red pepper. Eventually, I combined the steak and vegetables so they were "sizzling" as we served them.

To top the fajitas, I quickly put together some delicious guacamole. I made a lot so we could enjoy it throughout the evening with tortilla chips. I used my brother's secret weapon - an orange. It did the trick. It was good enough to eat with a spoon (which happened more than once). I combined 4 avocados, 3 tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic and 1/2 red onion plus the juice from one lemon and an orange. I like putting the avocado in the bowl quartered. When mixing together the ingredients, it softens and continues to break down. We like our guac chunky, so this is why I do it this way.

Like I said, the fajitas turned out so well that we're making this a Black family tradition. In years to come as we add members to our quaint family, we might get more robust with the menu, but in all honesty, I like the simplicity. Just fajitas. I love it.