Shepherd's Pie

I decided I needed to know how to make this famous British dish. It turned out amazing. I made two different versions (because I like to be versatile) and I was pleased with both. Let me know what you think and which is your favorite.

Shepherd's Pie: Traditional Lamb Version

Ingredients:

- 5 red potatoes
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1/2 onion shredded or finely minced
- 3 garlic cloves, shredded
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried Thyme
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

To Make:

Begin by sauteing the lamb in a pan, remove excess fat. Add in the onions, garlic and carrots and cook together. Season with salt and pepper.

Boil a pot of salted water and peel and chop the potatoes into equal chunks. Cook in boiling water until fork tender.

In the lamb, add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and mix together. Add in the rosemary and thyme. Then add in the red wine and the vegetable stock. Let this cook together without the  lid for several minutes. Remove from stove and place into the bottom of a baking dish.

Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain from water and in a large bowl add the potatoes, butter, egg yolks, salt and pepper to taste, Parmesan cheese and a dash of vegetable stock. Blend together and then spread over top the meat in the baking dish. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350.

Serve and enjoy!

Vegetarian Version of Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

- 2 Sweet Potatoes
- 1 meatless crumbles
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1/2 onion shredded or finely minced
- 3 garlic cloves, shredded
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste

- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried Thyme

- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

To Make:

Begin by sauteing the crumbles in a pan. Add olive oil so it cooks easier.  Add in the onions, garlic and carrots and cook together. Season with salt and pepper.

Boil a pot of salted water and peel and chop the potatoes into equal chunks. Cook in boiling water until fork tender.

In the crumbles, add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and mix together. Add in the rosemary and thyme. Then add in the red wine and the vegetable stock. Let this cook together without the  lid for several minutes. Remove from stove and place into the bottom of a baking dish.


Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain from water and in a large bowl add the potatoes, salt and pepper to taste, Parmesan cheese and a dash of vegetable stock. Blend together and then spread over top the meat in the baking dish. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350.

Sweet Potato Mash

This was a first for me, mashed sweet potatoes. I'd heard about it and I LOVE sweet potatoes but tonight was my first time trying. I guess they always say, "there's a first time for everything..." Yes, and these potatoes were AMAZING. Just in time for Thanksgiving... these are a MUST MAKE.

Ingredients:
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 1/4 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp margarine
- 1 tsp parsley

To Make:

Peel the sweet potatoes and dice them up. Place them in a pot and fill with 1/2 cup water. Lightly salt and boil for about 10 minutes, covered, until they are fork tender. In the meantime, dice the onions and garlic and saute them in olive oil until translucent. Lightly salt.


Empty everything into a large bowl (with the water) and add in the soy milk, margarine and Parmesan cheese. Add in the spices. Mix together with a hand mixer. Mix in (by hand) the sauteed onions and garlic. Top with fresh parsley and serve while hot. DELICIOUS!

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

This is the perfect ending to a great dinner. Everyone gets their own mini cheesecake! Who doesn't love that? Serve these with a side of your favorite jelly for a twist on everyone's favorite PB&J!

Ingredients (makes 12 mini cheesecakes)
- 2 packages regular cream cheese (room temp)
- 1/2 cup plain soy milk
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sugar or 1.5 cups confectioners sugar
- 4 heaping tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
- 2 packages of mini cheesecakes (6 per package)

To Make:
In a large bowl, combined the cream cheese, 1 egg and the vanilla extract. Blend together on low speed and slowly add in one egg at a time. Next, add the milk and while blending together, add small portions of the sugar until all is blended. Next, add the peanut butter and blend together. Lastly, add the peanut butter chips and blend together.

Next, preheat your oven to 325. Slowly scoop in about 2 or 3 tablespoons into each mini cheesecake. Be careful to not overfill as this will expand later and cause a mess.

Once they are filled, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until they are just about set. They will be slightly golden brown on the top.

To serve:

Remove from the foil base and heat some of your favorite jelly in the microwave, spoon onto a plate and top with extra peanut butter chips.

Creamy Whole Wheat Linguine with Spinach and Sausage

Perfect for lunch or dinner and less than 30 minutes to make. You can also swap meats or veggies but this one is excellent. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
- 3/4 pound whole wheat Linguine
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 cup sausage, diced
- 1 jalapeno diced (seeds removed)
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- olive oil
- crushed red pepper flakes
- garlic powder
- salt
- pepper


To Make:

Boil water for the pasta and cook according to package directions. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Remember to salt the water.

In the meantime, in a large skillet, saute the onions, garlic, sausage and jalapeno pepper in olive oil until tender on medium heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the spinach once the pasta is almost ready. Season liberally with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and garlic powder. Once the pasta is ready, do not drain, spoon directly into the mixture of veggies. Begin mixing together. Add in 1/4 cup extra olive oil. Slowly add in the Parmesan cheese and mix together. Spoon 2 tables spoons of the remaining pasta water into the mix and let cook for 1 minute.

Serve immediately and top with extra Parmesan and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!