Southwestern Shepherd's Pie

I found this recipe ages ago and saved it because it just looked so good.  And it is - so good.  I've made it a couple times so far, and this recipe is definitely a keeper.  I thought it was about time I post the recipe. 

Southwestern Shepherd's Pie
adapted from a Parade Magazine recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp chopped green jalapeño
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• fresh spinach (optional)

for topping:

• 1-1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
• butter
• milk

Directions:

1. Place sweet potatoes for topping in a saucepan with water to cover. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are cooked and soft, about 30 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium-high heat; add beef and cook for 5 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and jalapeño and continue cooking until beef and vegetables are cooked.
3. Add tomato paste and spices; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; simmer 10-15 minutes. Add corn, beans, and cilantro (and spinach if you're using it, cooking just long enough to wilt it). Spoon mixture into a 9x9-inch baking dish.
4. Drain; mash with butter and milk (if needed) and spread over the meat mixture. Sprinkle with a bit of chili powder if desired. Bake in a 400°F oven until bubbly and  a bit brown, 30 minutes.

Of course I changed things a bit, but I did keep the spices the same.  The combination of flavors is really good - a bit spicy, a bit sweet.  I added the spinach because I had some that needed used, and I'm a bit obsessed with throwing spinach into everything these days.

The original recipe called for 2 T butter and 1/2 cup milk when mashing the sweet potatoes, but my sweet potatoes were so soft and mashed up so nicely they didn't really need anything.  I did add the butter before I realized that, but I completely skipped the milk.  Just add butter and milk as needed to get the consistency you want.

Garnish with additional cilantro and serve with a green salad and cornbread for a delicious dinner. 

Quick and Easy Beef Burrito Skillet

I've made this a couple times for dinner. It really does go together quickly, and it tastes good too. The original recipe calls for 1 lb. of ground beef, but I like things better without so much meat, so I cut it in half.  I do that with most of my recipes.   If you're a big carnivore, feel free to use the whole pound.

Quick and Easy Beef Burrito Skillet
adapted from Kraft Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 2 T Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn (optional)
• 1 cup Salsa
• 1 cup water
• 4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese
• 1/3 cup Sour Cream
• Chopped green onion

Directions:

1. Brown meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
2. Add seasoning mix, beans, corn, salsa and water; stir. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 5 minutes.
3. Stir in tortilla strips; top with cheese. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions.

This recipe is very adaptable - add some chopped onion with the ground beef, use black beans or pinto beans, use flour tortillas or stir in some tortilla chips for some added crunch.  Feel free to add your favorite toppings or sides - shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado, rice, etc.  You can also serve the sour cream and green onion on the side and let everyone top their own servings the way they want.

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup

It's time again for Secret Recipe Club reveal!  My secret blog assignment this month was Kitchen Trial and Error, a blog written by Kate.  Along with her husband Jason - chief taste-tester and occasional guest poster - and two adorable sons, Kate lives in Rochester, NY.  She never planned to become a blogger, but has found it's a great way to keep track of her recipes and all those kitchen trials and errors. 

I just started on the first page of her blog and started scrolling, and found so many amazing recipes.  Then I decided to check out Kate's Recipe List, which she has organized by year starting with 2010.  These are just a few of the recipes I want to try, and I haven't even made it through 2011.  YET.

• Carrot Cake Pancakes
• Apple Chicken Chili
• Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
• Creamy Barley with Tomatoes & Spinach
• Mocha Gelato

They all look amazing.  I can't stop!  I love that she's got them organized this way, because the older recipes will still get attention instead of getting lost in the archives.  However, I don't know if I'll ever make it up to the present day because there are so many I want to check out.

I finally settled on this Spaghetti & Meatball Soup (Spaghetti Stoup) because it just looked so good, and it would go perfectly with my fresh-baked Sourdough Bread. I'm pretty sure this is only the beginning, though.  I will be trying many of Kate's recipes!

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup
from Kitchen Trial and Error

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 15 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/2 pound spaghetti broken in half

Directions:

1. For meatballs: Use your hands to combine beef, egg, bread crumbs, and Parmesan.  Set aside.
2. Coat the bottom of a large Dutch oven with olive oil and heat on medium.  Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf and cook about 5 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.  Stir in basil, salt, and pepper.
3. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Roll meat mixture into small meatballs, about the size of a walnut.  Once all meatballs have been formed, drop them into the simmering soup and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Add spaghetti and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until the pasta is done and the meatballs are cooked through. 

Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread

Time saving tips:

• Mix the meatballs up ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.  You can even form the meatballs and store them in a covered container.  Just put waxed paper between the layers if you have more than one.
• Chop the onion, garlic, and carrots; store in covered container in refrigerator.

While it will still take the same amount of time, doing some of the prep early in the day or even the night before (whenever you have time) means, when it's time to make dinner, you just have to throw things in the pan - and you'll have a delicious soup in no time!

We really enjoyed this, and it was perfect with the sourdough bread.  I wasn't completely sure about just dropping the meatballs into the soup without baking or browning them first, but they were just perfect.  I will definitely make this again!

The soup was much thicker when we enjoyed the leftovers - as most soups are.  It was kind of like a really saucy pot of spaghetti, and just as tasty as the first time.  I have a hard time believing that some people refuse to eat leftovers.  Most things just get better and better each time they are heated up.

I think this would make a great dish to take for a potluck, just put it into a crock pot or slow cooker to warm it up.  My husband said that maybe I'd want to skip the carrots for that, but I really like the carrots in this.  Maybe grating them instead of chopping would let them be in there but disappear a bit more - so people like him wouldn't even know they were there.  But I would.

An InLinkz Link-up

Bean and Pumpkin Chili

I cooked a pumpkin last week and used part of it in this chili.

Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. hamburger
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 t. dried parsley flakes
• 2 t. chili powder
  
• 1-1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1-1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1 can (15-oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15-oz.) red beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups cooked pumpkin
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. In 6-quart pan, brown hamburger with onion, pepper, and garlic; drain fat if necessary.  Add spices.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer until heated through and flavors have blended. (1 to 1-1/2 hours on low heat)

Serve hot.

The original recipe was supposed to be meatless, using soy crumbles, but I didn't have anything like that, so I used hamburger.  Ground turkey would probably be good in this too.  I made some cornbread muffins to go with it.  My husband just put crackers in his.

I've never used pumpkin in chili before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect.  It adds a richness and a thickness to the chili, but you really don't taste pumpkin.  So why put pumpkin in chili?    Any ideas?  I'm thinking it's a good way to get some extra nutrition into your soup.  Pumpkin - it's not just for pies!

Related articles

• Vegan Pumpkin Black Bean Chili (absolutelyravenous.wordpress.com)
• More pumpkin. More soup. More yum. (evaskitschenart.wordpress.com)

Not-Stuffed Cabbage - a Casserole

I've never had stuffed cabbage.  I haven't the faintest clue how one would even go about stuffing cabbage, but it does sound like more work than I want to do.  However, when I saw this layered version on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it.  Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly...

Not-Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp hot Hungarian Paprika
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• water - enough to rinse cans
• 2 cups cooked brown rice 
• 1 to 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese 
• Parmesan 

Directions:

1. In skillet, cook ground beef, adding onion, garlic, and green pepper as you get them chopped.  Cook until beef is browned and vegetables are tender; add spices.
2. Reduce heat to low and add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water.  Simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot and slightly thickened.
3. While it simmers, heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Chop cabbage, adding it to skillet as you go. Cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, stirring frequently. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

4. When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened, stir in the 2 cups cooked rice.
5. Grease a 13x9" baking dish and layer half the cabbage in the bottom of the dish.  Follow with half the meat mixture, the other half of the cabbage, and the remaining meat mixture.
6. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes at 350°.
7. Remove foil, spread mozzarella cheese over the top and sprinkle with some Parmesan. Return to over and bake, uncovered, an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Remove from oven, and let sit 5 minutes or so.  Serve hot.

 This turned out really good. The flavors go really well together.  It started smelling amazing as soon as I added the spices to the hamburger!  And the cheese on top?  So good!

The original recipe did not call for green pepper, but I had half of one that needed used, so that's why I threw it in.  I also only used 8 oz. of tomato sauce - instead of the 16 oz. called for - because I messed up and only got one can out! Since I only used 1/2 lb. hamburger instead of the full pound, maybe that was best...  It's a casserole - you can adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes or to use what you have.

The cabbage could have used a bit more salt, but that's my fault - when it says salt and pepper to taste, it really means to taste it!  I just usually sprinkle it on until it looks good.  Also, next time I want to cut the cabbage into smaller pieces - perhaps more like coarsely shredded.  The original recipe said to chop it into pieces about 1 inch in size, so I left my cabbage fairly large this time.  It was OK, but I think it will be better smaller. 

Also, I see no real reason for the layers.  Once you bake this, you really can't tell it's layered.  I'm thinking just mix the meat, tomato sauce, rice mixture together with the cabbage, pour it all into the baking dish, and bake as directed.

Butternut and Potato Bake

This is so good and so easy.  I don't really know what I should call it - it needs a creative name.  Anyway, my mother-in-law was the one who got me started making this.  Before that I always thought of Butternut squash as a sweet thing, for pies or to be baked with brown sugar and cinnamon.  This is better!  Or as good, in a different way.

Butternut and Potato Bake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• chopped onion
• chopped green pepper
• Butternut squash (cubed)
• Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, with juice

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef with onion and pepper; drain fat.
2. Grease a 13x9" pan and add the squash and potatoes.  Note, there are no real measurements here; just throw in whatever looks good.
3. Add browned beef, drizzle with some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread tomatoes on top and bake at 375° for an hour or more, stirring once or twice, until squash and potatoes are soft.
5. Enjoy!

Cook this for at least an hour.  Longer, and the potatoes and squash get browned and roasted and yummy, which I really like.  It all depends on what you like and how much time you have.
 

Salisbury Steak

It was always special when my mom made Salisbury Steak. So yummy!

Salisbury Steak

for patties:

• 1-1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 cup cracker crumbs
• 1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. chili powder

Mix well, and form into patties.  For uniform patties, I use a 1/3 cup measuring cup - fill measuring cup with meat mixture, then form into patty.  Brown patties in skillet (both sides) and place in a 13x9 inch baking dish.

for gravy:

• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Mix gravy ingredients well using wire whisk. 
Pour gravy over patties in baking dish.  Bake @ 350° for 45 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

Enjoy!
 

Step by step directions with pictures - created on Tabblo.

Freezing Hamburger

It's almost always cheaper to buy your ground beef in packages of 3 lbs. or more.  Then, when you get it home, you can divide it up into smaller packages.  A kitchen scale is really handy for this, but you can divide it up into fairly even packages without one.  For most recipes it's not going to matter if you're off a little one way or the other.  I've only recently started using a scale. 

A pound of hamburger fits nicely into a quart-size zipper bag.  I've found that it works best to flatten each package before placing them into the freezer.  The hamburger will freeze faster that way, and the packages stack neatly in the freezer.  Additionally, when you're ready to use some of the hamburger, it will thaw faster, too.

I've started putting my hamburger into 1/2 lb. packages, since it's just my husband and me most of the time these days.  If I need to cook for more people or make a larger recipe, I can easily take two packages out of the freezer at once.  I bought two 3-lb. rolls of Ground Chuck at Walmart this week - because they'd marked it down to $5.94 (~$2/lb.) to sell it quickly, so I put 12 1/2 lb. packages in the freezer yesterday.  That ought to do us for a while.

Zucchini Hamburger Pie

We had this for dinner tonight. Since I have zucchini from the garden and tomatoes from the garden, it's only right to use them. This has a really nice flavor.

Zucchini Hamburger Pie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg; lightly beaten
• Single pastry crust
• 4 cups sliced zucchini; divided
• 2 medium tomatoes; thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Brown meat with onions, salt and garlic salt; drain. Stir in green pepper, oregano, parsley, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and egg until well mixed; set aside.
2. Spread 2 cups zucchini in pie pan or casserole dish; cover with meat mixture. Top with tomato slices and rest of zucchini. Cover with pie crust, cutting steam vents.
3. Put into preheated 350° oven and bake 1 hour or until crust is lightly browned.

The original recipe called for a double pastry crust, but there seems to be too much liquid in the filling so that the bottom crust turns out soggy. It is better with just the top crust.

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this post has been edited to add a picture! (especially for Tisha)

Southwestern Shepherd's Pie

I grabbed this recipe originally because all I could think when I saw it was, "I have got to try this!"  And yes, I did try it.  It is just as good as it sounds!

Southwestern Shepherd's Pie

by Sheila Lukins and Laurie Griffith
published: 02/17/2010

Try this spicy twist on a comfort classic.

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp chopped green jalapeño
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked corn
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño; cook for 2 minutes. Raise heat to medium-high; add beef and brown for 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste and spices; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; simmer until liquid reduces, 15 minutes. Add corn, beans, and 4 Tbsp cilantro. Spoon into a 9x9-inch baking dish.
3. Place sweet potatoes in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain; mash with butter and milk. Spread mash over the meat mixture. Bake in a 400°F oven until brown, 30 minutes. Garnish with more cilantro.

Serves 4. Per serving: 460 calories, 49g carbs, 29g protein, 80mg cholesterol, and 19g fat. 

from Parade

all I need is some cilantro...

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Hearty Skillet Meal

Dinner tonight. The original recipe came out of my favorite cookbook, The Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals. I adjusted it slightly.

Hearty Skillet Meal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup coarsely shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced potatoes
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Saute ground beef and onion until beef is browned.  Drain excess fat.  
2. Stir in cabbage and rice and cook for a couple minutes.  Stir in carrots, potatoes, and garlic salt.  Add water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer, 40 minutes.
3. Immediately before serving, stir in soy sauce, salt and pepper.

The original recipe called for 1 lb. of ground beef instead of the 1/2 lb. I used, but 1/2 lb. is what I had because I used to other half in the meatballs I made today.  Cabbage was not in the original recipe, but I thought it sounded good, so I added it.  I didn't actually measure it, just cut some up and tossed it in, so I'm guessing on the 1 cup, and I wasn't real strict on measuring the carrots and potatoes, either.  With this kind of recipe, it doesn't really matter.  Also, I increased the water called for in the original recipe, from 1-1/2 cups to 2 cups, and that seemed perfect.

This has a really nice flavor, and it's really easy to make.  We had some green beans and some sourdough bread along with it.  I would've taken a picture, but it's not all that exciting to look at - just good to eat.

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Mini Meat Loaves

I know some people eat meat loaf on a regular basis, but we rarely have it. This week I had some potatoes that needed used and decided to make mashed potatoes. Obviously, I needed something to go with those mashed potatoes, so I decided to try making meat loaf again. I used the recie from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and changed it a little. Then, instead of making an actual loaf, I made mini loaves using my muffin tin.

Mini Meat Loaves
Ingredients:

• 1 beaten egg
• 10 saltines crackers, crushed
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1 T. dried parsely
• 1/2 t. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
  
• 1 lb. ground beef
• barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine egg, cracker crumbs, milk, onion, green pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add ground beef and mix well.
2. Divide mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake 20-25 minutes at 400° or until done.
   
4. Remove mini loaves from muffin tin and place on baking sheet. Reserve one loaf for making gravy, if desired, and top the remaining loaves with barbecue sauce.
5. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or more.
   

Removing the loaves from the muffin tins before adding the barbecue sauce gets them out of the grease, and they brown up nicely on the baking sheet. I think the grease is one of the reasons I never really like meatloaf, but this really seems to help. I used the reserved loaf and the grease from the muffin tin to make gravy, which went really well with my mashed potatoes!

To make gravy: break up reserved loaf in skillet, along with baking grease or oil. Add flour, a little salt and pepper and brown. Then, add milk and some reserved water from cooking the potatoes; cook and stir until desired consistency. (Sorry, I didn't measure anything)

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Spicy Potato Soup

We had this for dinner tonight.

Spicy Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cans (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 4 cups water
• 2 t. salt
• 1-1/2 t. pepper
• 1/2 to 1 t. hot pepper sauce

Directions:
In a Dutch oven or large kettle(5 or 6 qt.), brown ground beef and onion. Drain. Add potatoes and tomato sauce. Stir in water, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened.

This is so easy! Tonight I only used 1/2 lb. hamburger, because that's what I had in the refrigerator, thawed and ready to use. I also chopped some celery browned that with the hamburger and onions. I used the 1 t. hot pepper sauce, and Jeffrey said it was a little spicy for him, so if you have people who don't like spicy foods, cut back on the pepper sauce and pass it around the table for the ones who like it hot. Serve with saltines.

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