Thankful for Leftovers: Shepherd's Pie

Thanksgiving leftovers are good the next day, but loose their luster day 3. If you still have turkey and mashed potatoes give this Emeril Laggasse recipe a try! Emeril says, "traditionally, shepherd's pie is made with lamb and "cottage pie" is made with beef. This is my twist on these 2 favorite English casseroles."

We changed just a few things. We used sage in place of thyme because it looked better at the store. We doubled the flour. Also, our cheese layer is beneath the potatoes. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon Essence or Creole Seasoning, recipe follows
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces mushrooms, stemmed, wiped clean, and sliced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 to 2 1/2 cups chopped or shredded roast turkey (white and/or dark meat)
1 1/4 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
1/2 cup green peas
4 cups leftover mashed potatoes or Basic Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows
3/4 cup grated sharp or medium Cheddar
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square or 2.2 quart baking dish with the butter and set aside.

In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, Essence, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until thick, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the meat and stir well to combine. Gradually add the stock and then the peas, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mixture is thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Carefully transfer to the prepared dish and spoon the potatoes over the meat mixture, spreading to the edges. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the potatoes are crisp around the edges, 22 to 25 minutes.

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Pumpkin Pie for Breakfast

Life's short right? Might as well eat dessert for breakfast! Since it is just my husband and I this year I made just one traditional pumpkin pie according to the Libby's label. Seeing half the mixture leftover my husband decided we should experiment with the remainder and add bananas. Turns out pumpkin pie with bananas and whip cream is a nice breakfast item!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Old-School King Ranch Chicken Casserole

We've lived in Texas for several months now and boy howdy people can eat! One of my favorite food blogs is Homesick Texan. She also just published a cookbook. Folks here talk about King Ranch Chicken Casserole as a childhood meal staple. Homesick Texan calls this recipe old school because of it's use of canned soups which was a popular method in the 1930s. 

Ingredients:
1 cooked 2 1/2 pound fryer (cooked with cumin, onion, celery and garlic) shredded
10 corn tortillas
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of chicken broth
1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 tsp. of chile powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine soups, broth, Ro-Tel tomatoes and chile powder; blend until smooth.
3. Place a layer of chicken in a greased casserole dish.
4. Add layers of tortillas, onion, bell peppers, cheese and sauce.
5. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.
6. Bake uncovered for half an hour or until brown and bubbling.

Working Mom's Quick Quiche

My Mom has been making this quiche recipe ever since I can remember. Since she was a working Mom it was convenient to make ahead and reheat. She would make it before my Dad went on hunting trips or when friends and family would visit. One time our dog even ate an entire quiche off the counter! Talk about a ticking time bomb. Now it's my turn to entertain so I asked my Mom for her recipe. We're having a large group over for brunch on Sunday. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have growing up!

Ingredients:

3 Eggs (room temperature)
½ cup melted butter
1 ½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
½ cup cooked & cubed ham or cooked & crumbled bacon
Add whatever you’d like mushrooms, spinach, peppers, other cheeses, etc.

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a blender except meat & cheese. Blend well. Pour into a greased 9” pan/pie pan. Put cheese & meat over top and push gently into butter, milk, etc. mixture below surface. Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Salsa and sour cream are optional toppings.

Easy Pleasy Roasted Potatoes

I make this recipe often because it's super easy and kind of fancy. Plus, it's a great leftover item for breakfast... if there are leftovers.

Small potatoes

Olive oil

Dried herbs

Salt

Pepper

Wash and cut potatoes into halves. Coat skillet with olive oil. Sprinkle favorite herbs, salt, and pepper covering skillet. Arrange halved potatoes in skillet as seen in the photo. Place skillet in cold oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook potatoes until easily pierced with a fork and golden brown on the bottom, about 45 minutes.

You can choose your favorite potatoes. We usually go for red or yellow. Just make sure they are all similar in size for equal roasting. Use your favorite herbs too. We like basil, thyme, and rosemary for this recipe. Roasted potatoes pair well with steaks, salad, and wine.

My New Favorite Holiday Bread

It's November which means baking season is in full swing! I love banana nut, pumpkin bread, and cinnamon monkey pull aparts. I'd never heard of gorilla bread until a gal I work with brought it in the other day. It was such a hit I decided to make it for our house guests this weekend and the reaction at home was the same! Grab a cup of coffee to sip because this bread is a rich tasty treat.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese*
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

*I used pecans instead of walnuts and about half the cream cheese.

This is a Paula Dean recipe courtesy of the Food Network.

Crazy Good Cassoulet

If you've never had the pleasure of a good cassoulet make a reservation at your nearest french restaurant or try the recipe below. Friends in southern Oregon go to Smithfields in Ashland and Austinites the cassoulet at Justines is worth mentioning. You will thank me later! This recipe is inspired by our foodie friend Fred Mihm and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Fred's tip is to use a big pot so you won't catch your oven on fire! Wise words to live by folks...

4 mild sausages
1/2 lb prosciutto ends (duck confit or goose are  traditional choices as well)
EVOO
1 large sweet onion
3 carrots
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 handfuls dried porcini mushrooms
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 bottle red wine
1 large can peeled tomatoes
3 cans white beans
Breadcrumbs
1/2 cabbage


In a cassole or dutch oven warm EVOO over medium heat. Add prosciutto ends (or bacon) and fry. Put porcini mushrooms into a dish, cover with a pint of boiling water, and allow to soak until soft. Remove prosciutto and set aside. Cook German sausages in olive oil over medium heat. Chop onions, carrots, and dice garlic. Once sausages are done cooking remove and set aside. Add onions and carrots and cook in olive oil over medium heat. Drain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the liquid, add them to the pan and fry with onions and carrots, about 5 minutes. Tie herb sprigs together with string and add to the pan. Drain and rinse white beans and drain tomatoes. Preheat oven to 390 F degrees. Add red wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, porcini liquid, and prosciutto. Stir mixture carefully, bring to boil, then let simmer, about 15 minutes. Lay sausages onto the mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover with breadcrumbs. Cover pan and cook in oven for about 30 minutes. Chop cabbage and stir into pan. Return to oven for remaining 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs and sausages are golden and crisp.

Recipe makes 4-6 servings