shepherd's pie...(why is it called that?)

i could look into why this is called shepherd's pie. or not. let's go with not.

the craving hit for something comfort-foodish. combine that with the ongoing deficiency of vegetables in my world AND the fact that many of my pots were in the dishwasher. and now you have this post. few dishes were dirtied in the creation of this meal.

it's tasty, it's comforty, it only uses dirties three different containers (if you don't wash in between), and frankly, it's easy. on top of it, what better way to both practice your knife skills AND get all five servings of vegetables in one dish?!?

and yes, you can top it with tater tots instead of potatoes. ahhhh, tater tots. but alas, why screw up all that great vegetable-eating by slathering them in deep-fried anything? (let's not kid around, on another day, we're going with the tater tots...that day is not today.)

you can switch this up with different meats, different vegetables, and different toppings. it's great for getting rid of leftovers and frozen stuff! enough of that--here's the recipe:

shepherd's pie

2 baking potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp half-n-half

1-pound ground beef

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp dried minced onion

1-2 Tbsp steak seasoning (to taste) (i use this steak seasoning for all things beefy)

2 carrots, peeled, chopped

3 celery, chopped

1 cup green beans

1 cup corn (i used frozen sweet corn)

1 large tomato, chopped

3/4 cup beef broth

1 cup sour cream (i used tillamook fat free)

2 tsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.

Put the chopped potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and set to simmer until potatoes are tender, approximately 20 minutes.

Brown the ground beef in a separate skillet, adding the onion and garlic approximately half-way through the cooking. If you used a higher fat beef, spoon out some of the fat (lower fat beef won't have more than a tablespoon or two of fat).

Once the beef is browned, add the carrots and allow to saute 5 minutes. Add celery and allow to saute another 3-5 minutes. If using frozen beans and corn, add them now and cover the pan, allowing them to thaw and steam a little, approximately 3 minutes. Add tomatoes.

Add broth and sour cream, stirring until the sour cream breaks up and incorporates to make a white sauce. Sprinkle flour over if the sauce needs some thickening. Allow to simmer 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Among all that simmering, you can prepare the mashed potatoes. Once the potatoes are tender, drain out the water and put potatoes back in the hot saucepan. Add butter and allow to melt. Once melted, add half-n-half (milk would work too) while mashing with a fork until the potatoes are your desired consistency. For this recipe, I mashed to just a "rustic" level of mashing and less creamy than if I were serving them alongside something else.

Pour the beef mixture into a baking dish. I used a 9x11, but that almost went over the edge of the pan. A deep dish pie plate or 9x13 would suffice. (You could even split it among two smaller, 8-inch rounds and freeze one for later.)

Top the beef mixture with the potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes, to heat through. Allow to set 5-10 minutes to allow the sauce to filter back down and settle a bit.

mmmmm.....oh, by the way, a big thanks to the pioneer woman for tips on improving food pictures, even with my point-and-shoot digital camera. (sorry for the dark final product, i was losing daylight!) and this was on a relatively cloudy day--so for all you west-coasters, it is possible to use "natural light" when one hasn't seen the sun for a while.

why do i cook?

i saw this title on another food blog and my heart lept. i didn't read the entry, because my own ideas were percolating...but something about that title caused me to stop and reflect...

why do i cook?

because the act of creation is freeing,

relaxing,

empowering.

because taking things

that by themselves

are one thing,

and bringing them together

to make something else

amazes me every time.

the eggs i scramble one morning,

can be a crepe the next morning,

or cookies by the afternoon.

the buttermilk in my fridge

can marinate onion slices for onion rings,

or add richness to cakes.

why do i cook?

because i learn something every time.

not just about food,

but about life.

the focus it takes to spoon

a single teaspoon of batter

into a mini-cupcake liner

shows me how even the little things

deserve our attention.

the planning required

to transport 120 of said mini cupcakes

120 miles

already frosted and decorated

without them tipping

and still being able to handle them

speaks volumes

of all the intricate planning

God does

on behalf of us

every moment of the day.

my almost complete inadequacy in frosting anything

used to be complete inadequacy.

and i learn that some things

just need practice.

so though this blog will give recipes,

tips,

and tricks,

the reason i cook

is because it is one more way God shows me who He is,

and one more way i can love others.

by the way, the mini cupcakes i did this weekend are:

triple chocolate cake (using mini chocolate chips due to the mini nature of the cupcake)

martha's lemon cake

each kind was frosted with this

cream cheese frosting (though i added a few tablespoons of milk for spreadability)

the frosted triple chocolate version were decorated with three upright, regular-sized semi-sweet chocolate chips.

the frosted lemon cupcakes were decorated with three lemonhead candies.

each batter only needed 11-12 minutes in the oven at the recommended temperature.

roasted pecans

i never really liked pecans growing up. maybe it was my child's palate. maybe it was my disdain for odd things in my baked goods (nuts and raisins are members of the "odd things" family). hard to say why. and even now, a plain pecan is nothing to write home about, much less grab a handful and curl up on the couch for a snack.

but these....ooooooh, these. they are amazing chopped up on a salad. incredible sprinkled over mashed yams. and a tempting, delicious grab-a-handful kind of snack.

and they're really easy!

roasted pecans

original recipe

1 pound raw pecans

2 Tbsp butter, melted

2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

preheat oven to 325-degrees. spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. bake pecans for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until pecans are browned--be careful not to burn them! during the last round, melt butter and sugar together in the microwave. stir to combine butter and sugar--all the sugar may not dissolve.

put hot pecans in a heat-safe bowl and drizzle with butter/sugar mixture. stir until all pecans are coated. spread pecans back out on the baking sheet and sprinkle with just a little bit of salt. stir to combine. taste. add more salt if needed, but you really need less than a teaspoon total.

let pecans cool. eat as is or chop up and sprinkle wherever you would like.

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