Classic Shepherd’s Pie

 

Ingredients
2 large potato(es), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion(s), chopped
2 medium carrot(s), diced
2 medium stalk celery, diced
1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cup canned chicken broth, or beef broth

Directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes, transfer to a large bowl and add sour cream and margarine; mash until smooth, season to taste with salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add flour, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

Transfer turkey mixture to a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate. Spread mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls over the top. Bake until potatoes are golden, about 30 minutes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Paella

from:

Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
10 oz dry lasagna noodles, cooked al dente (about 12 noodles)
10 oz cooked winter squash, thawed if frozen
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup golden seedless raisins
2 Tbsp pine nuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place flour in a small saucepan and very gradually whisk in milk and garlic. Warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce simmers and is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Spread 1/4 cup of cheese sauce over bottom of a 9 X 13-inch glass or metal pan and cover with 3 lasagna noodles; top with 1/3 of squash and 1/2 cup of cheese sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of raisins. Cover with 3 more lasagna noodles and spread with 1/3 of remaining squash and 1/2 cup of cheese sauce; sprinkle with 1/4 cup of raisins. Cover with 3 more lasagna noodles and top with remaining squash and raisins; cover with last 3 lasagna noodles, pressing sheets firmly down. Top with remaining cheese sauce; sprinkle with pine nuts and remaining mozzarella cheese

Bake until lasagna bubbles around edges and is browned on top, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.

from:

Ingredients
1 sprays cooking spray
2/3 cup lite honey mustard dressing
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dill, freshly chopped
1 medium scallion(s), finely sliced
1 cup cornflake crumbs
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a shallow pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine honey mustard dressing, salt, pepper, dill and scallions; remove 1/3 cup and set aside.

Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken into dressing mixture and then cornflake crumbs; place in prepared pan.

Bake until chicken is golden and no longer pink in center, about 15 minutes.

Drizzle remaining dressing mixture (the 1/3 cup that was set aside) over chicken breasts and serve. Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1 1/3 tablespoons of dressing per serving.

from:

Ingredients
1 sprays olive oil cooking spray
2 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cup fat-free sour cream
2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese, divided
8 oz chopped green chilies, two 4-oz cans
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 medium corn tortilla(s), cut into 2-inch strips
1 cup salsa, mild, medium or hot

Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.

Place chicken in medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin, and pepper; mix well and set aside.

Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.

Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.

from:

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh(s), four thighs
2 medium tomato(es), chopped
1 medium onion(s), chopped
1 medium bell pepper(s), chopped
1/2 cup canned chicken broth
3 medium garlic clove(s), chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/3 cup frozen green peas
2 cup cooked white rice

Directions
Place chicken, tomatoes, onion, pepper, broth, garlic, oregano and turmeric in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker (crockpot). Cover and cook on low setting for 5 hours.

Add peas and rice; cook, uncovered, until peas are tender, about 15 minutes.

Layered Mexican Chicken

from:

Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
10 oz dry lasagna noodles, cooked al dente (about 12 noodles)
10 oz cooked winter squash, thawed if frozen
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup golden seedless raisins
2 Tbsp pine nuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place flour in a small saucepan and very gradually whisk in milk and garlic. Warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce simmers and is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Spread 1/4 cup of cheese sauce over bottom of a 9 X 13-inch glass or metal pan and cover with 3 lasagna noodles; top with 1/3 of squash and 1/2 cup of cheese sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of raisins. Cover with 3 more lasagna noodles and spread with 1/3 of remaining squash and 1/2 cup of cheese sauce; sprinkle with 1/4 cup of raisins. Cover with 3 more lasagna noodles and top with remaining squash and raisins; cover with last 3 lasagna noodles, pressing sheets firmly down. Top with remaining cheese sauce; sprinkle with pine nuts and remaining mozzarella cheese

Bake until lasagna bubbles around edges and is browned on top, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.

from:

Ingredients
1 sprays cooking spray
2/3 cup lite honey mustard dressing
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dill, freshly chopped
1 medium scallion(s), finely sliced
1 cup cornflake crumbs
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a shallow pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine honey mustard dressing, salt, pepper, dill and scallions; remove 1/3 cup and set aside.

Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken into dressing mixture and then cornflake crumbs; place in prepared pan.

Bake until chicken is golden and no longer pink in center, about 15 minutes.

Drizzle remaining dressing mixture (the 1/3 cup that was set aside) over chicken breasts and serve. Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1 1/3 tablespoons of dressing per serving.

from:

Ingredients
1 sprays olive oil cooking spray
2 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cup fat-free sour cream
2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese, divided
8 oz chopped green chilies, two 4-oz cans
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 medium corn tortilla(s), cut into 2-inch strips
1 cup salsa, mild, medium or hot

Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.

Place chicken in medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin, and pepper; mix well and set aside.

Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.

Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.

8 Months!


Yesterday Ms Tabby turned 8 months old. I can hardly believe she's not always been a smiling, cooing part of our family. She has had some more developmental milestones in the past month. She is probably most proud of her new-found ability to clap. She loves to do this in chorus with our cheers and applause. She doesn't make much noise yet, but it's so fun to see her imitate. She has also decided to wave hello and bye-bye once or twice, but she only does this when she feels like it. She has also started saying a few words consistently … they aren't used purposefully yet, but “dada,” “yay!” and some sort of hybrid between “hello,” “hey,” and “hi” is there too. “Mama,” of course, isn't happening yet.

We have no crawling yet and still showing limited interest in that. She will lie on her tummy and scooch for things here and there if she's good and motivated (read: when she wants to retrieve her binky), but otherwise, she wants to be sitting or standing, thank you very much. There are also no teeth visible yet. I feel like they'll come any day if her crankiness and the voracity with which she gnaws on anything that is presented to her are any indication. Ah well … I don't want her growing up too fast.

Above are a few of my favorite shots over the past week or so … she loves to play in our bed. I think it's something about the down comforter and the mountains of pillows. And that is her first taste of spaghetti (and meatballs). She ate it with great gusto and slurped down the noodles like she'd been doing it all of her life. Bottom left is her basking in the glow of my laptop (playing Toddler Keys) and on the right, she's playing with her shape sorter. Cute overload.

November? Seriously??

It hit me sort of hard that October is over. I'm not ready for snow and winter yet. A bit more time, hopefully. Thanks for all your nice comments on our Faerie and our punkins. We had a very nice Halloween. I didn't want it to end. Too bad I was practically falling asleep in my high chair myself.

I was going to do that NaBloPoMo thing but seeing as how hard it has been to blog just t'day, I don't know if that'll be happening. Why the heck do they pick November for these things?? Like I don't have enough to do starting my Christmas shopping, etc. How about February? That's pretty open.

We have no real plans for the weekend, which is way exciting for me. I do need to go pick up a few things at the store … boring things like socks and such. We also need to continue getting rid of stuff and getting our house ready to put on the market. I also want to add some new recipes to the cookbook. We've been cooking like crazy around here and I'd love to share some of our new favorites. Looks like it's time for bed … well really time to get some work (for my job, no less) done and then head to bed. Seriously … 40 hours in 4 days is no joke.

Am I Grown Up?

Matt sent me this blog post where the writer lists 25 signs that you're grown up … I've pasted them here and crossed off the ones that still don't apply to me. What do you think … Am I grown up?

1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them – I don't have houseplants (though I've never been able to smoke them) because I really need things to remind me to feed/water them (i.e. Loki & Tabby)

2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question – no comment

3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge – duh. I luv to cook

4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed – actually, I get up at 4:40 AM, but I catch your drift

5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator – umm … no way, Jose Continue reading “Am I Grown Up?”