Shepard's Pie

Happy St. Patrick's Day friends! Of course as a ginger there is some Irish running through these veins and I love to celebrate it! St Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays, mostly because I love a cold beer, dancing like a fool & I look good in green. 😉 I have celebrated in many ways but always make time to fit a Shepard's Pie into the mix.

I must warn you, it is very Americanized due to my own experience and family's personal taste. However, I've shared it with quite a few people over the years and have never had any complaints of clean dishes. Try it and let me know what you think. 

What You Need 

4 Carrots, petite diced 

4-6 Stalks of Celery, petite diced 

1 Can of peas, drained

1/2 of Large Onion, petite diced

2 lbs Ground Beef 

4 lbs Red Skin Potatoes 

4-6 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded 

3/4 Stick of Butter 

2 1/2 Cups of Milk 

1/8 Cup of Beef Stock 

Garlic 

Salt 

Pepper

Parsley 

How To Do It

Start by boiling a pot of water with cleaned whole potatoes inside. 

Then take your celery and carrots into a medium pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Let them simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.  Once done, set aide. 

Next, take the onions, broth and salt and pepper to taste in the pan on medium until brown. Then and beef until cooked brown. Once everything is done, add vegetable mixture back to pan with peas. 

At this point, the potatoes should be softened enough to drain and slice. If so, place back into stock pot with milk, butter, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley to taste. Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, may need to add more butter or milk if drying. Once soft enough to mash, go ahead and make them into a mashed potato topper. 

When all the components are complete, break out your 9x13 casserole dish. Start with your meat mixture on bottom. Next make an even layer or potatoes. Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then, spread shredded cheese on top and place back in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Like I said, not extremely authentic but it's a fun way to celebrate and it's bang friendly. Mr. H was begging for more! 

Little St Pats cuteness... 

Sunday Summary: 11.16.14

Posting this a little late cause my week has been hectic! This week isn't letting up much either. What's got me so busy? Well here we have it: 

Monday -- I woke up feeling unwell. I wasted time Tuesday going to urgent care to hear I probably have a cold. (That'll be $50 please!) I still kept my weekly garbage date at Grandma's though! No sense in making her worry just cause I have a little cold. Honestly, I think my body just hates the winter. It will do anything to keep my b*tt inside. 

Wednesday things got better, I didn't go to our play date because it was cancelled. However, my friend LeaLu came over anyway for a visit. She spoils me. Brought us a bag full of H clothes and about half a dozen bags of frozen baby food! I learned H likes squash. Thursday, I went to a local author'a presentation of his book "Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Parade". (Which by the way is technically named America's Thanksgiving Day Parade) Anyway, his name is Romie Minor and he's a historian friend of my librarian great-uncle Paul. It was interesting, I learned a bit about the parade that I've been a part of for the last 8 years. The coolest part for me was spending time with GUP and maybe that I have another author autographed copy of a book.

Oh also, H said "dada", here he is after being so proud! 

 Friday was busy too! We went to the gym for the 5th day in a row. When we got home my mom stopped to smoosh H for a second before my friend Christina stopped by. The two of us drank coffee and sat on my couch chatting for hours! It was lovely. D played poker with his group that night, so I settled in with meatloaf and a scary movie. Two things D does not care for. Sadly, he came home 30 mins into the movie! Poker did not go well. Saturday, D ended up working (surprise) and I took H to the gym for the 6th day that week. He loves day care. The night was pretty relaxed, we went to "Food On Grill"a local middle eastern restaurant for dinner. It was pretty good, except the server didn't speak English well and gave me the wrong food. It was still yummy.

Plus, I don't think there is a "wrong food" with middle eastern. He was really good at replacing fallen silverware. Like the butler in Mr. Deeds quick when I dropped H's spoon on the floor. Oh, he doesn't like lentil bean soup. I must change that. Then on Sunday, for some odd reason I felt compelled at the crack of dawn to pick the family up and had the big boys for brunch. It was our typical Sunday fare but this time felt a little off… wasn't sure I wanted to go there so bad until I looked at my placemat and it said "fall in love with pie". This is going to sound goofy and I don't believe in this kind of thing but it was such a Nardo moment it was like I was supposed to be there and having it. I can't wait for Hayden to get older so I can teach him about my grandpa.

The rest of the day we just kind of hung around the house and went to celebrate D's parents 10th anniversary with a big family dinner at a nice restaurant Steve and Rocky's in Novi. The presentation was beautiful, especially the dessert. I had a Cesar Salad and an Aacorn Squash for an entree.

The desert rock was unreal too.

But, the company was the best. ;-) 

Pizza Roll Up Night

Growing up, pizza nights came around occasionally but almost always on a Friday. It was probably my parent's nod to a busy week or their way to give us some excitement before they headed out for theirs. At least, that's how I think of pizza night. That and McDonald's Happy Meals, especially on sick days. Anyways, in always seeking a craftier, healthier way of doing things I decided last Monday was Pizza Roll Up Night!



Here's what you need:

2-4 packages of Pillsbury's crescent rolls (depending on how many you're serving)
1 jar of tomato sauce
2 package of shredded cheese to your taste
Any additional toppings your diner's desire








How to:

It's really easy.... first preheat your oven to 350-375 degrees. Roll out your crescent rolls on to a non-stick surface. Once laid out, add to each 1-2 tbs of tomato sauce, top with 2 pinches of cheese. Then add whatever toppings your heart desires. I found Kraft Pizza Mix cheese blend and added 2-3 pepperonis on top. I like to then add a little bit of cheese on top of each. Once put together, roll up your crescents and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. *Check your dough's baking instructions before preparing because each brand and household require unique instructions.

Once you're done, voila!

Who says you can't have Pizza Night on a Monday?

Easy Orzo

When my friends have babies, I like to wait until their home and bring food. Especially since now, I have experienced the receiving end of that and how awesome that was. Each couple receives their own meal according to their eating habits, I try to make it as comforting as possible. Soup is always a great option but it's hard to indulge in the middle of August. Lasagna is great too but I've found it's a go-to for most social occasions where bringing food is commanded. Therefore, I mixed it up!

Spinach Artichoke Orzo with Chicken

8 oz of fresh spinach 

1 - 14 oz can of Artichoke Hearts (go fresh if you can brave it!)

3-4 oz of crumbled feta

1 - 16 oz box of orzo

1lb of chicken breast, marinated in Italian dressing

Directions: 

Prepare ahead of time by marinating your chicken breast for 12-24 hours. Then start boiling 6 cups of water with a dash of sea salt, once actively boiling add orzo to pot. While that is cooking, prepare spinach by washing and artichokes by quartering. Take a frying pan and add 3 tbs of EVOO and warm over a medium flame, add spinach to pan so that it wilts, then add artichoke hearts.

Here I add just a touch of salt and pepper to taste. The idea is to warm the ingredients and blend the flavors. By the time this is accomplished, the orzo should be ready because you want to leave it just a tad aldente. After draining and rinsing, return orzo to pot then add cooked spinach and artichoke mixture.

Return to the frying pan, add EVOO and warm over medium, then place in chicken breast.

While that's cooking, add feta, salt and pepper to orzo mix.  When the chicken breast is thoroughly cooked, cube and add to mixture.

 Toss if desired.

The dish should stand in fridge about a week before walking away. 😉

I think it's fun to dress it up in nice take out containers, it gives it an additional touch of sophistication. A great place to get those containers is your local Chinese or Thai restaurant. I have no idea why but everyone in this sera has the best take away Tupperware! 

Bon Appetit!