Oh My, my, this week is shepherd's pie

The last recipe I shared with you was an Indian dish Chicken Tikka Masala.  This recipe Shepherd's Pie also known as Cottage Pie has its origins in the UK and Ireland.  I have been making Shepherd's Pie for years but I decided to experiment a little bit.  Instead of making the dish with mashed potatoes, I used mashed cauliflower.  Acceptance at the dinner table was mixed.  The adults loved it, the kids not so much. But it did lower the carb count and add a serving of veggies.

Here are the ingredients they are approximate because I do not use a recipe

1 pound of Ground Beef

1 package of dry gravy mix.  I used the McCormick Brown Gravy mix 

1 large onion finely chopped

8 raw baby carrots finely chopped

1/4 cup ketchup

salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

One large head of cauliflower

2 tablespoons margarine

freshly ground parmesan cheese.

Cut the cauliflower so you are only using the florets.  Boil water and salt and cook the cauliflower until soft.  Set aside.

Cook the ground beef in a large frying pan with the onions and carrots.  When the meat is well cooked add the gravy package and ketchup garlic powder and salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  Pour in an 8x8 pan.

Mash the cauliflower add butter and parmesan cheese and spread on to of ground beef.  Heat in oven until  hot. 

Yum Give it a try

 

 

 

Slow Cook Something Foodie Resolution #10

Resolution number 10, slow cook something so I did. I use my crock pot all the time.  I love it. It is so great coming home in the evening and having a hot meal to serve to my family. The things I cook are pretty straight forward, a pot roast, stewed chicken even pork BBQ.  Then I found this recipe.  I had never prepared any Indian cuisine so I was a little nervous but the recipe looked too good and too easy to pass up. 

The other thing that was great about this recipe is that it freezes per the notes at the bottom of the recipe. I always like a recipe that I can freeze so next time I make this dish I will double the recipe and freeze half for a time when I have to work late.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 4 to 6.

1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 to 2 tablespoons garam masala

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

3/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk

Fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cups cooked rice, to serve

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and transfer them to a 3-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of garam masala, paprika and kosher salt until the chicken is evenly covered with spices. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices.

If you have the time: Marinate the chicken in 1/2 cup yogurt for up to 6 hours. Shake to remove excess yogurt before transferring to the slow cooker.

If you have the time: Saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet until softened, then stir in the ginger, tomato paste and spices until fragrant

Transfer to the slow cooker with the chicken and diced tomatoes. This will give your tikka masala more depth of flavor.

Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the heavy cream. If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the slow cooker uncovered for the last 15 minutes. Taste and add more garam masala or salt to taste.

Serve over rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled over the top of each serving. The tikka masala can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months

http://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/recipes/the-kitchn-chicken-tikka-masala-surprisingly-easy-to-make/ar-BBg284o?ocid=ASUDHP

Which Foodie Resolutions will I do?

So in the beginning of January I shared a Foodie Resolution List with you.  Someone has actually written a list of 51 resolutions.  I like a lot of them and so I am going to take on the ones that I feel suit me and will broaden my cooking horizons.  Most likely I will not do all of them and I will not do them in any particular order.  Here are the resolutions I have decided to tackle and where they appear on the list.  

1. Clean Out and Reorganize your Fridge
3. Learn a New Cooking Technique
4. Go Meatless on Monday for a month
5. Flip over fried eggs without breaking the yolk
6. Make tomato sauce from scratch
9. Read a non-fiction food book
10. Slow cook a recipe
11, Visit a winery and/or brewery
13. Cook a whole grain new to you
14. Bake bread from scratch
16. Make a layer cake from scratch
21. Host a dinner party
22. Clean out your spice rack
25. Visit your neighborhood farmers market
26. Make a souffle
31. Make homemade macaroni and cheese
32. Learn to cut a whole pineapple
38. Create a well stocked pantry
39. Make chicken or veggie stock from scratch
42. Make homemade pasta
43.Flip pancakes without having them fold
44. Follow a recipe to the T without making any changes
45. Caramelize onions
47.Grow something
51. Find your signature drink

So I have picked about half of the resolutions.  I might do some of the other 26 but I might not. They don't interest me as much as the ones listed above.  I started on number one because I thought that would be a slam dunk to knock off the list but have not quite finished it yet. I mean it is easy enough to through everything out but organizing it so you stock what you need is a little harder and that is how I am interpreting the resolution.  I will show you the before and after once I am satisfied.
I did complete number 9 Read a non-fiction food book which I blogged about.  You might enjoy the book as well Provence 1970.  The next resolution I will tackle is number 10, slow cook a recipe.  I want to make something that is different from the beef stews and pot roasts I have mad in the past so I am searching for a recipe. Hopefully I will find one to talk about this week.

If you decide to embrace and try out these resolutions please let me know.  You can always add comments in the comment section.

A Reuben or is it a Rachel Pie

I love Reubens and Rachels, not the people but the Sandwiches.  If I happen to be at a restaurant for lunch and there is a Reuben or Rachel on the menu that is usually my choice. The Reuben is made with corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on rye bread that is toasted or pan fried.  The Rachel has pastrami instead of corned beef. 

Wegmans has a great deli and they have great pastrami which I buy.  Instead of sandwiches which my family does not like to eat for dinner, I made a Rachel Baked dish. The great thing about this dish is that you can whip it up pretty quickly. Using tortillas made it a little less carb intense and made it just a little different.  Also I used ingredients that I had in my fridge.  My family enjoyed it.  Give it a try.

Here are the ingredients

3/4 pound pastrami chopped
1/2 pound swiss cheese chopped
14 ounces sauerkraut
1/4 cup of thousand island dressing (you can add more if you like it saucy)
3 flour tortillas ( from the 10 ct)

Preheat the oven to 350

Mix all the ingredients except the tortillas.  Grease a 9 or 10 inch round baking pan.
Place a tortilla in the bottom than spread a third of the mix.  Repeat and end with a layer of the mixture.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the dish is thoroughly heated.

Here is what it looks like before you put it into the oven.

Deciphering century old recipes. I have trouble with my Grandmas Biscotti recipe

My Grandmother was a great cook.  She did not make anything really fancy but what she did make was delicious.  Here is the sad part she held all the recipes in her head except for one her biscotti recipe.  Even that one is not as accurate as I had hoped and I had to make it several times before I actually had a decent outcome.

I would often sit and watch her make her famous dishes.  Well they were famous in my house.  She made a fruit soup that I watched her make many times.  I finally got the hang of that one as well.  Her secret ingredient red jello.  Not too much just enough to give it some body.  It did not gel it just thickened it a little bit. 

She made a chicken and meatball dish that I have been working on for years but alas with only moderate success.  I seem to be missing something but not sure what. 

I was reading the paper and found this interesting article about ciphering old recipes from many many years ago.  It is amazing how words were spelled and how things were measured.  What is also amazing are  the people who work to bring these recipes back to life.  It is discovering history through food.  Follow the link and read the article.  I will share Grandma's recipes once I re-create them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/how-two-bloggers-re-purpose-centuries-old-recipes-for-modern-cooks/2014/12/26/7dc33d5c-7a65-11e4-84d4-7c896b90abdc_story.html

Read a Non Fiction Food Book #9 on the Foodie Resolution List

So Last week I worked on Foodie Resolution number 1 organized my fridge.  I feel so much better now that it is looking so good.  This week I worked on Foodie Resolution 9 Read a non fiction food book. I just finished  Provence 1970 .  

The author is the great nephew of the food writer M.K. Fisher who wrote a journal about her experiences in France and more specifically about a group of well known culinary masters of the time.  The time was the winter of 1970.  The chefs featured in the book were Julia Child, James Beard, Richard Olney, Simone Beck and Judith Jones who came together for one week to cook and share good times,

A long time ago I thought I might study cuisine in Europe.  Unfortunately, my very practical Gemini twin intervened and I ended up as an Assistant Manger of a hospital kitchen.  So very boring that I want back to school to study computer applications which turned out to be a little more interesting. 

But I have always been fascinated by people like Julie Child and the other early famous food personalities.  I was too young to follow the show The French Chef starring Julia Child but I did occasionally watch her show Julia Child and Company. Honestly I did not particularly like the show but I had a lot of admiration for the woman.  She stayed true to herself and she always made me smile.  She had a very unusual voice and when she made a mistake on her show she just continued as if nothing were wrong.  She was the pioneer of the cooking show.  I often wonder if she were to try out for a show on the Food Network if she would get the job.  Some how I am not so sure. 

 
None the less it is a very interesting and easy to read book.  So you might want to give it a try.

Wow That's A Lot of Beef

I have recently discovered Wegmans. I am a little behind I realize but in all fairness, Wegmans hasn't been in my area for long.  The problem with going to Wegmans is that you can't just make a grab and go visit.  You must plan to spend time there to enjoy the experience and I always do. 

The one thing I have found about Wegmans is that sometimes you need to buy in bulk if you want to get the really good deals. For example, they sell ground beef for $2.49 a pound. That is a great price but there is a catch.  You need to buy it in large quantities.  This morning I bought 7 pounds which is a lot more than I technically need but I bought it anyway. 

When I got home I contemplated what to do with all that meat.  Of course I could have just frozen all of it but I decided to prepare meals in advance.  My schedule is gong to be really hectic the next few weeks so it will be great having a couple of meals I can just pop out of the freezer.  So here is what I made.  Chili-I always love making chili.  In addition to the ground beef you can put in lots of veggies like carrots and sweet peppers and of course onions and my family actually likes it that way. I made a double batch so this week I will serve it and then I will freeze the second batch for sometime in the future.

Meatballs-They are always a great go to meal especially if someone in my family brings home an unexpected guest. Everyone like spaghetti and meatballs.

Hamburgers- They are so much better when you make them yourself rather than get the pre-formed ones.  Don't you agree.

I have this great idea for a shepherd's pie but I won't be able to make it this week.  I cooked the ground beef anyway and put it in the freezer.  When I decide to make the pie half of the work is already done.  Here is a 9-1-1.  I am not using a recipe and I think you will find my dish a little different then the usual pie.  I will not give away my secret yet.  Let's just say I will be cutting the carbs.

So all my ground beef is accounted for and in the freezer.  Of course ground beef is not the only thing I bought.  You can't go to Wegmans and just buy one item.  My cart was full.