Shepherd's Pie (or Hunter's Pie as we call it)

Cool weather means warm comfort food, and one of those things is Shepherd's Pie.  Of course, since my husband is a hunter, we prefer to use ground venison instead of the traditional lamb.  We've found this is a simple meal that our whole house enjoys, and that is a WIN as far as I'm concerned.

INGREDIENTS

4 Large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl finely chopped onion
1/4 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 bag frozen peas and carrots / mixed vegetables
1 Onion, chopped
1 Lb ground venison / lamb / beef
2 Tbl Flour
1 Tbl Ketchup
1/4 Worcestershire
1 packet brown gravy
1 C Water
1/4 Shredded Cheddar
1 Tbl Vegetable Oil

DIRECTIONS

• Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and mash.  Mix in butter, finely chopped onion, and 1/4 cheese. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• In large frying pan, cook onion and meat. Drain fat, stir in flour and cook a minute.  Add frozen vegetables, ketchup, Worcestershire, gravy packet, and water. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
• In a 9x13 baking pan, spread meat and vegetable mixture and top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes, remove and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Enjoy!

Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Soup

This soup is PERFECT for a cool day, and can be tossed in the crock pot to greet you after a long day away.  Plus, there is that superfood kale in it, AND it tastes good.  So go ahead, make it.  Its yummy!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large carrots, finely diced

1 large potato, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 (15 ounce)cans white cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

2 bunches kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

52 oz. good quality low-sodium chicken stock

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

 

DIRECTIONS

 

1. Cook up sausage and drain grease.
2. Toss it and everything else into the crock pot.
3. Cook all day.
4. Eat.

Amazing Herbed Pretzels

I'm a huge snacker and sadly have to admit that snack foods are my weakness - potato chips, tortilla chips, salsa, queso, guacamole, crackers, cheese, chicken dip, hummus - you name it and at one point, I'm sure it's been in my hand. At times I attempt to fight this snacking urge, and reach for carrots and bell peppers rather than the salty goodness, but it's not often I am able to say no to such wonderful items. Luckily, I found this pretzel recipe, which may not be as great as veggies, but it HAS to be better than eating fried, greasy, salty potato chips dipped in fattening, creamy sides. Just one warning, we think some how this mixture of spices causes a reaction that leads to an addiction and quickly you'll realize that you ALWAYS want some of these bitesize munchies available.

INGREDIENTS

3 Lbs Small Pretzels (waffles tend to work the best)

1 Tbls Garlic Powder (not salt)

1 Tbls Dried Dill

1 Pkg dry Ranch Seasoning (I think its 3 Tbls)

1 C Oil

DIRECTIONS

Mix all but pretzels in a bowl.

Place pretzels in a large, oven safe dish. Pour seasoning over pretzels and stir to coat.

Bake at 250 for 15 minutes, stir, and bake another 15 minutes.

Eat.

So simple. So totally simple. And so good. I hope you enjoy!

Matty's 'Mazing Guacamole

Normally Sunday night is reserved for a grand dinner served on our china and enjoyed at the dining table ... well, not yesterday. We were all set to get our surround sound set up after being in our house for almost 2 years so we spent the day in the attic ... and lost our battle, which really doesn't matter here other than it explains why we wanted a quick dinner. Sooo - we decided on Taco Night which is one of my FAVORITE'S, especially when my wonderful husband makes his oh-so-tasty guacamole. Yum. Seriously, yum! And to think growing up I never ate guac - how crazy was I!?!?! And what makes this even better is when served with the lime Tostito chips - let's just say perfection.

***Note: all measurements are approximates, we never measure for this. Feel free to add as much or as little as you want - I like mine chunky with lots of stuff besides avocados.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 avocados
1/4 C diced red onion
1/4 C diced roma tomato
1/8 C fresh cilantro
1-2 Serrano peppers, seeded and diced (can use jalapenos)
juice of 1 lime, fresh
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Peel and seed avocados and place flesh into a bowl. Use 2 forks to chop / smash avocados until desired consistency. Add onion, tomato, Serrano, and cilantro and mix well. Squeeze limes to add juice, watch for seeds. Add garlic powder and salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips.

NOTE:

Avocados should be slightly soft to the touch, enough to give way when pressed but not super soft. I think of it almost like chilled cream cheese.

Roma tomatoes are best since they remain firm even after being diced.

If using garlic SALT, omit the remaining salt.

Fresh Salsa Cheat

I love salsa almost as much as I love my husbands guacamole and over the years I have made several different batches. I use to chop everything by hand - ughh! To make it worse, I enjoyed the salsas, but the flavor was never quite what I was looking for, it was always missing layers of flavor so I kept trying. And trying. And trying.

Then I found what I was looking for - my husband's mother and uncle both made a homemade salsa with the layer of flavors I was looking for so of course I asked for the recipe. I about fell out of my chair when they told me the secret. "Start with a jar of Pace" *GASP* What? So they told me again, start with a jar of pace and add your own ingredients, them mix them all in the blender and Voila! Fresh flavored salsa in a matter of minutes. This solved so many issues for me it was unbelievable - part of the reason I don't like jarred salsas is the chunks of cooked (I DO NOT like chunks of cooked tomatoes in anything - odd, I know) AND it allowed me to have that fresh flavor I enjoy so much. Add to that how easy this is and I knew it was the end to my "homemade salsa in a flash" search. Plus, you can change the flavors by changing the salsa you start with as well as the fresh ingredients you add, but here is my basic method.

INGREDIENTS

1 average size jar of your favorite salsa

2-3 roma tomatoes

1/2 - 1 red onion

2-3 fresh peppers (Serrano, Jalapeno, etc)

Handful of fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Chop tomatoes and onions into manageable pieces to add to blender / food processor. Seed peppers. Combine all ingredients in blender / food processor and process until smooth. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Snickerdoodle Popcorn

I was looking for a sweet snack using what I have around the house and came across this recipe - and yummy! My husband said between this (crack corn as we call it now) and the pretzel recipe, we should sell this stuff. I hope to find some more popcorn recipes as well, so be on the lookout!

INGREDIENTS

1 bag microwave popcorn, popped
8 Tbls butter
1/3 C sugar
1 Tbl cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Put butter, sugar, and cinnamon in the microwave for a minute. Stir and microwave another 30 seconds. Stir well again. Pour mixture over popcorn to coat well and bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees, stir, and bake another 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Sauage, Cranberry, and Apple Stuffing

Growing up, I was never a big fan of stuffing (or dressing as you may call it). We always had Stovetop Stuffing that I remember and I avoided it at all cost. It wasn't until a few years ago that I tried it again, mixed it with some mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce - and quickly realized it had a place. Thanksgiving meals have never been the same! Being the stubborn cook I am, I had to find a homemade recipe since boxed mix just wouldn't do - and this one is my winner.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sage bulk breakfast sausage
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only, cleaned well (about 2 large leeks)
• 2 apples, cored and chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery with leaves
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in boiling water for 15 minutes and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 6 cups boxed bread cubes
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 to 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Saute the sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage and drippings to a large bowl. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to the skillet and saute until the leeks are soft, about 8 minutes. Mix in the drained cranberries, sage and rosemary. Add the mixture to the sausage, then mix in the croutons and parsley. Next add the chicken stock a little at a time until the stuffing is very moist. Be sure not to overdo it; it shouldn't be mushy. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a casserole dish.

Bake in a 14-inch oval or 9 by 13-inch rectangular casserole dish and place, uncovered, in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is crispy and the center piping hot. Remove and serve immediately.